Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends'
by SetsunaKou
Summary: Elsa and Hans are invited to attend Valentina & Alonso's grand wedding in Paraiso as Maid of Honor bridesmaid and First Groomsman at the Valentine's Day wedding extravaganza in Brazil! Will the King relent to the affianced couple's unchaperoned, romantic voyage across the Atlantic? Must Anna stay behind in confinement, due to her just discovered pregnancy? New Year in Frozen Again!
1. Frozen Again: Love Never Ends - Prologue

_The third book in this 'Frozen Again' saga has begun!_

 _Be sure to follow this 3rd book in the trilogy to get the latest chapter update where Helsa will finally get their happy ending, Frozen Again friends!_

 _True love for the Norwegian Ice Queen and her red hot Danish Prince is right around the corner, albeit after a few more trials to test the strength of their attachment to one another! :)_

 _So please sit back and enjoy this fun, long, fulfilling ride replete with romance, intrigue and some unexpected twists and turns on the path of Hans & Elsa's star-crossed love!_

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 _We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

" **Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act VI**

 **Prologue**

 **"Forget-Me-Not"**

 _Is it the wind over my shoulder?_

The deep russets and golds and burnt siennas of late autumn 1841 filled the Master Painter's palette with colorful vivid beauty that made this pristine undisturbed section of God's nature breathtaking to behold.

The crystal clear dawning skies over the mid-November morning in Arendelle, Norway had billowed in a particularly cool wind at 4°C to usher in the winter's seasonal chill in this southern tip of Norway. But that was nothing to the wielder of ice who the _cold never bothered anyway_ , as she in her loneliness strolled the shore.

While the polar nights in the Arctic circle top of her country were alight with the spectacular Northern Lights her Scandinavian nation was so famed for, Queen Elsa of Arendelle felt the center of _her_ sun had been obscured beneath the swirling awe-inspiring horizon.

 _Is it the wind that I hear gently whispering?_

Two months had passed since the lovelorn young woman and her reunited family had returned to their beloved native country. The entire kingdom had given praise to the Lord when its conquering heroes returned. A month-long celebration began for Arendelle when the miraculous homecoming of their cherished lost-at-sea sovereigns, King Agdar and Queen Idun, was revealed.

The patriotic spirit of the entire nation soared as the happy Norwegian citizens welcomed back their King and Queen who had all too early departed from them. Once thought lost forever, the Norwegians' dear leader Agdar and his lovely wife, Idun, were once again embraced in the loving bosom of the Arendelle family and the welcoming hearts of their two dearest daughters.

Though, one of those feminine hearts had been quietly longing for her own partner in destiny to come to his new home of her heart after he had been sent away by her protective royal father. According to King Agdar, Prince Hans must prove his worth to be Elsa's mate – a _nd the more desired end— to forget about one another in the process_ – in Arendelle's proud Sjoforsvaret Navy.

As she strolls to the spot closest of the fjord along the castle's Kolbjøn Quay, Elsa of Arendelle looks with beseeching eyes across the sea dreamily and hears that same plaintive melody again echo on the winds.

 _Are you alone there in the valley?_

Just as she did every morning at daybreak since **_he_** departed, via the Pollen harbor through the direction of the Skaggerrak Strait to the great sea beyond...

 _Oh, Hans… Two years apart… And not a letter or missive's line to pass between us… I know that my love for you will still be as constant… But, after all that lonely time being in all those exhilarating new places, meeting exciting new people, how can I know you'll still want_ _ **me**_ _?_

But whenever the insecure Ice Queen felt that cold sadness creeping up inside of her uncertain mind at their extended, uncommunicative enforced separation – just when the Queen of ice-olation was beginning to accept that she could perhaps rely on having another's warmth intimately near – she remembered what her brilliant Prince Hans asked her to do.

Reflections of the dawn's sunlight trickle down through the leaves of the felled birch trees and play across the beautiful crystallized forget-me-not corsage Hans had placed over her heart.

The Ice Queen herself had frozen in time that precious memento of her romantic lover back in Egeskov's lovely Rose Garden.

A small smile tickles at her lavender lips as she remembers when her handsome Prince Hans had bestowed the tiny brigade of woven flowers to her in that priceless adorable way when the usually debonair Dane bashfully gifted Elsa with these meaningful little blue flowers.

 _'Forget-me-not, O Lord!'_ Hans' high tenor in that effeminate voice for performing effect echoes through Elsa's consciousness yet again. The downhearted Queen cannot help but let out a small giggle each time she recalled his precious anecdote retelling.

' _Then that shall be your name, patient little one: Forget-me-not.'_

The entire scene of how her dashing young man had enthralled her with his poignant tale of the tiny blue flower's fidelity replays in her head. With her hands folded, Elsa quietly stands at the water's edge where Arendelle's sparkling fjord stretched out to the sea.

Every dainty step that the stunning blonde beauty took along the plane tree lined grassy knolls at the edge of the valley coast near Arendelle Castle brought another memory to her disheartened mind as she gazed to each glistening petal sentimentally.

Her eloquent fiancé, Hans Westergaard, had related so many sweet, masterfully spun emotions with just the tender power of his velvety voice. Hans' words replaying in her head for the hundredth time – no thousandth – was enough to make Elsa laugh out loud in the hushed still of the early morning harbor.

But Elsa was secretly crying inside to realize that her love was so very far away right now, quite inaccessible to her on his naval ship's far-flung tour across the oceans.

 _'Whenever you're feeling sad – or dare I say, missing me_ –' Prince Hans' brazenly narcissistic smirk in that moment still caused the naïve young woman's insides to tremble with unexplored emotions.

' _Remember this little blossom and the patience that her true heart will be rewarded with the richness of love's blessing, someday.'_

Her chilled heart warms instantly. For no one seemed to understand her as well as her dashing redheaded Dane, as Elsa hears Hans' lovely tenor reverberate inside her soul. His gentle wisdom spoke patience for the promise of a future together with a true love beyond love that their amazing bond, through danger, risk and ultimatel, trust, had forged a relationship that would last a lifetime.

 _No, not alone, for you walk, you walk with me._

But those prospective assurances didn't take away the youthful pangs of being physically apart from the man she loved with all her heart. A formerly frightened vessel that persuasive Prince Hans had somehow persuaded her to let him lead to shore...

"Oh, Hans, I miss you…"

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A lean, handsome young man opens his eyes that saw little sleep that night in his bed. In the darkness, he was distinctly certain he heard a voice whispering to him on the winds of his subconscious.

In the lonely darkness of his captain's cabin, Vise Admiral Hans Westergaard of the Sjoforsvaret, a Knight Errant of the Kingdom of Arendelle, was absolutely sure that someone dear to his heart was calling out to him.

Somewhere out there in the velvety folds of her land of pristine beauty and tranquil serenity, a young woman with the dust of the stars in her glimmering eyes was gazing over the dawn with dreams of him in her mind.

A smiling Prince Hans was ashamed of himself to realize that he was more conceited to know of her devotion than pitying her tender emotion this morning. But his puffed up a bit male ego assured Hans Westergaard he had the heart of a beautiful queen pining away for him eight thousand nautical miles, half a world away.

So as by his Admiral, King Agdar's order, the red-headed Dane with a lifetime of naval service, embarked across the seas with his remarkable fifty-three meter, nine hundred long ton steamship, the HmNos Nidaros, on her first launched ambitious expedition of discovery and scientific research.

But no matter where in the world his naval mission took him on this stimulating tour of the high seas most young men of Hans youthful age could only dare fantasize to be in command of, the Danish Prince was certain he'd never walk any foreign soil alone.

For his yearning love for the time to pass, so they could be together again, was just as strong for Elsa of his heart as hers was constant for him.

 _Never alone, for you_ wa _lk, you walk with me_ …

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Hello Frozen friends!

HAPPY EASTER! ^_^

I made it to my book launch date with this short prologue! : (already got the whole first chapter written and typed up for next week!:)

This book starts with an engaged and hopelessly in love Elsa and her handsome Prince Hans being separated by her overprotectve father, King Agdar, who has been miraculously returned to the land of the living, along with his Queen Idun. Even after promoting Hans to Vise Admiral and admitting the Dane's bravery and chivalry, Agdar is still wary of the Southern Isles' prince in a relationship with his older daughter, Elsa.

This story will begin with the journey for this wary father, reunited with his children, and adjusting to a new life as the 'Ice King'; Elsa in joint command of his kingdom; and reluctant King Agdar being forced to accept Hans and Kristoff into his closeknit family dynamic.

With the aid of his beautiful and capable wife who has some magic healing powers of her own, Elsa and Anna's Mama Queen Idun, Agdar must learn that part of growing up is full of heartbreak and choosing who to trust with your heart. _And_ the fact that he can't always protect his beloved girls from the peaks and pitfalls of this world, nor their destined young men.

Did you enjoy this lovely plaintive and heartfelt song themed prologue? The minute I heard our golden-throated Santino sing this beautiful, haunting melody, I almost fell off my chair that the words so applied to Helsa's story at this point! So I interwove its tender lyrics into Elsa and Hans' subconscious thoughts, to set the 'longing for love' mood of the entire first part of this third book's chronicle.

This novel's story will continue into the exciting world of Frozen and Tangled, as the Arendelle sisters and their cousin Rapunzel expand their own families with children shared with their true loves in futures full of promise.

So, I invite you to come along on this journey of love and romance in full bloom for Ice Queen Elsa and her reformed, by God's grace, Prince Hans as they forge a future together, however unlikely it seemed before, with loving peppery little sister Anna's help finding romance and family adventures along the way!

And I want to wish all of my Frozen friends out there the most blessed and Happy of Easters!

Let this be the day we celebrate not mere bunnies and chocolate eggs, _(yummy as they may be:)_ but for the selfless, generous Love of our Savior Jesus Christ who died to offer each of us undeserving sinners Salvation's Redemption into God's holy, unending kingdom with His blood.

Just as Prince Hans has discovered through that blessed redemption, a phenomenal, miraculous love in the forgiving, warm heart of his beautiful Ice Queen Elsa.

God bless you as we begin this new journey of our dreams and imaginations together in our mutual love of Frozen's continuing story in the magical world of fairy-tale reading. May we share many more hours together in exciting, heartwarming adventures to come!

Jesus Christ is Risen today! Hallelujah! ^_^ Happy Easter to all my Frozen friends!

Love, your humble authoress,

HarukaKou

P.S. Do you like the mistletoe cover art by my talented big sister Setsuna? Hans dipping Elsa for a romantic smooch under the mistletoe he's expertly wielding is absolutely breathtaking and so befitting our hopelessly in love handsome pair. After some angst at the story's beginning, it will definitely be a fun and frisky scene to look forward to, coming ahead for 'Frozen Again: Love Never Ends' at Christmas time! Look for the playfully romantic chapter in Helsa's love story to play then! Thanks for reading!

Haru-chan

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 _P.S. Be sure to follow this 3rd book in the_ ' Frozen Again' _trilogy to get the latest chapter updates! :) And Olaf and Eliana love reviews! :) Can't wait to hear from you, Frozen friends! :_


	2. Chapter 1 - You Walk with Me

_We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

" **Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act VI**

 **Chapter 1**

 **"You Walk with Me"**

 _Is it the wind?_

As the sun begins to rise fully over the morn, Elsa lets out a resigned sigh. She begins to trek, wistfully crestfallen, back to her Arendelle Castle home, a haunting melody echoing throughout her very soul as her subconscious hears the same theme of poignant expressions set to soft music...

" **ELLSSA! BREAKFAST'S ALMOST READY**!" The still quiet of the early autumn morning by the seaside is broken by her noisy little sister, Princess Anna's loud call.

"Oh, there you are." With a concerned look on her pretty face, the sprightly ginger Princess was aware that her sister had been frequenting the quay's harbor for the last two months, rain or shine, faithfully since her lover had been sent away on his long-spanning naval tour of duty.

Anna had seen the downcast expression and the unhappy face day by day that her big sister Elsa had tried to conceal from her immediate family, as well as the entire kingdom that she still had a full-time responsibility to lead.

Yes, Papa, as King returned, was slowly beginning to take a great deal of the daily grind that came with running a nation off Elsa's thin shoulders. Though Queen Idun had tried to make the valiant attempt to gradually ease her recently recovered from torture, near death, and then rejuvenation husband back to his now shared role as the ruler of this great nation, energetic King Agdar was itching to throw his crown back into the ring.

Even if he, unwittingly, would be crisscrossing all over his daughter, Queen Elsa's authority.

Agdar did not intend to overstep Elsa's regal power and Queen-ship, but it was in his dominant male nature to control every aspect of his nation's rule as he did exclusively before. Since,at the ripe, old age of twenty, the Crown Prince of Arendelle himself took over the kingdom from _his_ father, who was tragically deceased after the great plague that swept over and killed one third of Norwegians, including its King and fair Queen.

Though providential enough to have fortuitously wed Princess Idun of Drottingham, his stable haven, young Agdar, just out of his teens, was unexpectedly thrust into the momentous role as leader of his country. Even as he kept tight control of his cryokinetic ice curtailed within his severely repressed body, the restless, handsome young King had an unrelenting determination to lead his country with the motto of 'Justice and Truth under God'.

His beautiful Idun, always supportive at his side, made it possible for him to retain this steadfastness for his people, with as much resolution as Agdar had courageously served his Navy in his own troubled adolescence with valor.

Just as his Georgian sensibilities expected that it was his responsibility to bear all of the Crown's burden and demands again now, as a monarch – and also a respectable father – properly should, the Ice King possessed an incredible fortitude to succeed.

Though every now and then, his wide imposing shoulders still had to lean on Elsa's thin, slender ones, when the stubborn King obeyed his wife. King Agdar had grown rather rusty for this swiftly changing Industrial Age era, and far too icily detached of heart at times now that his manifest powers had been unleashed, to always think clearly.

Agdar would listen to his intelligent daughter's serious input on how to collectively rule their country, with the gates open, with her calm, gentle hand rather than only under his strict, unyielding one.

King Agdar was learning, at Queen Idun's insistence, that he must delegate kingdom responsibility with his well trained, levelheaded Elsa. She had proven every bit as capable of making many wise leadership positions from her two years of being the sole monarch in charge of all of Norway, and doing it well.

Arendelle's Head Counselor Kai would accept orders from either of his dear leaders, under Queen Idun's sagacious advice most of all. The petite Queen Mother had urged her old friend Kai to listen to both father and daughter and carefully weigh the law until Agdar and Elsa came to an agreement in their governing styles. Then the trusted tutor could make an educated decision somewhere in between.

So with Idun, Kai and Gerda smoothly steering both Ice Monarchs, Agdar and Elsa could discuss opinions of trade, the economy and defense, and negotiate Arendelle's commerce with both their regal heads held high in the greatest respect and acumen to lead the nation together, side-by-side.

The situation was working out now at the end of two months, with Elsa being grateful for her Papa's experience in many naval decisions and cool head in state governing matters that gave the young woman some time to herself to breathe; while Agdar was pleased to be surprised with the way Elsa could parley agreements with her captivating charm in disarming mercurial visiting ambassadors and obdurate local farmers alike to make viable trade accords and prosperous economic deals.

Though the special ice gifted royals were coming to an administrative understanding of their equalized roles in the kingdom, Agdar still bristled every time the heady subject of his darling little girl's attachment to a certain young man - _he shrewdly had shipped off to the corners of the Sjoforsvaret's fleet -_ came into question.

A querulous question that his Queen, Mama Idun, was still working on all the sensitive angles thereof, in her own serene, patient and cunning way.

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 _Is it the wind there over my shoulder?_

"You okay, Sis?" As bubbly Princess Anna trots up to meet Elsa on the winding path from the harbor, she greets her with her most sympathetic smile. The braided younger Princess of Arendelle, who had been ( _im_ )patiently waiting for Elsa to come around the tree-lined bend, wraps an extra warm shawl she brought for her lugubrious big sister tenderly around her elegant shoulders.

Lovingly, Anna met her heart-wrenched older sister every morning like this, as Elsa patrolled to the sea edge, to bring her a warm shawl as the weather turned cooler.

Even if the blonde Ice Queen did not require its warmth, she still needed its comfort.

"Hmm?" Elsa answers distractedly, her blue eyes still vague across the fjord behind her.

Anna wordlessly takes Elsa's chilly hand under the beautifully tragic canopy of autumn-touched trees of crimson, rusts and ochre that replaced the vibrant lively greens of summer.

The second Arendelle Princess' expressive eyes look Elsa up and down on this early morning. The tall, pale-skinned blonde young woman had her hair in a tight chignon bun and wore her regal purple-violet velveteen skirt and jacket that was lovely, but a bit too demure and stuffy for effulgent Anna's taste.

She liked seeing Elsa in her pale blue Ice Queen dress with her long hair in a sidelong braid.

That was Elsa's true inner soul's style, and expressed her love of freedom's beauty more than any other restricting fashion. Wild sunflower Anna appreciated that sense of independence and the coquettish quality of artistic elegance in her big sister, even if it didn't conform to the reserved mode of the day.

Anna knew she wasn't always a model of royal princess perfection herself, preferring to be outspoken and vivacious and peppery at whatever task she took on.

It helped for her guy, her wonderful, big-hearted mountain of a man named Kristoff Bjorgman, to always be at her side and obliging of whatever his feisty gal endeavored, to back her up.

 _Guess it's hard to not have that, Elsa…I couldn't live anymore without seeing my Kristly to talk to and laugh with and smack around everyday…_ The ginger haired girl twaddles wth her braid as she imagines how terrible it would be to have no prospect of being reflected in her lover's eyes at least a little while each day.

So, in companionable, meditative silence, the sisters tromp through the crunching leaves coating the grounds of their home hand-in-hand.

"You look so sad today, Elsa. Do you miss him that terribly?" After biting her tongue for far too many melancholy mornings before deciding this was the right moment to speak, compassionate Anna knew Elsa well enough to sense her palpable yearning, so exquisitely languorous this morn, for the young man she was denied.

Anna fingers the forget-me-not ice bouquet affixed to Elsa's left breast buttonhole that even she recognized without much romantic knowledge of which flowers these were and what they meant. And **who,** most importantly, they were from, and none-too-coincidentally represented.

 _Is it your voice calling quietly?_

Elsa's contemplative eyes make a study of each of her pale blue ice flowers' viridescent petals. Each held a memory within every one of Prince Hans' winning phrases, tantalizing smiles, sparkling laughter, and passionate kisses full of love for her before she replies with a wistful smile.

"I miss Hans more than I thought humanly possible, Anna. Is this what it feels like to be in love?" A breathless Elsa whispers into her baby sister's more qualified, married ear as the pair walked arm in arm toward Arendelle Castle's rear entrance.

"Yeah." Anna whispers back, not very practiced at coating words with sugary lies. "And it only gets worse, the more you love him." The feisty ginger directs a cocky look to her own studly guy, who just _happened_ to be up and about the grounds as early this dawn's morning as his diminutive bride.

Kristoff Bjorgman had emerged from the small cottage he had purchased _at a good price from the Crown_ _– Thanks for the discount, Elsa_ – as first home for himself and his new bride.

Although, with her parents suddenly reintroduced into their lives, recently turned twenty years of age Anna wasn't quite yet permitted take up permanent residence in it as Kristoff's 'official' wife since they returned home from their long journey.

At least not until her Papa was ready to accept the big strapping blond mountain man as his younger daughter's match.

And that meant several weeks, so far, for poor Kristoff in rigorous culture training and scrupulous learning to be a Knight of this Realm. He had been inducted to that auspicious membership as a hero along with Eugene and Hans and Job those two months ago, soon after they returned to Norway from Denmark's Southern Isles.

On an elevated level, Kristoff was being vetted to become a proper Prince Consort worthy of Arendelle's royal house, with all the snobbish imperial rituals and historical majestic data memorization stuffed down workingman Kristoff's disgruntled throat.

But Kristoff would go through with it, if this was the only way through King Agdar to his younger daughter.

It was a good thing for Anna that this young scrapper of a mountain man turned out to be the Snow Queen's child. Or else high and mighty King Agdar would certainly call for their recent marriage's annulment, despite Elsa's firm stance on this point.

This rough and ready, uncouth ice harvesting muscleman was hardly Agdar's ideal choice to take over as caretaker for his precious little daughter Anna.

But for the time being, on trial Snow Prince Kristoff would be permitted to visit in the Royal household for meals and monitored social meetings. As long as he attended the castle library for knighthood education in the afternoons that cunning Queen Idun suggested as a splendid way for the blond boy to bond with his father-in-law via her stuffy mate's avid interest in his country's history, he could not refuse.

King Agdar had been teaching Norwegian history the past few weeks to the young mountain man, who had displayed a surprisingly impressive shrewdness to his sovereign and father-in-law. It helped that his Wind Whisperer intuitive skills benefited from Agdar's immense historical mental banks of information gleaned - at wily Queen Idun's prompting - to Kristoff's guilt-ridden advantage.

But if his relations with Anna must remain purely platonic until the Ice King considered the official Royal Ice Harvester of the kingdom a chivalrous virtuous personage, Kristoff would resort to anything. Even if he had to academically read every old tome in the palace library to prove himself uprightly respectable enough to be the Arendelle King's Knight Errant and earned title son-in-law as his little girl's Prince Consort.

Not that little 'Baby' Anna herself observed her _exalted_ Papa's order to the letter. The feisty ginger would sneak off to cohabit with her husband before her parents rose each morning. Anna would trot out to the stables to her flying reindeer Svala and stealthily soar under the cover of darkness just outside of the palace grounds before the locked gates of Arendelle were opened by the servants at daybreak.

Even Gerda, who said nothing to incriminate her peppery little charge, at first was surprised at how early the sleepyhead girl could rise in the still, dark mornings, to quietly tiptoe past her parents' now inhabited bedroom to rush outdoors into the nippy Autumn cold.

But keyed up under the romantic cover of darkness, tricky Anna had the proper motivation of a strapping young man to race to the indulgent arms of to enjoy. That is, before _blameless_ Kristoff set out at daybreak to tend to his back breaking work as Official Ice Harvester to at least make some money to put in the bank for her,

That was for extra capital the young entrepreneur may require, should he not make the grade in being wholly accepted in this elitist Imperial Royal family's approval, and was forced to run off with his Princess Anna to his mother's Arctic kingdom in the far North.

Okay, that wasn't exactly Kristoff's extremist, fantastical idea. But Olaf thought it quite thrilling when Anna let the curious snowman in on her far-fetched, albeit implausibly romanticized, tale.

In reality, a harried Kristoff and Sven would cram a full day of non-stop, no break, ice work and tracking in a few short hours, just to hoof it back to the Castle to undergo some meticulous book learning befitting a Royal knight under King Agdar and Councilor Kai's unrelenting thumbs.

As Kristoff was doing his best to earn his place in this Royal family's kingdom, he knew his effervescent and appealing Princess Anna was worth reading every dull line of history in the dusty old books Kristoff was dutifully tackling under her father, the King's, watchful eye.

But that would prove to be a bit tough amid Anna's flirtatious ogling with her vivid orangy head popping up in the library, it seemed, behind every bookshelf her studiously startled Kristoff was perusing. Anna mirthfully could even be found hanging upside down with her braids flapping from the second floor ladder with her distracting mental traipsing through their soulful psychic bond.

Mischievous Anna would interrupt her good-looking muscleman's education by giggling at him where he was jammed into an uncomfortable library seat sizes too small for him while Kristoff was respectfully poring over his reading and writing carefully with the pen and quill provided like an overgrown schoolboy.

 _A really hunky and beefy schoolboy with a ripped musculature_ …

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Anna shakes her woozy head away from its dreamy fantasy of her gorgeous man's physical characteristics she so adored and back to reality. She grabs up the apple Gerda had slipped into her pocket each morning for her clandestine excursions and takes a great big bite of the juicy fruit.

 _ **Ahem! Cough cough cough!**_

Naughty Princess Anna lets out a little, self-conscious cough, soon followed by a stream of choked up noises on the apple pits as she awkwardly turns to face her big sister's inquisitive eyes. Elsa, just awakening from her own pleasant reverie was not quite aware, in her own separation anxiety from her man, of how tough Papa made Anna and Kristoff's conjugal relationship.

"Anna!?" A worried Elsa asks in concern, patting a convulsing Anna on the back to help stop her little sister's choking spell.

"Anna?! Elsa?! Where are you two?!" The sisters are stopped on the path leading into the rear of the Arendelle Castle by a familiar voice.

"What's wrong, Anna?! Are you choking? I think you're choking! I think she's choking!" A panicking Olaf the snowman comes bounding down the trail between the harbor wharf and the Castle waving his alarmed branchy arms in the air.

"Don't worry! JustHans taught me the Heinie maneuver on the ship!" Olaf exclaims 'knowledgeably' as he scurries up to Anna and firmly whacks her on the rump of her backside.

"Ow, Olaf!" Totally forgetting she was choking in the shock of her snowy pal's suggestive move, Anna glares down at her reddened, branch smacked rump and rubs it with a twisted lip down at her snowy friend.

"I just bet _**that**_ Hans Westergaard taught you that, Olaf!" Always enjoying a good morning sprint, Anna's hothead squeals out as the limber, braided girl chases a shrugged, well-intentioned Olaf around the wooded area leading to the Arendelle Castle rear.

"Okay, Anna. You and Olaf wait here. I must return to the Chapel to gather the music I intend to practice for Sunday services." Elsa chuckles at her merry family dynamic in all their childishness, as she nods back to reality at the carefree mention of a certain young man's invoked name.

 _Carefree…_

Elsa walks inside the Arendelle Chapel at a clipped pace to fetch the desired musical literature she wished to practice. The Arendelle Queen pauses to light the votive candles at the church entrance when her icy forget-me-not corsage glimmers against the lit candles.

And the vivid recollection of the Knighting ceremony two months ago suddenly fills her every sense in the flame flickers.

 _'Over the hilltop, down in the valley, Never alone for you walk with me…'_

Elsa remembers that time when her handsome Prince Hans had so gallantly stood tall and suave and breathtaking to stride down the Royal Chapel's center aisle when beckoned by name.

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Prince Hans, despite being in exile of this nation for crimes in the past, had been appointed by Queen Elsa as a Sjoforsvaret Naval Kommander when Anna was in danger and he was called on to aide her in their country's time of need. And again, this time by her father King Agdar, Hans had been made Vise Admiral of the fleet for his laudable services and remarkable accomplishments of valor on the naval battlefield on behalf of Norway and all of humanity.

The non-naval officers – mountain man turned Snow Prince Kristoff, orphaned thief turned Prussian Prince Eugene and pirate's first mate turned hero, Job, who betrayed the evil madman to spare Princess Anna – were awarded the Storkors and Bronze stars as individuals of high merit.

So after the holy Bishop had blessed Anna's Kristoff and Cousin Eugene and Job, their new friend, to receive their awards and meritorious knighthoods for bravery, above and beyond the call of duty in the recent crisis before this Royal court, her father the King had then bestowed upon Prince Hans lastly a special honor.

It was a full Naval Knighthood, First-Class, of the _Den Kongelige Norsk Sanker Olavs Orden_ – the Royal Chivalric Order of Saint Olav. This medal decoration, reserved for the most honored naval officers who courageously sacrificed their own safety selflessly for that of others in the greater good of this country, was the pinnacle of highly sought gallant hero's tributes.

Of which Hans Westergaard, by exceptionally being the hero who not only saved the Queen's life, that of her recovered family, and all of Norway from the dire menace of the evil vengeful sea beast called the Draugen – had also nearly died in combat in doing so as he chose to go down with his ship into the heart of the Moskenstraumen maelstrom to bring an end to the threat.

Blushing and overwhelmed by all these accolades as he knelt and automatically made a reverential sign of the Cross before the altar, Prince Hans was then singled out and awarded the Grand Cross sash, badge and ribbons awarded to _'notable heroes of exceptional worthiness'_ by Admiral Bernadotte.

In awe, Elsa could still hear the trumpets ringing in her ears with pride as she watched her dear Papa raise his sword over Prince Hans' valiant head. But this time it was not in anger, nor punishment, but to make the Danish Prince an official _Ridder av forste klasse, Den Kongelige Norske Fortjensteorden–_ Knight First-Class of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit.

King Agdar then pinned the fancy starburst medallion to Hans' puffed up right chest, and laid a special gold collar with badge on a bronze chain the Ice King then affixed with gold ropes to the debonair younger man's left shoulder.

"Rise and be recognized, Sir Hans." Maintaining his cool through the icy chill during the consecrated ceremony, King Agdar's deep voice boomed as he righteously articulated the renowned title this fascinating young Dane earned in his kingdom. _It's only the title you've earned, young man…_

Elsa recalls getting swept up in the breathtaking remembrance of the impressive moment when all the court gathered in the Arendelle Chapel to celebrate their new heroes, Hans included.

Elsa, her mother, her sister, and her cousin led all of the dignitaries, foreign visitors and proud citizens of Arendelle to recite the motto of their kingdom's chivalric order that had been respectfully observed for over a century. The last time such a gathering was held, it was over two decades ago, in honor of King Agdar himself.

 **"Ret og Sandhed!"** _('Justice and God's truth'_!)

At the regal King's nodded prompt, the entire congregation chanted to announce Prince Hans' due recognition as he was simultaneously made full citizen of Norway and inducted to the highest ranks of his new country's exclusive Order of Knights.

"Justice and God's truth…" The motto re-whispered on her lips, the platinum blonde Queen could still clearly see the overwhelmed pride and honor evoked on Prince Hans' attractive features, so obviously touched by this ceremony's honor that awarded him the Sjoforvaret's enviable Grand Cross.

As part of his wiped clean slate pardon that Prince Hans had been granted for his repentant heroism in Norway's darkest hour, the Council agreed that all three of the country's highest honors could be granted to the invaluable young man who played a vital role in saving the life of Queen Elsa, rescuing King Agdar and Queen Idun, as well as stopping the foul sea monster from destroying all of Norway.

"Kneel before your King and Almighty God, Prince Hans." Using the ancient text for the eight century old ceremonial knighthood ritual, King Agdar looked down upon the comely Dane he had already awarded two of these sacred badges, the Grand Cross - the country's highest honor, for extensive courage and valor in the Navy for risking his life decisively in maritime battle, as the King's own Vise Admiral; and the Storkors for meritorious achievement in selflessly saving the country from that evil threat in heroism and service to humanity.

Over his years in the naval service, Admiral Bernadotte had achieved for Norway these same three awards that now resided on Vise Admiral Westergaard's svelte uniform jacket with epaulettes, as well.

But, as Agdar deferred to his elder child and took a step back to stand beside the Archbishop, it was Queen Elsa herself who ascended the Chapel altar steps to bestow the Kommander with the Star necklace that was the crocus embossed symbol of the kingdom's pride. In-so-doing, Elsa also would signify Hans Westergaard's official induction as citizen of their nation with all the distinguished honors that accompanied his swearing allegiance to Arendelle's Queen.

Elsa would never forget the sincere, grateful glow in Prince Hans' adoring eyes up at her from where he had been kneeling at the church altar steps before her, for giving him a place to belong at last while she looped the wine red necklace ribbon around his bowed in reverence neck.

Elsa was awestruck enthralled by _Sir_ Hans of Arendelle's response to her ceremonial question of his pledge to her country above all, even above his own birthplace from now on.

"On my honor, I will serve Norway above all other nations and protect her beautiful Queen with all my heart. For this is now my homeland, as I vow humbly to her, under God's Grace in thanksgiving." With a hand solemnly over his moved heart, chivalrous Hans had hovered his lips over Elsa's hand, grazing the snowflake engagement ring he had placed there. Then he had bowed his eyes to her sovereignty over him, as he reiterated the pledge to God and Queen and country that he was now proudly a new member of before the Lord.

 _Never alone for you walk with me._

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Elsa smiles now through her cascading tears at that unforgettable moment she would carry all the days of her life. As she walks along with Anna, the Arendelle Queen muses at how gallant her beautiful Hans, swearing his allegiance to her nation before his Creator, appeared in her adoring eyes as the second-highest ranking knight, as well as naval officer, of their kingdom.

King Agdar, too, invoking the sign of the cross before the altar as he kneeled at the foot of devoutly, closed the ceremony with his Queen Idun on his arm, giving due tribute to the other recipients Kristoff and Eugene and Job.

As second highest ranked member of the Navy, Vise Admiral Hans was permitted to escort Queen Elsa down from the altar and along the aisle to greet the congregation of citizens who had been waiting outside the castle to give homage to their honored heroes.

Elsa could still hear the drone of the Royal visitors' applause and see Prince J **ü** rgen's proud naval salute to Hans as they passed the Søværnet Danish prince seventh-in-line brother who represented Denmark and stayed on after escorting the family home on a Navy yacht, for his sibling's ceremony.

The entire gathering clapped in appreciation of their accepted and forgiven new hero when Queen Elsa and Prince Hans had walked out from the Arendelle Chapel under all their congratulatory applause.

"I meant every word of that pledge, my precious Snowflake. I will strive to serve you and your nation with all the honor you so richly deserve." Hans, knowing their unmonitored time together was short and sweet, waxed eloquent even then as he impetuously grasped Elsa and pushed the supple Queen to the side of Arendelle Chapel's obscured vestibule before they left the castle to meet the public waiting outside.

Agile Hans had deftly pressed Elsa into the castle's pillared mainframe to embrace her tightly in his sinewy lean arms in its shadows.

"Hans, I want you to stay here with me, just like this forever. I don't want to be alone without you." A desperately emotional Elsa, at last embracing her unconcealed feelings, caressed the young man's sideburns at the side of his highborn cheeks as she murmured deliriously against his handsome face. There were tears glistening down her pale cheeks up at her lover soon to be shipped off to the Navy for two long years, never to communicate with each other during that extended time.

"I'll be right here walking at your side over every sunrise's hilltop, in every breeze blowing over you at sunset, down every evening valley beneath the starlight, my love. So you'll never walk alone, because we won't truly be apart." Romantic hero Hans was desperately searching for some way to lessen the blow of their impending separation, though inside he too was feeling the empty void beginning to grow inside himself.

"Elsa, promise me that when you look in the mirror of the sky, you'll remember I'm under its vast blue dome, too, looking up and wondering what you're doing right then. And find consolation in knowing you're thinking the same of me. Wherever you are, remember, I'm right beside you. That's how we'll get through this, _min kæreste_ (my darling)." Hans deliciously petted Elsa's pinned up hair until its loose braid un-twirled into his white gloved hands.

"I'll be thinking of you in every second I'm awake standing on the deck of my ship, on-duty in the wheelhouse or on an away mission, in my dreams below deck in my bunk when I sleep, my love. Even when I'm bathing in the sitz, I'll sing your praises." The cheeky Danish redhead had mixed in the tease amidst his lofty soliloquy with a wicked smile that instantly brightened Elsa's weeping frown into a giggling grin at his mental picture-provoking jest. It was so tantalizingly unbefitting a freshly sworn-in, virtuous knight with this navy man's reference for a high class ship's rather bare flesh revealing portable porcelain bathtub that was reserved for the officers of the naval vessel only.

"That's my girl. That's how I wish to remember you, my darling Snowflake, smiling for me. Just please… In all that you do… Elsa, my Queen, remember to Forget-me-not…" His velvet voice laughing, Hans had tickled Elsa's pale chin as she lovingly pressed her cool cheek into his tender touch, so close to her.

 _No, not alone for you walk with me…_

"Then I can rest assured that you're here, safe in the warmth of your family, my darling. I will be working very hard to fulfill my duties, counting the days 'til we can be together again. Please, I pray that you'll be strong for me, waiting patiently and finding joy in each day's blessing with the knowledge of my love's constancy, as steady as the wind in my ship's swift sail on the silver flaked sea. Just as I'll know that you're somewhere out there as I gaze up to the dust of the stars set upon that sea, with your devotion as invariable as their brilliance to guide me home someday. The days and months will fly by, as long as I am certain that you'll forget-me-not, too." Hans met Elsa's eyes after he nostalgically stroked with tender fingers the iridescent ice infused frost petals of the frozen in time corsage he had so diligently woven together for his true love.

"How can I ever forget you, my handsome Prince?!" A weepy Elsa lost herself in his scent, trying to immerse herself in it as long as possible. It must last her two long years if she understood her father's implicit command, as her ears heard the herald's trumpet that signaled the chapel ceremony was almost finished. She buries her face in Hans' red nape scruff to hide her equally red eyes.

"Well, Elsa… You simply can't. I'm too witty and pretty and bright to forget." Hans ran a conceited hand through his coiffed red hair with the debonair smile and a haughty nose up in the air to show off his celestial profile to her.

A clever Prince Hans always knew the way to take Queen Elsa's sad, melancholy mood and instantly turn it around. He delighted in her look of pure amazement at his sing-songy phrase full of winsome vanity's frivolous, yet factual, design.

"Yes. Yes you are, my darling. So very pretty." The Ice Queen had responded in kind to his silliness with a grateful nuzzle to his lovely sideburns. Elsa then placed a wistful kiss to his smirking lips that knew better than to indulge, but couldn't help himself. Both Elsa and Hans understood that this would probably be the last kiss that they would share for a long time to come.

Hans, though thrilled with her passionate lips – and bold tongue tickling the inside of his enticed mouth for the first time – was unhappily the one forced to break off the forbidden, ardent kiss in lieu of the trumpet heralded outgoing procession of dignitaries and newly inducted knights of the realm that her father, as King, was in lead of...

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Elsa's flashback of the end in the knighting ceremony at Arendelle Chapel was so vivid she could literally feel Hans' hot breaths against her cold neck, even right now as the frost of this November morn was threatening to overwhelm her as she continues in her past reverie…

 _When evening falls and the air gets colder…_

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By the time King Agdar, suspicious as to the whereabouts of his spirited away daughter, stepped into the suddenly frostbitten vestibule, Hans and Elsa were at a respectful separated distance, one on either side of the door frame, as if patiently awaiting the King and Queen with esteem.

Elsa was standing just where her masterful accomplished dancer Hans Westergaard had expressly spun the already dazed Queen of Arendelle to elegantly alight just in the proper place.

A blushing, flushed Elsa had greeted her parents with the utmost decorum, and a breathless Hans had bowed to King Agdar and Queen Idun quite gentlemanly, the guilty pair pulling themselves together just in time. But the culpable looks on their daughter and her fiancé's faces and the stolen glances that had sufficed between them for the rest of the restricted afternoon told Idun that this enforced separation would not part the warmth of these two zealous hearts.

Anna, on her own Knight of the realm – _Sir_ Kristoff's – strong arm, had witnessed those prohibited glances, so full of longing and love it broke her compassionate heart to see her beloved big sister she adored in such distress.

Even if it involved _**That Red**_.

"Like the lip color, Lillebror. Just your shade." Irreverent Eugene elbowed his little brother he sidled up to stand beside as King Agdar and Queen Idun entered the overbooked courtyard full of ogling throngs of citizens to announce the four new Knights with honor, they all wanting the new quartet of Knights' autographs.

A guilty Hans had lightly touched his lips with his slightly magenta smudged white gloves at his Storbror's insinuating eyebrows. Then the gentlemanly neat Prince surprised Eugene, Rapunzel and Kristoff surrounding him by embedding his lips fully in his left glove's palm, thusly transferring the feminine shade of Elsa's full lips to the formerly pristine cloth.

"I shall never wash this again." Hans buried his tall pointed nose into the glove that also held his Queen's intoxicating soft scent before he pocketed it into his ripped open chest jacket, to place securely over his heart beside his treasured locket.

"You've got to be kidding me! That stuff only happens in cheesy romance novels!" More _sensible_ brother Eugene's jaw had dropped at his Lillebror's blatantly sissy, romantic notion for his adoring audience of one pale magenta-lipped woman who had been making swooning, goo-goo eyes at her admirer's dramatic gesture.

A sighing at all the romance Rapunzel had given Elsa a positive thumbs-up from where she had been aiding Lady Cassandra with readjusting Job's ceremonial collar that was a tad too tight for the muscular Caribbean former pro-wrestler who had a heart of gold beneath the rough exterior build.

Kristoff and Job shared a shaking head glance at their Danish compatriot, fellow musketeer's urbane smoothness with the ladies that they were sure would be the death of him someday.

 _"Romance novels and true love."_ _With a whisper into Elsa's blushing ear, only impressed idealist Anna truly understood where Hans Westergaard was coming from._

 _Now_ _that's a scary thought._

 _Just like when she was a kid, little Anna had kept her suddenly inaccessible, beloved sister's left behind favorite sheet always with her as a security blanket every night for years until it was too threadbare and worn._

 _Hans' real love for Elsa more than a distant dream was so great that he wished to hold onto everything about her. Even something as trivial as a smudge of her lip gloss and her scent on his gloves would serve as Hans' own 'security blanket' of a sort._

 _Anything to take with him over the long lonely miles would keep her that much closer to his world that would take him halfway around it before Hans Westergaard was scheduled to return to Arendelle._

 _When shadows cover the road I am following…_

By the time the sunset drifted over the fjord, the newly launched HmNoS Nidaros corvette class ship, scheduled for trade expeditions in the Far East, had pulled into the harbor, ready for the Vise Admiral take command of its impressive helm.

The promising young officer dutifully saluted his Admiral and pledged King standing rigidly at Arendelle dock. King Agdar saluted his Vise Admiral back, sincerely wishing the boy _'fair winds and following seas'_ in his rumbling baritone.

Although, Agdar's eyes watched warily as his little Snow Angel dismissed her learned decorum and propriety to follow his ship as she ran to the edge of the pier like a lovesick schoolgirl.

Clutching his ice miniature locket to his heart, Prince Hans gave a fond farewell blown kiss to his breathtaking Queen Elsa of his heart who was faithfully there, clinging to the edge of the furthest pier post, as she waved her sweetheart sailor man ' _goodbye'_.

"Please, write to me!" A despairing Elsa begged at the last possible moment, never certain if her dearest Prince Hans heard her plaintive plea, though the rebellious young woman was sure her strict Papa did.

So, Vise Admiral Hans Westergaard's ship, _His Norwegian Majesty's Ship_ Nidaros, pulled out from Arendelle port that late afternoon, as the 4 PM early sunset sank beneath the green and purple swirled, distant aurora borealis lit sky…

 _Will I be alone there in the darkness?_

Elsa of Arendelle was the last to linger on the dock, long into the night, even as the sun and the Northern Lights both abandoned her, though her steadfast father, believing he was in the right, silently waited patiently to escort his tearful little girl home.

Without uttering a word of her unabashed disregard of his ruling, Agdar held close his precious child's emotion and tear-wracked slender frame, carrying her cold shivering form in his similarly cool arms to Arendelle Castle, where her loving sister and caring Mama were waiting with warm, loving arms to thaw both father and daughter's tested hearts.

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 _No, not alone, not alone_

 _And I'll never be..._

As in the stained glass sunshine's present, that misty memory wafts away on the cool breeze that her Hans promised would carry his love back to her, Elsa takes a deep breath to check herself before heading outside.

While Elsa went inside the Arendelle Chapel to collect her piano hymnal music, Anna had opted to stay outside to pick some of the last remnants of the church backyard's ample bowery of pinecones and late autumn colorful maple leaves that were to be her Mama's festive tablescape.

Rummaging under her favorite oak, Anna remembered what it was like as if it was yesterday when she and Kristoff had been married here in this very chapel, what seems a lifetime ago.

 _Oh Kristly… You were so hunky in that bunda outfit of yours, climbing up to my bedroom… 'Nice legs'…Anna recalls Cousin Rapunzel's first droll assessment of her sweet, muscled mountainman in action._

"So, did you find your sheet music, Elsa?" Smiling goofy over her daydream in the Arendelle churchyard, Anna speaks in a sweet voice the soft sympathetic query as she sees her tall lithe sibling tearfully draped against the outer chapel door frame, as if reliving a cherished memory herself.

Elsa opens her eyes that all at once realized in the light of day that her pleasant reverie was all just a vision of the past, as tears shimmer in her eyes despondently.

"Is this what you're going to play on Sunday? 'Jesus, lover of my soul'? Ooh! I love that hymn! It's a good one to sing along with! Good choice." A fervent lover of all songs – especially meaningful church hymns that gave praise to the Lord – Anna effervescently effuses, doing her best to change the subject and cheer her glum sister up from her doldrums this early Autumn morn.

"Yes. I will try my best to do it justice for Mama, but I'm not very good yet." With private piano lessons tough for the icy recluse of a child as her powers were developing, Elsa was never a natural at music.

And she was also far too reserved to think herself bold enough to ever play proficiently before an audience. But her mother thought it was about time that her withdrawn child gave her first public performance to accompany her own soprano singing.

Idun herself would play the melody while Elsa pittered away at the harmony at the older Queen's musically gifted lead. Good Mama Idun was working on getting Elsa to come out of her shell little by little step.

"Gerda said we're going to have corned beef hash!" Taking Elsa's trembling hands in her overjoyed ones, Anna shares whatever warmth she had to offer with the enticement of her favorite meat and potato breakfast fare.

"I **LOVE** corned beef hash! I think…" A silly smiling Olaf, as usual, tries to identify with anything Anna or Elsa found exciting, though he knew not what 'corned' or 'hash' had anything to do with 'beef'.

"Come on, Big Sister! I'll race you to breakfast!" Continually aware of the menu, hungry little sister Anna tightly squeezes Elsa's delicate hand, feeling Hans' snowflake ring secured around its left hand finger as the pair enter the castle's back door.

Elsa scoffs as she watches a giddy Anna remove her shoes to prepare to glide on her stocking feet across the shiny polished floors of Arendelle Castle's first floor interior.

"Ready, get set –GO!"

"Oh Anna, I love you." Elsa's forlorn face brightens with a soft smile tracing the unwavering rock of her smiling little sister's love and affection. Enthused to face the day due to her plucky sibling, Elsa follows suit and takes off her black high heels to keep up with Anna's raucous clamoring into the castle's back foyer and down through its polished hardwood flooring like a pair of noisy young fillies.

"Hang on, little guy!" Elsa doesn't forget her little snow friend's small, slow, snowfeet as she sends a rush of cool wind behind Olaf to blow him all the closest to her.

 _Hans said I would be his breeze…_

Looking behind her as she laughs gleefully, moving forward at full steam, Anna marvels at how balanced and graceful Elsa was, catching up beside her in their fun race slipping and sliding down the hallways.

"You're way better at this than I am, Elsa!" A nearly tripping to fall flat on her face, Anna remembers in this moment her other stocking slide partner through the castle for the sheer fun of it – one Prince Hans on that Coronation night, so long ago.

 _You would have matched Hans in this, too. And probably beat that Red._

"I win!" Anna was utterly breathless and panting by the time she makes a baseball worthy slide down to the kitchen's doorstop base on the ground, not caring one iota of she ripped her dress nor skinned her already shredded stockinged knee.

Anna noisily declares victory with a triumphant smile back at her more responsible elder sister who was attending the crashing snowman who lagged behind, causing Anna to snigger.

Out of nowhere, someone grabs the giddy giggling girl by her red ear.

"Put your shoes back on before your Papa comes down to see you in such a state, young lady! Just look at you, barging into the castle all breathless and disheveled. One might get ideas about your young man." Gerda, the middle aged, pleasant woman was doing her best to be stern. But Anna knew better of the older lady who had been Anna and Elsa's nanny and friend, as well as Arendelle's main caretaker when the gates had been closed.

Gerda had generally run the royal household with her husband, Kai, for as long as Anna could remember. Gerda and Kai and Kai's sister, Johanne, were the most trusted trio of domestics in their kingdom. They had even worked for Anna and Elsa's grandparents, the former King and Queen of Arendelle, before Papa and Mama.

Johanne had become Queen Idun's personal ladies' maid when the young Swedish Princess arrived in the Castle over two decades ago on her Crown Prince Agdar's arm.

Sweet Gerda, now revealed to have had dealings in her youth as well with the Snow Queen herself, was as loved and trusted a dear friend, and way more than a mere servant to the girls growing up with her kind chubby cheeked face always close by.

The plump older woman often would treat these young girls like her own beloved children that she and Agdar's best friend/tutor, Minister Kai, had never had themselves.

Kai, as King Agdar's closest associate in the quiet, closed castle, and trusted with his icy secret, had been left as the one responsible to take care of the kingdom as Royal Regent until Elsa was of age to rule in her father's place.

And Gerda felt perfectly entitled to reprimand little Anna, who was more than likely to be the mischievous and clumsy instigator when it came to observing royal etiquette.

Yet every now and then, Anna reminded Gerda of her dear Papa when he was a ginger young scamp himself in his juvenile years. The nanny/housekeeper/washerwoman remembered how the hermit boy always had the uncanny talent to get his clothes quite muddy when he was left outside on his own to play, even on dry, sunny days.

But Gerda understood why, though Agdar's conventional parents shunned the thought of him experimenting with his _frightening_ ice magic as a pre-pubescent child.

When the Snow Queen informed herself and Kai of the special Crown Prince, kindhearted Gerda volunteered intellectual Kai's tutoring services and her servant skills to go to the young boy's parents. Kai and Gerda explained that the youthful Arendelle Crown Prince was touched by the Snow Queen's mystic powers and soon would need to learn control them, with their experienced assistance in the matter.

Prince Agdar's parents were unwilling to allow their unnaturally gifted son to reveal these unusual powers, so he must learn to conceal at all costs to save face in their respectable, conformist royal kingdom.

But when Agdar's strange cryokinetic abilities began to become too unmanageable, the King and Queen had allowed Kai and Gerda, at the suggestion from the Snow Queen, into their household's darkest secret.

The former King and Queen had only agreed to let willing Kai and Gerda into their cloistered circle when the revered, mysterious polar Mistress of the North, the Snow Queen herself had contacted the rigid traditionalists with a letter of recommendation. The letter told of how the snow magic experienced young couple who had visited her kingdom in the North, would be equipped to deal with Prince Agdar's growing ice powers.

Kai and Gerda, at the tender ages of twelve and ten, understood more of love and selfless sacrifice through their meeting with the Snow Queen's cool beauty and the mirror of good and evil she held, than most people discovered in a lifetime.

The pair did their best to teach little 'Agdy' everything he would need to know about the Snow Queen and the amazing cryo-powers surging through his bloodstream, so as not to frighten him, even as his stuffy parents insisted the sheltered child conceal his magic from his people...

 _Well, now they know..._

"Owwy, Gerda! What'd I do now?" Rubbing her ear, Anna complains to the middle-aged plump woman who grabbed the younger Arendelle Princess by the ear into the kitchen fully.

"Don't you look at me all innocent, Missy. I've seen what you and Master Kristoff have been up to in the stables most mornings when I go to collect the eggs. Naughty girl." With a wagging chubby finger in her younger charge's face, Gerda feigns moral equivalency indignance as she plunks impish Anna into a kitchen seat.

"Oh." Like a cat among the pigeons, a grinning Anna, ever the honest soul to deny the truth, guiltily bites her lower lip of the smirk etched across her face that told her old nanny that the girl was not in the least bit sorry.

Nor did the young and vivacious newlywed feel one pang of remorse that she and her husband had been functioning – _fully functioning –_ as a married couple could, would and should. The young pair met early in the mornings before daybreak these past two months, and often made urgent stops behind the stable or courtyard where a younger Anna used to play with the chicks and ducklings.

"Yeah. We were playing with the… ducklings…" Anna's toothy grin and mischievous eyes glitter with the recollection of her early morning excursions in the lush greenery that now crackled in autumnal orange and brown leaves that stuck bits all over her clothes for taking a tumble around in them.

Kristoff made it worth dragging herself out of bed, and face the chilly cold before dawn to get up in the wee hours for their outdoorsy daybreak _romps_.

"Anna! What if your dear Papa had been the one gathering eggs and caught you out there with your young man?! You should act more like a proper Princess, young lady, like your big sister, until your poor Papa gets readjusted to your new life. Or I fear for Mr. Kristoff." Pleasant Gerda's plump cheeks jiggle at the chilly thought of the unwelcome scenario that she hoped the ginger girl would be wiser than to tempt fate, no matter how enticing the prize.

"Papa _never_ gathers the eggs, Gerda." Anna answers petulantly to the older woman with her hands on her hips.

"That's right, _min spadbarns_ (my little child). Gerda and _I_ take turns." Queen Idun was in the kitchen at the stove, preparing her special recipe of her Swedish scrambled eggs. The petite Mama focuses her gaze over her shoulder to her spicy younger child with a conspiring wink.

"Now Gerda. Anna can't be blamed for getting up so early when she has such a tempting young man with all those thrilling muscles to flex for her. You must recall what it was like to be a new bride yourself, dearest, to truly understand her plight. I know I do." Zesty Queen Idun looks up from where she was helping an aghast old maid Johanne cook the family's morning breakfast.

The royal woman who only hired a staff for festive party occasions now, preferred to cook for her family herself and had for a long time since the gates were closed and they all had to pitch in with few servants left in Arendelle Castle beyond Kai, Gerda and Johanne.

The Queen Mother probably should not have been so hands-on involved in the morning victuals being served, especially now that Elsa had hired more people to work in the open castle.

But Idun had been cooped up in a tiny cavern for far too many beleaguered years serving what little food they were sustained with over a tiny campfire with minimal utensils and dishware that their cruel captor provided. What little food and sustenance the captive royal Norwegian couple did receive those terrible five years, was only due to Mr. Job's kindness of heart to override wicked pirate Houtebeen's pitiless orders, in his silent, obliging way.

The spirited woman was determined now to enjoy the freedom of cooking up all sorts of delicacies and creating culinary delights in the spaciousness of the vast castle's extensive kitchen, replete with food and grain farmed from Arendelle's own fertile land, for her husband and children.

An audibly sighing Johanne throws her hands up in the air at the ginger little miss and her every bit as feisty dear Mama who always had the last word in arguments.

But a chortling Gerda had already forgiven her little firecracker's being smug and disobedient to her, for she sincerely did not wish for the peppery Princess to get in trouble with her more strict parent.

Gerda motions for wild heart Anna to follow obedient Elsa's quiet demeanor and decorous behavior to calmly sit down while they waited for breakfast to be served.

But as all four females in the room gazed around, they see Elsa's dreamy fantasizing features, apparently lost in another daydream. For the young Arendelle Queen automatically had wandered over to the butcher block on the kitchen table where she began to methodically slice and dice potatoes.

The platinum Queen's eyes were closed dreamily, as if reliving a special memory of her absent love with tears biting as she revels in one of those first intimate moments when she re-met Prince Hans on that pirate ship. Elsa smiles to think how her refined Hans was no more than a cabin boy on board the 'Pearl Lady' pirate ship she had stowed away on in chase of thieving cousin Eugene when he stole Arendelle's holy relic orb.

On board the cramped kitchen galley of the rickety old vessel, Hans had been teaching Elsa how to cook, with his warm capable arms fearlessly embraced around to show her how to mince a potato properly…

 _Oh Hans, you're on another ship right now. I wonder if they'll let you cook a meal or two… You're so clever at preparing potatoes..._

"I see all three of my lovely ladies have docked in here. My, that smells delicious, my love. Your mother discovered a while back, Anna, that her _Enkel Äggröra_ (Swedish scrambled eggs) recipe has the power to bewitch me."

The King rather friskily snakes his arms around his busily cooking wife and dips his finger into the cottage cheese that Idun had already measured out and mixed with garlic cloves and parsley for her scrumptious Swedish scrambled eggs recipe.

"Elsa, please open your eyes when you use that sharp knife." Elsa is called back to reality by the deep baritone voice of her father, King Agdar, entering the kitchen unexpectedly.

"Ouch!" But her poor Papa's caring warning proved to have the opposite effect as his eldest daughter guiltily reacts and accidentally slides her right hand index finger across the sharp blade, instantly drawing blood.

"Elsa!" A panicked King Agdar's reaction was fierce as he rushes over to his elder girl at the kitchen table in two seconds flat. Without a second thought, Agdar uses his yanked off wine-colored ribbon that held his Kommander's medal into a tight, quick tourniquet around the tall blonde young woman's finger with the minor incision, all while icing down her wound's temperature to staunch any bleeding.

"Papa! Please, don't worry so. It's just a little cut. Silly of me to be inattentive." Elsa, still of the inward, non-touchable nature, pulls her injured, now frozen hand back away from her father's concerned grasp.

But Agdar, now in protective parent mode, would not listen.

"Idun!" His wild with fright, pale blue eyes beseech for his gifted other half to attend to their injured child promptly.

"Shh, Agdar. Elsa will be right as rain momentarily, as long as you don't panic, _min alskare_ (my lover)." The exquisitely calm and collected, dark brown-haired Queen pauses in her cookery.

In a quick gait across the kitchen, Idun pats her ginger blonde husband's frosted cheek with a reassuring smile, knowing the Ice King needed her probably more than Elsa's minor cut did.

"You just stand back there with Anna. And think very _warm_ , calming thoughts." She instructs her twitching moustached mate, giving her younger daughter a ' _help your Papa'_ look as the capable mother hen sets into action for her chicks.

 _"'Jesus, lover of my soul, let me to Thy bosom fly,_ _  
 _While the nearer waters roll, while the tempest still is high.__  
 _Hide me, O my Savior, hide, till the storm of life is past;_  
 _Safe into the haven guide; O receive my soul at last.'"_

In her sweet soprano voice, Queen Idun works her healing magic with her devout song and tender smile weaving her healing abilities that stemmed from within her heart. She had gained these mystical energies from that Rapunculous magic flower when the spirited girl who would be the Queen of Arendelle someday had absorbed the magical properties two and a half decades ago into her slender body.

Idun had discovered early on, it responded to song.

As Elsa's frozen hand placed in Idun's warm one begins to thaw, the third epidermal layer deep slice to the pale blonde's finger re-knits itself back together at her mother's soprano hymn in a glow of golden light.

Idun was intuitive enough to know that Anna would no doubt also join in her soothing song, to lend whatever calming healing gift she inherited from her beautiful Mama to becalm her distraught, trembling with anxiety father whom Anna had wrapped a loving arm around.

Yes, Papa's fragile psyche versus the innate ice swaying beneath the surface of his cryokinetic veins, was one of the very reasons Princess Anna, after several weeks worth of infighting and rebellious grumbling and insubordination, had given in a tiny little bit to do this new husband/son-in-law training thing Papa's way.

Which was actually more _Mama's way_ , but the pigheaded man never knew how his sagacious wife perceptively wove her influence into his stoic, strict ideals until they were no longer so unpalatable.

Yes, Kristoff and Anna would have to tread lightly, but at least Idun had Agdar accepting their marriage, albeit on his slow terms. But Idun knew it wouldn't take long now to get her husband acquainted with the good man in Kristoff and come to find it in and trust him with his littlest girl's happiness.

Now as for their other child's chosen beau…

Queen Idun gazes up into Elsa's azure blue eyes that always had secret tears glistening behind them now.

"You'll be okay now, my darling." Kissing Elsa's fully healed finger lovingly to her tender lips, Mama Idun pulls her shivering with cold daughter into her warm embrace. The Queen Mother was aware of how much emotion Elsa's own yearning heart was shouldering for her handsome Prince Hans sent away from her for a full two-year naval tour of duty.

 _Two years? We'll just have to see about that, Agdar Bernadotte…_

"Mama will take care of everything." Queen Idun hugs her tall, elegant child tightly, the petite Queen enduring the cold chill emanating from Elsa's body without flinching. Idun had been familiar with this frostiness in her father for the greater part of a quarter of a century now, after all.

Within her Mama's warm welcoming embrace, Elsa can no longer hold back her pent-up tears, allowing them to spill down wordlessly onto Idun's hospitable chest.

 _Never alone, you are walking_ _  
 _You're walking with me__

"Does it still hurt that badly, my Snow Angel? Papa's so sorry for causing you to slip, fool man." King Agdar tenuously approaches the emotional pair, his heart aching for his beloved girl that his rash words and abrupt emergence into their peaceful kitchen may have caused pain.

Although, his male stubborn mind can only think that it was the physical cut that Elsa was reduced to tears over, and not the prohibited separation from his Vise Admiral that her father had insisted upon.

"Agdar, my love." Queen Idun opens her expressive eyes to speak to her other needy dearest one.

"You and Anna go on into the dining room and start the egg course before my breakfast is ruined. Gerda and Johanne will serve out the eggs and pancakes for you. Elsa and I will finish up the potatoes for the corned beef hash and join you shortly." Queen Idun instructs her husband with a smile.

But when the stubborn anxious King didn't budge, despite Anna's tug ahead of his frosty arm, Idun whispers a feminine excuse to her suddenly red in the face husband.

"She's at a tender time."

Agdar's pale blue eyes bulge out in believed understanding.

"Oh, a-hem. Yes, do forgive me, ladies. Gerda dear, if you would." A clueless King Agdar rather sweetly bows to Elsa and looks apologetically to Idun for mismanaging her daughter during her time as he breaks away to leave the pair in hasty retreat to the aforementioned dining room. The blundering man was now the one pulling Anna along, like an uncomfortable jackrabbit escaping his irrepressible litter.

 _Is it the wind there, over my shoulder?_

"Oh, Mama, just now I remembered so many little things about Hans… It hurts to think I'm not to see him for twenty-two more months. Seems like a lifetime… What if **he** forgets me?"

Once her father was out of hearing range, her mother, finished with the frying, leads Elsa to the light of the kitchen window to mix the corned beef with the potatoes Johanne had quick parboiled.

But more importantly, to talk.

"Oh, _min flicka_ (my little girl). I realize how young you are in the ways of love. But God gave us our memories of the ones we love to be our beautiful, wondrous possessions to make us smile and laugh and reflect on how lucky we are to have had the joy of those precious times—not to haunt us. Don't let your dearest moments with your Prince charming go to the wasteland of sorrow. Instead revel in the dreams of love he gave you and assurances that you'll be reunited with that love someday. And that someday will last you a lifetime, truly, if you're patient enough to wait for it now." With a motherly proverb, Idun kisses Elsa's weeping forehead. Then she offers her opening up child a handkerchief tucked in her own indigo morning dress pocket before returning to the fray of mixing in the neatly diced potato chunks that blessedly had avoided any blood splatter.

"Hans said something like that to me when he gave me this." Elsa admits with a smile rather than a tear now. She wipes the last of her watery eyes with her Mama's hanky in the imagery of her redheaded Prince reassuring her of the constancy of his true love with the forget-me-not little bouquet he had arranged so sweetly that she had frozen in time, awaiting his return.

"Since you have not forgotten him, then you must believe that he has no intention of forsaking you, either. No young man who possesses so deeply a sentimental heart to speak the language of flowers so fluidly faithful should be accused of owning a fickle heart, my Elsa." With a chuckle, Queen Idun praises Prince Hans for his romantic notions as she adds her own sniffling tears with Elsa's proud ones, due to the small plate of fresh onions she had just finished chopping. The capable manager of a mother gives Elsa a teary smile as she goes to expertly fry and flip the seasoned potatoes Elsa had diced and spiced for her mother like a short order sous chef.

"And take rest in the count of those long lonely months, my girl. Mama has a plan." With a quick pat to Elsa's pale cheek with her non spatula-wielding hand, the lovely Queen of Norway reassures her intrigued daughter.

Elsa's pallid face colors instantly and brightens as a confident Idun hands her tall lissome girl one plateful of the peppery home fried potatoes as she takes the other full of the corned beef hash to the dining room.

With Johanne bringing in the toast and orange juice, the dual Queens of Arendelle enter the dining hall where a grinning Anna and sympathetic Papa Agdar had been joined by respectful Kristoff, a prattling Olaf and his snow girlfriend Eliana (who claimed to be on a diet as she chewed on a simple piece of lettuce). Along with minister Kai and his wife Gerda, and sister Johanne, who were always welcome at the table of the Arendelle royal family.

Together, they all sit down for the November morning's first meal of the day with an appreciative prayer of grace.

"May the gift of Your bounty satisfy our hunger, both body and soul, dear Lord, as we give great thanks to You for the privilege of joining your servants together as a family, sharing love and happiness at Your table once again. Amen." The Norwegian Ice King who comprehended little of young love and barely anything of women, did understand a great deal about Godly devotion as he lowers his head in complete reverence to the Creator above.

"Amen."

Anna – _who had somehow managed to take the seat beside Kristoff_ – prompts the close knit clan to join hands, as well as bowed heads and hearts during this morning breakfast prayer in Arendelle Castle.

* * *

 _Is it your voice calling quietly?_

Over the seas, the young Naval officer with striking red hair, dashing sharp features and sparkling viridescent green eyes that penetrate the thick misty fog of morning befalling the Indian Ocean his ship was set upon, reaches a hand beneath his naval issue tunic.

Standing at the deck of his ship, Hans suddenly felt his strangely pricked sensation right index finger's need to caress the never melting ice encased sculptured pendant pressed over his heart.

 _Over the hilltop, down in the valley…_

The newly commissioned Sjoforsvaret corvette ship, aptly named the ' _Nidaros'_ , pulls into the east Indian exotic foreign port to weigh anchor. Most, if not all, of the other sailors on board look forward to docking to enjoy the scenic excitement and scantily dressed, enticing women offering spices and tempting foods amongst other things of all exotic variety.

But the handsome, winsome of face, most desired by all feminine eyes beset upon the ship Kommander's fine cut figure standing tall on the deck didn't notice them trying to catch his eye especially, at all.

The highly eligible Vise Admiral Westergaard had no eyes for anything or anyone, other than the pristine pure maiden engraved of eternal ice, as he caresses her precious miniature to his heart.

 _Never alone for you walk with me._

For no tantalizing sight, nor entertaining sound, nor tempting scent could compare to Elsa of Arendelle—she was flawless in his eyes—as Prince Hans could still exquisitely see and hear and smell and taste and feel in every one of his five physical senses that yet thrived inside his youthful body that hungered for his cherished lady love alone.

The lonesome man looks back forlornly to where his ingrained nautical training told him the magnetic North was, and it regrettably said his angel was a thousand nautical kilometers away.

Hans' heart was playing that same profound song as Elsa's of their incredible, abiding and patient love that would surpass the raging fires of time and the icy grip of separation…

The crystal blue seas and the clear blue sky combined were shamed by the phenomenal azure of Elsa Bernadotte's true blue eyes that whispered _'forget-me-not'_ to Hans Westergaard's soul, no matter how distant an ocean he gazed upon that stood between them…

 _Never alone for you walk with me…_

* * *

 _min alskare_ \- my lover in Swedish

 _min spadbarns_ \- my child in Swedish

 _min flicka-_ my little girl in Swedish

 _min kæreste_ \- my darling in Danish

* * *

 _Sitz bathtub_ – type of 19th century portable, compact porcelain bathtub where the bather sits with knees folded up in the tall backed tub and has warmed water poured over him or her using homemade or orient imported soaps for luxurious cleanliness of the upper class. The term _sitz bath_ is derived from the German word _Sitzbad_ , meaning a bath ( _Bad_ ) in which one sits ( _sitzen_ ) with only the buttocks and hips immersed.

* * *

'Jesus, lover of my soul' – Charles Wesley 1740

'You Walk with Me' – Santino Fontana & Laura Osnes song from the Full Monty musical, composer and lyricist David Yazbek

 _Is it the wind_ _  
 _Over my shoulder?_  
 _Is it the wind that I hear gently whispering?_  
 _Are you alone there in the valley?_  
 _No, not alone for you walk, you walk with me__

 _both:_

 _Is it the wind there over my shoulder?_ _  
 _Is it your voice calling quietly?_  
 _Over the hilltop, down in the valley_  
 _Never alone for you walk with me__

 _When evening falls_ _  
 _And the air gets colder_  
 _When shadows cover the road I am following_  
 _Will I be alone there in the darkness?_  
 _No, not alone, not alone_  
 _And I'll never be...__

 _Never alone, you are walking_ _  
 _You're walking with me__

 _both:_

 _Is it the wind there, over my shoulder?_ _  
 _Is it your voice calling quietly?_  
 _Over the hilltop, down in the valley_  
 _Never alone for you walk with me_  
 _Over the hilltop, down in the valley_  
 _Never alone for you walk with me__

 _Never alone for you walk with me_

* * *

Thanks for reading this flashback filled first chapter installment of the 3rd and final book of my Frozen Again trilogy 'Frozen Again: Love Never Ends"! ^_^ Welcome!

I placed the flashback sequences in these bars: ^'^'^'^'^'^'^'^'^'^'^'^'^'^'^^'^'^'^'^'^'^'^'^'^'^'^'^'^'^^'^'^'^'^'^'^'^'^'^'^'^'^'^'^'^'^'^'^'^'^'^  
So my readers know just when the memory part fades in and out. Hope it's not too confusing! :)

There's a song themed throughout this entire chapter interwoven into the plot to set the proper mood. I continued the entire 'You Walk with Me' touching musical song lyrics spiced throughout this chapter that our golden-throated Santino Fontana (Hans' voice) sang. This beautiful, haunting melody portrays exactly how Hans and Elsa begin this novel's journey, full of sadness and longing, with underlying hope of faithfulness and love.

This chapter is just the beginning of the future stories of Elsa & Hans, Anna & Kristoff, Eugene & Rapunzel, Agdar & Idun, Friedrich & Arianna and many other familiar Disney characters in my imagination's fairy tale theatre! With definitely a certain wedding of the century on the schedule…

I hope you come along on their exciting journeys as all the characters learn to cope with the complexities of family life while their romances flourish, perhaps with children of their own in the future too. :)

Olaf and Eliana both LOVE reviews! (can't wait to find out more about our snowman's new snowwoman! (I envision her as being fastidious, in good juxtaposition with his scatterbrained)

We'll see what Frozen's future brings! God bless you!

Love your Frozen friend,

HarukaKou

* * *

P.S. Setsuna has created a very special, extremely Hans-some BJD 27" tall doll of the hero of our story, Prince Hans Westergaard! He came out even better than she imagined, with her amazing sculpted head with pointy nose, artistically painted and blushed and FRECKLED (everywhere!:) faceup and flocked red sideburns!

He's absolutely gorgeous and you must see him! Setsuna's so proud of her work!And I can see why! She's so talented with dolls! She made his clothes too!

She posted pictures of Hans in his Sjoforsvaret Admiral uniform on queenelsawestergaard dot tumblr dot com ! There's a few cool photos there of this handsome fellow, but if you follow the link there to Dollieh Sanctuary provided in that post on tumblr, you'll find tons more pictures of this studly guy (including some breathtaking shirtless beefcake:)

My big sister is head over heels in love with her portrait doll replication of Prince Hans! Go visit his doll photoshoot and leave us some comments on what you think of him! Setsuna's a major doll aficionado and would love to hear what you guys think of her new Hans!

Thanks for reading and viewing! And be sure to FOLLOW this story to get the latest chapters weekly! Arigatou!

Haruka & Setsuna Kou


	3. Chapter 2 - Letters from the Heart

_We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

" **Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act VI**

 **Chapter 2**

 **"Letters from the Heart"**

Through the gossamer haze that was sifting through her mind, Princess Anna jumps up with a start from where she had been sinking comfortably into the velvet corded cushion of the Arendelle Castle library's setee on the second floor.

The ginger girl was normally the most lively, most vivacious, most irrepressible firecracker in any room, but getting up out of bed each predawn morning at 5 AM for her early romp with her newlywed husband took a toll on the zippity-doo-dah quotient of this feisty pants with the 3 o'clock blues.

 _ **YAWN!**_

"Didn't your mother teach you not to yawn in public, young lady?" A tempting voice pipes up from somewhere below, causing Anna to shake herself fully awake to investigate its playful source.

The piquant gal grabs hold of the railing and launches herself bodily over the edge like an acrobatic madwoman when she figured out whose voice it was.

"I wish you wouldn't do–THAT!" Leaping from his seat to rush forward to catch his reckless young wife, Kristoff Bjorgman had been watching his adorable bride loudly snoring in the upper-level balcony reference section of the library for the past half-hour or so. He had been left to read the _thrilling_ tome of a 'Sailor's Guide to Battleship History of the Modern Three Masted Ship', but Kristoff found Anna's gurgling slumber noises far more diverting.

However, Anna's father, King Agdar, as a Navy man through and through, seemed to find all these thick naval instructional volumes compelling 'must reads.'

But the rugged, hands-on working mountain man's psyche just couldn't parlay with the boring pages. They were full of ship schematics and jarbled militaristic statistics of past battle glory days for valorous maritime vessels that had sailed Scandinavian seas for the past millennia or so.

So when Kristoff's saw his shrinking bride awaken with feisty zeal – more like he _felt_ her in the forefront of his senses, psychically – Kristoff was ready and able with his steady strong arms… to stop his Anna from killing herself, again.

But the tall six foot five inch Ice Harvester needn't have tossed the boring book he was trying to pay attention to, but couldn't due to Anna's noisy snore, across the table in a flutter of crashing pages. Kristoff gives a relieved sigh when he skids under the petite girl harmlessly dangling from the second floor, upside down no less, just at his level.

{"Feisty pants! Be careful up there!"} His adrenaline boosts in fear for her life flashing before his eyes before the blond boy places his hand on his head. Anna teasingly swings herself back and forth in boisterous giggles to mischievously evade his stabilizing hold.

{"Anna stop that! What if your father comes back from where he had to meet with Elsa and the ironmongers on some naval agreement discrepancy and sees you up –"} Kristoff mentally berates his shivering timbered bride who was fortunate to have such a large muscled, capable man at the other end of her sleepyhead tumble.

"Whoops!" Anna carelessly squeals and her sweet baboo of a hubby stretches his massive muscled arms to steady her slipping form.

 _ **SMOOCH!**_

Anna hangs by her agile knees and surprisingly wiry arms like a bat from the library second floor ladder until she was just about at Kristoff's skyscraper tall level. With her long olive green skirt flipped up over her head, her pantaloons shamelessly revealed, Anna aims at lip level to where her guy was standing directly beneath her shirt canopy enough to land a big wet kiss on his large aquiline nose.

{"…And he won't. But aren't my kisses worth the risk?"} A breathless Anna tunefully replies to his previous questions with that wild and crazy streak Kristoff found both absurd and alluring. He stands on the curly tippytoes of his boots to turn his head just so to accommodate Anna's extended neck as he and she claim a full mouthed– albeit upside-down inverted – liplock.

"Absolutely, Baby." Forgetting to speak through the passage of their minds, Kristoff mutters aloud, still spellbound even after Anna breaks the kiss abruptly.

She for one had tapped into her Wind Whisperer's mental capacity plus her own sense of self-preservation to have one eye open just in the nick of time during the hot kiss to see her Papa's imminent return to the library.

Just like a scurrying spider on her web, the spirited double-jointed Anna pulls herself backwards and up again to the ladder and leaps over the balcony to the library's darkened second floor in the blink of a dizzied eye.

"What do you mean, boy, standing there in the middle library with your eyes closed and face turned upward with such a… confounded expression?" A perplexed King Agdar asks incredulously as Kristoff had let himself get so wrapped up in Anna's kisses to not have noticed his stern father-in-law's reentry to the reference room.

"Oh, urghm…" Kristoff stumbles for a moment of being caught like a fish by his mouth until a retreating in the shadows Anna's suggestive perky voice enters in his brain directly with a response.

 _("Seeking inspiration.")_

"Seeking inspiration...?" Kristoff automatically repeats, although with less self-assurance than his plucky bride. "Yeah. Inspiration." But his soulful word hit just the right tone enough for Agdar to overlook the blond young lad's odd vagarities.

"We must each of us look to the Divine Teacher for illumination in our own earthly ignorance." King Agdar waxes pious as Kristoff impactfully gains a little more respect in his father-in-law's mind for the seemingly spiritual aspect applied to learning this afternoon while he was away.

"Yes, Sir, I agree entirely." Kristoff agreeably responds in his best attempt at a serious most intellectual voice. He, in one fluid moment, retrieves the large reference books he had chucked across the room for Anna's falling crisis and seamlessly opens to the page he had left off to read again as he rejoins the King to sit at the table.

"Good." Agdar answers without looking as he himself flips through the newly acquired choice book of his own forte that was strangely at the far end of the library table: 'The Impact of the Navarino Standoff on the Greek Revolution'. The Admiral wished to teach the Snow Prince some recent past naval battle history next.

"And I prefer you to address me as 'Sir' or 'Admiral' or 'King Agdar'. Never 'Dad' or 'Father' or 'Papa'. And definitely never ' _Baby'_." The King's deep voice was foreboding to say the least as his icy blue eyes glared daggers up at the Ice harvester who may have been the Snow Prince, but was nowhere close enough to be on such intimate terms with his brusque father-in-law.

"Right...sir." Kristoff murmurs under his breath with a sheepish, yet sardonic smile after being schooled by Anna's parent.

Kristoff sits back down the undersized chair in the library reference room to dig back into his oversized tome, which described the _terribly_ _vital_ subject of ship board sailors' chain of command. His mind lightly grazes King Agdar's to see if the older man had any underlying suspicions.

But the Admiral of the Fleet was engrossed in his book emphasizing a certain ( _namely himself in his younger days_ ) Norwegian Kommander at sea's daring campaign to halt the Turkish fleet's invasion of Greece and Europe by way of the Aegean impassé and all the pressing matters of international politics that came in the battle's aftermath that would be Kristoff's next curriculum.

Suddenly the blond young man missed the Valley of Living Rock where all they talked of was good honest stone, and climbing the mountain tops, working with picks and ice saws with the Ice Harvesters, way above sea level.

* * *

Meanwhile, the feisty girl who dragged him into all this crazy mess trots merrily whistling into the Royal Conservatory without a care in the world.

Not as much could be said of the doe-eyed, lithe young woman seated at Arendelle's centuries-old heavy oak wooden desk that was still in the same auspicious place as it was for Norway's legendary Kings since the eleventh century.

"Elsa? What'cha up to?" With a pat to Queen Elsa's platinum chignon bun head, Princess Anna skitters up to where her elder sister had been fastidiously bent over a stack of Imperial looking papers that she must, as leader, read and consent to sign.

"Oh! Anna! You startled me." The flustered blonde beauty glances up with her tired eyes that had proofed over three dozen important documents for the past two hours to where her plucky little sister had bounded right up behind the intent young woman without her noticing.

"Whoops." Anna puts on her goofiest smile that always cheered her glum sibling up.

Elsa gives Anna a faint smile, secretly glad for the company after she was left by her father to finish and seal the enumerated letters they had worked diligently over all morning. She was to give the correspondence one more read to ensure the accuracy the King was a stickler for.

"So who are all those letters going to anyway? It must've taken you _forever_ to read and write all those in one morning! Way more than you usually do! Yeesh! What do they say?" The peppery girl who would much rather prefer running on the breezy outdoors than being pale and bottled up inside the stifling castle all day reading, paws at the pile of papers folded and sealed in golden wax with the Arendelle Royal crest upon every one.

"Anna! Please don't mix them up! I just finished signing and sealing those!" Prim and proper Elsa chastises her nosy younger sibling as Anna takes a peek inside one or two of the neatly folded letters of correspondence with the golden crocus wax seal. She pries open the loose side of one page leaf with a squeeze and a one-eyed peek into the monogrammed paper.

"'The Nordic Brown Beekeepers Society? Huh? Aren't bees all yellow and black striped? Hey! Do we even raise bees in Norway!?" Anna had just happened to pluck up the correspondence Elsa had just freshly sealed in wax intended for the honey farmers in Aust-Agder.

"The status of honey-bee health and the survival of apiaries is the lifeblood of our rich heritage. Their question of migratory beekeeping - to either be encouraged or not - to increase or sustain the current supply of united bee colonies without incurring too many new ones, has the argument to strengthen them further during the winter's low time. And thusly produce sweeter, more robust honey for our citizens. We conservatively advised against further new colonies at this time."

As if reciting a grand sales pitch she had memorized, Elsa speaks with all the astute knowledge and regal good breeding that befitted the leader of a proud nation.

"You're word for word repeating what Papa said after he read the beekeeper's letter, aren't you?" A teasing Anna gives her big sister with the stuck up officious nose in the air, a flat line incredulous look.

"No. I'm not! I… Okay. Papa did already read all the correspondence by the time I came in and had his responses all ready. But after we discussed it all together thoroughly, he left it to me to write up all the necessary responses. So –" Elsa says, though she privately realized how powerless she truly had become since her father, the hands-on King of Arendelle, returned.

And not only in the daily running the Kingdom.

"You're doing exactly what Papa _remembers_ about bees and their hives, over five years ago. Not what you and I have learned about the apiaries during your time as Queen since then." Anna shimmies up beside Elsa on the other seat at the desk with her view on the matter. "The bees need a queen to thrive. But no new colonies will be formed if their old Queen fights the new one. There will be no new apiaries come summer to grow in the Autumn to be wintered in without another colony's fresh frame. Then there will be even less yummy honey than last year if they don't expand their combs." Anna shocked herself and Elsa both with her practical and constructive memory walk-through of the trip that she, Elsa and Kristoff – at Olaf's curious request – had visited the beekeepers in the nearby Aust-Agder regions that Oaken the wandering trader had suggested.

"That nice beekeeper there said that the most productive hives were the ones with double Queens – _double rulers –_ living side by side together working at the head of a shared and industrious, happy honeycomb. Not that I'm comparing Papa to a Queen bee. _At all_. But…you get my drift, right?" Anna clumsily stumbles with a silly grin over her words before she goes serious again. "And Mama agrees with me that you and Papa are equals on the throne now. You're still in charge, too."

"Thank you for reminding me of that, Anna. And so much more." Elsa thoughtfully considers her baby sister's nuggets of wisdom. In her simplicity, the frustrated cloud that her father unwittingly cast over his older daughter in his understanding that it was still his right to act as Arendelle's sovereign begins to lift. Papa may have only wished to take the burden off his daughter's youthful shoulders, but in doing so, he had dutifully trampled over his intimidated, not-so-sure child's rule.

Elsa takes a deep inward sigh before speaking again.

"Please pass me that letter to the Beekeepers Society of Aust-Agder." Elsa abruptly asks then extends her hand out to Anna. To which the hopeful girl gives a big grin and swiftly complies whil scooping up the aforementioned letter on the large ornate oak desk Elsa was working at.

Anna watches her gifted sister use her ice magic to instantly frost freeze crack open the golden wax seal across the letter's flap as Elsa carefully reopens the letter.

"Anna. Pen."

Anna wordlessly supplies the dipped nib pen into Elsa's determined hand and gives her big sister the Queen of Arendelle a confidence boosting nod.

After blotting out a few phrases discouraging new colony productions for the bees, with some bold and daring strokes of her quill pan, the Ice Queen adds to the missive in her artistic, illustrious calligraphy handwriting: "Please, with our blessing, in your wisdom of years of experienced beekeeping, do engender as many prosperous new honeycombs as you see fit with the Crown's sanction in prayerful support towards a good crop and season for plenteous honey reward for your hard work and effort next summer. – Q. E.'" Elsa speaks aloud in clipped tones as she writes the erudite sentences that had contradicted her older, less adventurous father's defensively safe stands on the subject.

After taking a quick incredulous glance to assess her unbelievable rebellion – even in such small matter – Elsa refolds the letter carefully, then purposely places it back on the pile of finished letters on the left side of the desk.

"Wow. You're good at writing letters, Elsa!" Helping Elsa finish off sealing up the last few letters, Anna proudly nods, admiring her sister's fluid fancy-pants handwriting technique as she watches how Elsa heeds the golden hued wax for its compact little container with a candle flame to soften it before pressing into it the crocus signet ring she had removed from the Royal impost wooden box since the nation's first ruler placed it there. The ring was too big for her slender feminine finger, but Elsa stabilized it by using both hands to press into the hot wax to create the crocus impression.

The Ice Queen then blows a suppressed cool breath over the red hot until it seals solidly over the reopened letter.

"How pretty! How fun you make it look! Can I try it on something that I'm going to make?!" Anna lifts the ring back up from the wooden box in place with it, shimmying its large male finger size on her little digit.

"I… suppose you may borrow it for the night, Anna. If you're very careful not to get burned… And for heaven's sake, don't even think of losing the 10th century old ring! Papa will _kill_ me if I let you lose Saint Olaf the Holy's heraldic ring!" With a shudder at the thought of entrusting Anna was their first King of Norway's precious relic, Elsa watches a grinning Anna take up the engraved wooden box and quickly deposit the ring and its matching glass wax container like they were play toys, Elsa ponders her decision as she panics to see a rash Anna quake everything on the royal desk where Papa's model ships were holding court.

"Pish-posh! When do I lose anything?" An overconfident Anna retorts in a know-it-all uppity voice.

"When don't you?" With a chuckle, Elsa rolls her eyes at her continually one missing sock or shoe or glove careless little sister. With a suggestive tugging to Anna's one ribbon-less ginger braid, Elsa shakes her head with a soft smile and sigh.

"Just have it back before this time tomorrow when Papa and I do our daily correspondence again." Elsa points at the precious wooden box that Anna shoves into her olive green skirt pocket with abandon.

"Not to worry, big sister! I'll be as busy as a buzzy bee on my project tonight!" Sizzling her _zzz_ 's, bright Anna declares with the strangest of mysterious smiles etched on her pretty features as she adds the thought:

 _You'll see how good I am at bringing home things that have been lost…_

"Fine. Just never never call me a _brood Queen_ bee again. It's simply not dignified. You know how I feel about insects." Elsa calls out with a scrunched nose shudder at the creepy-crawly, icky inclination towards bugs in general. Then switching to a loving smile as Anna turns to give her a thumbs-up before scurrying three steps at a time from the room with her booty and a brilliant new plan just hatched in her shell like brain.

For Anna still could see how her big sister was trying to put on a brave face and smile, though her heart was breaking inside. The heart inside Princess Anna of Arendelle, that immediately recognized Elsa's yearning one, was determined to have Elsa genuinely smile again, and not just put on a show.

And she only could think of one way how to make that happen.

* * *

But as soon as Anna opens the conservatory door to leave, the reckless girl nearly plows headlong into Queen Idun, who had been furtively kneeling at the door's keyhole to survey her daughters' exchange inside the slightly cracked open egress.

Although dreadfully curious, Idun was too considerate to interrupt her little grown-up girl Anna's fitting analogy and compassionate wisdom outstretched to her big sister. Proud to see how her baby girl had sensitively matured to handle this thorny situation herself, the prudent mother decided it would be for the best to just listen in to the conversation and not take any of Anna's thunder away.

"Whoal! Mama! Sorry! Didn't see you there!" The flushed and spinning, topsy-turvy gingersnap is righted by her keen mother's steady arms. As it takes flight, Idun fortuitously catches their kingdom's patron Saint Olaf's precious signet ring that the dizzied young woman had accidentally sent catapulting from its open unsecured box lid through the hall drawing room's air. And snow girl Eliana's snowy mound of a body had luckily halted the glass container of special golden wax, cushioning it in her vibrant flowery hat.

"That was quite a speech in there, Anna. See! You can retain facts and figures if you set your mind to it, my baby." Idun hugs, congratulates, and extols her study-reluctant wild child who impressed her with both her application of learned knowledge and clever subterfuge of the correspondence materials afterward. "I **am** so proud of you."

"Pshaw, Mama! I was paying attention to your lessons…every now and then." With a modestly waved hand and a twinkling smirk, Anna girlishly giggles and flushes at her beloved Mama's accolades of her intelligent, well-received words to Elsa.

"And you're right. Your Papa is quite the Queen bee, min flicka (my little girl). But you and I are going to take the sting out of his bite. You'll see." With those teasing shots at her stubborn husband, Queen Idun replaces the signet ring and wax into the engraved wooden box in Anna's one hand. Then slips something into Anna's other pocket. With a meaningful smile, Anna's pretty Mama squeezes her baby's free hand and the one balled around the engraved box as the quick-witted parent secures its lid upon the where the ring and wax again resided.

"Eliana. Please go up with Anna to her room and explain what we discussed to see what she needs for her new project. Please see she's not disturbed for a while." The Queen mother gives the female snow creature a raised brow that plainly said: _'Big mouth Olaf is not invited to our secret girl party'._

Queen Idun quickly made fast friends with the snowwoman who proved to be more intelligent and more prim and proper enough to be of valuable assistance to Idun's stealthily plans, already underway. Yes, she was a little bit literal. But, unlike Olaf, Eliana proved very useful when it came to holding her tongue at the correct time.

And if her little Anna I was going to throw her hood out into the ring to help with this part of the dicey task Idun was about to undertake herself, all the better.

If Elsa's future happiness was to start anytime soon and alleviate the poor young woman's continual lonely aching sadness, it all depended on whether her mother and sister could scheme to undercut what machinations their obstinate father put up as romantic barriers to their Primrose Path.

With her Papa's aversion growing the more he discovered of Prince Hans initial dubious introduction to their kingdom via conversing with Minister Kai and many of the guardsmen assigned at the time as damning eyewitnesses, Elsa and Hans' idyllic bridal road to chapel bells would take much quiet perseverance and a lot of wily finesse.

Two traits of which Queen Idun possessed an ample supply of, especially when it came to handling her difficult man over the years.

Idun was certain she saw that same certain gleam in Anna's eye, her youngest girl obviously being a quick study of working around the subject of her single-minded refractory Papa, too.

Mama Idun smiles as she watches Anna beam a bright smile back as she was teaching her snow companion, Eliana, to slide rush down the hall and disappear up the stairs. The pair relay past Olaf, who doesn't notice their quick departure, just as the oblivious snowman was entering the room in search of his friends.

"Hello, Elsa and Anna's Mama! Have you seen Anna or Eliana? I've searched everywhere for them! Even the library. But Elsa and Anna's Papa told me that Kristoff mustn't be distracted from studies. Gerda and Johanne are too busy hanging clothes on the line to help me search. What's for dinner?" The snowpea-brained snowman rattles off questions as he walks towards the conservatory door at Queen Idun's amused side.

"I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to answer any of your questions Olaf. But I am about to visit Elsa and help her finish sorting her correspondence, so she can practice her piano. Come and watch us, if you like, Olaf." The Queen says pleasantly, already knowing the eager snowman's answer.

"Yes! I'm an expert at sealing letters and I **_love_** piano playing! I can even sing backup for you!" Pretending to air tickle the keys, Olaf happily sways back and forth at her feet as Idun chuckles, shaking her dark brown head at his childlike innocence. That is, until her motherly eyes gaze upon an uncertain blonde head back at the desk inside their Navy ship decorated palace conservatory.

After she had peeked out all morning for the letter on the hall desk that never came—that she didn't actually expect would come, Elsa was gazing forlornly out the window at the afternoon that was growing late, casting shadows over the fjord she was entranced in watching as it brought the tide in with her solitude.

 _My poor little girl… I know what it's like watching and waiting for my beloved sailor's ship to come back to me over the sea's horizon…_

"I heard you and Anna talking before. What you wrote in that letter was quite apropos and more relevant to the topic than the King's judgment on the matter. Listen to me, Elsa. Papa means well, and his heart is in the right place because he cares so much for his children. But he's not always _right_ , my big girl. Don't let your imposing Papa's shadow push you around so you don't know your own mind, Elsa. Remember, you're an adult as well, and you are still the Monarch of Arendelle, too." Queen Idun quietly sidles up to her more reflective child and wraps a warm arm around her chilly cold shoulders.

"But sometimes it feels so, so hard for me to make decisions on my own, Mama. Maybe I should let Papa take charge of the kingdom again. Maybe God never intended me to do this on my own and it's all for the best." Elsa felt comfortable with unloading her doubts on her kind Mama's gentle understanding. She felt free to be able to finally speak to the quiet tender woman with the expressive eyes that reflected hers of her gripping lonely fears when it came to ruling Arendelle.

"Oh, my darling, you're never alone when you walk with the Lord. _He_ put you here, _He_ blessed you with your amazing gifts. _He_ gave you your just intelligence with a tender heart for you to rise to this responsibility. And believe me, the tough decisions become so much easier when there is someone to share your burden with you here on earth as well."

"Thank you for that, Mama. It means a lot coming from you, as a Royal Queen too, that we can finally speak openly on any subject." Elsa smiles warmly to Idun's encouragement and warm hug as the older Queen sits down beside her child at the desk.

"I feel I need someone's reassurance to be certain I'm doing the right thing…" The beautiful blonde in her regal purple habiliment speaks in an unbefitting, irresolute manner as her eyes gaze through the window overlooking the calm fjord.

 _"That's why I'm bringing him back to you, soon_ _."_ Idun murmurs softly to herself not intended for Elsa really to hear.

"Hmm?" A distracted Elsa vaguely heard her mother's sentence, lost in her own reverie that the cresting waves going out with the evening tide always brought to the saddened young Norwegian Queen.

"Are you ready for me to be singing melody to your harmony?" Musical Queen Idun perceives the wisdom of not getting Elsa's hopes up too high, just yet.

At least not until she had more positive assurance of her far-reaching endeavors.

"Yes, Mama. I collected the sheet music this morning. Would you like to have a run through practice now? I think I'm up to it." Elsa bites her lip tentatively as she glances over to where the conservatory's piano was beckoning her to play a plaintive melody upon it, even though she wasn't very skilled at performing on its musical keys.

"Yes, dear. Let's get you ready to play your song." Idun interjects enigmatically, wrapping arms around Elsa's shoulder to lead her lovely child over to the instrument's keyboard where the mother and daughter could perform a duet. Elsa and Hans' innermost devotion could be illustrated upon the palette of glorious music they could eventually share if brilliantly adroit Idun could but draw it out in her shy reserved, introverted child.

* * *

"Right, Eliana. Spill the beans." Upon entering her eclectic room full of climbing tackle, flowery bows, troll rock treasures, amid scattered wedding present silver spoons and knick-knacks yet to be distributed, Anna raises her hand in a mono un mono chat with the three foot snowperson who had pittered into the bedroom right behind her.

"Okay, Princess. If you insist." Much to Anna's chagrin, the innocently obsequious snow lady shrugs before she takes the bowl full of all kinds of mixed nuts still in their shells and roasted fava beans that Anna loved to snack on.

Eliana turns over Anna's favorite snack imported all the way from Agrabah, so all of its full bean protein goodness spills over the wood floor.

"Not that kind of _spill_ , Eliana!" Anna forgot how literal her snow friend Eliana could be. As she moves quickly to the spilled beans, Anna trips on the hay woven sunflower throw rug on the floor that Bulda, Kristoff's adopted mom, made for their wedding present.

Anna catches herself, but in so doing knocks over the porcelain mug on her nightstand that the ginger Princess had forgotten to bring down to the wash after a sleepover with Elsa the night before. Thankfully, only a few drops of hot chocolate were remaining in the bottom of the cup that, like her, bounces across the wooden floor of the cluttered bedroom.

"Oh dear, let me clean that mess up for you." Eliana, wearing her frilly flower print ruffled dress, blinks her long lashes up to her vexed friend as Anna stares at her disaster area room in aggravated horror.

Somehow the prim and proper snow lady always was ready with a tidy handkerchief as she bends down to wipe up the hot chocolate splatters and spilled nutty treats from the polished wooden floor.

"No, Eliana! I got this! As Olaf would say: 'Brown and snow definitely do not go together!'" With a kind smile of empathic understanding of what it meant to be a klutz, Anna revels in how just the mention of _'Olaf's'_ name had the neat freak snow girl suddenly go all dreamy.

Chuckling, Anna takes the proffered hanky and swiftly drops to her knees to hurriedly clean up the scattered roasted beans mingled with a few drops of chocolate on the wood floor.

 _That actually sounds sort of gourmet…_

Always seeing the sunny side of life, Anna was grateful the mess thankfully missed her treasured sunflower rug her foster mother-in-law had given her as a wedding present.

"Now, you just sit down on the bed and tell me all about what my crafty Mama's been up to." Constantly ready and willing to get her own hands dirty, with a cloth and water in the basin she fetched from her nightstand, Princess Anna stands on her tippy tiptoes to reach the ceiling that somehow had been showered in chocolate droplets as well as the floor.

With her industrious hands going a mile a minute, Anna glances over her shoulder at the magical female snowperson. Eliana daintily climbs onto the younger Arendelle Princess' bed and immediately starts to fix the rather mussed, still unmade bedspread to rights before settling herself primly upon it.

"Your Mama is terribly worried about Elsa being so sad over her sweetheart so very far away." Eliana says matter-of-factly in her high-pitched sing-songy tone as her branchy hands straighten up Anna's disorderly tousled bedding.

"We're all worried about her." Anna responds with a touch of melancholy as her turquoise eyes alight upon her dearest sibling's pretty smiling face in the portrait Elsa commissioned a local artist to paint two years ago of her Arendelle family.

The two sisters and Olaf seated upon Sven, with Kristoff leaning over was enough to bring a sentimental glow to Anna's sweet face of happier times.

 _Before that Red came back into their lives and messed with Elsa's heart this time._

"Yes. So, Queen Idun is planning on having the biggest, brightest, happiest, most merry birthday party this kingdom has ever seen for your sister in a few weeks for a splendid Christmas time celebration." Eliana's snow glistening effulgent smile radiates joy at the thought of partaking in a party in honor of her first friend/creator Ice Queen with a soirée full of excitement and bright lights and cheerful sounds.

Eliana's happy snowball feet swish back and forth upon imagination's salubrious dance of waltzing across the floor on her delightful Olaf's branchy arm.

"And it's to be a _Masquerade_ Ball! Isn't that exciting?!" Eliana's high voice squeals in delight at the exciting thought of the very first ' _masquerade ball'_ party she would ever attend.

"What do you do at a ' _Masquerade Ball'_ , Anna?" Wistful Eliana descends from her ecstatic heights to primly fold her hands together at the foreign word she knew not what it meant. Eliana places her branch finger to her tiny pink lips quizzically, the personal snow flurry over her head forming into a poofy question mark.

"At a Masquerade Ball, the guests all wear costumes and masks of famous historical figures or cute, funny characters like a clown harlequin or scary ghost or the men just put on a Roman soldier outfit. Mama always said that one of the most exciting parties she ever went as a little girl was when Aunt Arianna took Mama to Venice with her, to a Masquerade ball, watching all the grown-ups pretend to be someone they were not, if just for that night." Anna diligently explains to her fluttering eyelashes friend everything she knew about the frolicsome festivity that dated back to the sixteenth century Italy.

"Ooh! – Costumes?! I _do_ love to play dress up!" Eliana flaunts her lace frills and throws Anna's fur trimmed hood lying on the dresser nearby over her face and eyes as an impromptu mask of sorts.

"It…sounds like fun." Anna tries to get into the spirit of Eliana's abstracted moment as the three foot tall snow woman hops down from the bed and grabs Anna's hand and spins her around the room.

The young woman thoroughly enjoyed a fine toe-tapping jig herself as she rises from her cleaning task. But the ginger girl also knew Elsa had formed such an attachment to a certain dashing redheaded Prince that even a grandiose celebration, with all the giddy whimsical playfulness and high-spirited enjoyable trimmings, would fall flat without _his_ presence.

Anna fully understood her best friend and sister well enough to recognize that all the elaborate music and lights and costumes and dancing wouldn't do much to brighten her dolorous lonely mood with all its glitz and glamour without the attendance of a certain redheaded Prince, forbidden from attending.

"Yes, it will be very nice." The prim and proper snow girl grins broadly as she stops quadrilling Anna around in her sway at an invisible orchestral accompaniment. "Everyone who's anyone is to be invited!" Eliana straightens her ruffled chiffon yellow skirt down again as she settles back to her punctilious mannerly style that derived from Elsa's cultured ladylike qualities the next minute after her share of gauche Anna's guileless clumsiness.

Where Olaf was a reflection of their inquisitive childlike innocence wanting nothing more than warm hugs and attention, Eliana was a fair mixture of the two siblings' mature personalities that had developed in the two disparate young ladies, hence the name 'Eliana'.

"Especially the guest of honor whom your mother hopes can be convinced to attend Elsa's Masquerade birthday gala. You remember him. The unforgettably dreamy man in the Naval uniform whom the King knighted. The handsome one who only had eyes for our Elsa. _Sigh."_ Audibly sighing at the recollection of the suave young officer she had glimpsed from afar giving the younger Queen of Arendelle goo-goo eyes all during the knighthood ceremony two months ago.

When it came to dashing Prince Charmings, Eliana certainly possessed some of Elsa's – and even some of disinclined Anna's – taste in men.

"Hans!? But he must be on other side of the world by now! There's no way he can get back here in three weeks' time!" In a loud voice reduced to a whisper, this daughter of a Navy man recognized that, just coming out of the Age of Sail into the Age of Steam did not condense a far-flung trip around the world that used to take the better part of a year, to under thirty days.

Anna had convinced herself to start a letter writing dialogue with her foresworn former enemy for the sake of her forlorn big sister, hoping that somehow trafficking forbidden correspondence from Elsa's erstwhile fiancé would be a secret birthday/Christmas present.

 _But to actually get him physically here for the upcoming occasion, in body and not just in spirit? Whew-whee, Mama…_

Anna plops down again, mussing the bed that Eliana had just tidied. She flusters it further with a frustrated wriggle at all the many convulsions that Hans was still putting her through.

"Oohh, _THAT RED_ is driving me crazy!" Anna stretches her lithe form full across the canopied mattress and buries her face in the white soft feathery pillow after giving it a pound in Hans' honor.

Just then, her eyes idly alight upon the neatly folded up, watermarked paper that her mother had passed into her hand earlier. Anna quickly scoops it up now quickly to hungrily read:

'c/o HNoMS Nidaros, Sjoforsvaret Naval fleet post office.

Tranquebar Fort, DANISH INDIA Frederick VI 4 Kas

By the Admiral's command –  
Vice Admiral Hans Westergaard's two month shore leave is sanctioned for request return to Arendelle for an urgent conference.

Lt. Kommander Bjelke, first officer, is relegated to command HNoMS Nidaros to its Beijing expedition in lieu until the time of his Kommander's return.

 _Admiral Agdar Bernadotte'_

"How the - how did you get Papa to sign that?!" Just stopping short of swearing, Anna's flummoxed jaw drops open the second after she finishes reading the letter her cunning mother had brilliantly choreographed.

"Oh, Mama, you are good!" Anna then mirthfully giggles in amazement at her more diminutive in body, but not lesser in mind parent. She mildly wonders how many strings Queen Idun had to covertly pull to get this direct line top-secret naval ship address and official sounding order upon the watermarked document paper that only those high up in the Navy had access to.

All without the Admiral – namely Papa – aware of its content, nor its extremely realistic forged signature.

But Anna's resourceful, shrewd Mama seemed to have concocted an audacious scheme to escalate her rebellious daughter's already gutsy venture against their Papa's wishes to have absolutely no contact with that Danish Prince for two years.

Queen Idun was the master of playing chess gambits to outmaneuver her husband on almost every occasion in past games they played with each other over the years.

"Right! Mama wants Hans to be invited to Elsa's birthday party in exactly thirty days from now, and get him here from where he is over 13,000 km away somewhere in the Indian Ocean called 'Tranquebar'? Hmph! And I thought I was the dreamer in the family!" The ginger Princess was wide awake and sitting up again as she bobs back up and grabs a pencil she preferred to ink, to begin to write the letter of explanation to accompany the shore leave papers.

"Guess 'Mother knows best'." With a twisted lip to the melodious three words, Anna grumpily mumbles before holding her hand out for Eliana to hand her that signet ring seal. "Let's get this crazy letter written so we can seal this up, Eliana, ASAP." Holding the illegal document with the forged signature at arms' length, Anna sighs at her own maddening decision.

But the diminuitive little snow lady accidentally skitters her icy feet on the rock formation that Anna and Olaf had been playing with. Anna kept a collection of special rocks that Little Rock and the other troll kids had taught them to play games with in the Valley of Living Rock.

Saint Olaf's treasured artifact goes sailing through the air of the Princess' room until it lands somewhere in the vicinity of the open sewing kit basket in the far corner of the floor where various thimbles and thread spools and pin needles were situated. Anna's mother had been doggedly trying to teach the young new wife to have the housekeeping ability to at least darn Kristoff's holey socks in their humble cottage abode, but impatient Anna was more thumbs than any delicate needlework required.

"Oh...Pickles!" Anna curbs her cursing mouth with storm clouds forming on her angry brow.

"I'll find it!" Eliana eagerly says and Anna takes her up on her offer.

She settles back on the bed more sedately to continue writing her letter.

Anna reaches for the wooden box Papa had constructed for her a long time ago from under the bed for that aforementioned favorite pencil and the lined parchment paper that she asked Kai to bring her –' _to practice my penmanship'._

She then backs up to sit directly against the headboard as she places the Anne Brontë novel Elsa had been reading to her ( _Kristoff is never going to touch a drop of spirits again_!) squarely on her lap for an impromptu backboard 'desk.'

"Dearest Hans," Anna recites out loud as she starts to write her general fond salutation heading of all letters to friends like she composed in the past.

"What?! Ich! That's no good!" The peppery ginger girl glances from the affectionate terminology on the page to her scrunched up nose in the mirror with a glance across to her bedroom vanity.

She tries to erase the greeting word ' _Dearest'_ but her eraser was gummed up from toffee fingers at her last snack time note writing campaign to get out all the thank you wedding missives she'd been working through this past few weeks.

"Ergh! Erase already!" Anna growls at the pesky writing device that failed to eradicate the unwanted term of endearment associated to her ex-fiancé, mistaken right off the bat.

"Fine!" Knowing this was the only fine piece of paper she had left without having to ask her overbearing, imperious old tutor Kai for more, without receiving a lecture addressing a Princess' proper penmanship skills.

Anna reaches back down into her wooden box full of doo-dads and goodies (several walnut and pecan shells were rattling around, as Anna was a nut about nuts) to where the newly invented shiny silver, ink register, special steel nib fountain pen that cousin Rapunzel had gifted to her as a wedding present was waiting be played with again.

 _"'HELLO, Hans,'"_ Anna carefully inscribes in thick strokes atop the word ' _Dearest'_ to conceal any undue tenderness the reader may incorrectly ascertain.

Okay, it was a bit odd and dark blotted inky, but there was no way Princess Anna was going to send a personal letter to 'that Hans' with such personal degree of warm sentiment.

 _He might get the wrong idea again! As if! I've got a guy ten times better than you now, Red! Focus, Anna_.

Her brows knit in consternation as Anna plunges forward with her precious fountain pen, deliberately intending to not inscribe any emotion this time around. This would be a strictly businesslike letter that would clearly state the facts and make the invitation known without undue sentimentality.

 _"'It has just come to my attention that we here in Arendelle will be hosting a Masquerade Ball in honor of my sister – Queen Elsa – on her 24th birthday on the night of the 21st of December. A Royal invitation had been extended to you to attend, Prince Hans, as Vise Admiral of our navy._

 _Included in this letter is an official note of shore leave from your ship duties for the benefit of attending the gala celebration in our kingdom. Please travel with all due haste to take part in this festivity. Thank you._

 _Princess Anna,_ _Arendelle_ _Castle_ _._ _24 November 1841_ _.'"_

Pleased with her neat chirography, Anna looks up to where Eliana had been standing at the foot of the bed, swaying as she listened intently to every word of this invitation Anna was transcribing.

"There! So, how did that sound?" Anna nods approvingly at her own handiwork as she proudly closes up her prize fountain pen that only let out one excessive blot on her otherwise impeccable page. She looked up to Eliana in expectation of good reviews to her well executed missive.

"Like vanilla." Pulling no punches as she pauses in her search to look up with the critique, Eliana responds in her overtly honest way as she polishes her dainty little carrot nose almost disdainfully with a frown and gives Anna a pair of highly unimpressed blinking eyes.

The snow gal who loved romance novels and breathtaking scenery and all things poetic and vivid preferred a bit more color and spice as to bland dullness in writing style.

 _ **CR-RACKKK!**_

"That bad, huh?" Anna sighs and puts her handy-dandy nutcracker Oaken had gifted her and Kristoff to use on the squirreled away walnuts under her pens and pencils in that writing tool tray Papa had made for his imaginative little girl countless years ago.

 _ **CHOMP. CHOMP. CRUNCH.**_

"Found it!" Eliana sings jubilantly after digging for several minutes in the sewing basket full of needles, threaders and stick pins. She hooks the signet ring of Saint Olaf to dangle on her branchy finger, perhaps fantasizing that her own Olaf would give her a similar one someday.

The dreamy snow girl tries to walk across the room, like a bride with a bit of lace she found in the sewing kit draped over her head, only to find herself too snarled up in a measuring tape that her energetic digging into the stitching wares caused.

"Great! We're going to need it real soon." Optimistic Anna leans over the bedside to grab the end of the long measuring tape Eliana was entangled in. The gingery gal reels in the chaotically tangled snow creature until Eliana was spinning like a top out of the long, number-marked ribbon towards her.

"Okay." Whilst still chewing on her favorite protein-filled nature-loving nut snacks, Anna scoots back into writing position on the bed and picks back up the invitation letter that was about as inviting as a funeral notice rather than a happy birthday party celebration.

 _"'P.S. Please come home, Hans. Elsa has been so lonely and will be devastated if you aren't here on her birthday on December 21st . And I know neither you nor I want to leave her sad for one moment more. So please hurry back. All my prayers travel with you.'"_

The genuine caring soul inside Princess Anna encompasses her one-time enemy into her devotion to her beloved sister.

These past two months, Elsa may not have said much on the subject of her distant fiancé being half a world all away. But Anna felt it acutely, living beside her best friend day by day in every unspoken word and lost glance over the sea.

"That's more like the Anna I know!" An encouraging cheerleader in her bright yellow frilly outfit, Eliana clasps her branches together with the broad smile to the second half of her usually generous to a fault, effervescent namesake. The helpful snow woman hops onto the bed again, ready with a candle and the rediscovered signet ring in one hand with the tub of wax to seal up the letter as Anna begins to quickly fold in the shore leave pass together with her epistle.

"Oh, oh, wait! I almost forgot!" Anna grabs the letter back up and opens it yet again.

 _'PPS. I'll get Kristoff to send this letter via peregrine falcon – we've got some dandy special Scandinavian ones here that can go over 350 km per hour -_ _Funny the things you remember reading in Encyclopedia Britannica_ _– so it gets to you ASAP, Hans. Therefore, I will personally hold you accountable if you don't get here in time and break our Elsa's heart aching for you on her birthday, Red! I'll see what I can do here on my end to help speed things up. Contact me on your journey when possible at this address –_

 _Mrs. Anna Bjorgman, Arendelle Royal Ice Harvester and Deliverer Stables  
Langbryggen 8  
Arendelle  
_ _NORWAY_

 _I expect to see you here this time next month…_ _Partner._ _'_

Swallowing her feisty pride as she scribbles this final addendum with the address to Kristoff's in town business, Anna tempers her blame and threats with reluctant assistance and unlikely camaraderie with her newly acknowledged co-conspirator.

 _I expect to see you here this time next month…_ _Partner._ _'_

Swallowing her feisty pride as she scribbles this final addendum, Anna tempers her blame and threats with reluctant assistance and unlikely camaraderie with her newly acknowledged co-conspirator.

Without discussing it further with a wide-eyed Eliana, who was heartily astounded at a lady's improper address to a young man of Prince Hans' distinct social standing, Anna refolds the letter and the official pass. She presses it into the official looking envelope that Queen Idun had already addressed to the distant naval location port of call in India.

With her tongue sticking out, Anna then strikes a match to the candle to urge it to heat up the golden wax, just as she had seen Elsa and Papa do on numerous occasions.

 _ **DRIP. DRIP. DRIP.**_

The hot wax luckily falls just in the correct place on the sealed envelope as Anna quickly and firmly presses down the signet ring of Olaf II, the Eternal King of Norway, with his lion and silver axe coat of arms amid a crocus shaped escutcheon shield.

 _ **SIZZLE!**_

"There! It's perfect! Let's get this off to my Kristly!" Anna's sings at the thought of her talented, well-connected Wind Whisperer aka the Snow Prince's amazing powers. Her intuitive lover's expertise and having all the creatures of nature at his communicative command would pay dividends in getting this message halfway across the world in no time flat.

{" _Kristly! Pay attention! Your Anna has a job for you!_ "} The blond young man's wife projects her thoughts that she already felt her soulmate tickling the edges of all the while she had been composing the heartfelt letter to her ex-non-true love.

Then Anna gathers herself and the debatable missive up from her bed as she psychically makes intimate contact with her husband Kristoff.

"Hmm?" The tall and beefy Ice Harvester gathering up his books and reference materials was just about to wrap up his daily royal educational session with his father-in-law in the Arendelle Palace Library when he pauses to listen to the little voice in his head.

"Is there something amiss, young man?" King Agdar asks as he looks up from the book of heraldic poetry he had been brushing up on himself for the young Snow Prince's next Royal syllabus.

"…" Kristoff was hard-pressed by Anna's commanding urgency versus King Agdar's stern disquieting stare.

But in the end, his bride's spirited insistence won out every time.

"Call of nature." Kristoff's voice breaks with an embarrassed crack as he answers Agdar's first inquisitive, then appalled, look with a guilty, desperately smiled one of his own in return.

The young mountain climber hightails it out from the library and exits to Arendelle Castle's back courtyard in hasty rapid retreat to meet up with his wife and the complicated family life she caught him up in.

"Dear Lord. How am I ever to be expected to teach that crude lad proper manners?" As he straightens the library desk chairs beneath the second floor ladder that was somehow askew, King Agdar rubs his aching temples at his little Anna's dubious choice in young men.

* * *

Now as for his other daughter's excellent selection in that same spurious subject…

 _'Captain's log, Vise Admiral Hans Westergaard on board ship HNoMs Nidaros,_

 _25 November, 1841_ _. SE Lat 11°1′45″N Long 79°50′58″E_

 _Continuous fine light breezes and fair weather steering as we enter the Tranquebar port in the_ _Bay of Bengal_ _. Nidaros to undergo full coaling ship replenishment for these 3 days with projected_ _Madras_ _collier scuttles of 1 ton per hour. Unnecessary crew docked for ship's leave up coast until the coaling is complete, by Kommander's discretion. With Lt. Kmdr. Bjelke in command of overseeing the fueling, with auxiliary crew in place, I depart for shore to meet the Governor of Tranquebar.'_

As responsible Kommander of the vessel, Hans had opted to take direct control the ship with his skeleton crew personally to meet its coaling craft after dropping the majority of sailors off in the Pondicherry port some hundred plus kilometers to the north. Their intended destination, Tranquebar, was a port more sedate and out of the way of busy maritime traffic for loading and refueling.

Recognizing the need of his hard-working crew for a break at this opportune time, Hans had sanctioned most of his sailors and naval officers shore leave. Grateful to their young Kommander, the men - whether they had sweethearts back home or not - had enthusiastically succumbed to the enticement of the intoxicating aromatic sights and sounds of the exotic foreign port city of Pondicherry, rather than the quiet village of Tranquebar where the HNoMs Nidaros had docked for refueling in the southeast Indian Ocean.

After seeing to signing the orders for shore leave notices for his anxious to make landfall seaman in the morning, the Nidaros paused its sail for the away craft to dock before the steamship continued southeast to Tranquebar's port. Hans and his First Officer Bjelke, with a remaining skeleton crew, personally would see that the steamship's refueling coal chutes had been set up to be left to the colliers and their coal passers on board the Nidaros.

Hans had oversight of the first long day and night of coaling ship in the Tranquebar port. There the dirty backbreaking job was accomplished by hand of many the coal passers from a small barge cargo ship designed to carry refueling coal to transfer over forty tons to the massive nine hundred long ton steam vessel, Nidaros. But even at shoveling and loading all day and night by experienced local native workers which the port hired, it would take over two days of loading the coal still more.

Whether by hand or using the heavily loaded transfer staithes established by qualified teamers, it was still a dangerous job. So the new Kommander of the new vessel decided to allow these dutiful remainders of his crew a few days shore leave as well in this Nagipattinam region while the ship was attended to. The departing seamen were very obliged to their charming young Vise Admiral whom they each had come to respect for his diligence, courageous and compassionate leadership on the high seas.

Putting his hand that knew of such rugged work before to the shovel himself to help the coaling set-up at the end of this first day, the hard-working Vise Admiral was finally convinced to leave the Nidaros by his loyal, impressed second-in-command, Lieutenant Kommander Bjelke. The older mariner promised to oversee the collier crew under orders along with the nominal crew of age experienced, enlisted seamen, to expedite the refueling.

But the process was a long and arduous one scheduled to involve several days of being in dock where Kommander Westergaard, as representative of the Admiralty, should convene with local officials rather than be covered in soot and coal like the rest of the ship.

With that ship's business all finally underway, by the time he bathed and shaved in his porcelain sitz tub in his ship cabin to make himself presentable again, the sun was well setting over the Indian shores. In the tub, Vise Admiral Westergaard finishes writing in his flourishing pen his daily ship captain's log.

Stretching his long wiry muscled arm to place the small hardbound notebook aside on his desk alongside, Hans dries his cleaned body, trims his sideburns and slicked back wet red hair just so as he dresses in his secondary navy blue uniform to be fit to meet with the Governor of this far-flung section of Danish India.

 _I'm so pretty and witty and bright! And I pity, any guy who isn't me at night…_

Hans tries to smile in affable musical nostalgic memory at his ' _pretty'_ reflection in the small mirror as he retrieves from the desk that precious icy sculptured locket depicting his lady love, the Queen—of Arendelle _and_ his heart. Hans stares deeply into the small, shimmering in ice likeness of his beautiful fiancée before he clasps the necklace that also significantly held Elsa's crucifix cross pendant attached to it.

The Danish Prince bestows a tender kiss to the delicate miniature made of ice, that may have melted against his warm lips and even warmer chest but for her magical lasting cryokinetic qualities many seas away. Hans then slips his dearest possession's cold reminder of what he was living for once again beneath his naval jacket over his burning heart, prayerfully sending his darling all his love and well wishes.

So after two months of being apart from her at this nearly constant ocean life on his newly commissioned Nidaros' sleek and slender constructed steam Corvette, its attractive new Kommander takes a dashing step out on shore.

Hans Westergaard had spent enough time since his youth on board ships to still appreciate his sea legs having the treat of walking on terra firma after his long ocean voyage stints.

Idly musing that the original name of the remote village in the southeast region of India was Tharangambadi, Hans tall, slim figure cuts across the sandy coastal beach of Tamil Nadu's 'land of the singing waves', as he continues to think of its history.

The Danish seafarers, centuries ago, had settled here in amicable trade agreement treaty in fair agreement of paying lease to the local chief ruler of this port in the furthest south area of the Indian Ocean. They could not yet pronounce the exotic mellifluous name to roll off their tongues, thusly altering it to the more Scandinavian Western sounding 'Tranquebar' for the welcomed Danes who brought this new settlement and all its thriving trade.

Hans had grown up hearing of the proud Danish colony in distant India where two great in pious missionaries had established several churches and a mission school teaching Christianity and God's Word to the friendly natives here in southern India.

The Danish Prince felt more impressed by the holy impact of his devout Danish forbearers than the magnificence of the second tallest fort edifice of the Danish Empre that the colonists had built on this tropical Indian shoreline.

As he walks through the streets of the small town facing the Bay of Bengal on the Coromandel active international trading post, Hans notes all the old Danish buildings interwoven through the town center's streets. The prosperous village was full of smiling, tan skinned Indian children and women wearing their vibrant sari garments called _pudavai_ and _mundu_ traditionally crafted from their industrious silk looms in this quiet section of the India Peninsula.

The asymmetrical thin fabrics draped across their windswept bodies were designed to keep the wearer cool in this year-round tropical climate. The sweltering average was 85° of humid weather that this northern hemisphere boy was still adjusting to.

As he strolls, Hans removes his Navy blue Admiral's jacket to reveal a tight white shirt and a high necked grey vest of gold buttons beneath that hugged his svelte figure which was at this moment rather hot under the collar. His only salvation was that lovely dazzling ice miniature his love created specially for him, giving the overheated man some semblance of cool as it was pressed against his bare chest beneath his shirt.

The dashing redheaded Prince gives a blushing, respectful nod to each mother and her curious scurrying children all wanting to gaze at the slightly ashamed at being disrespectfully so undressed and panting like a dog along the quiet tranquil paths.

But the minute he enters through the _Landporten_ (town gate), Hans' boyhood dreams of visiting far-off historical ports under his own ship's command had come true and the heat index was subdued by a balmy breeze to his cheek.

As the vibrant sights and sounds overwhelm his senses, Hans, on one level recognized the history of the architecture and incredible achievement of the original fortification that his ancestors in the seventeenth century had built around this peaceful village, even placing the Danish Royal seal above its front gate. Then, on another level, as the waves were indeed singing to him and still rang in his ears, he was imagining what it would be like to have his Elsa here on his lonely arm, experiencing these wonders alongside him.

 _What would you think of this exotic location, min kærlighed (my darling love)? It certainly could use your cool touch. I wish you were here with me so I could hear your soft tones whispering in my ear your wonderment of the stimulating destinations we can discover the joys of together, side by side…_

 _…Perhaps, someday…_

The dreamy Vise Admiral elegantly takes long strides with his tall black booted legs cutting across the unpaved road, almost subconsciously drawn to the tall storied New Jerusalem Lutheran Church.

The chapel's pristine white pillars of Danish framed architecture was in stark contrast to the rest of the humble one level brown and tan living structures of local townspeople dotting the lane leading up to it.

In the muggy Indian sunset, Hans pauses to look up to the golden crucifix adorning high above the teakwood church white painted layout that had been built and designed in the shape the holy cross. The building's center gabled roof offered some fancy scrolling that shouted Scandinavian architecture amidst the decidedly tropical foreign atmosphere that made Hans feel suddenly more at home here than any foreign port else he had felt in a long time.

Hans enters the many white pillared entrance's black wrought iron front gate and humbly lowers his eyes to each tombstone marker that stood in memorial amidst the chapel's green palm inviting frontage.

The Danish Prince respectfully bows in the doorway and enters the shrine beneath his great grandfather, Danish King Frederick IV's goldleaf and red monogram that accompanied the numerals 1718 – the year in commemoration of this New Jerusalem Church's consecration.

Moving into the Chapel, Hans kneels reverently before the pulpit and baptismal font where another small plaque memorialized the blessed German missionaries who founded the Lutheran mission. The pair of preachers had been commissioned by the Danish monarch at the turn of the eighteenth century to be assigned to this new Eastern colony to preach the Good News to the natives. Barthalomaus Ziegenbalg and Heinrich Pleutschow had founded this humble church in southernmost India as missionaries in 1705.

In reverent awe, Hans strides down the aisles of the small church in subdued submission in deference to the humble wooden pews those great men of God built themselves.

Hans leafs through the hand written Bible in native Tamil carefully laid on the altar pulpit. Barthalomaus himself had translated this Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, in his first years here in Tranquebar, to be able to share his faith with the people here. It was his goal to teach the native children at the seminary Bible school he was opening of how their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ selflessly shed his blood and gave his life in exchange for all men, all women, all children – of every race and nation.

The powerful message connected with the people then, though the church may have been simplistic and basic and small, the message was the same everlasting truth that was offered just the same as any person who worshiped at any gold gilt Cathedral in Europe. It was that belief in inspired forgiveness through Christ's Redemption that this God-fearing young man comprehended all too well.

Though out of place in the humid, still and quiet chapel all alone with his head bent over in Bible study, Hans looked quite debonair in his deep blue and burgundy trimmed naval jacket mantled over his wide sharp shoulders as he read several of the passages transcribed in the foreign language of the New Testament's timeless verse he had put to memory both mental and spiritually, long ago..

' _And they sang a new song saying, worthy is Christ to take the book and break its seals; for You were slain and purchased for God with Your blood for men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation._ ' Revelation 5:9

Hans smiles, his soul feeling kindred to read the Tamil words and yet understand what his brothers and sisters here in India had too been shown to save their souls and revel in the Lord's mercy and love that surpassed the world.

"He even poured out His mercy to a wretch like me, Elsa, in the gift of your love." Hans' self-deprecating murmur gives a grateful nod and head bowed to the wooden cross etched on the church ceiling above. His eyes reach out beyond the glass windows to a lovely vision of a blonde beauty with icy blue eyes reflected on every sunset window as Hans marvels at how the God of Love, Justice, and Mercy was also the God of Equality for anyone who asks.

The Danish Royal Prince was proud to read the New Jerusalem Church's dedication plaque that had the name of the first ordained Tamil born pastor, converted to Christianity from his native Hindu at twenty years of age. The humble servant of God was baptized by the missionary pioneer who started this church and urged to enter the mission school to become the first non-Caucasian Protestant pastor in the entire world, right here in Tranquebar.

"In the year of our Lord eighteen thirty-three, Chokkanatha Arumugam (Father Aaron) became the church of New Jerusalem's head pastor." As he idly fans himself with a church envelope for donations he picked up at the door and intended to generously fill, Hans recites what was on the plaque aloud to let it sink in. "God bless you, Sir." The Danish Prince so far from home speaks honestly, seeing how the translated Bible had obviously been pored over with multiple notes by the current mission priest where it sat on the opposing end of the altar table, opened to the book of Corinthians Hans held dear to his heart.

As it was getting late in the evening with the blistering sun just sinking beneath India's tropical hazy horizon, Vise Admiral Westergaard determines that tomorrow he would come early to properly seek the company of this respected pastor of this groundbreaking church who shared his own faith.

Hans far preferred meeting with the good man of God's quiet company than any of the more exciting worldly diversions most navy men itch for once they make shore. Hans mildly ponders the meanderings of his fellow naval officers and midshipmen he had made acquaintance with on board his craft. They were all, no doubt, enjoying the larger city of Pondicherry in Madras that he, as chief commander, had allowed them, en masse, to take the day's travel to enjoy.

But that splashy, ephemeral kind of carnal excitement was not for him. It never really was, in his striving as a young man to be the 'perfect suitor' for his northern princess fair. Now it was especially not for him, since he knew he had the long lasting love of that precious woman waiting for him back home, if he could ever deserve the treasure of her devotion.

"It is kind of you to say about one of my dear predecessors. I am very pleased to welcome you here to our church, now, the Admiral sahib, is it? I do have the right Navy man in my presence, do I not?" A man of jet black hair and dark skin tones that contrasted decidedly with the fair and freckled Caucasian comes up from behind the altar curtain just as the redhead turns to leave.

"You are mostly correct, Sir. I am _Vise_ Admiral Westergaard of the Sjoforsvaret, recently docked in Tranquebar with my ship the HNoMS Nidaros. You are the pastor here, I presume? I consider it my highest honor to meet you." Prince Hans very deferentially and gentlemanly gives a sweeping bow to this Lutheran priest of Indian descent.

The not so tall, heavy-set, dark-haired man with the bronzed tan complexion beneath his gray pastor's robe gazes up to the tall, slim and trim European stranger with his piercing, yet kind eyes.

" _You_ are entirely correct, _Vise_ Admiral-sahib. I am Father Savarimootoo. I, too, have also been in awe of the great Pastor Aaron and have considered him my silent mentor for many years. And may I say, 'God's blessings be upon you', as well, young man." The heavily accented Indian man smiles at the surprisingly sophisticated and well-mannered man who carried such a weighty title with him at an obvious youthful age. The new Lutheran minister was more accustomed to older, gruffer seamen visiting the quaint, quiet little town Nagapattinam, should they even be bothered to attend church or at least give their respects to the founding parish leader.

"Perhaps you would like take supper with my family?" The Indian priest offers Hans to dine with him and his kin this evening.

"You must pardon my presence from your house, good sir, but I have not yet been to the Governor's house. I had been too drawn to your beautiful village and beacon of a chapel that I lost track and will, alas, be late to arrive at the bungalow by the time I find my way back there." With a grateful quick nod, Hans begins to excuse himself from the pastor's generous offer of an evening meal.

"The dusk will soon fall and the nights around here are very dark. Please allow me to see you back to the road of the Governor's bungalow. It is a difficult winding path if you are not familiar with the Fort barracks." Father Savarimootoo decides to go the extra mile for this comely stranger he instantly recognized as a brother in Christ.

"That is too kind of you, Sir." Hans smiles his dazzling smile at finding a friend here in this foreign soil so quickly.

"Oh think nothing of it, Admiral-sahib. I have been meaning to visit the Governor-sahib at the outpost for some time. But with all the monsoons these past few weeks, my little congregation has been in greater need of prayer and warm blankets to allow excess visitation time. Although I believe the Governor-sahib to be a very fine man, he is a little portly and fond of eating rich food, my friend Governor Pieter is. He will like having an intelligent conversationalist such as yourself in the Governor's bungalow for a change. I'm afraid he has had some more dubious visitors of late, so your company will be enlightening. And you can do with a little fattening up with his good cook's indulgent foods." The friendly, talkative priest prattles on as the handsome man quietly walks alongside him through the peaceful town at nightfall.

Father Savarimootoo then goes on to provide the Danish Kommander of the Norwegian ship with vital information on the Coromandel coastal town. He spoke of its booming silk trade with Britain and then the nearby river that flowed during monsoon season, blessedly just passed without adverse incident to the people or their livestock or farmlands either.

By the time the tall six-foot two naval officer and the short five foot five man of the cloth approach the Dansborg fort and the entrance to the Governor's Bungalow on the beach just beyond, Hans had heard little tidbits of just about every going on imaginable in this sleepy southeastern Indian village that a hundred plus years of Danish rule had transformed into a hybrid 'European' town.

"Oh we are here already! And I am afraid I talked our little walk away without giving you a word in edgewise, my young friend. Admiral-Sahib, you must think me quite backwards-" Father Savarimootoo chuckles at himself as he takes a step inside the path leading to the Governor's Bungalow that one of the Dansborg guardsmen on duty was holding open for the pair.

" _Reyansh!_ _Yahaan aao, tum ek bure chhote bakaree ho! Tum khaadee mein gir jaegee! Ruk jao!_ ('Come here you bad little goat! You will fall in the Bay! Please stop!)" A single small and frail little Indian girl cries out in her high pitched native Hindi tongue. Wearing her white pavada outfit, the small child dashes across the sands of Tranquebar's golden beaches after a giddy, white and brown spotted goat.

The knobbly kneed kid was apparently catapulting itself towards the Bay of Bengal's rocky shoals and the outgoing tides that were relatively still fierce so soon after the end of monsoon season.

Before Pastor Savarimootoo could blink an astonished eye, his traveling companion was off and running like the wind as he turns around to see that svelte young Dane rush across the rocky coastline to come to the plaintive little girl's plea for help before the minister could finish his sentence.

Hans did not need to be able to speak Hindu to comprehend a child – a little girl – in need. The heroic young Naval officer crosses the beach in no time and drops to his knees, so as not to frighten the young child as he gently, but firmly pulls her back to the sand dune away from the craggly, sharp rocky ledge before she tumbled alongside her loudly ninnying baby goat.

After bestilling the hysterical child with a soft finger to his lips, the agile young Prince launches himself bodily like a flawless acrobat over the rocky ledge. Hans not only catches the inept baby sojat goat from sliding down this jagged ledge overhang, but also manfully braves the frenzied Capridae's unforgiving cloven hooves and hefts the kicking and screeching, frightened creature without a trace of fear over his broad shoulders like an expert herder.

 _"'Let thy kingdom, blessed Savior,_ _Come, and bid our journey cease;_ _'"_ Hans begins to sing the tender strains of the church hymn ' _Let Thy Kingdom, Blessed Savior'_ to becalm the frantic beast from its terror.

He climbs back up from the wet, high tide flood current washing in from the Indian Ocean as the dashing Dane with the baby goat upon his clean shoulders continues to hum his tune. He gives a compassionate smile to the weeping little child who was anxiously waiting on her hands and knees to the sand dune, believing her dear pet had been swallowed up in the unforgiving rocks and crashing tides as many a foolish kid had been lost before.

 _"'Near your Shepherd constant keep; Look to me and be holy. I delight to feed my sheep.'_ " The viridescent green eyes and glistening red hair that had been splashed by the goat kicking up the tide made the Vise Admiral dazzling as he lifts the wriggling goat from his back to lift the safe and sound creature to the dry sand above the shore.

There, the tiny Indian maiden, not much more than five years old, who had sunk to her knees in a shower of tears, now stands up in pure childish delight to throw her arms around her naughty white and speckled brown goat's neck with a show of joy that required no translation.

" _Bhagavaan ne mujhe ek farishta bheja!_ (God has sent me an angel!)" When the overjoyed pig-tailed little spite finally finds her voice, she releases her chokehold grabbed goat baby to then throw her suntanned arms around Hans' pleasantly dumbfounded neck with a warm hug of unadulterated gratitude. Her childlike tears come spilling out on her heroic stranger's sideburned cheeks as she mistakes the human hymn singing man for her own and Reyansh's Guardian Angel who just appeared out of thin air just when he was needed.

 _"Dhanyavaad, laal baalon ke saath sundar mahaadoot_! (Thank you, my beautiful Archangel with red hair!)" The little child whispers into Hans' smirking cheek that must blush at the fairylike child's attentions. _"Mera gaarjiyan enjil naram aur phajee laal hai ... us any bhoora shaitaan kee tarah nahin."_ (My Guardian Angel is soft and fuzzy red ... Not brown like that other devil.) The little nymph murmurs with a satisfied sigh and petting little hands to Hans' well-maintained sideburns the soft cultivation of which she had never glimpsed before, especially so flaming orangey fire in the last vestiges of the sunset over the sea.

"It's too dark to leave you out here on your own. Let us get you something to eat, sweetheart." After glancing around for any parent or guardian to claim the solitary child, in his most gentle tone of voice, Prince Hans caringly carries the weak and trembling little girl. She snuggles against him like a babe to her papa as he walks towards the rambling fort's battlements.

"You are as kind as my first impression of you told me you were, the Admiral sahib! Always the little children know a good heart. She calls you her 'beautiful, soft Guardian Angel' because you pay such attention to this little girl and her bad goat, Admiral! I have seen her on Sundays at mass on occasion. This little waif's mother works in the Governor's kitchens, I believe, so we can bring her to the bungalow with us." A smiling Pastor Savarimootoo, translates some of the no longer frightened girl's words as he comes trotting out to meet Hans carrying the child in one arm and hauling the obdurate ninnying goat tucked securely under his other appendage.

"And she should be severely punished for not paying heed to her erstwhile offspring, rather than allowing this filthy creature to wreak havoc on your honored guest, Hansen." A tall slender man with a curly mane of brown hair and mustache and sideburns, so thick they could almost be classed as a beard, breaks the pleasant atmosphere of the dusky Indian evening with his cutting surly language.

But the handsome stranger's serious countenance soon curls into a devilish smile. "I was speaking of the goat, of course." He smiles winningly at the Vise Admiral equally examining him with curious eyes.

"Of course." Hans responds in kind to the churlish grin on the man more his height and stature, with a civil nod, though the polite sentiment enough for a genuine smile escaped him for some reason.

But as the tiny waif in Hans' protective arms shrinks away to hide her bronze face in the crook of his arm, the redhead was doubly certain he could not hold much affection for this new face on the scene who somehow struck him as disagreeable.

Although, the European man _appeared_ gallant in his own military style uniform with gold epaulettes, red dress slacks and a dark black jacket with so much gold trimming it gave him the definite air of royalty.

The enigmatic man had preceded his companion in long strides across the sandbar, impatiently not waiting for the diametrically opposed, rather short and stout and flubby older man huffing and puffing to trail behind him catch up. When the man finally reaches him, though he does steady his shorter friend with a convivial pat to his back, it was almost too warm and syrupy for Hans' taste.

 _Maybe I'm being too cautiously suspicious…_

"My dear chap, we must help our gallant Vise Admiral with his load before that goat does him a mischief!" The vertically challenged, breathless older gent going by the name 'Hansen' gasps out. He was indeed the man Hans intelligently identified as the Governor of the Danish India colony of Tranquebar, whom the Vise Admiral was to meet here during his stay at the Governor's Bungalow.

"Ah yes, allow me to lighten your burden, ship's Captain…Westergaard, is it? Haven't I heard that name somewhere before?" The tall, dark and handsome gentleman says with a churlish grin at Hans before he continues. "On behalf of the Legion in Dansborg, we are indebted for your swift measures in rescuing one of our village's precious little ones." The tall and svelte man nods a quick salute with military curtness. Then he gathers the wide–eyed and frightened, head-shaking child away from Hans with a velvety smile and quickly offered mint from a silver candy tin from his top pocket down at her.

"Sweets for the sweet, dear child? Mmmm-mmm, melts right in your mouth." Popping one of the butter mints into his moustache-ed mouth, his dapper smile sugar coats his tempting words as the terrified girl looks to Hans and the Pastor, who nods and smiles for her to take the offered treat.

Which she does, and soon smiles at the delicious candy she rarely received, to boot. "See, I told you it was good." The tall man with a rakish smirk practically coos in victory as he gains her smile, with a challenging glance to Hans thrown over his urbane shoulder.

With the sojat baby goat remaining a handful in his arms, Hans looks on powerlessly as he seemed to be the only one to note the stranger had a triumphant smirk traced on his thin lips at his masterful coax that claimed the child's captivated submission.

But as to whom this condescending, haughty, superior one moment and disarmingly charming the next, pre-possessed man with the distinctive western European accent was, was anyone's fair game to deduce. His eyes pierce through the darkening dusk down his long noble nose with his strikingly dark blue orbs particularly at Hans, as if measuring an appraisal…

* * *

 _min kærlighed -_ my darling love in Danish

 _Farishta_ – Angel in hindi

 _Sahib -_ In India, the polite title or form of address for a man, 'sir' or 'master', used especially among the native inhabitants of colonial India when addressing or speaking of a European of some social or official status.

 _"I'm So Pretty"_ is a song from the legendary Rodgers and Hammerstein 'West Side Story' that Hans' voice actor Santino Fontana sang at his audition to be our redheaded Prince of the Southern Isles, to the Disney animators' giggling delight.

* * *

 **"Let Thy Kingdom, Blessed Savior"**

Let thy kingdom, blessed Savior,  
Come, and bid our journey cease;  
Come, oh come! and reign for ever,  
God of love and Prince of peace;  
Visit now Thy needy Zion,  
See Thy people mourn and weep;  
Day and night Thy lambs are crying—  
Come, good Shepherd, feed thy sheep.

Lord, in us there is no merit;  
We've been sinners from our youth  
Guide us, Lord, by Thy good spirit  
That shall teach us all Thy truth.  
On the Gospel word we'll venture,  
Till in death's cold arms we sleep.  
Love's our bond, and Christ's our center;  
Come, good Shepherd, feed thy sheep.

Hear the Prince of your salvation,  
Saying _'Fear not, little flock.''_ _  
 _'I myself am your foundation,_  
 _Ye are built upon this rock._  
 _Shun the paths of vice and folly_  
 _Near your Shepherd constant keep,_  
 _Look to me and ye be holy._  
 _I delight to feed my sheep.'__

 _"Let Thy Kingdom, Blessed Savior"-_ Hymn by Methodist minister Reverend John Adam Granade 1808

* * *

Hello once again, my Frozen friends!

Happy Mother's Day to my sweet Mama and all of yours out there too!

The Mother figure in our story, Queen Idun, has a pretty vital role to play in orchestrating her elder daughter's future happiness. (If I remember, it was her idea too for Kristoff, rather than face that nasty word _'annulment'_ , just to be personally tutored by Anna's stern Papa, so the pair of father and son-in-law can get to know one another better, and hopefully grow to like each other too :)

Isn't Mama Idun brilliant (and magnificently sneaky) to forge a letter from King Agdar to bring Hans home for Elsa's birthday party in late December? And then get Anna to write the invite up with the enclosed pass to her former enemy? Queen Idun certainly is a smart woman with more wisdom in her little pinky than in her intractable and stubborn hubby's entire icy body!

'Letters from the Heart' seemed a fitting title since it describes this new focal point method for Hans to make contact with Elsa, through unlikely partner in crime Anna.

Queen Idun's idea for a Masquerade Ball may prove to be an enticing reunion for our separated Helsa in chapters to come…

But Vise Admiral Westergaard, off on his own adventures in the Far East of the world in India, may have some interesting new acquaintances of his own to deal with before he gets back to Arendelle…Exciting adventures in store between here and home with some hair-raising escapades for our dashing hero, with Elsa waiting for her Prince as patiently as her difficult and plotting Papa wishes to replace him in her heart…

Thanks for reading this new leg of a chapter! Stay tuned for more emotional turmoil and adventure on the path to Hans and Elsa's true love!

God bless!

And remember this weekend (and throughout most of the rest of the year, too!) :

"Mother Knows Best!"

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! God has blessed us all with a special lady to cherish and love all our lives!

Jesus loves you, Mama!

Love, HarukaKou

* * *

P.S. I know I sound redundant, but please don't forget to follow this newest third part of Frozen Again trilogy to get the updates as to Helsa's continuing love story! ^_^ Thanks again, Frozen friends!

Olaf and Eliana LOVE-LOVE reviews! ^_^ Did you like my Eliana? She's a fair mixture between our favorite two sisters, so...Hope I got her right! ^o^

God bless you and yours on this Mother's Day weekend! Give her an extra hug from me, my friends!

And a special thanks to my friend, HelsaForever for helping me sort out some of the Hindi translations! It's a tough language to pick up! You're my parre farishta (girl angel)! Am I correct? ;) Thanks for assisting my learning curve! ^_^


	4. Chapter 3- Liberty, Equality, Fraternity

_We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

" **Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act VI**

 **Chapter 3**

 **"** **Liberty** **, Equality, Fraternity"**

While Pastor Savarimootoo finally had this rare chance to corner Governor Hansen and speak of monsoon repair improvements on behalf of his Tamil Nadu townsfolk, the quartet of men stroll from the twilight beachfront into the Dansborg Fort in this foreign port of Tranquebar.

With a little girl's goat in tow at hand, Prince Hans obediently follows the pair of chattering older men. However, he keenly felt the silent younger man more his age glancing back at him from time to time with just as much quiet curiosity, as he carried the little Indian girl in his capable arms, though neither spoke to the other.

Until at last, one of them breaks the uncomfortable silence as the small child is hurriedly ushered into the galley away with her profusely thankful, flustered mother—the fort's kitchen scullery maid.

But before she can be spirited away, Hansika reaches out to both of the tall heroic European gentleman, her angel _and_ her devil. The sweet girl suddenly did not wish to be parted from either of the exciting handsome strangers.

This brings a smile again to her 'angel' Hans' beautiful face, as he finds from her mother that the pretty child was quite appropriately named ' _Hansika'_ , which meant 'swan' in Hindi.

"Fear not, little cygne chéri ( _swan_ _darling_ ). I will personally escort my new friend here and show him where your dear pet can be kept in the courtyard out back in the safety of the Legionnaire's night watch for the time being, until you and your dear mother are ready to take him home." The comely coxcomb transfers the clingy child into her mother's welcoming arms from his svelte ones, accompanied by a kindly smile and convivial lift of her wobbly chin with a coy, gloved finger of his.

"You can rest assured I will find your Reyansh a bed and food and shelter for the night, little one, as sure as my name is 'Hans'." A somehow personable with children Hans gives a reassuring confidential wink to the small Indian girl and a pat to her pet kid goat's white and brown spotted head.

"Farishta? Nnn-nnn! Hansraj…" Dreamy little Hansika grins deliriously up at her redhaired _'Angel'_ , now her _'Swan King'_ , with a giggle and jubilant wave that he remembered her baby goat's name and spoke to them in his velvety foreign strains. The adorable girl was instantly enamored of her beautiful _Hansraj's_ gentility and elegant deportment, and would never forget his handsome face all her days.

"Aapko bahut bahut dhanyavaad!" ( _Thank you very very much_ ) Hansika's head bowed, red-faced mama makes a deferential, quick exit from the gentlemen-sahib with her openly fawning, disrespectful tiny child in her arms.

"Subhashish, en Hansraj!" ( _God Bless you, my Swan King!_ ) With bright brown eyes, Hansika cries out one last time with a blown kiss to her handsome new hero.

"Hmph. Follow Me, Vise Admiral. S'il vous plait? ( _If you please?_ )" Not a little jealous of his Danish counterpart gaining all the attention, the decidedly French language of the tall striking man abruptly intones to Hans. He had been mentally trying to deduce just who this debonair, unknown stranger was, and in his mind, the Prince of the Southern Isles just narrowed the field.

"I was not aware you had also joined the French Foreign Legion to be stationed here in far-flung Dansborg, beyond your impressive career with the French Expeditionary Force in Trarzan _and_ the 1st Regiment Hussars in Algiers, Your Serene Highness, Prince Ferdinand." With an involuntary hand touched to the sword sheathed at his sophisticated side, Prince Hans tosses the educated guess out there. It was his tentative form of a dare that his own male ego, for some unknown reason, felt compelled to exert in this challenger's presence.

"Touché, my Danish confrére ( _colleague_ ). My famed reputation as an adventurer must precede me wherever I go. As does yours, reinstated _Prince_ Hans, Lord Holsteinborg, Vise Admiral of the Sjoforsvaret fleet." Crown Prince Royal Ferdinand Philippe of Orleans was just as notorious for his lack of tact and combative ill temper with other dignitaries as he was recognized in his own war-torn country for his valor. Not only for his national service, but also for his benevolence and generosity and personal courage to bring medicine to the sick and poor during the recent cholera epidemic that swept over his homeland, devastated by civil unrest, which made him a national hero.

But it was the Duke of Orleans' overt gallantry with his military Vanguard brigade in the Battle of Habrah and his establishment of the Vincennes Rangers that made this young royal man of just thirty years of age a living legend in military circles.

Between reports of this French Prince's heroism from fellow sailors during Hans' own extensive naval service and oft overhearing his envious older brothers speak of impressive young Prince Ferdinand's exploits at an early age on the Aegean Sea, Hans already had a mild acquaintance with the history of this man, just a few years his senior.

"Then you must be postulating assumptions – quite rightly, too – on why I, a formerly dishonored criminal and scandalously disowned Prince – have been granted this auspicious role as Vise Admiral in Norway's proud Sjoforsvaret fleet. But I'm afraid that implausible answer is one I myself am still wondering about." With a disarming self-reproachful smile, Hans speaks openly of his past circumspect circumstances.

The dashing French Prince with his own set of thick tawny brown sideburns shows his companion to a small corral-like area behind the fort's barracks where new colts were being broken in and exercised during the spring's training season.

"One should never assume anything, dear Prince Hans. It only makes an ass out of 'u' and 'me'." The urbane thirty-year-old speaks with a droll gleam in his eyes that a fascinated Hans found too engaging to ignore.

The two young men, despite their duly well polished backgrounds, both momentarily revel in this little uncouth verbal coarseness that diffuses their initial unease with one another.

Entering the corral, the distracted red haired Prince puts down the wily kid that had been kicking and squealing as it had caught glimpses of horses in the stable.

The indignant goat that had a mind of its own gives a humorously jolly little jig and taunting ninny as it was free to kick up the dust at its subjugators.

"What? No! Wait!" But as Hans begins to stand from his leaning down position, the ornery creature snatches the burgundy ribbon holding the Danish prince's prized necklace medallion cross from Hans' surprised neck.

The irascible creature then gives the lithe twenty-five-year-old red-head a merry chase for his precious Arendelle commendation award around the darkened corral.

With a chuckle at this impulsive frolic, an amused Prince Ferdinand soon joins in the madcap frivolity to catch the miscreant runaway kid capridae.

Between the pair of tall, well toned young officers, the goat kid stood little chance of succeeding with its thievery. Agile Hans makes a nimble dived grab for its hind legs to immobilize the kid, as capable Ferdinand wrestles the ribbon from its jaws with daring ease.

Squeezing its mouth with just enough forceful pressure short of harming the persnickety creature, the French Prince plucks the precious necklace of St. Olaf and shines its thankfully undamaged gold embossed decoration with his own uniform's sleeve. Ferdinand holds the medal up to the sparse light of the moon as if it were a holy item that he too held in high regard.

"Now, just do not let another old goat strip you of your titles, Vise Admiral." Prince Ferdinand says with lambasted humor as he stands to his feet and polishes Hans' stolen commendation.

"Ha ha hah."

"Ha ha hah."

Their exhilarating exertion shared in the dusky twilight seemed to instantly draw the two men into a companionable mood of laughable camaraderie.

"Forgive me if we got off on the wrong foot back there, Your Serene Highness, but I was too concerned for the child's safety to remember my courtesy. Please, if we can start this again. I am Prince Hans Christian Alexander Westergaard of Holsteinborg—now Norwegian Vise Admiral in command of the Sjoforsvaret ship, the HNoMs Nidaros. It is a pleasure to meet you." Hans puts aside his first impression to give the man a generous nod of introduction.

"Likewise, Prince Hans." He nods his introduction with a proud stroke to his cleft chin. "Prince Ferdinand Philippe Louis Charles Henri Joseph of Orléans, Colonel of the 1st regimen of the Hussars and French Expeditionary Forces. The pleasure is all mine." The French Prince accepts Hans' proffered white silk glove handshake with a dark black leather one of his own.

"Shall we leave the formalities aside in the spirit of fraternity and simply address each other by our surnames as normal men do? I insist you call me 'Égalité', as my brothers-in-arms in the Hussars have dubbed me by my last name, like every other man in the service goes by. So I will call you 'Westergaard', as I have a feeling you and I are going to be very intimately associated in combat situations." Ferdinand awards Hans with his most earnest smile before continuing to expound in his thick French accent, while Hans nods back his assent.

"And you are correct. I am here to sanction the Legionnaires stationed to work with my regimental Vanguard in Algiers to help assuage the tribal rebels before my furlough leave takes me back to Europe and all of its propitious allure…" As he diverts his dark blue eyes up to the moon that was emerging, the French Royal Prince pets his cultivated moustache with some obvious allusions as to these enticements in mind for a mildly curious Hans now to ponder.

"You are returning to your homeland?" Hans makes personable small talk as he, as promised, provides a bowl of water he siphons from the nearby pump and some grain and food from the stable for the troublesome goat. While there, the equestrienne in Hans cannot contain himself from petting a stabled Fjord horse there that reminded his homesick heart so very much of his beloved Sitron.

But Hans smiles a wispy smile to think that his lifelong companion steed was safe and secure in the bosom of his beauteous Elsa's kingdom, with the advantage of his master to gain his new mistress' many desirable caresses day by day.

 _Lucky Sitron._

"Yes. My father insists that as I have reached the ripe old age of thirty, I must take on some more mundane duties at home in the palace instead of wiling my days out here in the wilds of India and Africa. Though, as a young aristocrat seeking adventure at sea yourself rather than spend your lifeforce at a dull life at court, you must know which I prefer." Liberated sympathizer Ferdinand seemed to speak of an oppression that he, as the Crown Prince of the French, could not escape for much longer.

Hans considers his new companion's demeanor, jovial at times, dead serious the next, with curiosity as he examines the man's rather handsome profile in the moonlight.

"But I digress. Why are we talking about me when it is you just arriving here on your first ship's command venture we should be conferring upon! So, mon ami! Is the rumor true that Admiral Bernadotte is alive due to your heroics at sea involving a terrible sea monstré at the Moskenstraumen maelstrom?" The French Prince eyes Hans' award almost enviously as he fingers the crocus symbol of Arendelle's highest award gold medal between his gloved hands before replacing the ribbon necklace over Hans' head and around the Dane's blushing, freckled neck.

"Not only I, Sir! Many others were far more instrumental in securing the King and Queen – Queen Idun, that is, mother of current Queen, _Elsa_ – and their safe return home to their loving family in Arendelle." A deferentially modest Prince Hans reddens even further as he stumbles over his words concernign the life and death mission, still vivid in memory.

Hans was not inclined to accept accolades—the shunned young boy in him still unaccustomed to receive praise, since his ignored childhood.

Just thinking of his Elsa, her spoken name slipping into his dialogue unwittingly, had the disheartened Prince of Southern Isles dreamily clasp the more precious crucifix necklace that resided still over his heart which also held the precious ice miniature his darling crafted just for him.

"Your purported relationship with Arendelle's reunited royal family and your own intricately complicated one in Denmark with your stern father, King Herbert, sounds rather convoluted, Westergaard. Almost as complex as my own family tree back home in France where my father King Louis is constantly on the prowl to marry me off to my hideous cousins. But you have a finer offering of the feminine variety in the north, do you not, Westergaard?" As they begin to leave the corral, Prince Ferdinand crudely comments of his family and un-comely women that the vainglorious man had little pity for.

"Arendelle does indeed possess the loveliest jewels of Scandinavia…" Hans trails off, now it was this young man's turn to stare up at the moonlit night with dreams of what his elegant Elsa may be doing right this moment in the forefront of his melancholy mind.

"Ah, the distant Kingdom of Arendelle and all its mysterious treasures encased in the cold ice…" The detached vague sentiment was spoken to the winds more than to the other Prince who was too preoccupied in petting the Danish Governor's golden fjord horse a good night farewell to hear.

His companion's yearning disquiet made the discerning French Prince suspicious concerning Prince Hans' ties to both previously aloof royal houses.

Prince Ferdinand raises his bewildered eyebrows with his inner veiled thoughts versus his genuine first impression of this charming thirteenth-in-line prince of the Southern Isles.

The Frenchman watches the younger Dane rearrange his disarrayed fashion to be presentable, with a slicked back hand run through his mussed titian hair as Hans self-consciously smoothes down his goat-rustled Navy blue Sjoforsvaret jacket.

Unaware he was being carefully observed, Hans neatens himself as he readies to be fit to enter the house for dinner with Tranquebar's Danish India Governor, Peder Hansen.

The shrewd Frenchman's eyes were sure he saw a glimmer of something inexplicably sparkling against the dashing young Danish Prince's chest earlier when the Vise Admiral pulled on his Navy blue jacket that he was now tenderly pressing against his heart.

And that too intrigued Ferdinand to befriend this comely, amiable Dane all the more.

"What was that, Colonel Égalité?" Hans addresses his charismatic companion by his official military title after setting himself right again with a forgiving pat down to the naughty goat that scampers up to his enticements of a carrot found on a barrel offered instead of his precious necklace medallion.

"I fear this 'Great Game' - as the insurgents refer to this violent episode - is having repercussions from Afghanistan to over all of India. It leads me to wonder how my regiment I left in Algiers will get on without me. Those tribal rebels are about as fierce as any member of the Guard Royale in the Révolution de Juillet ( _July Revolution_ )." But before this new revolutionary royal acquaintance of Hans could finish his amended response, a strange sight cuts across the moon across the southeastern skyline, garnering both young mens' attentions.

"What a singular breed of bird to see in these parts! A falcon flying south for the winter who has gotten lost, I suppose? I have not seen the likes of it since my time in Scandinavia." Prince Ferdinand did like to hear himself speak as he continues to give observations to a self-possessed Hans. "And it appears to be zeroing in on us, in particular, my colléague…" It did not take smooth talking Prince Ferdinand's astonished commentary long for Hans' own keen senses to signal to him that the swift moving avian flying across the moon towards the Bay of Bengal's shore had its sights directly upon the Dansborg Fort.

More precisely, the large bird with bars of brown across its white and rusty underparts dips into this rear section of the Dansborg's corral where Hans and his companion were holding court with that irksome little goat.

"A peregrine falcon?" His velvety voice murmurs as he scans the horizon. Hans had studied all class, phylum, familia, order and species of animals, fishes and plants in his lonely youth enough for the intelligent mature man now to recognize the Falco Perigrinus' remarkable, almost four foot wingspan.

The bluish black to slate gray body with the black-tipped tail of the falcon maneuvers down from the dark night skies, through the Fort's brick and stone parapets and into its barracks expertly, with the letter the Wind Whisperer had asked the creature of nature to deliver to Hans Westergaard personally, from halfway around the world.

Before locating a nearby tree branch to land upon, the peregrine circles over Hans until it hovers close enough for the curious man to take hold of the sealed letter clutched in its talons.

"Special delivery message from the Admiralty? How extraordinary! Are they using falcons now to communicate with their officers? King Agdar must consider you quite invaluable and important a personage in his court, Vise Admiral Westergaard." Ferdinand remarks with a stylishly raised brow as Hans received the letter and both examine its prominent formal addressing to him personally as 'Vise Admiral Kommander Westergaard c/o HNoMs Nidaros' at the 'Danish India Fort of Tranquebar'.

In the moonlight, Hans stares down at the inexplicable letter's seal with the Arendelle crocus symbol embossed upon it as he absent-mindedly rubs a confused and amazed finger over its Golden leaf wax, afraid it may disintegrate in his hands if he dare open it too swiftly.

"Hardly that, your Serene Highness." Trying to calm back down, Hans nervously chuckles. He shivers involuntarily at the memory of how Elsa's father, King Agdar, whom Hans much respected, had given him the cold shoulder treatment after Hans had plucked up the courage to ask him for Elsa's hand in marriage.

Heretofore believing he was on good terms with naval Admiral Bernadotte since that perilous adventure in Mosken Island had brought them to rely upon each other for deliverance, the powerful King of the North had reacted badly to Hans' request to become his son-in-law and had only barely conceded to the engagement under his terms. Hans and Elsa were subsequently forced to undergo this prolonged separation to prove their commitment to one another as long-lasting and true.

But Hans had this sinking feeling that Admiral Bernadotte wished to dissuade his eldest child's betrothal because he did not at all approve of the young man who once attempted to take both his kingdom's control and the life of his delicate daughter.

Still holding the trusted position of newly inducted second-in-command of his Navy, Agdar had shipped Prince Hans off to the far corners of the world to keep the young Dane, burning with fervor for his naïve and innocent child, at bay.

 _How can I ever blame the Admiral for that rightful paternal instinct? Only I am responsible for that dreadful misplacement of my judgment at that time…But God appears to have forgiven me in granting me the love of my cherished Elsa, whom I will wait patiently forever for…_

 _So what could be the meaning of this urgent message possibly signify since it was sent through the Norwegian Sjoforsvaret military's highest channels?_

"'Égalité'', Westergaard, _Égalité'_." The French officer chides the younger red-haired man as Ferdinand curiously peers down at the letter to distinguish its content in whatever moonlight he could gather. "Oh, pardonnez regards indiscrets ( _pardon my prying eyes_ )." The bold man senses Hans' awareness of his inquisitive reading over his shoulder.

"Do feel free, if this Indian moon can suffice, to read your important letter in peace, Hans, I will keep silent as we walk back to the dinner awaiting us. The Governor will be beside himself with anxiety if he does not participate in the evening meal soon." The distinguished looking, light brown haired man in his prime cajoles Hans as he teases their non-present overweight host while the French Prince leads the young Vise Admiral towards the Governor' bungalow at the edge of the Dansborg fort.

"Yes… Perhaps I will do so, if you will not think me too rude, so I have time to absorb and consider my response before the morning post. Thank you, Prince –" Hans distractedly begins to say as his strong fingertips easily break the wax seal over the letter in question with great anticipation.

"– Remember, ' _Égalité'_ only, Westergaard. We, as the heart of the name means, are equal according to the democratic aspirations of my people, are we not?" The Duke of Orleans may have been impetuous, vain, and quick tempered at times, but he held a certain undeniable set of principles that was his charm in his winsome airs and smiles that Hans was slowly warming up to.

"Yes. You are correct. We are all equally created by God. No man worth more. No man worth less in the Lord's sight… Égalité." Hans states reasonably, capitulating to the name his companion's dark blue eyes demanded, before his own green orbs indulge to read the puzzling missive's mysterious words.

"I agree wholeheartedly, mon ami. No man, indeed. But as for all of women kind…that's another story… mon Dieu! He certainly made some with undoubtedly aboveboard perfection and others lesser endowed…Oh! Homme stupide! (stupid man!) I promised to be quiet. " Never bad with the ladies himself, opinionated, dapper Prince Ferdinand whistles low under his breath as he allows Hans to read his letter in comparative quiet, while the gleaming moonlight takes him back across the seas to the homeland he had not been to in years since the intoxicating memories of some fine specimens of women in his illustrious past.

And the expectation to meet one divine enchantress of the present… _As you well know_ … But Prince Ferdinand's insinuations were lost on the warm Indian breezes as Prince Hans clears his mind to read Princess Anna's polite, yet plaintive letter.

 _'Hello Hans... Arendelle will be hosting… A masquerade ball… Queen Elsa's birthday… 21st of December…_

Hans' entrancing green eyes make a quick scan of Anna's handwritten letter to him as he walks with as much consternation as amazement that she of all people would extend such an outlandish invitation to him. The handsome Dane continues greedily reading as his alarmed eyes strain along the moonlit path leading up to the Governor's bungalow while the pair of men walk into the mansion's vestibule.

 _'Please come, Hans! Elsa's lonely… She'll be devastated if you aren't here… make her sad… Please hurry for her birthday… all your fault…break Elsa's heart… Hurry home, partner…'_

Hans' coronary artery organ performs several somersaults he was sure at sweet Anna's heart wrenching letter pleading with him on behalf of her beloved sister.

Although nothing would make an empty inside, melancholic Prince Hans happier or more complete to see his darling Elsa again this unexpectedly soon after these first two months out of their twenty-four months enforced separation, every voice ringing in his ear told Hans that this was highly improbable.

Both he and Elsa had sworn to endure for one another this time her father chose to part the couple as the test. The valorous naval officer/stalwart knight in shining armor for his lady love would not succumb to doing anything so foolhardy as disobeying orders and risking his future with the beauteous Queen of his heart on some whimsical notion of Elsa's well-intentioned younger sister who was practically pleading for him to attend as her sister's birthday wish.

 _Anna. As much as I desperately would want to be there, and I appreciate your invitation, the current precarious relationship between Elsa and I is such that I dare not jeopardize by—_

That terribly wretched feeling of being a cad was only all too soon replaced by an awestruck sentiment in the pit of his stomach by the awe-inspiringly ominous summons securely signed by the one and only man's authority who could call his dutiful Vise Admiral home.

' _By the Admiral's command –_ _  
 _Vise Admiral Hans Westergaard's two month shore leave is sanctioned for request return to Arendelle for an urgent conference. Lt. Kommander Bjelke, first officer, is relegated to command HNoMS Nidaros to its_ __Beijing_ _expedition in lieu until the time of his Kommander's return.'_

Hans reads and rereads the attached shore leave pass that accompanied Anna's missive as it peeks out from her not-so neatly folded letter. It made this entire conundrum even more perplexing to read just _who_ else was requesting him to return to Arendelle.

 _'Admiral Agdar Bernadotte'_

 _An important meeting with me?_ _By the King's command…?_

 _ **GULP**_

But that official document King Agdar had signed for Hans' shore leave in the purpose of returning to Arendelle for a critical conference between the Admiral and his second in command was irrefutable…

"Good news, I presume, my friend?" As the pair had walked towards the white pillared, fence gabled bungalow that glowed against the darkness, Prince Ferdinand had been surveying his companion's varied mood shifts.

A distracted Hans is ushered into the mansion by a small framed, yet wiry, tawny skinned Indian servant who had quietly whisked open the door for the expected pair.

"I am unsure to ascertain its full connotation…" A confused Hans stares down from Anna's plaintive handwritten letter to the naval printed order from the Admiral himself making provisions for his two-month shore leave's hasty accommodation.

The Indian manservant directs the pair of latecomers from the vestibule entry into the dining room of the governor's mansion as Ferdinand extends his gloved hand towards the official shore leave pass.

"May I see it?"

A dazed Hans allows Ferdinand to peruse the unexpected order for shore leave to inspect himself.

"This is indeed watermarked naval document paper with the official shore leave pass signed by the Admiral of the Sjoforsvaret himself, delineating your requested return to Arendelle naval command. It even provides specific direct orders for you to furnish the helm authority of your ship, the Nidaros, to your First Officer, Lieutenant Kommander Bjelke, on its Beijing expedition. Hmm…How extraordinary." The Frenchman steps back from unwelcomely breathing down Hans' freckled neck to consider and stroke his own thick, almost mutton chop sideburns and coiffed moustache that was all the rage of fashion back home in France.

 _Though some of the opposite sex may have found it offensive… Not all ladies have discerning taste…_

Prince Ferdinand inwardly smiles, confident of his own attractive qualities, despite some contrary opposition to his proud facial hair from a certain memorable female in his past.

 _But the past is in the past… And a new game is now afoot…_

"This two-month shore leave request document appears concise and legitimate, quite on the up and up to me, Westergaard, if you wish for my humble opinion. You seem to be more than welcome back in Arendelle." Prince Ferdinand idly comments, handing the signed shore leave pass back with an unimpressed air.

 _Can it be?! Perhaps King Agdar_ ** _has_** _relented and Elsa will soon be mine!_

The maddeningly delirious smile traced on the young naval officer's face coaxes the other man's curiosity to outweigh his royal gentlemanly courtesy. But Ferdinand must soon give up his inquisitively peering over Hans' wide epaulette decorated shoulder to read the other portion of the Sjoforsvaret naval officer's personal correspondence, for Hans keeps Anna's letter closer to his vest.

"Who has been granted a full two months' shore leave, Ferdinand?" A bent over, regimental looking elderly man with a thick British accent interjects as Hans and his companion enter the dining room.

"Our honored guest, Vise Admiral Westergaard, apparently." The tall, wavy brown-haired Prince answers for Hans, as Ferdinand accepts an excessive tumbler full of wine from the British officer. He tips his comely head and tipsy glass towards the shell-shocked redhead whom the keen eyed Indian servant had seated across the table and proceeded to fan.

A third man returns from a connected room in the stifling hot dining hall where he had been sourly devouring some documents and papers at his desk rather than indulging anything on the tempting table. The specially prepared fare was replete with English, French, and Danish delights with an undeniably Eastern style woven into each colorful dish, as prepared by the skillful native chef downstairs.

"The Commodore and I have been very patiently waiting for your arrival, Prince Hans. But Father Savarimootoo explained your delay due to your church visit. Rarely have we seen such godly devotion in one so young in our midst here in the Far East, Vise Admiral Westergaard. So we will excuse your tardiness this one time and welcome you warmly to our humble abode. I have even broken out my own favored bottle of special Danish fruit wine _kirsebærvin_ for your welcome visit celebration." Governor Hansen fights off his hunger pangs enough to be a gracious host to this illustrious naval officer, on his first command's crossing, to offer his finest decanter of treasured imported wine from their mutual homeland for the Prince.

"No, no, Hansen. That reportedly just-come-back-from-the-dead fool Admiral Bernadotte has recalled your fellow countryman to leave our company already, just as he arrives! Surely, I thought we would at least have one fresh face at this damnably boring old card table for a few weeks. And a mere boy at that, Hansen! That King Agdar must be out of his mind to have appointed one so young to such a vital command role! But that enigmatic Norske sailor always did have a funny way about him. I seem to especially recall his part at Navarino..." The aged British Commodore Thomas Cochrane who had lost any semblance of tact years ago, continues to grumble as the old sea dog gets lost in a reverie of victorious glory days on the ocean gone by.

There he had come across adventuresome, young Arendelle sovereign King Agdar during his daring maritime arrival to the standoff battle. The mysterious Norwegian recluse of a sailor had made an uncanny impact on several decisive naval confrontations when he was not much older than either of this pair of handsome young rascals flanking them on either side now.

"Yes. I am afraid I must cut short my visit to your lovely Tranquebar stopover. Although, I have full confidence in my able second-in-command to oversee the coaling of the Nidaros in this port before he continues the vessel's mission to our next destination in the China seas." In his eloquent voice, Prince Hans relates his authoritative, commanding assurance to the Governor who served as port master here that all would still go on as planned, despite his personal absence aboard ship.

"I have not been fully disclosed as to the nature of this imperative meeting, but I hold my leader, King Agdar, in the highest esteem, and wish to abide by Admiral Bernadotte's summon, by all means necessary, in conference for my new orders. But without an incredibly high-speed ship at my disposal, I only hope that I can arrive in sufficient time for his requirements—I have but forty short days." Hans' dignified air of resolve impressed the pair of older men at the dinner table with his respect for his superior and intensity to accomplish the task set before him to dutifully fulfill his Admiral's order to return, no questions asked, as a proper soldier should act.

"I have heard the British have recently opened to the express packet mailing service that claims to take on passengers through an overland route, cutting short the travel time of even the swiftest steamship that would previously have had to traverse Cape Horn. With the Nidaros still scheduled for coaling for at least three days, and the length of ocean voyage several months, this proposed overland mail route seems my best option, would you not agree, Gentlemen? I would be grateful for any advice you can offer me with your expertise in navigating these foreign lands." Hans graciously addresses the buzz of all the curious men gathered around the Governor's dining table where he was the center attraction.

"Well said, Vise Admiral. Indeed you show great respect for authority and seniority that we rarely see in young people these days." Governor Hansen gives a sideways, insinuating glance to a calmly apathetic Prince Ferdinand, quietly digesting food, wine and conversation where he sat beside the Commodore. The French Foreign Legion officer had been their guest for several weeks now and did little more than extol the virtues of revolutionary ideals to the more conservative older men.

"Indeed. Bravo, Prince Hans! King Agdar could not hope for a more obedient dutiful soldier, eh, gentlemen? We Brits stationed in India will be only too happy to lend a hand in service to a prestigious personage such as yourself on this emergency journey, Vise Admiral." A suddenly ebullient Commodore Nelson congratulates Hans for his trustworthy dedication that the old soldier appreciated.

"It makes one proud to be a Dane to see such spirit and duty in one so young. Your father, our King Herbert, would certainly be proud, no doubt of his articulate son." Fellow Danish citizen Governor Hansen agreeably makes the assertion as he digs in with verve at several pieces of his favorite mutton meat pie with curry on top.

"But I must warn you, lad, there are no frills on wonky Waghorn's crazy postal service route. But between Queen Victoria's proud Peninsula and Oriental, the J. R. Hill Co. and Bombay Steam, I wager we can accommodate one slim naval officer along with the mails. That is, if you are willing to ride rough across the desert." The older British man proudly speaks of his nation's great accomplishments that have left their motivated mark across the world.

"Certainly, I will undertake any accommodation available for the most rapid conveyance, sirs. I thank you all for your too kind compliments, but I am only doing my duty which I have sworn a pledge to uphold." Hans blushes as he garners this killjoy, pessimistic elder man's praise.

"Good man. I only hope that the recent uprisings and rebellions on this continent will allow you the swift and expedited travel you desire to make it in time for your prospective date in Norway for your important meeting with the King. Though with many obstacles that could arise along your journey, I truly doubt just a little over a month and a week will suffice such an ambitious itinerary. Particularly that you have not traversed these merciless lands on your own previously. I don't wish to pour cold water on your venture, Prince Hans, but I believe there is much trouble and bitter conflicts brewing outside of Tranquebar's peaceful port that you, as a total newcomer to the soil, may not be able to avoid on the overland route you propose." The more he thinks it over, Governor Hansen himself begins to consider the negatives of this abrupt venture that the safe and steady man established here for many years would not know where to begin to embark upon himself.

"Then it's a good thing the Vise Admiral will have me at his side to help guide him through the treacherous foreign lands unknown to him, and which I am more familiar with, from my Legionnaire's experience." The adventurer Prince of the French smiles with a conceited air as he awards an astonished Hans with an ambitious cocksure smile that gave our redheaded hero that same caution signal again, as was his first impression of the man.

"Y-You're coming with me?" Hans says with more surprise that appreciation in his tone as he nearly chokes on the dinner he was scarfing down as quickly as possible to hasten his departure time to leave for tonight.

"You are offering to travel from this far south India to the European continent by way of the overland route to help the Admiral hasten his journey? That is very munificent of you, Sahib Ferdinand." Father Savarimootoo passes the compliment along with the tray of biscuits to the handsome Prince of Orleans seated across from him at the dinner table, who declines the bread offering, but accepts the blandishments with a swaggering smirk.

"But of course! Fraternity is one of France's tripartite motto imperatives, Pastor! And we European brethren must- as they say – _stick together_ – when we are on foreign soil, should we not, Westergaard? Besides, I may have a vested personal interest in a return passage to the continent myself." The handsome Prince with the lazy deep blue eyes gives a self-satisfied proud nose up in the air look that bespoke his national pride and confident royal good breeding combined with the strong dose of cunning charm.

Two vital traits to succeed of which Hans prided himself upon once upon a time in abundance during his heady days when he was trying to make valuable first impressions to get ahead in a life that always seem to want to stomp him down.

"I thank you for your kind offer, Colonel Égalité. But since my date of arrival is swift in coming, and the travel betwixt here and my destination is a long and indefinite path, I intend to begin my journey northwest immediately, once I have passed on chain of command to my naval first officer Lieutenant Kommander Bjelke on the Nidaros." Hans considerately begins to make an excuse for the Frenchman not to join him on his expedition. "While I appreciate your charitable willingness to accompany me, I am sure that such a sudden departure into whatever peril lay out there, I must surpass quickly, no matter how uncomfortable or unpleasant. I am the only one required to accomplish it on my own. It would be too taxing a favor to ask a man of your standing—" Hans tries to tactfully worm his way out from admitting the lofty, talkative, arrogant Prince to be his voluntary companion on this five thousand mile long journey back to Norway.

"Do not be silly, mon ami! I have always held the belief that the dusty, road less traveled was far preferable to that of the paved and easy in this life. And I consider myself as a simple citizen, no greater a man for my rank as the common beggar in the streets of Paris." The revolutionary ideals that had shaped his nation back home had also molded this young man since an early age, at his father's, France's Citizen King's bourgeois royalty, utilitarian example.

"Yes, I understand your views. But that does not change the fact that this venture will take many days, over a month, across thousands of kilometers, perhaps through the harshest conditions that you need not undertake for a stranger's sake –" The romantic, yet practical young man in Hans was already mentally calculating his journey's steps. The thoughtful Dane didn't have too hard a time to be in concurrence with the philosophical French Prince in his rationale of _liberty, equality, fraternity,_ that had become the tripartite national motto of the revolutionary, modern-day France. But Hans, so accustomed to taking care of himself, for himself, by himself since his eschewed youth, would not encroach on another man's good will to this degree.

"Nonsense! I will be finished with my affairs here after a few short letters and will be ready to join you tonight, Westergaard. We risk-taking adventurers can leave for the first leg of our overland route journey, _toute de suite_ (right away) under the power of my finest and swiftest regimental horses." Getting into the spirit of the challenge now, Prince Ferdinand for once impresses the Governor, the Pastor and even the Commodore, as the wide awake man of bold action quickly backs his chair from the table without taking further refreshment of the liquor he had a fondness for most nights here.

"I will send a dispatch this minute to my brother Hussars stationed at all India's checkpoints to have fresh steeds and provisions ready for us at each step all along our route northwest to Bombay's port city. I will make a pledge to you, dear Prince Hans, we two will be upon the steamer from Bombay by this time tomorrow, come hell or high water, if we ride all night." With a hand over his heart, the charismatic prince adds this hyperbole with dramatic flair. Ferdinand had a love for reading exciting adventure novels and epic tomes all his life and seemed to want to put it to good use now.

"You are quite fortunate that my connection to the Legionnaires stretches into the Middle East as well and they will provide us with much assistance along the route, Westergaard. You and I will take up this challenge in the spirit of Man's tenacity, _n'est ce pas_? (Is it not?)" The overconfident French Prince did not give Hans the chance to get a word in edgewise with his gallant itinerary already all laid out before the flummoxed Dane.

But a more reflective, intellectual Hans' quiet evaluation of the vast expanse of land and sea needed to be traveled in forty-one days of short time provided in between here and there, told him that he would require all the help that Providence smiled upon him—even in the form of an arrogant guide.

Perhaps this well-connected, idealistic Frenchman would prove to be that valuable ally to traverse this foreign territory that Hans only had a passing, book learned knowledge of.

"Then, shall we not have a quick toast of bolstering encouragement before you leave for your swift endeavor, Gentlemen?" Governor Hansen stands from the dining table with his refilled goblet of his favored kirsebærvin ( _Danish cherry wine)_ and offers the toast.

"I will not argue with that, chere Goveurneur. ( _my dear Governor_ )" Ferdinand raises the last remnants of his glass towards Hans as the red-headed Prince was just finishing his kirsebærvin in between conversations with the Governor and the Commodore who wished them both well on their journey.

"For God and the King?" Vain Prince Ferdinand fluffs his mane of curls at the side of his head in the mirror at he passes, and lifts his wine glass with a brow raised towards Hans.

"For God, the King, _and_ the Queen." Hans makes a slight addendum to his toast as he, in turn, raises his kirsebærvin cherry wine glass to stand over the Governor's table.

"And may the Lord God bestow His bountiful blessings and rewards upon His children as they begin this difficult journey into the wilderness to become lights in this dark world." Pastor Savarimootoo offers a prayer in place of a toast for the intrepid young adventurers.

"Amen." The Governor of Tranqubar closes the priest's holy toast with a nod to the pair of dashing young men standing before them.

"Skål." ( _Cheers_ )

"Santé."( _Good health_ )

With their native tongue's versions of the celebratory toast spoken in unison, Hans and Ferdinand clink glasses with a shared smile bursting of hopeful excitement and a touch of wary anticipation found in each of the attractive men's stunning eyes.

"I thank you in advance for all your great efforts in my interest, Prin… _erh_ … Égalité." After bidding the older dinner party hosts a hasty farewell, Hans gives a winsome gentlemanly bow as he and Ferdinand pause in the hallway of the Governor's residence they were staying at to exchange words of instruction.

If endowing his trust to this ambiguous stranger he knew little about could bridge this wide physical gap between the Danish Prince and his Queen Elsa back home to bring joy to her special occasion in forty-one short days, Hans would certainly endeavor to do so.

After all, there would be much time for these two men to become more acquainted together on this incredible undertaking, and Hans would do his best to make certain they would become friends in assured equality.

Patting Anna's letter and King Agdar's request for his shore leave in his right pocket with trepidation, Hans places his tense left hand over the cool miniature next to his heart, and it calms him to believe that, through God's Love, miracles can come true.

 _Elsa, min kæreste_ _skat…I'll do everything in my power to give you a happy birthday..._

So, with the objective to make that dream a reality, into the nightfall, the partnered pair of handsome, adventurous young princes makes haste in preparation to set out to travel almost halfway around the world in forty days…

 _Elsa...I'm coming home..._

* * *

 _ **In that cherished jewel of the North's destination,**_ _ **Arendelle**_ _ **,**_ _ **Norway**_ _ **…**_

 _'11 November  
Dear diary,_ _  
 _I have fulfilled my kingdom's duty for the day, with Anna's unexpected assistance at the daily correspondence. Something she said made me feel a bit more liberated in giving my opinions on subjects which I am more educated in now than Papa. I know he's trying to take the brunt of our nation's responsibility as he did before because he cares for me, but I believe Anna was right in saying that Papa and I are__ ' _equals on the throne now' and_ _I'm 'still in charge, too'._

 _Just sometimes…it's hard to be that confident when I feel so lost at sea, without my Hans close…With so much time lost between us…Without a letter's word or hint as to his welfare…or constancy…in that big inviting world outside of Arendelle…Does he still think of me as I do him?'_

 _".._ _Elsa_ _…"_

In her darkened, lonely bedroom, just when her chilly anxiety was piling up inside, a roused Elsa of Arendelle was certain someone dear had just uttered her name. But glancing around, she found no physical person belonged to that velvety voice in her head.

Early in the evening after bidding her family 'goodnight', the quietly jealous, uncertain young woman pauses in her diary entry transcribing to glance up to the silvery moon that seemed to suddenly call to her through her window.

 _"..Elsa…min kæreste_ _skat…I'm coming home."_ Elsa instantly recognized the precious Danish terms of endearment the sea breeze sung to her soul in the loneliness of evening, when the deep purple heaven was ebbing to blue in the sky above.

She rises from her canopy bed to traipse her elegant bare feet over to the lunar ambient light streaming through it. The Queen of Ice leans her lonesome, sad forehead to the inviting cool paned glass, and wonders softly to herself of the well-being of a certain winsome man across the vast sea she was gazing forlornly over.

 _Oh, my darling Hans…I wish you could really come to me right now…I wish you could be with me on my birthday…_

After all afternoon sensing that her dear Mama and sweet Anna were beginning to 'secretly' plan for her 24th year's celebration in just over a month's time, Elsa now gives a wistful smile to the moon.

But the Ice Queen's cold and concise, practical mind was seared in the tearful knowledge that this foolish wish was far too unachievable for any man. And her Hans was much too dutiful and steadfast a naval officer to contravene his King's orders to abandon his mission of exploration, trade and negotiations in visiting far-flung ports at the helm of his newly commissioned ship, the Nidaros.

And yet her hotly beating, idealistic heart was warmed and carried by the hope beyond hope that her hero would accomplish any outlandish feat, cross any risky obstacle, defy any rigid opposition, to hold her in his tender embrace she yearned to _feel_ the utter warmth of once again…

 _…If only for a while in my dreams…_

Little did Elsa know that her valiant Prince Hans was already on his way back to her, under the believed notion that he was _obeying_ the explicit orders of his superior officer.

 _And_ the demands of his own aching heart, too, in the unconventional journey's process back to her homeland…

"Dear Lord, in whatever his endeavors, I pray for my Hans to be safe in Your loving care." As she crawls back into her solitary bed, Elsa recites her nightly prayer to the trusted devotion of her Father in Heaven, as she did whenever she was starting to sink into that cold irresolute abyss of insecurity.

 _And please let him know how much he means to me, somehow, wherever he may travel._

Elsa adds the affectionate thought as she cuddles her soft feather pillow in his place and drifts back into a longing slumber. The platinum beauty was quite unaware that her gallant Vise Admiral Westergaard's travel was not upon the ocean waves, but across the mountainous waves of lands foreign to him. But her handsome Prince's determined mind, heart, and soul were entirely focused on returning to the more exotic moon of her entrancing eyes, as he begins this new phase of his passage...

* * *

Mon ami – _'my friend'_ in French

Sahib – _'Sir or master'._ _Used as a term of respect during the colonial period, when addressing or referring to a European inIndia._

Skål **–** ' _Cheers_ ' in Danish

Santé- ' _Good health_ ' in French

min kæreste skat _– 'my dearest treasure'_ _in Danish_

* * *

Thank you for reading this newest installment where we have met a new character as an interesting travel companion for our hero Hans!

What do you all think of my dashing, enigmatic Prince Ferdinand? Based on a real life heroic and debonair French Prince from the Romantic July Revolution era, he's a new player on the Frozen Again scene. Just as Prince Hans is grateful, yet guarded around him, I wonder how Ferdinand will develop as a character…Friend or foe?...We will see…

Hans is indeed about to take us along an incredible journey through some of the most difficult and dangerous conflict-ridden territories from that 19th century colonial era. I hope he survives to attend Elsa's secret Masquerade Ball. And then live to tell the tale if and when her angry Ice King of a Papa finds them all out…

Hang on for a rough ride, from far-off tropical Tranquebar all the way back to polar north Arendelle for our gorgeous red Dane!

Hope you enjoyed this beginning leg of Hans' journey back to his Elsa! It's a bit of my spin on the epic writer Jules Verne's 'Around the World in 80 days'! (halved to 40 here in my Frozen tale! Get a move on, Hansie! :) I'm excited for so many possibilities on the horizon between here and Arendelle for our intrepid hero!

And I'd love to hear your reviews of this developing storyline! What do you think of Hans' daring new expedition, on his summoned way home to his Queen Elsa who is longing for him so desperately?

God bless you and yours on this Memorial Day holiday where we remember to celebrate the million plus lives given of the bravest and the finest who have sacrificed so much for our freedom of liberty, equality and fraternity.

The French motto was quite a fitting title for this chapter on this special weekend too, in honor of those who had dedicated their all for the safety and betterment of mankind.

I thankfully say a prayer for all our servicemen and women - past, present and future - for all they gave before and are willing now to sacrifice for us.

Thank you and God bless. :)

HarukaKou

P.S. Special thanks to ' _HelsaForever'_ for supplying my Hindi lines for that precious little girl molded after someone special! ^0~ You're my _paree_ angel of a friend! :)


	5. Chapter 4 - To Glimpse My Hidden Moon

_We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

 **"Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act VI**

 **Chapter 4**

 **"To Glimpse My Hidden Moon"**

' _My Dearest Elsa,_

 _Though you are probably unaware of what incredible request from the Admiral for my shore leave return that has transpired between myself and your sister Anna's correspondence, I write this to you with the foreknowledge that you will not receive it before I arrive. Nor have I sent out – at your father's strict instruction – the scores of other letters recounting my daily life that I have written you nearly every day these past two months. They, most likely, will not be delivered until some date in the future when all between us will be settled to a propitious conclusion, God willing.'_

A devastatingly handsome, titian red-haired man stands from where he had been concisely changing his clothing and packing his effects on the unslept in bed. He pauses to finger the stack of corded together, unopened letters he had written and collected these past two months since his deployment at sea began. The enumerated missives had continually sat on every night end table the lovesick young man rested beside.

 _'I have already transferred command of the Nidaros to my trusted second officer, Lieutenant Kommander Bjelke, with explicit orders to continue on the ship's mission to the_ _China_ _Seas_ _without me. Tonight we leave Tranquebar to begin an ambitious excursion into the interior of_ _India_ _via the overland route. When I say 'we', I am referring to myself and my new itinerant companion, Prince Ferdinand of Orleans, who has so kindly offered his knowledge of the lay of the land and connections to the French Expeditionary Forces he has a close affiliation to along our route, to accompany my summoned journey back to Arendelle.'_

Hans considers his new acquaintance's adventurer reputation, hopefully attaching Ferdinand Egalite's keenness to travel with him _\- a virtual stranger_ \- across this foreign soil, to that wanderlust attitude the liberated young prince was famed for.

 _'I write this now before our journey begins, because I cannot sleep in anticipation of our swift paced passage northeast through unfamiliar, uncivilized territory on our transit to the_ _Port_ _of_ _Bombay_ _. Since Anna's complementary letter specified an imminent date to attend your blessed event on 21 December, my haste has become duly essential to my expedient arrival.'_

' _Elsa, I know not what the impending conversation your father, the Admiral, requires of me for a face-to-face meeting at this time. But as an officer in his Sjoforsvaret Navy, I am only to follow orders without question.'_ With a quizzically raised brow, Prince Hans neatly folds his dark blue naval uniform jacket to a compact small parcel size with written instruction labeled on it to be returned to his captain's cabin on the HmNos Nidaros, awaiting his return.

' _Although, I fear my zealous heart for you may be too enthusiastic in my euphoric optimism that this abrupt, unexpected summoning means that my dreams of you and I in wedded rapture are soon to be realized. But even that vague hope to draw open the curtain of stars and truly glimpse my hidden moon again in reality, beyond my feverish imaginings, gives me joy for that day when our eyes will meet again, min ædle (my precious).'_

With a faint smile traced on his lips, Hans returns to his writing desk to add the sentimental lines as he finishes composing his daily missive to his hidden moon of a lover half a world away.

Hans quickly folds the heartfelt letter and places it upon the thick pile of letters that had been bound together in a sealskin watertight casing along with his leather-bound Bible. The Vise Admiral gathers a small satchel full of essential items such as his razor and a bar of soap, a compass, a pocket watch, three sets of clean stockings and underwear, and several small wash towels. He rolls some fresh paper in a wad, and a newly sharpened pencil, along with his trusty nib pen and a small bottle of ink, all well secured.

' _If I may so bold, dear Lord, please grant me swift travel back to my love, and guidance of my steps to Your will.'_ Hans lowers his eyes and says a quiet prayer beneath the wooden crucifix placed on the Fort's wall with his hands folded together in supplication for himself, as much for his journey to be a swift and successful one back to his beautiful icy angel.

It was just past five in the morning and in the Danish Fort of Tranquebar, few others were yet awake. But Vise Admiral Hans Westergaard wouldn't have been able to sleep anyway, impatient of the impending journey that he and Prince Ferdinand had settled on last night, to begin at 6:30 AM's daybreak.

The anxious young man smoothes his freshly washed and slicked back hair and moves to gather his already double checked, light travel bag for necessities. As Hans was early to rise, he decides to go and check on the readiness of the Governor Hansen's own personal steed in the stable corral, a fjord horse that his fellow Danish national, had generously donated to Hans to begin their first leg of the journey. Prince Ferdinand had said he would send word for an equine relay of sorts at the next outpost on their route for a fresh set of horses to be ready when they arrived later that afternoon.

But as Hans' long, thin legs stride his tall slender form through the still Fort and navigate him back into the corral where he and his French counterpart just yesterday had a run-in with a ticklish goat, he hears a horse whinnying a tortured cry and almost pained shriek in fear.

Jumping the corral gate like a sleek panther, Hans swiftly approaches the stable with his flickering lantern held against the pre-dawn light, pointing it towards the area where he heard a strange voice, almost musical, that belonged to no horse, from the direction of stable.

His apprehension shoots up immediately at the thought of the favored equine, his most cherished animal type, was in physical danger or undue torture of any sort. As a man who claimed an unprejudiced, lifelong friend in a horse through the lowest times in his life, Prince Hans Westergaard would not stand for seeing any of these noble creatures in his purview to be in jeopardy. He would stake his own life first and rush into danger headlong before allowing any of the proud animals to be harmed—

Silent as the grave in order to sneak up on the miscreant attacker, with his broad sword drawn, Prince Hans forcefully throws open the stable stall door. His tensed muscles, ready for anything, from horse thieves to confronting any malignant wildlife India was known for.

With his sword hand held high and ready to strike over the obscured commotion inside, the 6'2" tall Dane finds himself hovering over the slight figure of a man he had seen earlier when he and Prince Ferdinand had been ushered into the Governor's bungalow before dinner.

"Ah! Admiral Sahib! Yuktasri thought she heard someone stirring outside! This intuitive beast can hear a Bengal fox approach at fifty paces! Please and thank you." An enigmatic, dark tan native Indian man who seemed to not be in the least bit disturbed by Hans' violent advance, looks up from his crouching position at the feet of one of the three horses housed in the stable complex, with a loving pat to the pinto colored filly's skittish flank.

"My poor Yuktasri thought your lantern was the eyes of a panther that still burn like a flame at my skittish girl since I saved her from the vicious creature as a foal. Please and thank you." Easily telling a story as he goes back to humming a chant as he works on re-shoeing his own silly filly who had thrown her shoe on the way here, the inscrutable Indian man had obviously set up shop in the stable for some time. He had gathered canteens of water and packed foodstuffs in their saddles for the horses at the ready as the servant was prepared in waiting for the visiting Navy man's appearance, lest he missed the purposeful Prince's sunrise promised, early morning departure.

"What are you doing here so early, Sir? Is there problem with the Governor's livestock? Are the horses not in order?" Coming down from his adrenaline rush as he slowly re-sheathes his sword over the non-threatening, tranquil-in-the-storm stranger, the overly anxious young man then worries that his tight itinerary would already be thwarted by this first setback before they even begun.

"No, Sahib. I mean, yes, Sahib. Please and thank you." The short, middle aged personal manservant of Governor Hansen scurries to his feet from where he had been re-shoeing a third horse's hoof, just inside the corral horse stable at the rear of the Dansborg Fort with a courteous bow to Hans.

"What I am meaning to pronounce is that your own and the Colonel Sahib's horses are quite 'in order', as you put it, Admiral Sahib. But, alas, it was my naughty filly that has thrown her shoe between here and the feed store house in the town, so I have been trying to set her right since we arrived. But refitting the slipper on my poor Cinderella here who likes to sing the high C soprano for fear that she will miss the pumpkin ball, is none too _bibbidi bobbidi_ easy a task. Please and thank you." The obviously talkative servant was not the least bit shy, nor overly caste respectful, as he feels totally at ease to speak his mind with this handsome red haired stranger in relaying his mixed up version of the classic fairytale.

"There, Princess Yuktasri! You may now go to the ball, you capricious girl! Please and thank you." With a slight British accent to his humorous Indian tongue that almost always too politely ended his syrupy, sing-songy sentences in the well-mannered phrase ' _Please and thank you',_ the man smacks the grey rump of the sassy horse. It looks back at him with what could have appeared a toothy chortle, now that the vociferous mare's torturous shoeing was done.

"You be a good, brilliant girl on this important day, and not live up to the 'naughty' part of your name in front of the Honorable Admiral Sahib, Yukasri! Please and thank you!" The jovial, always smiling, tan-skinned man's indeterminable age was somewhere between thirty and sixty. He was on the youngish side of that equation, if Hans were to judge him for his agile maneuvering and nimble body. Yet there was something decidedly old about the crinkle of his laughing eyes that had seen more tumult than they appeared along with his thick shock of once dark hair starting to turn white around the edges.

"Indeed. I think 'brilliant' suits her better." Hans lets out a sigh to slow his sudden adrenaline rush back down to normal levels. He pets the jittery dun-colored young filly with a tender pat between her frightened eyes, his warm touch instantly calming her anxiety as the Indian man properly finishes her re-shoeing.

"Thank you for that, Sahib. You are too kind. My Yuktasri can be a handful at this hour of the day. I have concluded she needs her full eight hours of beauty sleep or she becomes antsy, my brilliant girl." The cheerful Indian man gives a laugh as he appreciated Hans' benevolence to his irksome Mawari breed, pinto spotted horse.

"Forgive me, Sahib, for not introducing myself properly, but my girl required my immediate attention. As all girls do eventually." The Indian man jumps to his feet and swings from the stable stalls like a rubbery acrobat before placing his hands together and respectfully bowing directly before an astonished Hans.

"I am Taruntapan Ravi Toophan Baadal. I have for many years been the servant of the Governor Hansen. His goodly self has asked me to become your personal manservant and join yourself and Colonel Egalite on your journey northwest to Bombay, through my homeland of India. I am an experienced tracker and will be very useful to you in the wild rainforests. But first, he has instructed me to see to your horse and Colonel Egalite's, to be fully fed and watered and generally shipshape for your departure this early morning. And also to see to _your_ breakfast and anything you require for your personal comfort before you begin your exciting crossing. I will be done shoeing Yuktasri in a jiffy, and then I return to serving out your breakfast I woke the cook to hasten for, and then will speedily collect your steeds I have saddled up already, please and thank you!" The mocha brown skinned man with quick hands and mind and spirit grins up through the darkness at Hans, showing his gleaming white teeth again in the darkness of stable.

"If I may interrupt, Sir. Please allow me to clarify." An astounded Hans addresses the wide eyed foreign man with as much respect as he could muster in the strange situation presented at such whirlwind pace.

"I do thank you for your effort, but I am not at all hungry and far too anxious to depart to eat any breakfast repast. Beyond that, I am very grateful to you for preparing our supplies and horses, to be sure— but I can not fathom that Governor Hansen has made this inordinate request for you to join my unconventional overland expedition? Please, take into account the amount of difficult and uncomfortable situations and rough living conditions this journey proposes in an unnecessary passage for you." Hans did not wish to encompass anyone further in his personal business for this eccentric abrupt trip.

"I cannot possibly accept –" A gentleman and a self-sufficient loner through and through all his young life, Prince Hans begins to protest the generosity of strangers yet again as he leads his own horse, the golden stallion he had befriended the night before, out from the stable alongside the Governor of Tranquebar's head servant and his own spirited horse, Yuktasri.

"Please do not raise an argument with the Governor Sahib, young Admiral Sahib! Governor Hansen is the most generosity minded man in all of India and will not hear of sending you – a stranger in this a land of wild and tropical foreign countryside full of many savage and vicious man-eating creatures, without an able and willing manservant. Like I stated earlier, I have had experience through the jungles as a tracker in my youth, and I know the land like the back of my hand, please and thank you." He displays his small, tawny brown appendage with pride up to Hans, flipping it back and forth several times quite jovially.

"I will consider it my high privilege to show you through my exotic and beautiful country as your personal guide, Admiral Sahib. My wife insists that it is about time I went on my pilgrimage northward. As for me, I was longing for a vacation from Tranquebar's hum-drum life of ships and old regiment traders who like to talk of nothing more than snuff and goats and brandy. To have this once-in-a-lifetime chance to serve you, a great naval officer and Royal Prince of Denmark, all the way across India, and then the great Arabian Sea and beyond perhaps, on this grand adventure will be the honor of my life. I will be of much use to you, I promise, please and thank you."

Taruntapan gives a testimony worthy of a barrister in high court, and without stopping for breath too, as he looks Hans directly in the eye. The Indian gentleman spoke with such a bright-eyed, pleading look of pure childlike excitement, Hans found it hard to rain on his sunny parade.

"You have a wife, Mr. Tu-fan-badel, is it?" His tongue tripping up on the difficult name pronunciation so early in the morning, Hans considers the man's equally long-winded, erudite description of his purported knowledge of these tropical rain forest paths. The Danish Prince was wise enough to admit he knew virtually nothing about traversing this foreign land.

"You may simply call me 'Taruntapan', as my mother preferred to call me all those long years ago, because my full name is quite contradictory. 'Taruntapan Ravi Toophan Baadal', literally translates as 'Morning Sun Stormcloud' in other languages. My wife calls me _'_ Toophan Baadal _'_ ** _'(_** Stormcloud' ) when she considers me as a loafer and ' _Taruntapan Ravi' ('_ Morning Sun') rather when I bring honor to my good family name, which she says is only on very rare occasions. But she will be very proud of her Taruntapan Ravi now to see me off on my pilgrimage at last, as she's always pushing me to reach _Moksha_. (salvation)" The large, rounded brown eyes of the Hindu man look invitingly up at Hans, who can't help but smile down at the shorter, friendly man's chatty optimism.

Certainly, having an extra helping hand who knew the lay of the land, the animal life and the flora, as well as directional road knowledge, and who could help keep watch in turns at night of the horses and camp in unknown territory as a third travel companion, _would_ be a great aid.

Along with well-connected Prince Ferdinand's already benevolent offer to escort Hans to Bombay and beyond the ocean back to Europe, the Danish Prince could claim Providence's hand upon him.

But that all was inconsequential to Hans compared to the fact this Indian man was fortunate enough to have a wife to care for here at his home.

And the man in Hans would move Heaven and earth to have just a taste of that glorious responsibility he vowed to himself he would never shirk, once Elsa was his bride.

"Thank you, Taruntapan. I appreciate your offer of attending our journey. But I, as a gentleman and an officer, cannot take you away from your wife and your home. I will go in to explain to the Governor that I value your kindness, but it will be uncalled for, I assure you." With a sincere smile, Hans takes the reins of his borrowed golden coat fjord horse named 'Fronar' from a disappointed Taruntaran.

The svelte Dane then turns to stride quickly back to the Governor's house, as politeness demanded, when he was commandeered by a similarly 6' 2" tall figure approaching the corral on this early morning area from the other direction.

"Do not bother, mon ami. Old Hansen is not yet returned from his _cherchez la femme_ ('look for the woman') rendezvous in Nagapattinum. If I were you, I would not bother him in his _clandestinté_ sanctuary there. He is a stubborn Dane when it comes down to it. No offense intended, Monsieur." The Frenchman quips with a slight dig at Hans' countrymen, as he enters the corral. Prince Ferdinand, looking quite prepared in his tall boots, riding chaps, loose golden tan shirt and slacks with a red scarf tied around his neck for that urbane effect, arrives holding a pair of saddlebags, slung playfully over his shoulder with a bright red sash.

"None taken, sir." Hans answers in a civil tone and equally arresting smirk on his attractive Danish face.

"The good _Gouverneur_ has already made his edicts for you to have his finest servant along our journey for your comfort, _Vise_ Admiral, and you have summarily turned him down. Although, as an experienced man in the Hindi brush myself, I do not require any further _expertise_ in navigating you through the land along this route on our lunatic jaunt, Westergaard. But we are all free, as equal men, to make our own decisions under the law, if we wish it, _n'cest pas_? (Is it not so?)" The swanky and lofty minded French Prince shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly as he approaches, surveying Hans up and down with an experienced eye.

The pale blue adventurer safari shirt and tan trousers that Hans had collected from the purser's clothing slops stores on the Nidaros was a simple, lightweight travel suit. The tall and slender Danish gent looked quite comely in the sailor's silk shirt that hung loosely over his tight features to give him that billowy, airy look of an adventurer. The fashion would be completely believable, had tidy Hans not fully buttoned up the shirt with the stylish passant shoulder straps. His unusually loose pants provided comfort for riding all day, with plentiful pockets, along with several utility belts with gun holsters and various pouches to provide places for gear and compass and maps and such that the long journey would require.

"And under God's more important law, yes, it is so." Hans speaks up from adjusting his signature long naval sword still sheathed at his debonair side as he answers Ferdinand's theoretical query.

"What? No rifle, man?" The Frenchman who obviously was well attuned with large firearms confidently displays the French invented/German crafted, breech loading Dreyse needle gun with a smooth bore complete cartridge as he unbuttons his holster to display his own experienced gun at his left side belt's holster ready.

"I prefer the _blade_ in combat myself." Hans responds with the cocky smile in full knowledge of his exceptional aptitude with sharpened honed steel as he semi-unsheathes his own weapon of choice with a glint in his viridescent green eyes flaring the challenge to his blue eyed companion's unspoken dare.

"Hmph. The tigers and panthers and wild beasts out there in the tropical forests will be glad to hear of it, _mon frére_ (my brother)." A scoffing, jaded Ferdinand chuckles at Hans' naïveté versus his own touted experience in the jungle wilds.

"Speaking of wild beasts… Ah! My Helena! Thank you, _frére_ Taruntapan, for bringing her out to me. She too does not enjoy being awakened, for beauty sleep reasons." The Prince of Orléans thanks the disheartened Indian man who had returned from fetching the personal horse of the Colonel of the first Regimént de Hussards, with the jolly tease.

Prince Ferdinand caresses his jet black Berber horse that was of the tall African breed he had acquired in Algiers. The mare had the atypical sport horse conformation that was noted for stamina and hardiness, as well as a fair share of fiery temperament.

Hans' mount, a docile golden fjord stallion, had a gentle demeanor and temperament as compared to the other two more jumpy females. He so reminded Hans of his Sitron back home that it made Hans even more homesick. The red-headed prince and his horse both glance over at Ferdinand's 'Helena' cautiously.

The hothead ebony black mare rears up at her master's approach until he waves her down with hand gestures and gives her a charming smile adjoined with some mesmerizing phrases.

" _Je t'adore, Helena. Tu es très belle, mon cherie. Jen e peux pas vivre sans toi."_ (I adore you, Helena. You are very beautiful, my darling. I can't live without you.) Ferdinand coos to his mare as if wooing a lady fair with the phrases full of love. They were carefree, with so much meaning that Hans would have thought the French man was conveying affection to his own lover, more than the relationship between man and his horse.

And this Helena responds in the same way a woman might, too, as she raises her neck in defiance for several more seconds before accepting his entreaty. Then she lowers her head to nuzzle her formerly disdained man with fondness. Prince Ferdinand then recklessly mounts her uncomplaining back and addresses Hans, all attitude.

"Then shall we _allons-y_ (Let's go!) on our long and arduous flight to dear Arendelle, _mon_ _frère_ Hans?" The dashing and irresponsible Colonel Égalité announces as he watches sagacious Hans be quite prudent in adding an extra blanket under his steed's saddle, along with carting several more water canteens he had brought to tie to the horses along with an extra bag of feed, beyond what the Indian servant had previously packed.

"Come, Hans, do not be so pedantic! We will be at Kumbakonam by noon. And if we navigate the Kaveri River quickly, perhaps we will reach Padalur by sunset. There is the French outpost there on the other side where we can take rest and refuge before we set out again, with many loges (lodges) and subsidy trading stations all along the route. So you needn't overprepare, _mon ami._ My Legionnaire brothers I have already forewarned will have us well covered." The overconfident man heavily relied on his French connections spattered all through this area of the world, from North Africa to mid and southern India, as his impatient black mare was pawing the ground to depart.

Prince Ferdinand was a bit too spoiled and much too arrogant for self-reliant Hans' taste. But the discerning, shrewd Dane merely smiles patronizingly as he mounts his own patient steed.

"That may be true, Égalité. But I was taught as a child that _'A prudent man foresees the danger ahead and takes precaution._ '" Hans begins to quote the Biblical verse with a comely smirk on his face that had so many other expressions he also wanted, but refrained, to translate to the opinionated other Prince.

"– ' _And a simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences_.' Proverbs 27:24. Oh! I know that one, Sahib! That kindly Father Aaron at the mission church taught me that wise proverb as a boy." As he opens the corral gates for the pair of horses and their svelte riders, Taruntapan inputs his own knowledge of some foreign anecdotal idioms. He, as a Hindi child growing up in Nagapattinum, had learned much spiritual guidance from their new missionary friends, who had befriended the townsfolk.

"Are you two quite done? You both sound as if you were raised by the Cathedral nuns in Notre Dame." Prince Ferdinand recalls the catechism lesson drilling he endured in his youth as a boy from a lovely young French nun-in-training. That is, until older Mother Superior soon booted the smitten teenage girl from the nunnery once the fourteen-year-old flirtatious royal young Prince had tempted her too much to consider her vows pure any longer.

"Yes, my salvation through Christ was revealed to this unworthy boy by the nuns in Odense, sir. I will never be ashamed of it. So please don't disparage those whom God has led to touch souls in my hearing." Hans answers in defiant truth with pride more than the shame the chic Prince Ferdinand was trying to attach to his devout, and what he considered 'dull' companion.

But Hans clearly remembered the words of Sister Angelika back in the Fattigskole mission school with fondness and how she had blessedly taught him in the right way of the Lord, even though he lost that way for quite a while, which failure in he still fervently regretted. But his Elsa had thankfully brought him back from that dark place to the Light again, and he would never be ashamed of standing in it, before any man.

"I beg your _pardone_ , my brother under the blood of Christ. It will not happen again." By no means an atheist, as many back home in the Révolution prescribed, a rebuked Catholic Prince Ferdinand bows his head and seemed to really take Hans' slighted devotion to heart.

But in the next second, as Hans' horse moves ahead, Ferdinand's cunning smirk that he could beguile his naïvely gullible Danish counterpart replaces that pious smile, feeling pleased with himself that he could so easily one-up the unpretentious Prince now. But hearing of some of this Hans Westergaard' clever past, the smooth Frenchman would have to keep on his toes...

"Then may the Lord guide our steps together as friends, Ferdinand." Hans extends his smile and a more familiar address back behind him to the other man, who soon corresponds with an ingratiating grin.

"Agreed, Hans." As his steed Helena catches up alongside Hans' Fronar, Ferdinand responds to the offered handshake with a dazzling countenance to the Danish Prince who did not just roll over and do as the future King of the French commanded.

Despite his instinctive jealous competition with the young, tall, and accomplished Vise Admiral he had heard much about in the rumor mill previously, the Orléanist Prince found more respect for that confident and unashamed conviction in Prince Hans' character for his profound beliefs than he'd admit to himself. And he gives Hans a salute across the way, as well as the smiled declaration:

 _"'C'est dans le basoin qu'on reconnait ses vrais amis' –_ It is when one is in need, one recognizes his true friends _."_ Ferdinand relates the idealistic phrase from his native French to English, at his most charming.

Taruntapan cocks his head in wonderment at the congenial exchange between the white European men he had the first impression of jealousy brewing, now in harmony it seemed as they were departing.

The Indian manservant on his own Marwari Pinto was trailing them as far as the town gate center, as he rides Yuktasri back towards his home to inform his good wife he would _not_ be leaving her for who-knew-how-long. And it was all due to the earnestly God-fearing Admiral-Sahib who was compassionate of her delicate emotions of missing him.

It was as if this Lord Christ they spoke of - the same man-God whom Taruntapan had heard talk of His miracles and parable stories from the missionaries in town over the years- truly had some mysterious, invisible power to touch souls. Maybe even the authority to make obviously rival foreigners be friends.

The Hindu manservant had a new question in his heart at that familiar name of God's Son, the Christ, he had rarely considered before in his Hindu _puja_ (worship) that his father and grandfather and great grandfather before him taught with their henotheistic faith.

 _Maybe there is something out there between Smriti and Shruti that I do not yet know…I will perhaps stop by the_ _New_ _Jerusalem_ _Church_ _to find out what this good man has the blessed assurance of…_

Taught to question philosophy, and curious beyond his upbringing's teachings to look deeper into the soul he could so clearly see reflected in Hans Westergaard's unselfish eyes, Taruntapan Ravi Toophan Baadal watches Prince Hans and Prince Ferdinand exchange a genuine smile in the rising dawn.

Prince Hans, with the flaming red hair peeking out beneath a flowing white Casquette de Troupe hat covering, looked more of the archangel that young village girl prescribed he was in this servant's eyes, too. Bittersweet at the loss of the adventure of a lifetime, though grateful for the Danish Prince's consideration, Taruntapan waves a fond farewell to the striking pair of handsome young European adventurers as they part ways with him and set off to journey across his homeland's Indian subcontinent.

"Alvida ( _Goodbye_ ), Colonel-Sahib. Shubh yatra ( _happy and safe journey_ ), Admiral-Sahib. Bhagvan aapke saath raheg. ( _God be with you_.)" Tauntapan Ravi whispers in his Hindi tongue to the winds with a prayerful hands-together bow as he watches the two men on their steeds trotting away to leave the Fort compound.

The young Vise Admiral looked quite the remarkable figure sitting tall and straight in his fjord horse's saddle with his the morning breeze blowing through him and the billowing head cover trailing behind on the golden Fjord horse the Governor had let him borrow.

He follows the eager Berber black mare and her bold French rider with the curled brown hairstyle framing his fine-looking face under his red and wide black brimmed _casquette d'Afrique_ lightweight Algiers military headgear to cantor out Dansborg fort's rear corral.

"Now follow me, Hans! I will get you to Bombay, in no time! _Le galop_! Helena!" With a flamboyant pet to his coiffed mustache, Ferdinand gives out a little war cry before spurring his hearty Helena to kick up the sands of the beachfront embracing the outskirts of the Tamil Nadu little town to begin their intrepid journey.

"Hiya!" An expert horseman himself, Hans merely had to squeeze strong calves to his obedient stallion's front quarters to signal his desire to move forward rather than spur his heels into the poor horse's side.

"Please Lord, get me home to my Elsa in time… _…_ " Hans whispers to the Master above the waning veil of stars that slowly lifted for the daybreak of the first day of his incredible journey back to the home of his Elsa's welcoming embrace.

 _'Wherever the clouds overtake and hide you away from me, my Luna… I will follow you... So I can no longer hide, my love for you is so deep, my evening star, my morning sun, my dazzling moon, my Elsa… Through it all, you alone have touched my soul with this burning passion…_

Hans recalls those closing romantic phrases he had scribbled down in a heat of poetic passion in his latest letter regarding his immense attachment to his gorgeous muse. That letter was but one amid his cache of missives addressed to the one and only Queen Elsa of Arendelle, the woman who had, despite all odds, secured the love of his hidden, once 'frozen', heart…

 _You will be right beside me all the while, within the icy glow of the moon…_

Basking under the captivating and final beams of moonlight, Hans knew he would chase the sometimes luminous, sometimes hidden, moon which he had come to associate with his Elsa, anywhere the tides took the sea-farer.

 _My tender soft hidden moon, forever you'll see…  
My love for you will never end…  
Never end… never end…_

* * *

 _ **Back in Arendelle…**_ _ **Two thirty**_ _ **in the morning…**_

 _Knock knock knock_

"May I come in, dear?" In her silky periwinkle night dressing robe with a fur collar and matching fuzzy slippers, a worried mother stands before her child's bedroom door. The keen-eyed woman of just turned forty years of age had noticed a light while she passed in the hall on the way to the kitchen to make herself a midnight snack.

"I thought I heard someone pacing around in here. Staring at the moon again, _min flicka_ (my little girl)?" Queen Idun walks into the second story Arendelle Castle bedroom where a young woman with her hair pulled loose of her usual braid had been pacing back and forth across the length of her room in the moonlight like a caged cat.

While she paced, Elsa of Arendelle gazed up from time to time at the effulgent light in a melancholy manner accompanied by sigh and slumped shoulders, just to begin the process all over again when she had reached the other end of the room.

"Hmm? Mama? When did you come in? Was I making noise? Did I wake you? I'm so sorry!" The tall beauty had been unable to sleep through most nights, her heart troubled and lonely. This incessant pacing seemed to be the only thing that tired her weary body out enough for her to finally lay down and let sleep set in, though her slumbering mind was often with penetrated by dreams.

 _More like nightmares._

Nightly visitations of a certain handsome young man being either ripped away from her in some terrible accident at sea, or worse yet, tempted by another woman at some distant port where he may throw her over for someone far more exciting and accessible.

Those nighttime maraudings only made the Ice Queen more anxious in the evening hours to allow sleep to easily claim her as bedtime drew closer.

"A good Mama knows when her baby is crying." Queen Idun says with a gentle smile as she closes the door behind her to move closer to her Elsa.

"Oh my dear, you're trembling." Idun begins to rub Elsa's cold as ice arms. But her mother's proximity did not halt the younger Queen's entrancement of the ruler of the tides hanging above the curtain of the sky for long.

"They say that staring too long and too hard at the moon will make you go mad." Idun gathers the despondent Elsa up in her warm embrace. Her words cause Elsa to bite her lip, but the face her Mama makes, with crazy eye rolling and arm gestures up at the gravitational force in the heavens lead her daughter to soon chuckle as well.

"But they also say that that particular heavenly body also has the reflected power to cross the ocean and mesmerize two people in love, joining their hearts as one." Elsa's mother fully understood how that alluring moon up there not only held supremacy over the tides, but also held some aspect, at times, to wield the same control over human beings' hearts.

Elsa suddenly turns her tear-stained face to Idun with big languid blue eyes full of the sea's tears in a delirious hope at her mother's compassionate and optimistic musing that spoke directly her child's unlocked heart yearning for someone so far out of reach.

"Do you think he still thinks of me, way out there in the world?" Elsa whispers in a choke-hold of uncertainty as she turns her face to meet her Mama's eyes.

"Of course, min spadbarns (my baby). You are unforgettable." The elder Queen hugs her daughter tightly to her chest with full realization that neither she nor Elsa would be here together, able to express their love for one another so earnestly and openly, at last after all those long and hard years spent hiding behind the ice and the lies, if not for that special young man.

"No more hiding soon, my brilliant icy moon. Soon you'll be able to rise fully and glow brightly right beside your warming sun." Idun whispers romantically in alliteration into Elsa's shining platinum hair. She kisses Elsa's cool forehead as Mama Idun cradles her big girl in her arms.

Idun sways the pair of them as she murmurs a lovely melody that the effervescent moonlit night inspired in her song. Queen Idun dotes on her eldest girl for a few minutes more, gently humming a soft and melancholic tune, as Elsa somehow hears in her heart, a male tenor voice she knew so well and that she would never tire of listening:

"' _Where are you, my hidden moon?  
I long to read the depths of your thoughts.  
Now I must draw open the curtain of the stars above, just to catch a glimpse of you, my hidden moon…  
I am here, my love, so take me. Nothing will ever come between us.  
My tender soft hidden moon, forever you'll see…  
My love for you will never end…  
Never end… never end…_

"Go ahead and cry, my little one. Just let it go tonight…" Stroking her shining blonde hair back with the tender brush, Idun smiles in bittersweet gratitude that her Elsa had truly learned how to feel and not just conceal as she witnesses Elsa's hot tears spilling down her cheeks.

The sincere emotion cements her Mama's resolve to continue the path she had already set in motion with Anna as her compliant little cohort in order to fulfill sister and daughter's hidden heart's potential.

No matter what Elsa's stubborn Papa may have to say on the matter.

Idun pulls her baby tight to her chest as she instinctively feels the depth of Elsa's love and heartache, knowing such intense love herself and how separation from it makes one feel so powerless. It was a funny thing to associate with the Ice Queen, but her daughter was still a woman in love, nonetheless.

The devotion and longing for her special handsome young man seemed to carry on the brilliant beams of the moon this night, to soothe a besotted Queen Elsa's heart. It gave her a consciousness that somehow, somewhere under the moonlight her Hans was somewhere beneath it, too—and that, right now, he was perhaps looking up to the same moon, thinking of her, as she heard his deep voice ringing so clearly within her soul…

After tucking Elsa into her artistically hung, lavender chiffon canopied bed with a sweet kiss goodnight as the girl finally drifted asleep, Idun reenters the hall to peek into Anna's bedroom before continuing on to her original destination of Arendelle's kitchen in for a midnight snack.

 ** _SNORE SNORE SNORE_**

Idun cracks open Anna's bedroom door, her motherly indigo eyes greeted by the anticipated explosive mess that was normal, per se, for her little gingersnap flutterbudget.

Again as expected, her younger girl was sound asleep, and sawing logs full steam, no less. Queen Idun silently chuckles, slowly closing the door. But not before she spotted the crocus decorated wooden box that contained St. Olaf's signet ring and wax seal that the Crown applied to official letters.

The Queen Mother smiles to see on Anna's cluttered writing desk a pile of ink blotted scrunched up pages and the crocus seal affixed and decorated postcards for her busy 'project' that she would show to Elsa.

It was all just as her informant Eliana had described to the Queen. The tidy snowwoman was appalled at how disorderly the almost illegible scrawl was, and had insisted that Anna improve her handwriting skills with practice of her letter to the dreamy Vise Admiral. Eliana had reported all the afternoon's going's on to the Queen about Anna's invitation that included the shore leave request Idun had provided the topsy-turvy young Princess to arrange for Kristoff to send.

Idun quietly enters the chaotic room, picking up a misconstrued troll rock here and discarded ribbon there along her doting trail. Anna's mother makes her way to the bed to smooth down the frizzed ginger hair sticking out every which way in all directions upon the tossed and turned sleeping girl's head.

"My good, forgiving girl." She murmurs with a proud loving smile and tender caress to the innocent smooth forehead ever so soundly sleeping and snoring. This child who found it in her big heart to forgive and forget, as the Lord taught us, while loyal Eliana had informed Queen Idun of Anna's heartfelt ' _come home'_ letter to her former enemy—one Hans Westergaard. She had included the shore leave pass Idun had secured, along with a personal note pleading – no demanding – for Anna's own former fiancé to swiftly return to Arendelle for her big sister Elsa's sake.

In the especially brilliant moonlight, Idun peeks in the box to check that the ring was replaced in it as she sets the wax bottle upright inside the wooden case. She then collects the century-old signet ring box of the kingdom and neatens the desk in disarray, straightening the ink bottle from its precarious perch on the table edge. But not without dipping Anna's treasured nib pen in it to write on a new piece of paper a quick few words in her fluid penmanship.

 _'I'll return the seal for you, so you can **sleep** in, my industrious Anna. I've heard you have done an excellent job on our project, so we can expect good results from it with anticipation_. _Well done, min flicka.'_

With the kingdom's seal in her hands, in the knowledge that her younger _married_ girl had a pressing appointment with the _whispered wind's call of nature_ in the wee hours of the morning, Queen Idun hastens in her slippered feet down the long spiraling staircase. Her lacy dressing robe flutters down the stairs to the Castle's first floor like an ethereal creature descending in the moonlight darkness.

Idun sneaks purposefully into Arendelle's expansive Conservatory study to replace the box, stealthily moving through its pitch black darkness carefully without tripping.

As she places the box in the correct placement back on the desk where she remembered it belonged, she shivers when a sudden chill from behind grips her with a cold guilty trepidation.

"What are you doing skulking around the dark shadows in the middle of the night?" The deep voice that rumbles low through the still dark room causes Queen Idun, caught up in the mysterious silence of the night, to jump with a start and let out a barely audible small little yelp.

She spins around in her slippers to see a familiar silhouette standing in the doorway and she lets out a giggled sigh.

"Agdar! You startled me, you naughty boy." Idun imperceptibly moves away from the incriminating signet ring box to lean against the other side of the desk to steady herself from the shock, though trying to look quite tranquil doing it.

"Forgive me for giving you a fright, darling. But when you did not return to our bed from the kitchen, after a while I decided to come and look for you. Why are you here?" Entering the dark conservatory, King Agdar was illuminated by a lit candlestick he was holding.

The King of Arendelle looked quite dapper in his own crocus emblazoned dressing robe as he closes the door behind him and begins to traverse the large study towards his wife.

"I was…a little peckish…" She begins when her curious husband interrupts her hesitant response.

"Yes. You stated that before you left the bedroom, some twenty minutes ago, to fetch some repast from the kitchen." He interjects matter-of-factly with a bemused brush back of his light ginger hair as he places his candle down on the desk.

"And…then I stopped to look in on the girls on the way downstairs." The culpable Queen glances around for some excuse for her being in the study that would not give away the scheme she and Anna had plotted and set into motion too early.

"And how are they? Is Elsa…?" As a good father, Agdar worried about his children, maybe a little too much sometimes, near the point of overbearing, for Idun's frustrated taste. But she recognized that it was only because he loved them so, and knew that a great deal of their problems were, at the foundation, his fault.

The Queen smiles, reaching her warm hand out to squeeze his cold frozen one.

"I mean never to hurt her…" Agdar speaks softly, his first child's discontented heart causing her concerned father pain, too, though neither uttered a word on the matter all this time since. But Elsa's wandering lost disquiet seemed to affect the restless Ice King as well, their ice bond perhaps making him highly aware that she was not able to function properly of late.

"I know, my love. You are a good Father." She kisses his frosty hand to her lips, melting the first layer of self-imposed permafrost coating them as his aching heart was at a war with his core principles.

"Elsa was still awake, but she's resting now. My poor girl has a hard time finding sleep, for reasons you well know. God bless her. But, like clockwork, Anna was snoring away. No surprise there, at least." Idun conveys first her own anxiety at her elder child's fragile state of mind, then her amusement at her younger daughter's notorious fondness of snoozing with a smile to the loving daddy who remembered it well, too.

Agdar would always be there to carry his tired little soldier after a long day of imaginatively playing by herself, up to bed. He would always be there to help 'Mama' by smilingly being ' _the big bad bear who eats little girls who don't listen to their mother properly'_ , to roust the groggy giggling girl up to the morning's breakfast table, too.

Her Agdar would do anything for his pair of little girls. He would fight for them, he would sacrifice for them, he would willingly die for either of them, like an ideal guardian protector in storybooks would. Idun was always glad to share raising her precious little girls with her wonderful husband.

King Agdar was the best of men when it came to his selfless caring about and spending time with his children. He was a perfect father, playmate, and good buddy for Anna's friendless childhood whenever he could fill in the blanks of her sister's absence in the Castle's seclusion.

Though Elsa's worrisome, tense situation growing up proved a bit much for his own apprehensive psyche that chose to hide away, rather than face the struggle at a young age, Agdar shared a great deal of the torment the ice brought to his personal life himself, too. But through it all, Idun knew her husband tried his best to protect them all from an unwelcoming world, as he believed it his paternal duty to do.

That duty extended to his anxieties over Elsa's future now. Yes, she had proved to her parents – and to the world at large – that she was fully capable of making decisions to lead her nation as Queen, and had learned to bravely face the outside world without them as an independent woman.

But that did not mean her father would trust a man who was accused—and admitted himself— of both sedition and attempted murder of one of his daughters, let alone the desertion, at best, of his other daughter, in his very kingdom, to even be considered suitable for his special, beautiful girl. No, Agdar did NOT think this young Westergaard worthy.

Thus the enforced separation.

Agdar hoped Elsa would see the light and forget that tarnished Dane, no matter how enticing his looks, personality, and gallantry made him. He privately made that point clear to his wife Idun, who seemed to favor that comely young man, ignoring the lad's obvious faults that may cause Elsa's ruin someday.

But she did not agree with that assessment. There was something Providence conveyed to her in Prince Hans that made her more certain than Elsa's paternal protector that the young man was sincere.

Idun had the profound sense that this Danish prince would care for Elsa all his days. Perhaps all the more because of the testing and tribulation they both went through, he would be her steadfast champion beyond all understanding to bring her perfect peace and joy that her heart so longed for.

 _'Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.'_ James 1:2-4

Idun did not like to lie to her life's partner. But when it came to her daughter's happiness, Agdar's lofty best intentions often fell short of reality. So she felt compelled now to pick up the pieces for Elsa especially, and keep her husband's overprotective nature in check.

When they were in captivity, Idun had a long time to think about the topic and its ramifications. She believed herself mature in her faith and also in her influence over her lord and king enough to be the one to take action to make some decisions for the family now. She would just have to be very careful on how she approached the subject.

"So why are you here? The kitchen is in the other direction, Idun of Drottningholm. And you know it." Agdar states with a raised brow as he holds the candlestick up to her wide-eyed face like the third-degree spotlight on a known criminal.

"Yes… I am aware of that, my love." She chuckles at his petulant words. "But…Agdar. There is something I must tell you that I've done—" She begins to admit her guilty conscience, deciding to make a clean breast of her decision to bring Prince Hans home for a visit next month on Elsa's birthday because she felt this total separation was not fair to either Hans nor Elsa.

But looking into her perplexed husband's demanding cold stare, Idun uncharacteristically flinches.

It was not exactly cowardice to take blame for her actions, for Idun was not scared of her husband in that way at all. Despite the Georgian period they grew up in when men had a great deal more clout than their counterparts, Idun always felt Agdar quite fair in valuing her worth and her opinion as a fellow child of God.

But Idun also recognized this may not be the right moment to present him with her defiant measures against his concise and definite rule on the matter of Prince Hans.

Her mind races on how to keep Anna unmarred in this manipulative web that Idun and her falsified official letter of shore leave recommendation through the Sjoforsvaret channels in her husband – the Admiral's – place, had woven in its subversive tangle around her King.

"Don't give me that holier-than-thou air, Madam Bernadotte. I know what you're up to." King Agdar pauses to gaze haughtily down at his petite wife, the accusatory look on his attractive face evident the nearer he approaches her across the room.

"You do?" Idun swallows, about to launch into her prepared explanations and pleas for his benevolence to relent his strict stance on Hans and Elsa's relationship, if just for their elder daughter's upcoming birthday.

"I'm no fool, Idun." He says in his most foreboding baritone. His large hand reaches behind her to grope around in the darkness for something on the desk.

"You were really looking for this, weren't you, Idun?" The King of Arendelle reaches around his lissome wife's slender form towards the signet ring box she had just replaced on the study desk.

Taking hold of the engraved wooden box in question, Agdar flips its lid open, with a perturbed look on his moustached features.

Idun closes her eyes, steeling herself for the brunt of his reprimands for undermining his authority with his children and his Navy and his kingdom in this deceitful underhanded tactic—

"Oh, wrong box. Stupid man and his damnable eyes in this failing light." Agdar instead admonishes himself with a chuckle and snapping closed the lid over the signet ring and its chiefly deplenished wax bottle. Instead, he plucks up another carved wooden box, similar in size, from the left side of his oak desk.

He lifts its lid to reveal a cache of Idun's very favorite expensive Belgian dark chocolate candy truffles he had imported secretly for his sweet toothed wife for their upcoming special occasion at year's end.

"These had just come in this very morning and I was going to surprise you for our Anniversary. But you've found me out already prematurely, you maddening little bloodhound. I suppose I was never very good at keeping secrets from you. So here you are, my curious kitten. Happy Anniversary, early, you beautiful super sleuth." Agdar hands his wife the box of fine Belgian chocolates that tastefully surrounded a delicate 24 carat gold chain necklace with a massive flawless diamond cut in shape of a heart. The lovely jewelry was placed upon a purple velvet cushion on the center of the wooden case ensconced in her favorite fine chocolates.

"How gorgeous it is, _min alskare_ (my lover) How expensive! And how delicious! You don't have to spoil me so!" A stunned Idun whispers in a gasp as she lets the one chocolate bonbon he places in her mouth melt luxuriously as her devoted husband gazes down at her with utter love in his pale blue eyes glistening at her in the flickering candlelight.

"Of course I do! What kind of man do you take me for, on our quarter century of blissful marriage together? How else to show my appreciation for all you've done for me over the years, all you mean to me, all you bring to my life, my precious, beautiful wife?" Agdar caresses her elated, flushed cheeks in his large hands without fear of his ice harming her, for she always brought enough warmth for the two of them with her great love.

"I know how much you sacrificed for me during our time of trial, Idun. And I will forever thank God for my magnificent treasure of you, my love. Since I have found that our intelligent girls – the greatest presents you will _ever_ give to me – have not squandered away our wealth in our absence, I still have ample wherewithal to splurge every now and then. So why not spend it on the most important thing in my life? You are the one who sang to my soul and gave it life beyond my icy fortress walls for these twenty-five years full of difficulties and wonder. Especially these last five hard, lean years for you, my darling. You are the most extraordinary woman on the face of God's green earth. You have my heart eternally, and all my love, Idun."

Agdar acutely feels his appreciation for the five years under terrible conditions this gutsy Swedish woman had to endure in feeding, caring for, healing her broken man under the terrible conditions that evil pirate, Houtebeen, put them through.

Though she had a few more gray hairs, was a bit more gaunt and thin than the vibrant woman she was before that awful shipwreck, Agdar never saw her more beautiful than in this moment. Her violet blue eyes glisten up at him with tears at his genuine confession of pure love, unaltered by the years.

 _"Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds." (Shakespeare Love Sonnet 116)_

In fact, their love had multiplied for the couple who knew what the stark reality of fear of loss and separation that they lived through together, side-by-side. After all, his Idun had taken such good care of him back in that dank cavern when she was all the lifeline he had to cling to.

So why shouldn't she reap the rewards now?

"And I love you so terribly, Agdar Bernadotte. I don't like keeping anything from you, either, my darling, darling husband. But my _surprise_ isn't quite ready to be revealed…" Filled with guilt even moreso at his effusive love confession, Idun whispers breathlessly as her husband's icy cold fingers slip the huge diamond heart necklace pendant that must've cost him a mint on its golden chain around her neck as he lifted her ponytail of long brown hair to the side, lovingly giving its silky strands a gentle nuzzle with the cool tip of his Ice King nose.

"Then don't reveal it, until you're ready. I'll be a patient, good boy for you." The King's amused deep voice permeates his lover's very being as he looks to her with a feigned pouty face.

"Good Lord, you're still an attractive woman, my Queen."

Agdar would agree to wait for this enigmatic secret _gift_ she had planned for him. It only added to the excitement for the time being, but he decidedly did not wish to wait for something else more tantalizing at this moment, as his cool hands slide down her bare shoulders.

Hot meets cold, wildly excited as Idun enjoys his embrace that had been so cruelly denied the romantic man and wife for those long empty years. The still quite virile forty-two year old man presses his beloved mate's slender back to the oak piece of furniture of his royal desk's blotter mat.

"Oh, Agdar. You have missed me. We haven't done this in here for a long while, _min älskare_ (my lover)." A cooing Idun's palpitating heart goes for another ride under her husband's tender caresses and nuzzling kisses as she revels in the freeing feeling of _him_ , whole and limber again, as her hands reach around to touch her fingers across his revitalized arms wrapped around her.

"Since the girls are safely tucked in their beds… **and** you rousted out my special Anniversary present early, the least you can do is let me reap the rewards…" The King whispers provocatively in his Queen's ear with a puffed chill nibble in the exhilarating darkness.

"Isn't this where our Elsa came about in the first place?" Idun recalls many an urgent passionate encounter on this very antique oak desktop in their past married life here in Castle Arendelle when they first were wed. Long before the weighty cares of kingdom and children, and all the worries that came with both.

"I believe so…" A breathless Agdar, at the mention of their anxious child's name, is called back to his senses momentarily to be able to converse. "What was that you wanted to tell me before, Idun? Does it concern the girls?" Meeting her glistening orbs, Agdar pauses in his hot passion, not wanting to let his male desires rule his mental capacity when his beloved Queen wished to talk of some serious matters. And when it came to their children, his great fortitude of self-control was just about able to hold back the tidal wave of unbridled passion he was keeping at bay.

Queen Idun, her chiffon wrap already dislodged and halfway draped around her bare shoulders, her fuzzy comfortable slippers long scattered askew across the conservatory floor somewhere beneath the desk, was glad of this opportunity to bypass what she didn't want to say anyway.

"I'll tell you in the morning." She whispers huskily as her husband smiles beneath that cute moustache of his, as he blows the lit candle on the desk out defiantly…

 _… Maybe…Some morning in the future…_ Idun lets this one last coherent thought reverberate in her mind as she revels in the hot/cool touches of the father of her children, both forgetting their hidden troubles. If just for a little while, they were young again in the darkened conservatory, where a tiny bit of moonlight shone through the one window at the far end of the room.

* * *

 _min ædle -_ my precious in Danish

 _Moksha –_ Hindi term for liberation/ freedom/ salvation; 1 of the 4 Hindu goals of life

 _Mon ami –_ my friend in French

 _cherchez la femme_ – French phrase meaning 'look for a woman to be at the cause of it.'

 _Frère_ – brother in French

 _Smriti and Shruti_ _– Hindu scripture transmitted across generations from original articles in Sanskrit; 'That which is remembered' and 'that which is heard'_

" _Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds."_ \- From Shakespeare's Sonnet 116

* * *

 _"_ _Luna Nascosta"_ _(which I transliterated the song's soaring lyrics to English as the title and theme of this chapter '_ _To Glimpse my Hidden Moon'_ _. It's one of Setsuna's most favorite songs, with words so befitting Helsa's current enforced separation situation. It's a stunning Italian love ballad popularized by Il Volo, a talented new trio of Italian tenors and baritone, famed for their beautiful melodies and opera songs they bring to this generation to enjoy. Canto Meraviglioso, regazzi! (wonderful singing boys!) Everyone, go listen to it! They're combined voices are stellar! It's an absolutely beautiful love song and so fitting to our star-crossed (or rather, 'moon-crossed' lovers!)_

* * *

Hello, my Frozen Again friends! The journey begins!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter full of longing and love and an adventure start! As he leaves for Europe, Hans appears to have made a new friend in this friendly, talkative, humble manservant named ' _Taruntapan'._ I thought a native Hindi character would bring a new element and angle to the storyline, with Hans learning more of his Hindi culture, through his new friend. And maybe Hans has taught this man some new important things too about his spiritual principles.

As Prince Hans and French Prince Ferdinand's rivalry on this Passage excursion across India has already begun even before they set out, we'll see how these two dashing and daring, courageous and virile young men react with each other on their own as they make their way by their wits alone quickly through the wild landscape of the tropical rainforest they dare to cross! ^_^

As for Elsa back home, Hans dreams of his hidden moon, and has been writing her letters as she requested, though never sent them to her, as per his Admiral's strict orders. Elsa is still longing for her love, unaware that her sister and her Mama have plans for their romantic meeting at her birthday party celebration on Dec 21st . We'll see what fireworks happen then…

As for romantic fireworks, Queen Idun , though guilt-ridden, is giving her husband other diversions it seems to keep his mind off worrying for poor Elsa. Sneaky Mama looks like she's getting away with it, for now… her husband showering her with his attentions. (Plus Belgian chocolates and pretty diamond necklaces! Wow, Idun knows how to thank her man for spoiling her! Elsa should pick up a thing or two from her coy Mama before Hans gets back… :)

King Agdar really means well for his girls and is trying to be the best father he can! I referenced some past daddy moments where the good man, though not perfect, was all through the difficult years, truly doing as he thought best to protect his family. Just like most fathers out here are. They may not always be right 100% of the time, or say the correct things we want to hear, but they have our best interests in mind, because they love us too much! And do what they can to keep us safe and protected, just as our Father Above designed our Papas to be our first defender and hero.

P.S. I wish my wonderful Buddy of a Dad a very Happy Father's Day this upcoming week! God has blessed us to be put in your dutiful, loving care! We love you so much!

Give your Daddy a hug and kiss this week for all he's done for you all your life!

God bless you all! And thank you, Otosan!

Happy Father's Day!

Love,

HarukaKou


	6. Chapter 5 - Like Father, Like Daughter

_We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

 **"Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act VI**

 **Chapter 5**

 **"Like Father, like Daughter"**

As dawn lifts the dark tides from southern Norway's shores, through the partly open window, the first snow of the season flutters in as the cold frost suddenly moves in from the north upon the country's royal seat of Arendelle.

 ** _Knock. Knock. Knock._**

When someone gently pokes at her head, a sleepy Princess Anna wasn't startled. She, in fact, preferred her big burly muscleman Kristoff's tender tap on her noggin to awaken his soundly snoozing lover than any other kind of wake-up alarm call.

 ** _YAWN_**

Yawning her mouth into a great big 'O', Princess Anna stretches her thin body across the bed. She was exhausted after writing letters, creating postcards, and generally brainstorming all night with Eliana about the next game plan in 'Operation Secret Santa Hans'. Anna's unacceptable handwriting skills didn't help, for the finicky snow woman insisted the ginger Princess practice her lettering scrawl until her fingers hurt.

"Yum, Yum. You're so warm and soft and fuzzy, Kristly. Hold me tight with your warm body…" Snuggling deep into the bed with her eyes closed in a blissful smile etched on her happy face, Anna scoots beneath the covers at the morning chill that was tickling her nose.

In her dazed state, the young Princess sweetly reaches up to fondle her man's chin. Only to find that he had a well past 5 o'clock shadow that Anna was slowly becoming more and more enamored of.

"I know you're studying with him all day but – are you trying to impress Papa with your own moustache and beard, with a new responsible grown-up look, my yummy Snow Prince?" Anna coos as she continues to caress her 'Kristoff's' hirsute, stubbly face.

"Wait. I just saw you last night. How did you get it to grow this hairy, this fast, anyway? Is it some weird new Wind Whisperer power you've yet to tell me about? Brr! It's nippy out there!" As her dream slowly comes to consciousness, Anna's wide aqua eyes pop open. She pulls back her hand with a surprised start to find that she had been intimately fondling a reddish furred, long tail squirrel which was present on her pillow rather than her cuddly blond muscle man who ought to be there.

 ** _BLINK. BLINK._**

Anna finds herself looking eye to eye with the curious eyed squirrel, who was gazing down at her where he stood on the pillow amidst a bunch of nut shells. The little creature still had in its minute paws a pair of the walnuts Anna had not yet devoured from where she had _squirreled_ them in her wooden art box that had been left open on the messy nightstand.

"Yeesh! How'd you get in here?! And why have you been knocking me on the head with those!?" Scrunching her nose sourly, Anna rubs her noggin where the seemingly smiling red squirrel had been obviously using those stolen walnuts to rhythmically smack against her slumbering skull until she was awakened.

Anna scrambles to sit up on her messy bed sheets and pillows, her tousled hair as askew her abruptly jumbled thoughts.

 ** _SQUEAK!_**

The reactive girl instinctively grabs the shocked furball by its neck in a stranglehold as she arms herself with the sharpened letter opener that the wild orangey haired girl dived her left hand to grab from the nearby stationary box for something to protect her not-so-vulnerable self.

{' _Jiminy crickets, Feistypants! Don't hurt the little guy! He's with me!'}_

Suddenly a familiar voice thunders in her head in a reproachful tone for threatening the innocent little squirrel by knifepoint. Anna immediately drops her self-defense weapon to the mattress with bright eyes at Kristoff's mental contact.

"Sorry, Squirrely!" Anna sweetly apologizes to the small woodland creature that looked so terrified of her imminent attack that he had dropped the pair of nuts on the pillow. The red-handed squirrel puts up his tiny thieving hands like a guilty, apprehended criminal that had crawled through a princess' open bedroom window with the words ' _Fair cop, you got me_!' written all over his cute features.

{' _Kristoff? What's going on?_ '} Anna psychically directs her question to her soulmate, a thousand thoughts rushing to her confused mind all coalescing into her guy's name.

{' _Yeah, it's me, Baby. Jacob here was good enough to help me get this message to you when my gentle psychic nudge thing wasn't working. You must've been dead tired after knocking yourself out writing that letter to Hans._ } Kristoff projects the little sardonic thought with not a little amount of jealousy about his newlywed wife sending urgent messages to her ex-fiancé.

{ _'Anyway. Jacob deserves the better welcome than being threatened at knifepoint by a wild eyed Princess having a bad hair day, don't you think?'}_

Anna secretly loved it when her big beefy guy went all smart-alecky sarcastic, and his naturally mellow voice hit that certain brooding, sexy turn-me-on tone.

{' _I love it when you call me 'Baby' first thing in the morning. Your voice is all buttery yummy...'_ } Anna's mind sighs that random drool before she snaps back into reality fully.

 _{'Anna…'}_ Kristoff's response was obviously embarrassed as was his sweet modest upbringing to be at her overt adoration.

"Ergh – a _hem_ – right! Good morning, Jacob! Sorry I overreacted before, but I'm more used to my Kristly's manly fingers pinging me awake in the mornings. He doesn't use nuts, tasty though they may be." Anna guilelessly explains to the squirrel, speaking to the eight inch tall member of the rodent family as if it were a sentient equal.

 _{Maybe that's not too far off the mark, from one fellow nut lover to the other.}_

The pleasantly smiling perky Princess had gathered herself up from the messy bed to splash some water onto her face from the basin at the side nightstand when she overhears that stray thought of Kristoff's.

{' _I heard that, Mister Bjorgman!'}_ Emerging from patting her face with a washcloth with a sour frown _,_ Anna hisses and spins around with glaring, skeptical eyes and pursed lips back at her husband's unfortunate furry emissary.

 _{'I am gonna smack your tight tush until it is so red when I get back to the cottage in five minutes, You!'}_ Anna mentally projects the paper tiger threat. Although, both lovebirds knew exactly what the piquant pretty's _punishment_ would result in, the fun of making it up ten seconds after inflicting painful penalty on her guy.

(' _That's just it, Anna. I sent Jacob to wake you up at a decent hour for me to tell you now that I won't be at the cottage for the next few days. Little Rock arrived very early this morning, with the message that GranPabbie has asked to meet with me. I figured something must be up when I woke up in the middle of the night and my troll crystal necklace was pulsating. Little Rock wanted to wait for you, but I can't take you from Elsa and your folks for that family picnic you guys had planned this weekend. You and Svala can take the new sleigh, if you promise to be **extremely** careful with my Baby, Anna. I just put on that last coat of special lacquer that took me all summer to find, and cost me a pretty ort. Anyway, I'm sure you guys will have a blast just like old times and won't mind not having me there as a bothersome spare tire to the family, if I know your Papa. Besides, I'll be back in no time, just two day's journey there and back with Sven and the old sleigh, so you probably won't even miss me.')_ Kristoff calmly and purposely relates to his wife his itinerary from where he was already well into his journey by the road north.

Though he was miles away himself, through the squirrel's keen eyes Kristoff could watch his Anna brush her teeth with tooth powders, and try unsuccessfully to fix her shock of shockingly ginger hair into a messy bun. But after she finally gets the knots all straightened, the bun falls out again and she grumbles disdainfully when her curls cover her eyes. So, undaunted by her unruly curls, Anna starts the process all over again.

Kristoff chuckles to himself, as he watches all the mundane things that he hadn't the hands-on opportunity yet to witness his new bride doing in their cottage that he had purchased for himself and Anna to make a home since they were married, over three months ago.

 _Patience, man. The best things come to those who wait._

Sure, Kristoff Bjorgman was a patient man. He shone as an encouraging valiant hero at times of vicious pirates and dangerous road trips. He put up with her rediscovered old flame, supported her forgiving Hans and working alongside, tracking him down to his homeland for Elsa's sake. Now Kristoff had to deal with the restrictions of obstructive – _well half of them, anyway_ – royal parents who had come back to live with their new family dynamic.

Kristoff did his best to be as compassionately understanding, as selflessly helpful and as altruistically sympathetic a new husband as his sweet Princess Anna deserved.

In other words, Snow Prince Kristoff was that close to being her angel on earth.

But the widely independent, virile young man in him also yearned from time to time that he and Anna were just the pair of normal everyday working-class nobody twentysomethings.

 _Nah, don't get me wrong, Lord. I love every ounce of my perky Princess and wouldn't change one thing about her, for all the pitfalls and triumphs and family problems that come with her— for anything. I'll treasure the gift You gave me, no matter how long it takes._

Patient Kristoff gives his own personal reverence to the God in heaven he recognized must be in control, through Anna and Elsa's faith, hope, and love that had brought him closer to believe, too.

Kristoff smiles through the rough winds beating against his face at the snow-covered garish sky where he was traveling with Sven on the open road. His cocoa brown eyes gaze up to that faint ray of light attempting to break through the grey clouds the man of nature clearly glimpsed.

Safely out of the foul weather inside her cushy palatial home, Princess Anna was finally satisfied with her hair. Never shy, a shivering Anna changes her clothes before the wide eyes of the blushing woodland creature as she gripes what's on her mind.

"It's no fair, Kristly! I want to visit with Little Rock and Bulda and Cliff and Gran Pabbie, too! How come my troll crystal necklace didn't light up when they called? Is it broken?!" A peevish Anna shakes the yellow hued crystals adorning her wedding present necklace after she goes to her jewelry box to uncover it.

When they show no signs of life as she rubbed and shook and blew on them hopefully, Anna plunks petulantly back onto the bed. Angrily she grabs up her nutcracker to pop open some pecans for herself and Jacob to vent her anger.

"Can't I go, too?!" Anna whines loudly into his mind to cause a cringing Kristoff to reflexively cover his offended ears where he was in the driver seat of his carriage on the open road, but to no avail.

{ _'This is not a leisurely visit, Anna! Gran Pabbie wants to discuss something very important with me about this abrupt climate change. I would love to bring you with me, Baby. But under the circumstances of Elsa's current fragile state and your father's strict rules for you and me, not to mention the bad weather out here, I think it would be best for you to stay home. Just in case you know who sends word, too. I've already left a note for your father about it in the library. You know this is what he would prefer, anyway, and you leaving would really spoil the weekend you've got planned. Hmm? Okay, Buddy. I gotta go, Anna. Some rough driving through this bad blizzard for Sven. I'll see you in a few days, Baby. Just keep warm if you do go out with your folks. And keep Elsa smiling, okay?'}_ With that, the blond mountain man signs off his psychic communiqué with his soulmate, switching his mental brain to focus on the physical reality before him. Kristoff's corporeal form was obviously busy tackling some inclement weather patterns on the road that required all of his attention.

"Wait a minute, Kristoff Bjorgman! I want to go with you! You can't just cut me out like this! I don't care about blizzards! I'm an expert with snow! Maybe we can bring Elsa with us! A road trip would be great for her to keep her mind off her problems. And mine too, until his letter arrives!" Forgetting herself, Anna declares these statements quite loudly with a pout as she practically squeezes the starch out of the furry squirrel that was by now sitting quite domestically on her lap. The ginger girl was in such a vexed fluster that she did not hear the small knock on her door, nor its opening and subsequent entry of someone into her bedroom.

"Anna, who are you talking to? Where do you want to take me? And whose letter are you waiting for?" Elsa flows into her little sister's room, peppering her with multiple questions about what she had just unwittingly overheard. That is, until her beautiful exotic eyes land upon the rodent on Anna's bed.

"WHAT IS **THAT** DOING IN HERE?!" Hygienic, jittery nerves Elsa freaks out when she sees the squirrel seated on Anna's lap and points at it in frightened disquiet.

"Oh – umm… Elsa! Good morning! I'm talking to… My new friend Jacob here. Kristoff sent him to tell me that he's gotta go see Gran Pabbie about some… Troll stuff… And I've been writing some penpal letters to Cousin Eugene - _yeah, that's it_ \- asking about Rapunzel's condition, telling him to let her know we care about our poor cousin in her confinement, since she can't get out of her bed much, probably, at month, like, eight now." Making excuses up as she goes, Anna"s large eyes roll around in her talkative head as her expressive hands flop about, gesturing of Rapunzel's expanded pregnant tummy while still clinging to the seemingly domesticated tree climbing critter. At the end of her breathy expelled sentence, Anna shakes the dizzied red-furred squirrel's fuzzy tail about Elsa's equally dazed and spellbound eyes.

"Jacob, this is my big sister Elsa. Elsa, I'd like you to meet Jacob. He's Kristoff's new pal who likes to share my imported nuts with me in the mornings, see?" Anna looks up to her big sister with a wheedling smile, spitting out the partly fibbing words at a million miles an hour to smooth it all over. She hoped her _slightly_ inaccurate switched names on the addressed letters would be all mixed up in her chaotic montage of terminology.

"Wow. Okay." Elsa tries to digest it all with a confused smile and uneasy giggle, along with some degree of queenly composure.

"You wanna hold him?" Anna asks her squeamish-with-small-forest-animals sister, though, as expected, Elsa shrinks back at the thought.

"Ergh… No I think not… Anna. It won't like me, and will probably just run away." Elsa stiffens in her stiff high-necked collar, uncomfortable with most outdoor creatures that normally shied away from her cool touch.

"Come on! Reds naturally like you!" Anna says, unconsciously associating this animal with another of this hair coloring in the human male variety. "You can just hold him for me, while I crack up some more nuts to feed him before he goes back out into that bitter cold. Don't worry! Jacob won't bite! I think…" Anna coos in excitement, passing the red squirrel over to her sibling. She was certain that her trustworthy, dependable Kristoff would not employ such a messenger, had not the reliable man been confident that it was harmless and not septic to traipse across his new little wife's bed.

"Here. Jacob still looks hungry." As she chews on a few herself for her effort in de-shelling the nuts, Anna places several of the chunks into Elsa's pale hand. The purring red squirrel tickles Elsa's pale left palm with his whiskers as it snatches up every last bit of nutty goodness until it claimed them all in his puffy cheeks.

Then Jacob spins the snowflake diamond sapphire ring on Elsa's left hand finger in curiosity with this tiny paw hands. The squirrel cocks his head up to Elsa until his black pools of shiny languid eyes meet her bewildered blue ones. The squirrel, rather than attempting to wrestle the sparkling object off or nibble at the unknown quantity, simply lifts Elsa's finger until the diamond and platinum snowflake ring catches what little sunlight pierced through the open window.

Elsa stares down into the trembling red squirrel's large midnight of ebony eyes. His titian reddish thin frame at first shivered at her chilly touch yet did not bolt from her side like most other creatures. This red _Squirrel_ yet again reminded the Ice Queen of another tender eyed being who never abandoned her, no matter how frigid and unfriendly she was to him.

A cold tear begins to form in her crystal azure eyes.

Jacob then lets out some squirrelly chirps and clicks that seemed to say: ' _Please don't worry. The sun will come out again soon.'_

"See! I told ya he'd like you!" Unobservant Anna comes bounding back to the bed with a handful more of nut pieces as she hops back to the mattress on the chilly November morn. Anna always loved to have loads of great fun playing with her big sister, just like when they were little kids again, dreaming up new games.

"I must admit, I do admire his red silky coat." An uncommonly tactile Elsa strokes the squirrel's mahogany titian red fur coat and tickles his pleased stomach as if in a dreamlike state. The small animal basks, blissfully enjoying her cool yet warm touch that makes Anna suspect if her manly Wind Whisperer had fully abandoned the critter's mental balance to desire indulgence in a woman's feminine wiles.

Warmed by the girls with a full tummy, the red squirrel prepares to scurry out the window into the bitter cold morning he came from again. But not without grabbing a handful more of the nuts Anna was shelling for herself now and stuffing them into his laughing cheeks at the younger princess' twisted lip begrudging her stolen treats.

The now warm, unbidden tear slides down Elsa's cheek as she watches the red squirrel pause in the windowsill as if to bid her farewell with a salute. Jacob then leaps out the window to jump from tree to tree and finally fade from sight into the cold morning with the sea in the background.

Watching Elsa wave a sentimental goodbye to the squirrel, Anna was determined more than ever to get Elsa's mind off her troubles – _especially that Red one_ \- as she wraps a sisterly hug around her trembling best friend.

"Anna, I came to fetch the seal before Papa finds out I let you take it. I hope you gave our proper respects to Aunt Arianna and Uncle Friedrich as well in your letter." The refined young woman in Elsa says, forcing herself to snap out of her doldrums after Anna had told her that she was sending postcards to her sweet older cousin who had become more like a third sister to the two younger girls during their unforgettable time together.

"Yep. I didn't forget to mention you to Aunt and Uncle and Cousins Rapunzel and Eugene." Anna answers her considerate older sister, biting her tongue lest she let something vital slip out in that concern.

Anna's penpal postcard writing campaign to the Princess of Corona and her husband wafts across Elsa's mind for some odd reason. At the close connection to someone dear to her heart that the thought of Eugene Fitzherbert - the catalyst for bringing Prince Hans Westergaard back into her life - brought to the forefront of her mind, the Ice Queen's pale cheeks suddenly blush violently.

 _'I would say the hand is what's beautiful...'_

The vivid memory of the ring twinkling in the thin rays of sun now on her finger and the romantic man who had put it there, she would never let go of.

Elsa shakes her fantasy rambling head with a forced smile.

"I think I would really enjoy going with you to visit the Valley of the trolls, Anna. We have not seen Little Rock and Kristoff's family and friends for several months now. We've many duties here, getting Mama and Papa settled again, however… it may be about time we informed Gran Pabbie, as leader of the trolls, of all the upheaval in Norway that has affected all of us here in Arendelle, especially." Elsa was the responsible ruler of her nation and recognized the leadership of one of the oldest races of beings in all Scandinavia – the Rock Trolls. Elsa believed it was wise and proper to share with ancient sage Troll leader Gran Pabbie all that had occurred on their amazing adventure that ended in victory and success over two months ago. The return of their parents, the King and Queen of Arendelle, was a topic she wished to discuss as well.

 _Perhaps you're right, Anna. Such a constructive journey, meeting with old friends would keep my mind preoccupied…_ Elsa considers the positive spin on the subject would do her lonely soul a world of good.

"Great! Let's go tell Papa and Mama that we're going to catch up and join Kristoff to visit Gran Pabbie and the trolls. Where's the signet ring gone?" Anna starts to freak out when the haphazard girl can't locate the engraved wood box containing seal and wax she had borrowed yesterday for her clandestine motives. "Oh! Here's a note!"

Anna's maddened crazy teal eyes glanced around in a panic for the ancient carved box until they land upon her mother's quick note concerning its withdrawal.

"Looks like Mama already picked up St. Olaf's signet ring to put back before Papa noticed."

Anna verbally edits some of the message, and crumples up the remainder of the incriminating missive from her co-conspirator with a smile up at Elsa.

"That's good, Anna. But let's get your hair settled before we go down." Conscientious neatnik Elsa could not allow her little sister to go about the castle in such an untidy condition of hair.

"Okay." The ginger gal sits down at the nightstand vanity and lets artistically talented Elsa redo her frustrating coiffure. "This postcard is addressed to Cousin Eugene asking how Rapunzel and the babies are coming along, and saying hi to Uncle and Aunt and other such things." Waving the envelope with the kingdom's unbroken crocus seal stamped upon it over her shoulder before Elsa's eyes, the chipper ginger girl covers up her subterfuge to her sister with a hidden-in-plain-sight coded message to their favorite Prussian cousin and her just as shifty hubby.

"But… aren't these newly invented 'postcards' meant _not_ to be sealed in envelopes, Anna?" The platinum blonde inquires as she finishes brushing and braiding her little sister's chaotic hairstyle to her usual, easily-kept-neat, plaited look.

"Oh yeah." Anna considers Elsa's question with a half-crooked, guilty smile. "But that will take all the fun out of ripping open the letter's seal! I want cousin Rapunzel to get the full penpal enjoyment experience while she's holed up in her bed.." She says with a toothy display that causes Elsa to chuckle at her cute little sister.

"Right." Elsa answers, wishing she had some letters of her own for _her_ special penpal to anxiously enjoy opening. Her thoughts always circulated back to Mr. Hans Westergaard sooner or later, mostly sooner, but feisty Anna wouldn't give Elsa much time to sulk over him for long.

"Oh, that's so much better! It's like 10,000° hotter with my hair down, even if it's cold outside! Let's go tell Papa and Mama about our visit to Gran Pabbie and the others in Troll Valley! We can schedule our family picnic for next week, when the weather will probably be nicer." Anna giddily announces, relieved her bothersome hair was out of the way and back in her signature braids as she bounces up from the fluffy bed mattress to grab Elsa's hand.

"Come on!" Tucking the letter to Corona in her pocket, the vibrant pixie tugs her more sedate big sister out of the door, both girls giggling together as they run down the spiral staircase as carefree as little girls again.

 _Only Anna can make me forget my troubles._ Elsa sincerely feels that warm smile of sisterly love creep over her lips.

And suddenly the bitter cold front that had been whipping against Arendelle Castle's coastline ceases its punishing chill, as for just a little while, the ambient sunlight melts Elsa's frozen tear.

* * *

 _"For I have loved you for so long, delighting in your company_ …"

Idun of Drottingham, much like her younger daughter, just finishes redoing her hair for the third time this late morning, half humming, half singing her haunting melody that brought back so many memories of her first love, her true and only love.

The lovely, petite framed woman in a pale violet dress with shiny dark brown hair had attempted to leave her bed to dutifully see to her morning palace duties as its Queen. Not to mention join her daughters for breakfast at the usual time to eat something more substantial than chocolate truffles.

But her revitalized, frisky man had other ideas all morning before she could finally tear herself away from him, as unpalatable as that may be.

"I'm going down now to breakfast with the girls, Agdar. I never did get that midnight snack, min alskare, and I am quite famished." Queen Idun whispers coyly in her mate's dozing ear as she lands a loving morning kiss to her King's continually smiling cheek.

"Just resting my eyes, my beautiful Songbird. I'll be down with you shortly. But before you go, may I say I adore you?" Without opening his pleased eyes, Agdar reaches out a hand – the formerly missing left one - that he knew she would squeeze back as he mumbles in between soft snores before drifting back into a lazy sleep.

His wife smiles, covering his bare legs – _whole again by God's grace_ – with the velvety lilac blanket on their bed.

"You had better, for keeping me up late and waking me up early… _Sire_." Idun whispers her most seductive reply, but her lover was already asleep with a silly smile affixed to his attractive face. The spry woman then warmly kisses the tip of his chilled nose with a little chuckle.

Idun pauses in the vanity mirror to fasten her dress hooks and belt around her indigo, long and trailing velvet wrap vest. She then readjusts her newly presented diamond heart necklace to be proudly displayed at her slender neck.

 _It would have been a perfect match… Such a shame…_ The Swedish woman muses to herself with a thoughtful smile and a tinge of sad melancholy before quietly slipping out from their darkened royal master bedroom.

But as she walks into the second floor Arendelle Palace hallway, Idun notices the temperature's chill had not shifted. The Queen was accustomed to the below 60° frigid temperatures often surrounding her own bed she shared with her Ice King in the deep late night and early mornings.

Agdar's temperate conscious control was at its lowest point in those wee hours. But with her song and healing touch and willingly offered warmth that satisfied his entire being, Idun would be Agdar's lifeline. She would accommodate her husband to bring him and the well sunlit room, with it wall of ceiling high glass patio doors, back to the normal climate.

Idun had built up a resistance to the cold for her young man in her youth, learning how best to cope with the chill and make his temperature rise. In fact, she reveled in the challenge of keeping their love burning bright and hot so he would never ever freeze her out and lose himself to the cold.

So the castle interior was generally unaffected by the rigidly dutiful Ice King who had, over the years, maintained a hard-line self-discipline and impressive restraint when it came to his innate cryokinetics.

At first worried about her other beloved one who was infused with the same hereditary gifts as her husband, wary Mama Idun was glad to hear Elsa and Anna's childish laughter ringing up from the kitchen and dining area as she rapidly descends the staircase.

Walking down the spiral staircase, she stops at the Palace entrance landing. Idun looks confused at the starkly gray and garish scenery as she peers out the window. The Queen pauses at the side window to open it a crack, only to be blown in by the glaciated winds and bone-chilling frost that the experienced female already sensed was unnatural.

The odd chill was emanating from the outside's winter-like feel that was rather too early to beset this late autumn morn at this southernmost end of their country. The overcast sky and bleak landscape outside gave practically no reflection to the sunless fjord's swishing currents as it usually did. It was enough to make anyone staring in its dull waters glum.

Idun gives a quick shiver to the dank gelidity and pulls her pale violet sleeves down to cover her uncommonly chilled wrists.

 _I wonder if this is just Mother Nature's capriciousness… Or is it something more…?_

"There you are, my lady! Come away from that window, or you'll catch your death!" Gerda's maternal, pleasant sing-songy voice interrupts as the plump middle-aged housekeeper trots up to her mistress with a quickly produced knit shawl to wrap around Idun's shivering thin shoulders.

Gerda bustles about to slam shut the window where the weather outside had a new unsettling frost that, she who experienced a frozen adventure herself in her youth in meeting the timeless Snow Queen, knew all too well.

"What is this, Gerda? I don't recall a blizzard storm here in Arendelle so early in November in ages." After Gerda and Kai and Johanne and many of those she met in town explained the great frost of Elsa's Eternal Winter, Idun longed for some reassurance that this forecast was not caused by any member of her family and their magical connection to the ice.

"I can't say, Ma'am. It was so warm and sunny yesterday and so strangely cold and foreboding when we woke up this morning. The thermometer temperature gauges said it was below freezing at 6 AM when I first woke to find the water in the pump wasn't flowing. Even the horse stable troughs were frozen over and I had to get Kai to break the hoarfrost for the poor thirsty beasts. The chickens refused to even come out for their vittles, they were so afraid of the cold and overcast sky." Gerda describes her disrupted morning routine to her Queen and friend.

"Kai thought of alerting the King, but about ten minutes ago, praise the Lord, the sun came out and started melting the frost almost instantly. It was just about that time that the girls came down, singing and laughing like old times. Our bright little fireflies Anna and Elsa must've done scared that chill away! Didn't I say that, Johanne?" A smiling Gerda pleasantly clues in her sister-in-law who was already in the room, as the boisterous Arendelle housekeeper bounces with Idun in tow into the dining room as well. There the pair of rays of sunshine named Elsa and Anna were teaching Olaf how to properly set a table – with all the perils and pitfalls that came with that slippery lesson.

Fortunately, the Ice Queen's icy powers kept Arendelle Kingdom's salad plate count near the eight thousand mark, despite garçon Olaf's best efforts to deplete it.

The dining room was indeed full of warmth and joy as Anna dared her older sister to a setting table competition _– no powers allowed_ – with exacting Eliana the snowwoman as judge. The bossy snowlady soon directed eager Olaf to sit on the sidelines as referee.

"No, Anna. Your placemat is at least 5° off perfect center. Minus ten points for you. Elsa, you've over filled the orange juice glasses by one ounce, so you are deducted ten points as well." The prim snowlady marches around the ten place settings that the two sisters had to frantically complete in the timed parameters.

Anna and Elsa scurry around to their nitpicking judge's demands until all ten place settings were up to Eliana's perfection standards.

"Good morning, my dears. It is nice to see you so cheerful this morning. So who won, Ellana?" With every giggle and laugh and smile to wipe away her cold reservations, Queen Idun had gotten into the spirit of the fun. She watched with motherly joy her children enjoying a friendly competition with tasks that every young woman should learn. Especially new wife Anna, whom Idun, try as she might, found hopeless to the exacting task of running a household.

With satisfaction that her reckless little girl was learning somehow, Idun wraps an arm around each of their shoulders and gives Anna and Elsa a warm morning kiss.

"I can't add. Or minus numbers." Olaf states matter-if-factly, looking up at the three royals, who all attempt to stifle a laugh.

"Well…" Eliana just finishes tallying up the scores and deductions with a charcoal pencil on her favorite notepad that she went nowhere without. A palpable silence ensues until the snow woman, to a stunned and impressed Olaf's delight, doesn't even have to use her branchy fingers to keep the score count in her smart head.

"It was a very close one, ladies. But the Queen of the place setting competition is…" Eliana pauses mid-sentence dramatically, swaying back and forth in her pink frilly dress as Olaf, overwrought with anticipation, had pulled out his 'hair' so that Gerda and Johanne had to rush to kneel to the ground to collect all the twiggy pieces before they were burned up the fire that was roaring in the dining room fireplace.

"…Fastidious Miss Elsa is still the Queen!" Eliana sings out on her high-pitched tones as Olaf claps and tries to whistle with his returned finger branches merrily.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty." Idun nods to her eldest child with a feigned pretty curtsy that Gerda and Johanne mimic in turn with the Queen Mum in all their excitement.

"Your crown, Majesty." Anna joins in the joke to grab her father's jewel encrusted golden Royal Crown that Kai had meticulously polished early this morning sitting on the mantle. That was when Gerda had alerted her husband, Arendelle's Royal Minister/Councillor/Butler/Tutor, to the lack of pumping water situation. The proper man had placed the finished crown on the fireplace mantle for safekeeping, awaiting its replacement to the throne room for his sovereign King Agdar later.

"Anna! That's Papa's crown!" In hushed astonishment, Elsa chides her irreverent younger sibling for meddling in ancient Royal history as the careless ginger places the heavy full circlet diadem, passed on to male rulers for centuries since King Olaf II himself sat on the throne, onto her elder sister's platinum head.

Looking at herself in the mirrored curio cabinet beside the marble white fireplace in the dining room with incredulity, Elsa scoffs at how ridiculously large the golden crown sat upon her head. Though she appeared quite regal and in charge in it, the crown that her father and his father and his father before him wore made her feel so very… small…and inadequate as she stares at her reflection amid the etched glassware of their ancestors and statue busts all glaring back at her in the curio with their ivory engraved and glossy embossed stares.

But one cool pair of eyes in particular looked back at her in the reflection between the marble busts and family heritage portraits adorning the wall, and held more bemused curiosity than disapproval.

"It suits you, my darling." King Agdar's deep baritone enters the dining area with a swaggering smile curling his ginger blond moustache on his handsome features.

"Papa! Good morning." Spinning around and guiltily plucking the heavy crown from her crimson faced head, an embarrassed Elsa bristles from her laughing jovial mood to involuntarily stand up straight and erect to attention at the mere mention of her paternal parent's entry.

She then gives King Agdar an elegant curtsy, barely able to meet his eyes in her disgraceful shame.

"Good morning, my Snow Angel, my Gingersnap. My Queen." With a disarming smile, doting Agdar flows in with a quick pat to Anna's vibrant orangey head and a tender kiss to Idun"s welcoming lips as he finally touches a steadying hand to Elsa's shoulder to calm her to normalcy.

"Here is your crown, Papa. I'm sorry. We were just playing around." A mortified Elsa offers the bejeweled golden diadem in both hands to her father, sheepishly biting her bottom lip.

"Our ancestors would be proud to see you wear it with such grace, my child. There is no need for apologies." The King brushes off the disrespectful deed with a smirk to his more mischievous other little girl, whom he had a sinking feeling was at the bottom of all iniquities.

Anna simply shrugs to her Papa then to Elsa as the family finally sits down to eat the breakfast Gerda and Johanne had made for them, together on this now brightening morn.

After Olaf and Eliana go into depth about the place setting game, and Gerda and Johanne converse with the King about the cold weather, the meal wraps up in no time.

As the royal family leaves the dining room to retire to the sitting room, Agdar picks up the morning post mail sitting in a silver tray on a desk in the hallway. While he was in deep thought to himself about the abnormal weather patterns, Agdar automatically opens one of the envelopes without even reading the addressee.

"What is that, Agdar?" Idun curiously asks her guilty faced husband when she and the girls catch up to him after helping Gerda clear the plates at the breakfast table in the dining room.

"It appears a message has arrived for Anna's – _ahem_ – Mr. Bjorgman." After clearing his throat for guilt of opening another man's mail, quite by accident, Agdar comes _that_ close to admitting that the dirt covered boy from the mountains was his little princess' selected marriage partner.

But the overcautious father-in-law steps it back before uttering the distasteful word ' _husband'_ as he considers the letter addressed to Kristoff that he had already opened and read the bulk of. He turns it over in his hands several times, rereading its content before speaking again.

"What?! For Kristly? He just left last night! What does it say?! Let me see!" A bug eyed Anna nearly chokes on a piece of rye toast that she had loaded up with strawberry jelly which she could not bear to be tossed from Elsa's plate. The hungry girl extends her sticky hand out to her father quite rudely for the missive addressed to her husband.

"I was in deep consternation when I collected the letters in the Hall, and did not notice the addressee until I had already perused the message. Forgive my intrusion, Anna. But since Mr. Bjorgman was not present, as you say, and the content seemed nonessential, I took the liberty of finishing reading it through to ensure there was no dire emergency." King Agdar admits in a spill of sentences as he shows the indeed opened and read letter to the aggravated wife of the proper recipient.

"What's it all about?!" Anna commands indignantly, making a grab for the paper separated from its envelope rather brusquely, for her etiquette teacher, Minister Kai's taste, as he raises an eyebrow concerning her to her mother.

"Anna. Manners!" Turning from one ginger to the other, Idun dutifully chides her rude child as she similarly gives her husband a berating stare for trampling on their daughter's right to wifely privacy.

"Please pardon me, my Gingersnap. I did not intend to belittle your prerogative." Berated King Agdar apologizes as his better half's angry eyes commanded him to cough up the letter before he continued reading. And so, the aforementioned letter passes hands in the sitting room.

"Well, what _does_ it say, Agdar? Nothing detrimental, I presume." Queen Idun contradicts herself in a curious whisper to her husband when Anna stalks off with the letter to the other side of the room and reads it was much dismay written on her emotional brow.

"In that letter, it appears that the Ice Harvester's Association has sent an invitation for Anna's Mr. Bjorgman, as a distinguished member of their occupational class, to attend the annual meeting at the start of their Ice Harvesting season. They also wish for him to participate in some new racing contest of theirs for a hefty monetary prize in the next week." The King distinctly spells out the contents of the letter that Anna's eyes were glued to at the other end of the sitting room.

"Okay. I guess that since he's already on his way to see GranPabbie and the Trolls, I can try to contact Kristoff –" Anna taps the side of her head with a knowing smirk for her psychic link with her life's partner "– to tell him to keep going a little more north and stop by the Ice Harvester's camp to see what's up. Golly, that place brings back good memories…" A dreamy eyed Anna speaks of the fond recollection of when she and Kristoff had traveled to the mountain men's frozen fjord areas before and after a visit with the trolls.

That's where the Arendelle Official Ice Harvester and Deliverer restocked his ice wares last winter, before he and Anna became engaged.

Anna would always cherish the memories of Kristoff introducing her to his gruff, but pleasant, Ice harvesting colleagues that the rough and ready little tough girl found she fit right in with. It was there with those coarse, working men that Kristoff taught her to saw ice and pack it in special skins to keep them frozen for the ride home.

The best memory of them all took place there in the north mountains on that unforgettable night when she and Kristoff were keeping each other and Sven warm huddled in that tight little ice fishing hut cabin.

There, joy of joys, after he had secured a good deal for the future with his ice supply, and finally felt he had saved enough in the bank to have the wherewithal to take care of Anna properly. And Kristly proposed to her under the cover of stars out in the isolated middle of nowhere in the cold frozen snowy mountains.

"Yes…You can do that..." Agdar hesitantly tries to ignore the drooling, delirious look on his child's face, glad that she was not volunteering to travel north herself.

At first glance.

"Oh, wait! Did that letter say 'sleigh racing competition'!? Kristoff's going to need his super, revved up, new sleigh for any competitive event they're holding! Svala can take Elsa and I up the mountain to deliver it to him in no time! Elsa's ace at speeding up the sleigh's travel time with her magic ice power, so we can deliver it to Kristoff in time for the games! Then, we can watch the tournament, too, and see Kristly win! Right, Elsa?!" Turning to her best friend forever big sister with an excited grin at the thrilling thought, an energized Anna nearly swoons at the idea of watching her massively muscled man participating in the newly proposed Olympic style game of strength and brawny ability put to the Ice Harvesting standards that he's a pro at.

"Sounds wonderful." Elsa compliantly joins her enthusiastic sibling's prompt from where the older girl was pouring out tea and coffee with her mother at the engraved wooden coffee-table in the sitting room.

"Well… That is… I have received another message that will require Elsa's immediate attention more, Anna." Agdar produces the other letter he had used this time to consider and absorb as how to present it.

"There is an important meeting with a delegation from the country of Córdoba that is vital to our trade status with the South American nation, rich in cattle and grain, oilseed and sugarcane. The Royal house of Córdoba has informed me through our naval channels they will be arriving tomorrow. I already promised King Juan Ramón when he sent kind salutations for your mother and I, that our kingdom would warmly welcome his honorable delegation sent on his behalf to make important trade negotiations to benefit both of our peoples." Agdar reveals what the other letter he had just opened stated before he turns to address Elsa directly.

"Since you are so keen and eager to learn how to run this kingdom, Elsa, I consider this a grand opportunity for you to show me your negotiating skills for our country." King Agdar tries to bolster his platinum haired daughter as he takes the last sip of the coffee his wife had poured for him before he stands to lead his three ladies to the Arendelle Throne Room.

"A delegation from Córdoba? But, Papa. I've never met them and know next to nothing about their country. Surely **you** would be better to start a dialogue with this foreign kingdom's envoy when Anna and I are away –" Elsa begs to come out of any face to face confrontation with strangers and trade negotiations bartering and brokering that never was one of her preferred duties as the leader of her nation's economy.

"Elsa. I trust your judgment and would like to see how you handle such an essential negotiation with the new key trading partner at this point. I thought you'd be pleased to prove to me that you are ready to rule on your own, without your overbearing Papa breathing down your neck every second. I recognize how you value the importance of leading our people from the throne that you, too, have been honored to serve upon. I hope to hold your decisions in crucial kingdom matters with as much significance as you do mine, my Snow Angel. For someday, it will all fall upon your shoulders again solely, and, as a father, as well as a King, I want to provide you with all the instruction I can while God has granted me this second chance to do it properly." King Agdar had deferentially led his heir apparent to the Arendelle sovereign's throne and had gentlemanly seated her upon it to make his point.

"Yes, I take our vital role as caretakers of this nation's thriving export and import trade very seriously, and will do everything in my capacity to promote economic growth, Papa." Just sitting on the throne seemed to make unsure Elsa act more confidently as the Queen of Arendelle.

"This one-on-one meeting with the Royal Argentine representative will be good training to hone your skills as a just, decisive leader, my Snow Angel. I have the utmost confidence in your persuasive abilities, and know that you will do just fine without me at this imperative juncture." Agdar replaces the crown he had been carrying back upon Elsa's dumbfounded platinum head with a confidence boosting smile down at her with fatherly pride.

"And just where are you planning on being yourself at this important learning curve time, your Majesty?" His daughter may have been too flabbergasted to question her father, but his wife was not taken in. Having lived and breathed and loved this man for so long, Idun had already gleaned her clever husband's true intentions.

She just wanted to hear him say it aloud.

"Due to the fierce blizzard conditions on the thoroughfare to the Ice Harvester's camp, either Elsa or I must face the unforgiving weather with our – shall we say – talents with the ice and snow. As it is my duty as a father, **I** will be the one to personally convey that superior sleigh to Mr. Bjorgman, so that the boy has every advantageous requirement to competently represent himself and compete in that tournament. After being subjugated in that cavern for those long, hard years, as you well remember, my pet, I would rather prefer the idea of an open road journey now to the north country for a visit. I have been wishing to converse with the Troll leader, as well as pay a visit to the Ice Harvesters and the Saami enclave in the high country, so this may be my choice opportunity." King Agdar had truly been intending to make contact with those minority members of his nation, and this presented the perfect outlet for it.

"I trust our Elsa to remain here to negotiate with our important Argentinian guests on royal business she will, no doubt, excel at, while I'm gone." King Agdar answers his Queen with an ardent flourish, just as Anna comes bounding across the throne room after Johanne had gotten her cleaned up from the strawberry jam jam that she met with in accident in the sitting room.

"Not alone, you're not, Papa! It's my sleigh and it's my guy, so I'm coming along to bring him his baby so he can win that number one prize! Besides, Kristly taught me how to drive his suped-up ride just so, and Svala is the only other one he trusts to be hitched up to it. This sleigh's special model customized runners are designed for a single reindeer to pull it, with the running cleats and steering column adjusted to proper Rangifer level. It has to be driven just right, or we'll damage it. And Kristoff worked really hard on it to make it perfect." Anna explains her infinite knowledge of the sleigh business that Kristoff so adored, and particularly the new custom sleigh he designed himself for speed and maneuverability, that the blond young man fondly nicknamed ' _Baby'_ in some other of his quick and nimble 'Baby's' honor.

"Mama and Elsa can stay here to entertain the important visitors you invited. But you and I are going on this road trip **_together_** , Papa. No ifs, ands, or buts about it." The peppery Princess lays down the law, with her defiant hands on her hips in a twisted lip to her gallant parent.

King Agdar can do nothing more than shrug to Queen Idun, both aware that when their fiery little girl was determined to do something, there was nothing going get in her way.

 _You're just like your Father,_ _mitt barn. (my child)_

"You heard your walking orders, my King." With a maternal sigh, Idun chuckles at Anna's set and determined face and her husband's equally stubborn, yet resigned look back. "But are you sure _your_ body is ready for such an undertaking, min alskare _(my lover_ )? I worry I won't be there to heal you with my song, should anything happen along the journey." She asides to her mate her concerns, pulling him to her for the girls not to hear their discourse.

"I will be fine, my love. I need to do this, for _both_ my girls." Agdar responds, touching her cheek with one hand as the other toys with the heart crystal pedant he had recently gifted her.

Idun sighs with a smirk on her face. After all, she was last night a first-hand witness that her husband was indeed in fully functional condition, at least physically.

"Then Elsa and I will take care of the visitors here. Just don't you two get lost out there on the great wide open road you speak so highly of, my irascible pair of stubborn Gingers." Mama Idun puts the final word to it, as Anna and Agdar share with one another a chary, crooked grin.

"Ha! Papa and I were born ready!" With a squeeze to her father's cool arm, Anna prepares to go on a totally new adventure with a song in her heart aching to see her love win that competition. Her mind races as to what secret plans she'd have to rush or put on hold for now before she and her father left on the trip north towards the snowcapped mountains of their country.

"Ready for anything." King Agdar says in response to Anna. But his pale blue icy eyes were upon Elsa, who was obviously brooding, thinking of her distant love that often had her lost in her own thoughts wishing to be able to chase the man of her dreams—much to Agdar's dismay.

 _Perhaps **this** will cure you of such thoughts, my Snow Angel… _ Agdar thinks to himself, hoping that something—or _someone_ —will bring her to her senses.

"Just keep each other warm." Idun says, knowing her argument would be futile. "And come back in one piece."

 _I'm sure this is going to quite a ride for you and Anna both. Because she's every bit as headstrong as you, so I have no doubt your journey will be an interesting one_. _Like father, like daughter. But I know what you're up to, my King._

Elsa quietly listens to all that was going on around her, sitting uncomfortably on the throne all by herself, wishing for certain red head to be seated at the other side of her to help her be strong in her decision-making.

But he too was embarking upon an adventure all his own at this hour, miles and miles away, wishing for her company too…

* * *

 _mitt barn -_ my child in Swedish

 _Min alskare_ – my lover in Swedish

* * *

Hello Frozen friends!

This chapter is laying the groundwork as to what's going on back home with the Arendelle royal family, with all their secret stratagem and behind the scenes subterfuge surrounding Elsa and Hans' relationship, whether pro or against.

Anna and her Papa are off on an adventure of their own, to visit the trolls and bring Kristoff his new and fast sports sleigh named ' _Baby'_ , so he can participate in some competitive, athletic games in the snowy mountains! Sounds like a blast to me!

I wonder who these special royal visitors from Córdoba King Agdar wants Elsa to meet may be… And what's going on with the wacky weather that's got Gran Pabbie and the trolls all worked up?

Stay tuned to find out what's going on with Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, King Agdar, Queen Idun and the rest of the gang in Arendelle as Prince Hans and his new companion Prince Ferdinand are on their way from the far reaches of India there!

I'd love to hear your reviews of this worldwide spanning double-sided family adventure!

God bless you 'til next we meet!

HarukaKou


	7. Chapter 6 - Building Bridges

_We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

 **"Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act VI**

 **Chapter 6**

 **"Building Bridges"**

 _ **Nearly 8000 miles away from Arendelle, on the first leg of an incredible journey that begins in southern**_ _ **India**_ _ **…**_

' _My Dearest Elsa,_

 _This is the first entry in my official travel log that I will devote entirely to you. I do not feel remiss in my protocol, since you - as you had quite eloquently stated in the past, Queen Elsa – are the Admiralty''._

 _The roads of south_ _India_ _are peppered with all sorts of exotic animals and flora, that, if not for my deadline in arriving for your special day, the researcher in me would find the study of most fascinating._

 _My traveling companion, Prince Ferdinand, does not care much for observing wildlife, perhaps because he has been familiarized to such wonders for years, whereas I have been recently exposed. The Crown Prince prefers that I call him simply by his surname 'Egalité '. Perhaps that will suffice to tell you about his avant-garde character, as he often takes reflection of his Father's revolutionary stance. Don't misunderstand me, min ædle (my darling), I am extremely grateful to the Prince for volunteering to accompany me on this cross-country_ _Overland_ _route from_ _India_ _, to the_ _Middle East_ _, and up into the European continent._

 _Maybe, as you and I are so acutely aware, first impressions are often erroneous._

 _So for now, I will give Egalité the benefit of the doubt as we grow to know more of one of one another's temperament along this journey. We are currently at a French Expeditionary outpost to change our horses and perspiration-soaked clothing before we depart again. We now chart a course along the River Kaveri, or as the British here call it 'Cauvery'. The officers stationed here at the Outpost respect the royal Prince, and he seems just as popular with the troops, as well, so I will not burn my bridges concerning his disposition._

 _Farewell for now, my beloved. Until I am fortunate enough to meet you again, may God bless and watch over you and your family.'_

After signing off his daily letter to Elsa in his naval journal he had brought, careful not to misplace it, the handsome young man stands from the makeshift desk in the tent.

Prince Hans of the Southern Isles and his companion Prince Ferdinand of Orl _è_ ans had been traveling by horse all morning across the mainly settled terrain of southern India. Adept at cartography, Hans had his quick study cram last night of maps and graphs of the roads and terrain and was sure to have his trusty compass handy at the ready as they rode on horseback.

But the Prince of the Southern Isles was also relying on the Royal French adventurer who had far more experience traversing this part of the world. Not to mention Ferdinand's convenient connections with the _Légion étrangère_ (Foreign Legion) and French Expeditionary Forces that had holdings dotted across the continent.

A quick stopover at the French outpost in Kumbakonam to feed the rest of horses after their constant trot and walk to sustained stints of two mile-long gallops across the South Asian Indian subcontinent, then Hans and Ferdinand had set out again directly.

With a fresh pair of horses to make their projected target to cross the Kaveri River they had been traveling alongside for many miles, by mid afternoon, the pair of men were soon upon the legendary waterway.

On the back of a fifteen hands high, sleek white Kathawari horse, expert equestrian Prince Hans guides his steed down the Kodagu hilly region until he was standing at the banks of the vital – _considered holy in these parts_ – tributary.

"The natives say in their legends, that in this sacred river inhabits the spirit of the adopted daughter of a transfigured Brahma. She is said to pour out her blessings on the people to keep the surrounding land fertile and green and bountiful." With a lofty air as he relates his far-flung, indigenous tale, Prince Ferdinand removes his wide brimmed _casquette (hat)_ _to run a hand through his_ sweaty, mussed curly coif at the Kaveri River's clear edge.

"It is indeed a very beautiful area of terrain." Hans responds to the Frenchman's whimsical commentary, breaking his contemplative silence that the two men had been traveling side-by-side under. He gazes up and down the plush foliage and blooming flower and fruit bushes all on the British map's 'Cauvery' River.

"That ancient bridge up yonder – although it appears to be our most expedient conveyance across this 475 mile long river – does, by no means, engender the superlative descriptive of the word ' _bountiful_." The cautious man in Vise Admiral Westergaard was less fanciful and more realistic than his quixotic friend, as the circumspect Dane watches the imprudent Frenchman nonetheless direct his horse towards the rickety old bridge entrance up the hilly grade.

Hans eyes the swaying in the breeze, decrepit looking wooden planks affixed to some braided rope cables that appeared worn and even rotted in some places. This hanging suspension bridge must've been constructed centuries ago for the multitudes of foot traffic over the rocky rapids in the unforgiving waters below.

"Nonsense, Westergaard! This bridge is a monument to the Hindu worshipers of the river goddess Kaveri! They surely would not allow it to come to such wanton disrepair as you believe. Besides, it was designed for livestock passage with all the goats and rams and bullocks they raise in these parts. I have crossed it before on foot with...a friend. It was well sturdy enough for the two of us. So why not this small horse?" Prince Ferdinand leaps from his chestnut Avelignese horse's back to test his own trim 160 pound weight to the bridge's suspect planks that had been erected to cross the Kaveri countless decades ago.

"See, it is sturdy. We can cross one at a time if it makes you more at ease, my anxious Danish _frère_ (brother)." The accented young Frenchman gives his most disarming smile and quirked brow in challenge to Hans to follow his daring temerity.

"Well, for starters, Egalit _è,"_ _Hans guardedly approaches the wavering crossing with his justified concerns. "A horse weighs significantly more than a human man. And the pinpointed balance of each of his hooves to those worn planks, I believe, will no doubt prove misguided. Perhaps there will be a ford ahead in the river below more viable to be traversed." Glancing around, an incredulous Kommander Westergaard warns his_ _devil-may-care_ _new friend of this injudicious crossing idea, but it seemed only to spur the headstrong Orlèanist to go forward with a scoff._

"Egalité , please listen. The thinning rocky shallows I perceive in that westerly direction should signify a ford up a little ways that could be crossed by our horses without much –" The Naval Vise Admiral, who had a great deal of comprehension of water confluence, scans his eyes over the Kaveri River's westerly course that led to a nearby sediment delta, as opposed to the flowing eastern tributary.

"You are the one who has demands for a hasty return to Europe without delay, _mon ami_. It will take several miles more travel time to reach the river shallow you speak of enough to cross with the horses. Helena and I are merely acquiescing to your expedited wish, my good friend." Ferdinand throws the smirking effrontery back at Hans as he pets the head of his now golden-chestnut Avelignese horse whom he was also calling ' _Helena_ _'_.

"If this unsound bridge has you so disquieted, my friend, – _for the sake of our equines, of course_ – why not make this a friendly competition? Which one of us will make it to the other side of the river first by each own route? I have always enjoyed a friendly race with my little brother when we were young, and still find a bit of male competition exhilarating. So why not now?" Prince Ferdinand calls down to Hans where the more conscientious Danish Royal had trotted his horse back down the hill to assess which part of the river was most narrow and shallow and accessible to traverse by horse in the near vicinity.

"Please do not make haste a factor in your transport, Egalitè. Remember the parlous structure that your horse, however hardy, will be treading upon. She will not feel comfortable upon it." Hans projects in his soaring tenor the warning as he makes a determination to cross the shallow segment of the river below where the Kaveri was not so very wide.

Ferdinand smirks as he begins to carelessly lead his smaller horse across the rickety overpass, ignoring Hans' warnings completely.

"I will point out the very same advisory to you, Westergaard. Those polished river rocks down there may prove to be rather slippery a traveling path for your poor steed. There is a reason why the locals do not cross the Kaveri lightly, Prince Hans... I give _you_ fair warning." With steely nerves as the bridge beneath him sways in the wind, Ferdinand coolly enjoins Hans as his golden-chestnut coated Avelignese horse with its swishing flaxen tail casts a shadow over the Danish Prince and his white equine below.

Hans sighs with resignation to this impulsive endeavor as he carefully navigates his bred for rough terrain Kathiawari over the not-quite-as-shallow-as-he-would-prefer part of the emerging ford.

By the luck of fools, Prince Ferdinand and his smallish thirteen and a half hands high horse he named Helena were just about to make it to the other end of the bridge and take the victory in this little competition between men.

But that's when a sudden clutch of black and white striped jungle bush quail with orange throats and loud caws abruptly come flying out from the nearby Arjunatum tree.

Though the birds were quite an exotic sight to behold, the jumpy, frightened Avelignese horse Prince Ferdinand was mounted upon rears up and throws her rider until the French Prince was sent rolling along the bridge until he was dangling from one of its now dangerously cracked planks.

Hans' own, larger Kathiawari, unsettled by the flock of birds and the chaotic noise coming from above as well, streaks the rest of the way across the rocky path, splashing through some deep waters in his frantic haste.

Holding on for dear life, expert horseman Prince Hans soon regains control and directs his fast galloping horse to rebound and climb the hill to the opposite entrance of the bridge in seconds. The courageous Dane dismounts forthwith and rushes up to the bridge to where the dexterous French adventurer was holding onto the edge of the decrepit wooden flooring as the bridge swings back and forth violently without mercy.

"Don't move so much and don't let go, Egalitè." A stouthearted, fearless of heights young Hans calmly states, about to make an athletic dash to the rescue as he approaches the edge of the bridge. That is, until he saw the decimated plank about to give way totally beneath a lightheaded Prince Ferdinand's grasping fingertips.

"I do not plan to do either, Westergaard. Did I ever tell you how much I despise birds for anything more than being the side dish on the dinner plate?" With comical vengeful disdain, Ferdinand glares at the salt and pepper striped avians innocently surveying his plight from the tall Jujube tree nearby.

Hans was glad that his companion was at least conscious enough to level a joke. The athletic Southern Isles Prince slowly makes his agile way, primarily along the rope handrail cables, to where an upturned Egalitè was halfway hanging down over the sixty-five foot tall expanse between the unsteady bridge and the rocky crags below.

"I don't wish to discourage you, but I fear our prospect of survival is quite daunting should we plunge into the sharp rocks directly below us. If we fall, I estimate a 20% chance of descending into the deeper rushing waters to drown and only a 10% chance of hitting the softer silt of the bank rather than those damning aggregate boulders jutting out from the river." Hans airs his calculating mind's wanderings aloud as a sort of motivating distraction for both himself and his endangered friend versus looking down at the perhaps deadly drop while he expertly climbs along the swaying ropes like a professional acrobat.

The Danish Prince had been a skilled climber and able swimmer from an early age and was not one bit afraid of heights, nor the water. But he clearly saw the unlikelihood of continued existence should the two meet, as he glances over the bridge's rope rails over to the crashing waves and the rocky rapids some sixty-five feet below on the glimmering Kaveri River.

"I never was very good at mathematics, Westergaard. But, believe me when I say I have lived through worse odds than this appears, mon ami. And I would gamble my life rather than play it by the number rulebooks anyway." With that defiant statement, the French Prince lurches his body upward to grab hold of the braided rope handrail that Hans was carefully climbing hand over hand towards him.

Ferdinand's own agile feet land squarely on the final solid plank at this end of the bridge as he starts to pull himself upright.

 _ **CR-RAACKK!**_

"Oh no." At the ear-splitting sound that breaks the quiet over the River Kaveri, Hans utters the awestruck words by rote. His quick mind foresees the oncoming storm, as the jagged wooden plank cracks in two and this section of suspension bridge collapses into itself. The Danish Prince was able to do absolutely nothing about it from his limited vantage point dangerously where he himself was dangling on the distressed cables that begin to quiver with tension.

Hans' keen eyes note that the stressed handrail rope - which was all that was holding the two men upon this section of the remaining bridge - begins to rapidly unwind as some of the frayed hemp cord begins to unravel around where Ferdinand stood and the final plank gives way…

" _Deus hoc vult!_ Farewell, my Helene." With a faraway smile and the famed French battle cry that basically translated to " _God wills it!",_ Prince Ferdinand succumbs to the pull of gravity with a clenched smile as the final cracked rotted plank disintegrates beneath his grasping hands as he begins to fall to the distant rocky crags of the rushing river below.

But not before the indomitable spirit of a quick thinking Prince Hans uses his keen mind and lean body's ample agility to take the deleterious suspension bridge's hyperbolic curve to its loadbearing cables into account.

The Danish Prince utilizes his surprising strength and accuracy wth his entire, slender and lean 145 lb weight to swing himself upon the frayed hand rail rope. Practically performing a somersault, his momentum's thrust directs the swaying suspension bridge towards the embankment rather than gravity's inevitable fall over the deadly sharp rocks.

 _ **SPLOOSH!**_

Hans' expertly well-timed shift to the dangling cable's trajectory propels Ferdinand's slipping form, loosely resigned to his bitter fate, towards the river embankment's offshore bed of silt mud rather than the threatening crags directly below where the Frenchman's life was surely to be dashed.

However, this self-sacrificing act now squelched what little hope of the handrail's remaining stability it possessed for himself that Hans' calculating brain had been relying on for a last minute death-defying feat.

The redheaded Dane only had a momentary glance to spare for the motionless man he glimpsed some sixty-five feet below sprawled out in the mud near the river's shore, before Hans could find no other option but to join Ferdinand, as rope burns slip across his clutching hands…

 _"Dear Lord, please watch over my Elsa._ " With a prayer for the girl in his mind's eye and on his lips more than for himself, the young man feels the weight of the world pulling him down. But as the crystalline miniature glistens against his pounding heart, Hans Westergaard realizes he could do nothing more than swing himself in the hope to plunge into the muddy riverbed below, too.

And then the handrail rope he was clinging to snaps entirely.

All this magnificent young man could do with his last momentum was aim to swing his long lanky legs as best he could with the distressed fraying rope he was hanging on to make a hopeful dive into the river that the Hindu goddess Kaveri supposedly watched over.

But Hans' thoughts were only for his personal icy 'goddess' as he makes a death-defying Olympic level dive into the sixty-five foot drop…

* * *

 _ **Arendelle, that same morning…**_

With Anna's letter to Corona in her hand readied to be dispatched in the express post, Elsa suddenly grips her abruptly shaking heart, feeling both lightheaded and heavy pensive simultaneously, though she knew not why.

 _Is it the strange storm throwing my senses off kilter? It's so cold…Is this because of me all over again? I thought I had this under control. Oh, Hans. I wish you were here to guide me…Please… help me like you always do…_

The unsure Queen of the Ice waves an elegant hand over the courtyard to where her Papa King Agdar and her little sister Anna were just leaving in Kristoff's new two-seater sled cutter, with Olaf wedged in the back cargo space sitting on top of the one packed bag of clothes and food and supplies Mama and Gerda had filled for their trip.

Standing at the front door of the Arendelle Castle entrance, Idun wraps a warm arm around her shivering blonde daughter's shoulders as they see their beloveds off.

"Elsa?" Concerned, Queen Idun turns to her tall, slender child from where a group was standing to see the King and Princess off on their journey. Kai, Gerda, Johanne and Eliana were close behind them, readied with warm shawls and mufflers and snow covering umbrellas to keep the twofold Queens warm and out of the bone chilling blizzard gusts.

Not that the cold bothered Ice Queen Elsa, nor even cool customer Queen Idun who had trained herself to withstand many a cold spell long ago. Even her own _man_ -made one.

 _'My love, you have to give our Anna some leeway here on this trip, or you'll have her and up resenting your stifling overbearance if you push her too far. Remember, your big little girl is an independent grown up – married – woman now, who knows her own mind.'_

As the sleigh drives away with Anna in the driver's seat, Agdar recalls his last conversation with his wife in their bedroom as he was preparing for this unexpected trip with Anna to the North country, just before the pair set out on their road trip.

' _Anna has always known her own mind, Idun, even when she was a wee thing. I suppose it is I who will have to learn to let her exercise of freedom on this trip, even if that goes against the grain. Truly, this entire marriage to this common working boy from the mountains_ ** _is_** _trying on the soul.'_ King Agdar had murmured sourly under his breath earlier this morning as he had straightened his dapper gray traveling suit in the full-length cheval mirror in their Royal master bedroom.

' _Now, Agdar. Is that any way to start off a journey where you have promised to be more tolerant? Show_ ** _Snow Prince_** _Kristoff some Christian charity and due respect, dear. After all, Anna's young man has been wholesome and honest, and nothing but helpful to both our girls for the past two years. Admit it, Agdar, even Kai could not argue over Kristoff Bjorgman's moral earnestness of character.'_ Idun had stated in her most convincing tone as she had packed Agdar's traveling bag with freshly ironed shirts and socks and underclothes that even a regal King required on an extended long trip.

 _'You must feel that yourself of his efforts in our absence, or you would not be traveling all this distance to bring the boy his new sleigh to represent us in the competition in those winter games. May I say I am so very proud of you, Agdar?'_ The Queen mother had draped her arms around her husband and cooed in his ear with the coaxing wheedle, knowing that his beneficent act to his son-in-law probably was not Agdar's first motive. But the intelligent Queen would air the words to her own ends, nonetheless.

 _'Yes, well… There is that.'_ King Agdar did not wish to burden his petite wife with his real reason – and worries – for traveling North that went principally beyond delivering vehicles and even speaking to wise old Gran Pabbie concerning this untimely chilling weather pattern the suspicious Ice King had reservations about himself.

 _"Now, you be a good boy on this trip, min alskare. If you ever feel the need for a warm song, I taught Anna all your favorites. I beg you to listen to her from time to time, and see how she has matured, my wise King. And don't forget to enjoy being together with your daughter, Agdar, just as I plan to spend some quality time with Elsa and discover the fine young lady she has become, too. We both can use this unique opportunity to grow closer to our children again.'_ Sensible mother hen Idun's melodic words still echo through his psyche as Agdar subconsciously places an icy cryokinetic shield of sorts around Kristoff's moving cutter and its magical flying reindeer named 'Svala'.

The Ice King, at first unaccustomed to letting anyone else take the lead, heeds his wife's wisdom and sits back to enjoy the ride as Anna and Olaf wave friendly farewells to everyone in town they pass, from butcher to baker to candlestick maker. The townsfolk all wave to pleasant Anna and Olaf familiarly, until each Arendelle resident stops short when they recognize their King in the passenger seat too, and remember to give him a hushed and respectful bow or curtsy as the sleigh passes.

Agdar nods back to his citizens, envying his daughter's easy affability with the townsfolk that the recluse Royal Ice King of this realm often had a hard time connecting with in the past in a one on one basis.

"So, Papa. What you think of this state-of-the-art sleek new cutter that Kristoff built with his hands alone? Doesn't it give a smooth ride? Kristly made sure there were ample shock absorbers under the polished benches and bent steam sleigh runners. He used hardened shoeing steel for the shoeing belts and it even has ash bolsters with tongues!" With her own mouth red-from-eating-too-many-berries-in-oatmeal-this-morning, Princess Anna giddily describes as she blithely drives along at a quick pace.

Tucked in her pale blue velvet fur trimmed cap and pom-pom, reindeer and bell embroidered skirt, Anna enthusiastically recalls all the modification constructive components that her guy made clearly apparent when he was installing each on his sleek and smaller new cutter sleigh, built for speed and maneuverability.

"Ooh. That's a lot of smart sleigh terms." Olaf marvels in a hushed voice from the backseat with an open jaw at all the foreign terms that he had no idea what they meant, but he liked to hear nonetheless.

"Listen to you, Anna! You sound like a mechanic tradesman more than a Royal Princess. Do you even know what the majority of the parts and instruments you listed are used for on this newfangled contraption?" King Agdar comments with a wry smile to the 'knowledgeable' young lady at the helm in the bench seat beside him.

As he places his hands behind his amused head, Agdar watches his little girl shift and turn the strangely contrived custom sleigh's specialized runners with something she called a 'drop heel hand-lever' in the 'manual gear box' that adjusted the runners' slant for greater hill to flatland maneuverability.

"Hmph! Sure I do! Shock absorbers are under the seats so the passengers don't get sore bums; Kristoff supervised the blacksmith to use steam to bend the runners to just the right curve; the steel bolts are hardened for the sleigh's shoes by dipping the hot metal right into cold water so when hammered, they don't break and… Umm... The ash bolsters... The ash bolsters… have tongues so…so… they are better to taste with?" On a roll up to this point, Princess Anna put up a pretty good show of what her hands-on builder Kristoff Bjorgman had imparted to her, until she ran into the last bit that she had only memorized overhearing him saying with no actual comprehension.

For the rest, the imaginative Princess borrows a little of the Three bears and Goldilocks tale for quick embellishment of her sleighing catalog.

"Ha ha ha ha!" King Agdar lets out a full belly laugh for the first in a long time that a shrugging Olaf joins in on, though the dense snowman had no idea of the humor in it all.

"Oh, how I've missed you, my spicy Gingersnap!" King Agdar chuckles himself out of his anxious doldrums for a little while, as the blizzard they had been plowing into coincidentally clears up from its squall for a bit.

"To tell you the truth, my girl, I must admit I know so little about sleighs and the workings of their mechanics that I have no right to criticize you. In fact, I am quite impressed by your amount of knowledge gleaned in this area in this short time since you've been introduced to the field, Anna." Agdar bows to his daughter with a degree of respect the little girl was not accustomed to.

"Yep! I'm the wife and partner of the Royal Ice Harvester and Deliverer, now. I've got to keep up to date with the job! Kristoff's taught me _so_ much." Her teal gloved hands sliding down the reins, Anna puffs up with pride at her sweet Papa's unexpected compliment, going all dreamy with the thought of her capable, industrious guy who gave her this edge.

"I'm sure he has…" But King Agdar's aggrieved frown soon overshadows his amusement at that latent thought of his child consorting with a lowly Ice Harvester.

Just then, the snow drifts at the side of the roadway swirl up before them in the suddenly picked up windchill factor.

"Wow! It looks like it's getting pretty windy, Elsa and Anna's Papa!" A tousled Olaf has to hold tight to his carrot nose as he slides back and forth with the luggage in the back cargo bench while Anna does her best to guide Svala along the wind tossed track of the road.

"Is something wrong, Papa?" Anna inquires from where her eyes were peeled to the road as she directs her reindeer to the best of her abilities.

"This freak blizzard appears to be picking up impetus, Anna. I am having a difficult time maintaining my screened polar vortex due to the fact that our speed algidity is fundamentally slower than the storm's inclemency. I believe that the differential in temperate zones is why we are taking a thrashing." The King directs his pensive response to a blinking Olaf.

"Whoa. You use big words, Elsa and Anna's Papa. Kinda like Just Hans. Gee, I miss having him around, too." Olaf observes after the Ice King explained his cryokinetic dilemma to his fellow sleigh passengers. But at the mention of the Prince of the Southern Isles' name, Anna notes how King Agdar's moustache frosts over his returned grimace.

 _"Alas! and did my Savior bleed_ _  
 _And did my Sovereign die?_  
 _Would He devote that sacred head_  
 _For sinners such as I?__

 _At the cross, at the cross when I first saw the light,  
and the burdens of my heart rolled away.  
It was there by faith, I received my sight,  
and now I am happy all the day!"_

The bright and chipper Arendelle Princess sings out one of her favorite tuneful hymns, just as her Mama Idun instructed her, when it seemed Papa was feeling low.

"Psst. Psst, Anna. What does 'al-gii-idity' mean? Or in-clem-men-cy?" Inquisitive Olaf puts his branchy fingers to the side of his mouth beneath his carrot nose to whisper the question in his songful friend's ear when Anna pauses at the refrain.

"I think that just means Papa wants us to go faster, Olaf." In a whisper back over her shoulder in between her optimistic hymn lyrics, Anna explains her translation of her father's intellectual dialogue to her ice cube brained little snow friend.

"That is correct, my Gingersnap." The King did indeed seem to be moved by her music, able to calm down his frazzled senses enough to stabilize his cryokinetic powers, his moustache and brow reverted to their normal coloring.

"Really, Papa? Because I _**like**_ going fast! Kristoff designed this new, streamlined baby to go full throttle at whatever horsepower the reindeer can muster. And since Svala is a special reindeer gal, you can take it from me that going **fast** is **no problem** for either of us." Anna licks her lips with the ripe opportunity to show off her husband's slaved over for hours and days on end, accelerated unit.

Anna mentally sends the thought to Svala, who had been swiftly cantering through the blizzard that the Ice King had been shielding the female reindeer as well from the brunt of the Arctic storm.

 _ **WHOOSH!**_

In a flurry of kicked up powder, the sleigh nicknamed 'Baby' accelerates to Svala's full speed of over eighty kilometers an hour. The blizzard's currents were no match for the magical reindeer in the specially designed cutter that gave little resistance to the road with its honed curve and design of its steam bent runners. The icy winds that the Ice King created only added more speed to 'Baby,' where upon it, Anna, Agdar and Olaf behind Svala, outrun the blizzard rather than be pushed back by its massive frozen waves.

"WHEE! This is fun, Papa! Just like when you used to take me and Elsa out sledding!" Anna lets out a childish happy squeal of delight, throwing her arms up in the air just like she used to do as a little kid flying down the hillside by the skin of her frozen tushy, and loving every second of it.

"Elsa and I." Her finicky Papa corrects Anna's bad grammar with a paternal smile. The feisty girl never quite got the hang of all that confusing sentence structure phrasing and proper copulative conjunctions as much as her tutor Kai tried to pound it in her head.

"If only Kristoff could see me and 'Baby' in action now! Next stop: Troll Valley!" Anna sings out merrily, happy to be hanging tight beside her dear Papa in this mysterious storm with the wind at their back, and the Lord at their side.

Anna slips one of her aqua velvet gloved hands in his cool one with another verse of the encouraging song on her lips,

 _'Was it for crimes that I had done_ _  
 _He groaned upon the tree?_  
 _Amazing pity! Grace unknown!_  
 _And love beyond degree!'__

And the travelers surge ahead on the open road, keeping pace with the blizzard storm, down the snow covered hilltops and finally towards the geyser speckled Valley of Living Rock where Anna's Kristoff was raised as a boy, and was his home...

* * *

 _ **Cough! Cough! Cough!**_

In the newly fallen twilight, a dreamy young man comes back to awareness in a muddy splutter. His once pristine creamy tunic shirt was soiled beyond recognition, his tan pants were so saturated with splooshy dirt he could not lift himself from the suctioned silt puddle at the edge of the river without a great deal of effort

But amazingly enough, he was alive.

"It seems 'Ole Scratch has not claimed my wicked soul yet, eh, Westergaard? Westergaard?" Prince Ferdinand Egalité scoffs at his proclivity to beat fate at its own dirty game. Wiping the mud from his mud, he sits up in a pile of filth and silt saturating every ounce of his being that was badly bruised, but otherwise functioning, to look around.

"Westergaard! Where are you, you crazy Dane?! We've only just begun this insane journey of yours!" Prince Ferdinand snaps out of his self absorbed interest, gazing upwards to the dilapidated bridge hanging above with the vivid recollection of falling the almost seventy foot drop into the riverbed.

 _But where was that daring Danish prince now?_ Prince Ferdinand glances around the shore from the soft silt banks where the intrepid Dane had propelled him safely.

 _C'est ici! Vite! (There it is! Hurry!)_

The Frenchman spies a red and pale blue streak of something that had washed up on a sandbank in the midst of the river some meters away. Recognizing it for the slender Danish prince, Egalité immediately rallies himself to swim across the Kaveri's rapids until the able Orléanist flops his weary body over to the muddy embankment in the midst of the rushing river.

He finds himself lying beside another victim of the unfortunate bridge accident.

But when his companion does not respond straight away, Ferdinand forces his aching body to rise to his knees so that he could haunch over and turn Prince Hans to see if the man survived the backbreaking fall. Could the Dane have lived through the subsequent unsavory drowning in the sloshing moist soil at the Kaveri River's edge, since he had landed his pretty face down in the muddy sand mound?

As opposed to Prince Ferdinand, who himself had been fortunate enough to land face-up.

Colonel Egalité leans down to put his ear to the inert Danish Prince's heart, ripping open Hans' pale blue drenched shirt until his chest was bare, to check for any irrevocable injuries to any vital organs. There, Ferdinand was surprised by a specialized sculpture made entirely of ice.

The frozen object was emanating a soft snow cloud of cool puff magic which kept the miniature constantly gelid, even submerged in the hot mud in the subtropical environment that still reached over 80° in this sweltering twilight dusk.

In the last vestiges of light, Ferdinand fingers the singular icy specimen that the experienced man of the world instantly recognized as the likeness of a beautiful woman.

 _A very special_ _belle femme_ (beautiful woman).

It was glowing and palpitating with some unknown energy that savvy Prince Ferdinand gathered had mystically formed this ethereal cloud flurry in such a way that had kept Prince Hans' face and important breathing apparatus from being immersed in the mucky mire, thus saving him from drowning.

That phenomenal snowy cloud most likely cushioned his fall and prevented his fine celestial nose from breaking, as well.

" _Vous êtes un renard chanceux_ (You are one lucky fox)." Ferdinand smirks in French at his companion with incredulity, though not as much surprise as would be expected of a unbeknownst layman to Norway's otherworldly ice magic. The brash French aristocrat dares to gingerly push the glowing ice sculpture aside to press his ear to Hans' chest beside the chilling depiction of his tiny icy angel to hear the Dane's pulmonary ventricle maintaining a rhythmic beat.

Stirred awake by the movement of his ice necklace from it protective station over his heart and lightly red hirsute pecs, Prince Hans fights to open his eyes, his lungs gasping for breath.

" _Elsa… !_ " The cool touch of the miniature sculpture pressed to his dreamy chest, Hans begins to come out of his unconscious state, sputtering for breath as Prince Ferdinand cradles his convulsing back.

 _"Votre bien-aimé ange de glace_ (your beloved Angel of Ice) – ergh, that is to say - your Ice Angel has watched over you, mon ami." The Frenchman translates his native tongue down to the man who collapses on his lap as Prince Hans struggles for air, trying desperately to sit up under his own power.

"How long has it been? - _Wheeze_! - I trust we are on the other side of the river. We must collect the horses – _Gasp!_ \- and be on our way as quickly as possible." Hans dizzily wavers as he tries to stand on the small knoll he had miraculously washed upon, angry at himself for losing time already on this journey's onset.

The agile French prince jumps to his feet to steady a disoriented Hans from slipping on the sloshing mud at the river bank.

"Do not struggle so, Westergaard! You will only bring harm to yourself and prove to get both of us more inundated in the _merde_ (mud). We have only lost a little time, my friend. I woke some minutes ago and witnessed that the sun has just recently set. After we have rested, allow me to call in Helena to get us out of this mire and on our way." Ferdinand says quite calmly, wiping his fingers on the only clean part of the collar of Hans' shirt before putting them to his own lips to turn with a shrill whistle to the shore he was sure would bring his horse running to him.

Collecting himself, Ferdinand watches with interested eyes as a recovering Hans sits up on the mound. Hans' shaking hands slowly snake around his precious ice sculpture with a degree of pride and tender smile that steadies his nerves.

Then, suddenly alarmed, a wide-eyed Hans digs into his leather chest belt purse that contained the sealskin pouch with his past letters to his beloved Queen. A panicked Hans was gratified to find the letters within still intact, along with his naval logbook diary as the Vise Admiral of the Sjoforsvaret gives a relieved sigh.

With a glad glance to see the pair of horses tromping down the hillside towards them, the Prince of Orléans chastises the high-strung mare who had unwittingly caused the messy kerfuffle in the first place.

"I will forgive you, Helena, if you promise to be a good, obedient girl from now on." Ferdinand calls out, as the chestnut horse with the flaxen mane carefully approaches to nuzzle his muddy cheek with a guilty look on her contrite horsey features.

"But yes, thanks to my athletic _collègue_ here, we have made it to the other side of the Kaveri. I suppose with all that ensued due to my naughty Helena's clumsiness, I will concede the passage victory to you, _mon frère._ You live up to being as extraordinary as the enchantress who rewarded you with that ice pendant deserves. _Merci beaucoup_. (Thank you very much.)" The French prince forgoes his ingrained pride for the moment with a gracious bow in saying 'thank you' to his gallant, quick thinking counterpart.

But as he goes to shake his hand, Ferdinand shrinks back with a smirk, for Hans' offered, no longer white gloves were stained brown from fingertip to fingertip.

"You and I are both too filthy to be civil, Monsieur. We are not fit to be seen by man, nor beast. Not to mention the fact that our horses will not appreciate the extra weight of our grime." Ferdinand speaks of them both with a wrinkled nose.

"You are correct, Egalité. We must cleanse ourselves before we set out again." Hans announces in princely clean freak agreement, dragging his moisture heavy laden body back towards the edge of the running water of the rushing river.

"I have _merde_ in my hair." The Frenchman vainly runs his own mud caked riding gloves through his dark curls with a resolute sigh as he too turns back to the Kaveri to wash himself.

"It's not that noticeable because your hair is that shade of dull brown." Hans saucily strikes up some humorous banter as he strips off his shirt and begins to scrub the mud from it against the rocks. Then the Dane splashes water across his bare chest, doing his best to avoid his precious ice sculpture as he bathes himself in the humid twilight.

"Oh? Is that so? Let's see how it looks against the red, then." Prince Ferdinand quite unexpectedly lifts a handful of mud from the riverbank and smudges it across Hans' heretofore unblemished slicked back coif that had been encased under Elsa's protective snow flurry and spared from the mud heretofore.

"Egalité!? Why, you—!" An astonished Hans indignantly cries out at the extremely un-princely action. He tries to brush the mud from his slicked back hairstyle with his already beyond stained gloves. But when that proves to be fruitless, Hans glares at the Frenchman with a perturbed, low growl.

"What? That is a good look for you, Westergaard! Perhaps your sweetheart named 'Elsa' back home in the Southern Isles would prefer a tall, dark and handsome suitor." Ferdinand teases the attractive Danish Prince with his own purposely misleading undercurrents of feigned ignorance. He runs his hand through his own rinsed clean waves with a sly chuckle at his own thought stunning, shirtless reflection.

" _Perhaps one who does not falter under her dear Papa's forbidding gaze._ " Prince Ferdinand Egalité murmurs that last sentence under his breath. But it was just loud enough to be heard, as if the French Prince deliberately was baiting his rival in secretly testing for himself how far Hans' attachment to the Queen of Arendelle went.

"How dare you!" Hans reacts with just as much verve and vivacity as Egalité would have suspected of an ardent lover about anyone questioning his highly eligible, pure-hearted Queen's constancy, even if the Vise Admiral left her thousands of miles away.

As infuriated as his red hair denoted, Hans sends a volley of gooey mud balls back at the Frenchman, hitting him squarely on the chest and neck and reddened cheek.

"Had that been your glove, Sir, this would be cause for a duel!" As he was scrubbing the mud from his own comparatively slim and trim, significantly bare body, Ferdinand retorts quite angrily, rubbing his smarting face with the threat to his shirtless companion where the two were now standing in the shallows, washing in the river side by side.

"You do **NOT** want to go there." Hans – _sure of his swordsmanship more than almost anything in this world_ – glances up from where the dashing prince was splashing river water on his face and extending his dirt smudged arms into the rushing waters of the Kaveri until they emerge clean.

But not without those muscular sinewy arms giving a quick yet significant, lift to his sword fastened to the belt he was just then rinsing in the waist high waters, its sharp blade displayed to rid itself of any distasteful filth.

"Don't I?" The young Frenchman's own male ire is riled as he makes a check to his own deadly weapon of choice in his gun belt that had been powder dry in its special casing designed for this area of the world's famed wet monsoon weather.

Ferdinand squints his eyes at Hans in the failing light, surveying him against the rising moon with scrutiny.

"Enough. Let us not argue these distractions, Egalité. It is merely the exhaustion spent adrenaline speaking. We must wash up quickly and be back on the road to hopefully reach our stopover in Padalur by morning –"

A peacemaking, level-headed Hans is stunned by hothead Prince Ferdinand's Lefaucheux twenty round double barreled revolver suddenly aimed point-blank to his head that had just been submerged to completely wash out the initial slung mud.

 ** _BANG!_**

The pungent scent of gunpowder from the rotating cylinder of ammunition, still smoking in the falling dusk, utterly shocked a disoriented, dazed Hans when Ferdinand coldly pulls the trigger and fires his weapon at him.

 _ **R-ROAR-RR!**_

But in the next second comes the deafening screech of a feral Indus mugger crocodile that had been lying in ambush near its burial site nesting hole nearby the river embankment sediment near where the two men were bathing.

The eight foot long deadly predator reptile had been camouflaged in the murky waters of the Kaveri River and had stealthily snuck up from behind where Hans was guilelessly rinsing his striking body in the rocky rushing river when it felt its unborn offspring threatened by the men's high tension atmosphere.

In the next second, Hans spins around to see the huge reptile's vicious double rows of nineteen fanged upper teeth, attached to its powerful mandible, fall limply closed due to its critical gunshot wound.

The bloodthirsty creature had been just milliseconds away from taking a bite out of a piece of Hans' scrumptious body to drag the unbeknownst redhead under the rapids to his peril.

His turn to be a hero and think quickly on his feet, accomplished swimmer Ferdinand grabs the stunned Hans by his arm to drag him to the shore from the muddy river embankment where the woefully injured crocodile was thrashing its bone-breaking muscular tail in pain due to the crack-shot Frenchman's well aimed gunfire.

"You saved my life, Egalité. I thank you." After catching his breath, the Danish Prince says to his companion once he and Prince Ferdinand had swum safely out of the river, scrambled up the ancient, eroded ghats and swiftly mounted upon their horses several yards away from the dangerous beast in its agony.

"Think nothing of it, mon ami. But we must be more careful in the future. It appears all females of the cold-blooded variety find you much too alluring." The clever Frenchman parlays his innuendo laden jest to his fellow traveler.

Laughing at the situation presented, Princes Hans and Ferdinand ride their waiting horses, now safely on the other side of the Kaveri River that was revered for encompassing the spirit of a jealous goddess who left her lover high and dry when she felt forsaken.

"Oh, you are hilarious, Egalité." Hans sarcastically murmurs, drying his bare chest with the extra saddle blanket tucked beneath his steed's covering as he tries to sweep the water trickling down his bare chest away with his hand. A hand that pauses to fondle around his Ice Queen's tantalizing miniature sculpture still clasped around his neck.

A sardonic smile creeping across his features, Hans wipes his wet hair to slick its moistness back to his determined forehead.

"But I have not always been as popular with the ladies as you appear to think." Hans responds with a self-deprecating laugh as he and his Kathiawari stallion boldly canter forward through the tree-filled rainforest into the darkness.

"Believe me, all of those heartbroken women you and I have left in our wake would be greatly rewarded to see their heroes in bare chested action now, plunging down chasms, wrestling crocodiles, racing across the rapids. Just imagine the clamor we would cause the tender female gender in the streets of Europe, riding in the moonlight like Mongolian warriors in days of old, astride our noble steeds, Westergaard." With a fair share of his own ego included in this comparison of both young men's fine physiques, Prince Ferdinand spurs his own chestnut mare to catch up to the swift moving, sleek Dane on his horse.

"Let's just keep telling ourselves that to maintain morale as we race like rats through the dark jungle to our next destination, Egalité." A more humble Hans articulates mockingly over his shoulder to his arrogant partner.

"Wet _royal_ rats, Prince Hans." With a gleam in his eye, Ferdinand adds the term of nobility with a snobbish nose held high in the air, despite his disheveled, partially unclothed circumstances, for the pair of men had left whatever shirts they had behind with the said female crocodile.

"That makes all the difference, Prince Ferdinand." Hans replies with a genuine smile, truly obliged to have such an interesting companion who was clever enough to bounce ideas and witty repartee off along this exciting journey.

Ferdinand was proving to be a worthy fellow traveler, who was also willing to take risks and match Hans' adventurous nature.

And have his back, just as Hans Westergaard was an honorable gentleman enough to have Ferdinand Egalité's.

So as the night falls on his first full day out on the jungle road, Prince Hans presses Elsa's icy miniature that has kept him going, close to his heart. He revels in her luscious coolness in the sticky night as he and the Prince of the French continue to head westward, feeling quite untamed and liberated without their obligatory shirts or dignified jackets.

The competitive, adversarial young men had found some common ground with each other on this first day of their expedition. But Hans' innermost mind was beginning to question how much of his relationship with the Queen of Arendelle this stranger Frenchman seemed to know, as the pair of handsome young adventurers continues their journey through the wilds of India, undaunted…

* * *

 _min ædle -_ my precious in Danish

 _Mon ami –_ my friend in French

 _Frère_ – brother in French

* * *

'At the Cross' - hymn by Isaac Watts written in 1708

Alas! and did my Savior bleed  
And did my Sovereign die?  
Would He devote that sacred head  
For sinners such as I?

 _Refrain_ :  
At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light,  
And the burden of my heart rolled away,  
It was there by faith I received my sight,  
And now I am happy all the day!

Thy body slain, sweet Jesus, Thine—  
And bathed in its own blood—  
While the firm mark of wrath divine,  
His Soul in anguish stood.

Was it for crimes that I had done  
He groaned upon the tree?  
Amazing pity! Grace unknown!  
And love beyond degree!

Well might the sun in darkness hide  
And shut his glories in,  
When Christ, the mighty Maker died,  
For man the creature's sin.

Thus might I hide my blushing face  
While His dear cross appears,  
Dissolve my heart in thankfulness,  
And melt my eyes to tears.

But drops of grief can ne'er repay  
The debt of love I owe:  
Here, Lord, I give my self away  
'Tis all that I can know.

* * *

 _BA-BOOM_! Goes the 4th of of July!

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY. Frozen friends!

Once again, I made it to my self-imposed deadline! Did you know that between all 3 of this trilogy's books, this one marks my Frozen Again 100th chapter, so far!

 _POP!_

Wasn't this episode full of firecrackers and witty repartee between the two sets of traveling partners, Anna & Agdar, and Hans & Ferdinand as they build emotional bridges together?

Anna and her Papa are discovering more of each other and opening up through familial love, while Hans and his companion are explosively combative males but now are developing a degree of trust for each other's abilities as unfolding rivals!

How much does Prince Ferdinand Egalité know of our beautiful Ice Queen? Just what he's heard on the royal grapevine? Or is their some deeper connection he's conveniently keeping concealed form Hans? He's a wee bit of a mysterious quotient when it comes to spilling _all_ his background information to Prince Hans…

Well, I'll say no more on the matter, but, I can promise for more fireworks to go off in future chapters for these exciting characters on the road to exotic and exhilarating locations! And maybe some explosions of a different variety for Elsa at home with her intriguing visitors from South America, too!

Hope you and yours all have a wonderful and fun day BBQ-ing, swimming, enjoying each other's company, etc., as we say ' _Happy Birthday, USA_!', my fellow Americans. And don't forget to remember all that God has blessed us so richly with in a land so beautiful and bountiful and free since it's founding some 240 years ago!

Pops goes the 4th!

God bless the USA!

Love,

HarukaKou

P.S. Was the bathing in the river all shirtless for gorgeous Prince Hans and his dashing new French companion Egalité enough fan service to whet your imaginative appetites? Methinks Elsa would certainly approve of her knight showing a lot of bare skin on his noble steed racing across the overland continent… ^_^


	8. Chapter 7 - Noblesse Oblige

_We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

 **"Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act VI**

 **Chapter 7**

 **"Noblesse Oblige"**

Amidst the torrential ice storm, a young woman with tremulous eyes gazes across the vast frozen expanse of snow capped mountains and glacial fields.

 _Is this where it all ends? Or is it just beginning…?_

The platinum blonde clutches at her bejeweled white furred bosom as her elegant ice heels glide over to the deep dark bottomless chasm that stood between her and the stunning castle made of pure ice that glowed iridescent in the Aurora Borealis overhead.

For some reason, she could not will her innate gifts of the cold to build an ice bridge or magical sled to cross the deep chasm under her own power.

In fact, Elsa of Arendelle could not even seem to mentally transform her figure into the magical attire of the Ice Queen that someone very dear to her heart had taught her to seamlessly fluctuate between human-made fabric and mystical ice energy.

When her useless hands spread over with no spark of magic in them before her, Elsa gazes down with frightened eyes. She stands trembling, wringing her hands, in her wispy dark blue velvet, regal fur trimmed dress that mermaids down to tall, tight form.

Elsa fearfully wonders why she could not transform into her more at ease and freeing pale azure ice gown, and was even more distressed as to why she had no command of her ice powers whatsoever.

 _What's wrong with me!? Hans!_ Elsa's panicking mind calls out to the one man who had come to understand her need and insecurities so well. He was the chivalrous prince who always bolstered her confidence in herself and encouraged the Ice Queen to expand her powers. Her sapient mind knew he was so very far away right now, but her heart longed for him to be near in these times especially.

Blue eyes squint and widen when Elsa peers down to the dearth below her. She had an eerie pre-sentiment that there was something down there in the dizzying vessel gazing back up at her. It was something profoundly ancient, something terrifying and forbidding.

Something decidedly evil and yet so tempting...

 _Come…_

A deep unearthly voice was calling up to her to jump into the rift's bottomless depths…

Queen Elsa of Arendelle steps dangerously closer to the glacier's crumbling edge as if in a trance…

 _Snowflake! Wait!_ Her ears prick up and Elsa is forced to pause mid-step. One graceful foot more towards the precarious ledge would no doubt have brought about a calamitous end to the royal beauty. But another voice halted her from a plunging fall into the clammy darkness.

 _"Elsa, min kære. Be strong! You must never leave me! Jeg elsker deg…"_ Once again,the sweet velvet, steady voice clearly cuts throughElsa's pervading fear of the chanting resonance and growling roar of thunder in the distance inviting her to join it in its bleak unknown. Elsa retreats to her trusted Hans' wonderful presence. His scent pervaded her nostrils, his soaring voice pleaded in her ears as his long fingered hands reached out to her and drew Elsa into an embrace into himself. Hans' strong arms wrap around her tender body, pulling Elsa's cool form back to the safety of his warm chest's embrace.

"Oh, Hans. Something is happening I don't understand. I need you here. I miss you championing me to be strong and unafraid." With tears in her eyes, Elsa understood that somehow miraculously through it all, Hans Westergaard's soul was so very in sync with her own that he had, unbelievably, become Elsa's lifeline.

Yes, she had her best friend/soulmate Anna, whom Elsa relied on for sisterly warmth and friendship in her coldest moments. But it was Prince Hans who had secured the Ice Queen's heart that now kept her frigid uncertainties in check, but he gave her that inner peace in the forgiveness that God shared with both of them.

 _'I once was lost, but now I'm found. T'was blind, but now I see.'_

A heart that still so easily could slip into the icy cold depths of self-doubt, Elsa longed to share it with the man who was both decisive and commanding enough to steer her ship in the right direction. But more importantly than that, Hans Westergaard granted Elsa Bernadotte that quiet assurance of unselfish love that was to last her a lifetime and beyond in a way only two kindred souls can entwine.

 _'Are you the sweet invention of a lover's dream? No, not alone for you walking with me.'_

Turning around to look up to the man serenading behind her, holding her dear to his heart, Elsa melts into her Prince Hans' gentle green eyes and welcoming passionate kiss. But as she moves in closer, Elsa only finds his warm body fading from her arms in just another dream, as an unhinged low growl replaces his soft constant song in her ears.

She awakens from the nightmare in her solitary bed with a start. Elsa opens her eyes to see a strange shadow looming over her through the filmy canopy bed cover.

 _ **KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK**_

"Elsa? Are you all right in there, _min kära (my dear)_?" Elsa hears her mother's melodic voice gently urge through the closed door tentatively. But the blonde young woman's feet felt too much like lead for her to quickly make a move and her voice too dry in her throat to speak.

"Why can't I open the door, Elsa?" However, when Queen Idun tries the knob at the door that couldn't be budged due to some obstruction, the disoriented, drowsy younger Queen forces herself to rouse from her unsettled slumber.

"Mama? Oh!" Rubbing her weary eyes, Elsa finds that in her sleep she must've subconsciously constructed a 6'2" tall, realistic right down to the sideburns, ice sculpture statue of a certain slender and svelte, handsome Prince reaching his hand out to her, whilst unknowingly blocking the door.

"Just as you were in my dream…" An astonished Elsa murmurs to herself as she comes to full conscious awareness of the artistically accurate, man of ice, as he appeared through the pale lilac veil of her bed's canopy filminess.

With a pleased smile in trade for her startled senses from the nightmare seconds ago, Elsa rises in her bare feet from the bed in her pale blue nightgown slip until she was standing face to face with her involuntary creation.

It was so lifelike that Elsa cannot help but blush as she touches a hand to his fine celestial nose and every other attractive contour of Hans Westergaard's icy replica's detailed face that her memory had transcribed with precision, even in her sleep.

Now as to why her ice magic had subliminally constructed Elsa's absent, normally modest and well-dressed fiancé without a shirt on, was anyone's guess.

But woman of the world Queen Idun did not have to ponder very hard to know why, once the worried little mother heartily pushed open Elsa's jammed bedroom door with all her might.

In doing so, Idun accidentally knocks over the ice statue blocking her entry, only to find her elder daughter clinging to the fine figure of a man pinning her down to the bed as Elsa had raced frantically to rescue him from crashing down and cracking his beautiful nose.

 _As good as it can be for now_ , _min kära_ …

Idun was quite impressed with her female child's impressive ice manipulations of the man's physique, right down to his tight musculature, with a noticeable scar running diagonally along his well-toned back view.

"Ahh. I see you had a good reason – _and good company_ – to be so late to breakfast, my darling, on this busy day. My, my. I cannot blame you for wanting to _sleep in_ this morning, my girl, with this foxy fellow to admire. Nice tight form." With a complimentary tap to 'Hans' loose trousered backside, Idun approvingly assesses and smirks to watch a blushing Elsa step back to enjoy the view of her frozen work of art that the Ice Queen must have conjured up sometime late in the night or very early this morning.

He had not been present last night when Idun had shared some hot chocolate catch up moments with her quiet daughter, the two finally opening up to each other after so much lost time like a real mother and child should. Together, enjoying one another's company, Idun and Elsa talked of hairstyles and changing clothing styles, laughed of Anna's endearing habits and discussed the past forgiven and the future promised with the theme ' _all good things come to those who wait'_ , deep into the night.

Through these precious moments, Idun gleaned a true sense of Elsa's heart's desire that justified her still secret operations to get him here.

"Mama! Don't tease! I… had a… dream about… Hans…after we are talking about him all last night I suppose. That's all. And my ice magic must have summed this up all by itself while I was sleeping." Purposely avoiding to tell her thin, frail Mama about the nightmare and its inexplicable nature, Elsa, rather than upset her smiling mother, explains of her fantascized dream lover.

Her shy face cherried before his cool un-averted stare, Elsa bashfully goes to change her sleepwear into her regal deep royal blue velvet dress with the fur shoulder collar and a lovely, icy decorated bejeweled cape hanging behind her violet changing screen.

"I wonder what kind of dream your Prince charming, so debonair and so shirtless, was involved in. Oh Elsa. I remember dreaming of your Papa's manly and well-toned build much like this before we too were married, but I wasn't artistically inclined enough to erect a statue of him. Wish I did now." When a squeaking embarrassed Elsa goes to rinse her pale alabaster face in the basin of cold water, Queen Idun remarks saucily coy with a faraway smile. The older, more experienced in these matters Queen lightly glazes a hand over this youngest Westergaard's cold, yet finely formed muscles.

All at once, Idun recalls how the Danes prided themselves on ruggedly masculine cut lines and exemplary physiques. The Westergaards were no shirkers in that area, as Idun could tell you firsthand.

"If memory serves me…There was a certain attractive Prince named Anders trying to impress and dominate the impressionable young teenage girl he intended to marry. I do recall spotting that handsome young Dane with lines similar to these fine ones, fishing shirtless with muscles rippling, one summer in a river with his just as strapping brethren. Of course, that was before your gallant Papa came along and swept me off my feet…His form didn't disappoint either…" Gazing at 'Hans'' estimable ice statue pectorals, Idun murmurs of her first and further sightings of the Lord's masterpiece artwork of a bare-chested man and her own dreamy romantic exploits when she was a much younger woman than Elsa is now.

Her ladies maid, Johanne, who had joined the women with a tall pile of towels and washcloths and various items for Elsa's morning ablutions, feigns shock at her mistress and Queen's blatant language and tone of such taboo subjects to her naive child, as the unobservant woman goes right past Hans' ice sculpture without seeing it.

"Thank you, Johanne. What did you say, Mama?" Elsa unpretentiously asks, addressing both ladies as she did not hear them. Johanne silently gives Idun, who had become more a friend than a boss over the years, a reproachful look as she goes to bring fresh towels and whisk away Elsa's night attire away for Gerda's prompt washing downstairs.

The long faced, gaunt older woman who never did notice her surroundings much, whacks right into the conspicuous ice sculpture of the shirtless man standing tall at the younger Arendelle Queen's bedside where Elsa had cryokinetically moved him to.

"Oh, dear! It's him! There's…a man in your bedroom, your Majesty! And one in such a state of undress!" Old-school Johanne is shocked by the younger Queen's avant guarde artwork coupled with her mistress' heady subject of men. The staid old maid was quite uncomfortable with both as she clutches her used clothes and towels to her bosom when she recognizes the once exiled Prince Hans' studly form the more she studies his face.

"Yes, Johanne, dear. Though he's not there right now, I keep one in my room most of the time, too. He's often headstrong rather than coolheaded, as you well remember, from changing his diapers, dearest." It was Johanne's turn to be teased as Idun coolly taunts her often stuffy and unimaginative maid.

 _You used to be so much more lively, Johanne…I suppose the years can wear down the spirit, if you let them…_

Since she had become her ladies' maid when Idun had joined this household at the youthful age of seventeen, the young Queen had always tried to get a rise out of the once plump and vital, now drawn cheeked and serious, older woman.

"And you are still just as incorrigible, my lady." With the thought of her early days within this Castle as little Prince Agdy's nanny, with fond recall, Johanne's pinched face gratifies Idun with the much sought after smile as she finishes doing up Elsa's blonde hair into that lovely chignon bun. Though, all the while the ladies' maid was still looking over her shoulder with anxious vexation at the male statue.

"Will this help, Johanne?" Elsa magically whips up an ice Sjoforsvaret Admiral Navy uniform for this Hans to sport to satisfy the humble ladies maid's disturbed senses.

"Oh yes. That's much better, Queen Elsa." Johanne admits in relief, giving a proper curtsy to Idun and Elsa, in turn, and then 'Hans,' with her busy arms full of bedding and towels and clothing to bring to her washerwoman sister-in-law downstairs.

"Ooh… Do be ready in time to greet your royal visitors, Your Majesty. I have heard from Kai they will be arriving all the way from South America by noon." Johanne adds before she goes to leave the room with a wispy, almost dreamy, look on her normally no-nonsense, hardened features.

"You and Kai and Gerda have always had taken such care good care of us, Johanne. I know we don't always say it, but, thank you." Idun opens the door for her servant who was more a dear friend. She pauses to hug the red-cheeked and flustered maid warmly, showing her queenly gratitude for this caregiver's years of service in the long hard times of Arendelle being closed off from the world. "You are part of our family and I want you to feel comfortable here."

"Ps-shaw! Think nothing of it, my lady, your Majesty." Proper Johanne gives a little bow to each of the Queens again and automatically to tall, svelte iceman 'Prince Hans' with a flustered chuckle as she exits the room, overloaded with towels and such as she almost bumps into the little snow woman just bouncing down the hall as she does.

"Good morning! Wow. That looks just like Vise Admiral Westergaard. When did you create him, Elsa? What a work of art! I love it!" In true Olafian style, Eliana comments with a bright outward smile in awe. The fastidious snow lady, for one, had noticed the handsome visage in translucent ice of Elsa's dashing young man immediately upon entrance into the seemingly revolving door room.

"Why thank you, Eliana. I'm not sure… _exactly_ … When and how he came about…but I'm never sure about anything anymore, am I?" Elsa sighs, reaching out to caress Hans' handsome chin as she responds to the smaller snow creation standing with her mouth agape gazing upwards where she stood at Ice Hans' tall frost booted feet.

But in the next second, Elsa recalls her nightmare that must've spawned this recreation of her distant lover quite vividly and she draws back, arms around herself.

"Yes, my girl has become quite a sculptor, Eliana, with a keen eye for attractive design."

Sensing Elsa's indefinable mood shift as the weather outside the window howls, Queen Idun proudly places Elsa's cold hand to Hans now uniformed comely chest, right over where his heart would be.

But her daughter's trembling does not cease as she hoped. For this faux Hans' icy eyes were devoid of the effusive warmth he gave so readily to his Ice Queen in person that made her feel his warmth.

 _Oh Elsa… How can I take your mind off your troubles?_ The mother in Idun's own heart breaks as she thinks to herself she was currently powerless to relieve her child's mysterious qualms.

Idun glances out of ArendelleCastle's third story window to the sea where the redheaded Danish answer was still far beyond, though she and Anna were working to bring him home.

But instead, on the bleak horizon the sun had risen high above where she glimpses the ship that had braved the newly frosted fjord come into their port.

 _Maybe this delegation from_ _Cordoba_ _is just what the doctor ordered to cheer my poor glum girl up to have some fun. A distraction, perhaps, but nothing more. As a father, Agdar, you will not understand. As a woman and her mother, I can assure you of whom our Elsa's true heart belongs, my wily King…_

Idun smirks at her reflection in the frosted window, seeing through her well-meaning, yet maddeningly smug man's matchmaking plot as plain as plain could be.

The dual flags of bright red and white alongside the blue and white flying on the saltine rising high above the ship coming into dock below, surely would bring some unexpected shared stimulation for Queen Idun herself as well.

* * *

 _ **Late night on the road to the Valley of the Trolls…**_

Behind the reins of any vehicle Princess Anna of Arendelle was a speed demon.

She had not been permitted to drive Kristoff's special sleigh named ' _Baby'_ before, and was now indulging in enjoying the liberated ease of his fast ride, despite her prudent Papa's constant sideseat driver urgings to take caution at nearly every bump and bend in the road.

All through the late afternoon they drove on, with Olaf chattering and Anna singing in between conversations with her Papa about every subject between here and there, except for the foul weather they all were trying their best to ignore.

The female driver had navigated Svala easily into the Valley of Living Trolls, with only a few pit stops – Anna's pale blue cap had blown off and they had to make a U-turn for the Ice King to snatch it back from the swirling winds with a cryokinetic ice hand; a few miles later Olaf then was sure he had seen Sven's doppelgänger which he insisted they give chase. That is, until the male bull reindeer turned out to just be traveling Oaken's newfangled invention of a reindeer shaped – _in Sven's honor_ , _ya?_ – steam engine log cutter that had gotten itself stuck in a snow bank they had to help the big tradesmen remove it from. Then finally, after they had gotten back on the correct road, after much arguing, Anna had to admit that she had drunk too much hot cocoa from the covered porcelain container.

Her intelligent Mama had kept it warm in a blanket thickly wrapped part of the basket where it was nestled within a pile of freshly baked potatoes that also ingeniously would serve as the travelers' dinner.

Edwardian sensibilities Papa Agdar had uncomfortably stood by while his ice shield had to be extended to shelter his little girl's urgent stopoff by a roadside tree to do her business. Stoic King Agdar, had averted his eyes whilst he held up the festive goat and bell embroidered skirt for his unabashed, immodest little girl like a true gentleman, covering Olaf's mildly male eyes in the process with his other hand. The embarrassed King had awkwardly cleared his throat several times after it was all done while they had returned to the sleigh. That is, until Anna had made a jest about ' _marking the trees'_ so that ' _we_ _won't get lost again'._

So, after a few good laughs and a lively song Olaf joins in on, the embarrassing prickly moment returned to being lighthearted and jovial for the father and daughter for the remainder of the trip down into the Valley.

The chatty, singing, noisy Anna had kept her Papa's mind off the country's bad weather troubles, as her Mama had instructed. After they had eaten Anna's on-the-go choice of sandwiches, the sparkling gal had even gotten her stoic Papa to sing-along with her and Olaf.

Before it got too dark at sunset, some hours later the road warriors stopped for a quick dinner of cold roast meat and potatoes that Gerda and Idun had packed in the basket. Ice King Agdar had made an ice enclosed dome over the three of them to shelter from the storm that Anna claimed was 'so cool!' Olaf wholeheartedly agreed as he munched on candy canes.

Swiveling around strangely quiet geysers like a discombobulated Mad Hatter and curving around tree entangled paths like a speedy March Hare, Anna made her way down to the Valley of Living Rock in record time. Only a knowledgeable traveler in the distant part of Romsdalen's spiraling valley forest could be familiar to traverse at such a pace without abandon at full steam.

Without pausing, without looking, Anna had her anxious parent white knuckled by the time she signaled with the reins for her reindeer to slow to stop.

"That was…" King Agdar pauses in search of the proper adjective as he sees his petite wife's reproving hands-on-hip look in his head before he speaks any reproaches as to his wild child's reckless sleigh driving skills.

"Quick? Smooth? Fun?! All of the above?!" The vibrant ginger eagerly grins with excited bright eyes up to her paternal parent as she, legs flying in all directions, just recklessly leaps from the sleigh she had 'parked' just outside the troll encampment.

"…Enlightening." Swallowing hard to bestill his roiling senses, Agdar rather diplomatically enjoins to his wild child. The now healthy man gives praise to God in the dark snowy Heavens for the simple ability to plant his two feet on the ground—and not only due to the miraculous healing rejuvenation several months ago when the girls rediscovered their parents.

"What time is it? Kristoff always shows off that he can read the sun from the shadow on the ground or the clouds or some such voo-doo, but I still need a clock to be sure! We should install one on Baby right next to that space by the cup holder on the front dashboard! Anyways! I think we set a record! Ha! I bet even Kristly couldn't do any better!" Talkative Anna brashly sticks a hand inside her Papa's surprised inner vest to peruse his watch fob on its golden chain at his dapper side.

"Isn't my Kristoff marvelous? He built this whole sleigh all by himself! Well, Sven, Svala and I let him help." Anna brags with a proud smile on her face that her guy had taught her a lot about building and construction and assembling important stuff together.

"Yes. Absolutely wonderful." Agdar deadpans, never pleased to praise Anna's young man, though Kristoff Bjorgman had so far proven to be a decent lad, the rugged Ice Harvester was still not Anna's Papa's ideal choice for her. Agdar was having a rough time accepting his baby girl was now another man's responsibility, not his.

"Hey, look, Papa! The snow's letting up!" Sensing his worry, Anna looks for the bright sunny side of life and links her arm with her father and begins to sing sixth verse of Papa's favorite 'Amazing Grace':

 _"'The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,_ _  
 _The sun forbear to shine;_  
 _But God, Who called me here below,_  
 _Will be forever mine.'"__

"Oh! Oh! Now I remember! I helped build the sleigh, too!" Feeling left out and way over-sugared all through their meal earlier, Olaf's head suddenly pipes up after he had tripped out from Baby on the reins Anna had left dangling. The eager snowman tumbled out of the small racing sleigh in a discombobulated pile.

"See there! I painted the 'Y' on the front bumper! See how it spells B-A-B-Y? Isn't the 'Y' the best letter there is?" Olaf shows off his alphabet learning as his body bounces over to the front of the sleigh where his branches were miming the y-shape, and his disembodied head was looking up at the name posted in bright gingery orange for all the world to see.

 _ **B A B**_ **Y**

Although, the final letter appeared to be transcribed by a drunk carrot rather than an artistically concise paintbrush.

"It was Elsa and Eliana who painted the first three letters straight, Olaf!" Kneeling down to the sleigh's front, Anna corrects her friend in the more artistic snow women's finicky absence. Olaf raises his branchy finger to contradict, his mouth hanging open when a bowling ball sized stone comes rolling around until it stops directly before Olaf's feet.

"Ooh. Someone likes me best." The silly snowman says superciliously.

King Agdar looks behind his peppery child and her snowman's banalities. He had more pertinent problems at hand, as he feared that the inclement weather his cryokinetics had shielded them from all along this journey northward, was surging outside of this troll protected valley, but didn't want to alarm his happy little girl.

But despite her best attempts at singing, his frayed nerves had had enough.

"Enough nonsense! In what direction is the Troll Shaman's fane, Anna?" An impatient King Agdar was no longer in any mood to prolong this inane chatter when imperative business was at hand.

Now that they had arrived in search of Kristoff, or rather Agdar's true motive to meet with the leader of the trolls pertaining to the disquieting shifted weather patterns, the Ice King's anxiety was only increased, as his patience was diminished.

"Little Rock!" Olaf was first to recognize the metamorphous Rock Troll boy wearing the moss green tunic and strings of well-earned red troll crystals who intercepts them in the Valley's Square.

"Little Rock? Where is Kristoff? Where are they all? Bulda and Cliff and Gothi and everybody?" Princess Anna had visited this mystical Valley of Living Trolls that was Kristoff's family home for the second ten years of his life many times. Whenever she came, a multitude of friendly troll rocks would roll up to greet them, loudly transforming into their troll form, generally with news of gall stones, crystals earned, weight gain and an unforgettable happy song.

But never had she seen it so desolate as it was now. It was almost like it was a ghost town. So quiet it was disturbing to the loquacious Princess, as she peers into cave windows and vacated open front doors.

"Yeah. About that." Little Rock glances around the dusty center of the village where, at this time of dusky night, rock trolls were normally scattered about at work or play, and definitely at song or at crystal mentoring, unrolling from their boulder rock form to live and love and watch over the Northern Lights peacefully as they do every night.

"GranPabbie asked Kristoff and Sven and me to evacuate the older folks still here up to higher ground in the mountains where it's safe, rather than down here in the low-lying valley." Little Rock begins to gently explain to his childhood friend Kristoff's partner in life.

Anna dashes with wide frightened eyes between cave home to cave home entrance of her dear friends, only to a find their living quarters vacant.

"You're right. They're _all_ gone! But why?" Anna asks as she watches her Papa kneel down to inspect yet another lifeless geyser in the vicinity, shaking his head in bewilderment.

It was as if the Aurora Borealis itself was dimmed in these late months of the year that the nocturnal trolls normally thrived within, under the Northern Lights' magical glow at this special location.

"Evacuation? Due to this unseasonable blizzard? Is it that life threatening to cause ancient Rock Trolls to flee from their homes? Or is there something more? Pabbie! Come forth! Should I be alerting the kingdom – my people – of danger, sir?" Agdar takes the small troll Little Rock's words seriously, his kingly concern for the welfare of assistance as commendable as it was his lifelong heartfelt duty to protect and serve.

"I'm glad you are here, Your Majesty. It saves me the journey to Arendelle I was about to embark upon." An extremely old rock troll with a grass decorated cape and headdress, with many crystals on his necklace comes out of the shadows in answer to King Agdar's summon. "You are a credit to your forebears, King Agdar. Your kingdom is fortunate to have you back in their service." Holding his dull staff, GranPabbie comes up to Agdar with a grateful nod.

"Noblesse oblige. I am but a humble servant of God and His church here on earth to provide security for my people." Kneeling to the troll's two and a half foot height level, the tall, dignified man waxes a bit literary poetic and Biblical as he kneels down to the troll leader with his definitely patriotic and noble thoughts as was his duty, bound to freely serve his people for God and country, with no thought to himself.

"I did not know if you were ready for this, King Agdar after your long trial and strife so recently surpassed. But I have lived far too many years to not sense the loneliness and uncertainty shaking the foundations of the earth again. Time is of the essence if we are to drive this darkness out of our land. But if we do not face it now, it may be irrevocable to the future of this land." The troll King, known to all as 'GranPabbie', shuffles from the cavern fane where the elders conferenced and prayed for wisdom and hope in troubling days such as these.

"I will do all in my power to help, without exception, old friend. You know that whatever you ask I will do. It is the least I can repay for all you have done my family and I over the years. As God is my witness." Agdar places a hand over his heart dramatically, but he meant each and every word as he looks deep into the inscrutable depth of the elder troll's ancient eyes.

"But pray tell me, what is wrong with nature's climate?" Agdar asks with his ginger brow set seriously where he knelt before GranPabbie.

"I called our Kristoff in to aid my trolls to get to higher ground. For each of our stone family metamorphs - particularly the young ones - appeared to be affected by the underground Magmaites movement of our igneous cousins. They were long ago corrupted by the Nibelungs who serve the Dark One deep below the earth's crust and were reaching up to grab some of our trollkin through the geysers. So I sealed the geysers off, for the time being." GranPabbie speaks in his truthful, yet enigmatic way, his voice full of foreboding as he points his expended staff to where the nearest geyser was magically plugged up in inflammable crystallization.

Beneath his thick grass collared cape the ages old rock troll leader produces a string of beaded rock crystal to display to a silently perturbed King Agdar.

"Magmaites? Nibelungs? The Dark One? You cannot possibly mean these folk story legends of mythical creatures beneath the earth's crust are the malignant cause and effect of the weather up here? Is the Snow Queen aware…?" Agdar shakes his head. He was not exactly in denial of these evils' great existence, just uneasy with the fact that he would be the Norwegian King and monarchal head of the church to be called to face humanity's original foe.

Nevertheless, if it was in defense of any group of his citizens – troll and humans alike – God-fearing Agdar Bernadotte would go the distance, and then some, enabled by God with these gifts perhaps for this calling more than any other mere man.

But maybe not more than a woman…

Or two…

The Ice King considers the timeless Snow Queen who has had such an influence on his life from the start, and his beautiful Ice Queen daughter named Elsa who was dearly a part of his heart.

"No, Agdar. God made certain these creatures have no real power on the earth. Not unless someone up here gives them wings to make it through the cracks. Cracks called 'Fear' and 'Loneliness ' are the true enemies. Solitude and strife faced alone can chill a soul to its core and allow any number of darkness to seep through its fault lines." GranPabbie gives wise counsel to the ruler he was hundreds of years senior to.

"Then how do we stop those cracks? Since, thank _God, this stems from neither of us_ , can I…or Elsa…together… _if need be_ , seal those rifts with our ice energies, somehow, with your guidance, Pabbie? " Being younger and far less wise, Agdar was a reactive human of deed more than thought, and far less patience as well than the sage savant Troll King. But GranPabbie had to give the stubborn man credit for including, however begrudgingly and overprotective, his daughter, rather than _ex_ cluding her from everything in life.

 _You are on the cusp of learning, my friend. Little by little…The beginning of wisdom starts with small steps…_

"I am not absolute in this assessment, your Majesty, but many factors are pointing to one source. The last time the hot spring geyser ceased and my troll crystals dimmed, the days when the migration animals were lost in confusion and the very skies were in such a wild torrent of blizzard conditions disarray across Scandinavia, was nearly fifty years ago at the turn-of-the-century, before you were even born..." GranPabbie trails off as he vividly remembers the last time all the world seemed to fall into this topsy-turvy refracted chaos of disrupted incertitude. All due to the disarray of a broken mirror where the Prince of Evil tried to slip through its shattered shards…

"For this season to be so frostbitten, both weather and climate that has all nature askew, I fear the Mistress of the Winter, the Snow Queen herself, who guards over that Eternal Mirror, may be in dire trouble turmoil up in her SnowPalace in Svalbard. Do you not see how the sleet falls?" GranPabbie announces plainly mysterious as he leads Agdar to walk past Svala's sleigh to face past the entrance to the Valley that remained untouched by the cruel weather at the shaman's dispersed Aurora borealis crystal dictate.

At the edge of it, Pabbie's four stone fingers gesture towards the raging storm without where a constant sheet of cold rain never ceased to fall, even when the flurries and hail and heavy snow would vascillate strength.

"The rain never stops completely. It only abates for a time from pouring in short uncontrolled outbursts when the light of day is shining. But at night, that constant rain, unrestrained and unseen in the demanding darkness, feeling light's hope lost, falls relentlessly." GranPabbie's magic troll crystal staff had enough power in it to colorfully paint his descriptions in the Earth's magnetic field electron particles in the dark sky overhead for Agdar to watch.

"What does it remind you of, Agdar?" GranPabbie pauses in his dot connecting scenario to see if the Ice King could fill in the blanks himself.

Or was he yet too bull-headed to see?

"A woman's tears…" With wonder on his lips and a shake of his head, Agdar regretfully recalls seeing those unrelenting tears on both beloved wife and adored daughter, chiefly at fault to himself.

 _Damn fool to not always treat the Lord's sweetest and best gift to man with gentle kindness…_

The ancient troll smiles that the human King of Norway could finally stand with the wisdom of the ages.

"For this reason, I have called her son – who has become our troll son and yours in Arendelle as well - to go to his mother and see if there's something he can do to perceive her pain and how she could use his assistance." GranPabbie smiles with the thought of the human boy he and his entire village had raised as their own. As soon as he met him through his own daughter Bulda, all the while the troll leader recognized where the blond boy truly came from, but wanting him to find it out at the right time on his own journey.

"Oh no! The Snow Queen's hurt?! We have to help her!" Anna overhears this portion of the conversation between her father and Kristoff's adoptive grandfather.

"I have great faith in that boy to help restore our land before darkness sets upon it shores again. Kristoff is a prince among men, and is just as lucky to have the treasure of your empathic Princess Anna to stand beside him in moments such as these." The old troll pats Anna's shoulder when she joins her father to kneel down beside the rock troll sage to listen carefully to his words.

"Kristly must be so worried about his Mama! But… GranPabbie? How come I can't hear Kristoff in my head anymore? I've been trying and trying to contact him on our special connection up here all day, but… Is he all right?" Anna knocks a fist to her head in frustration until her remonstrative Papa holds her with a strong yet tender hand around hers.

"This disruption of nature, as if refracted in the backwards mirror reflection – from the birds flying north instead of south, getting frozen solid in the wind storms, and the herds migrating further west to the sea, and running around in circles until they are weary – must be affecting your link to the Wind Whisperer as well." GranPabbie gives his educated opinion, followed by a soft wise smile on his granite like features.

"But how can I help him if I can't hear him inside? I got used to having Kristoff's gentle mind inside my head… I liked him there. 'Cause I never felt alone anymore." The little girl who grew up lonely had finally found someone sensitive and sweet and sentimental enough to welcome her in his head all the time, too. It was kind of painful for them both not to have this constant free-flowing link together.

"Do not worry, little Princess. The fickle, capricious head may forget for a time, but the unchangeable, true heart will remember how to communicate with your love soon." GranPabbie's reassuring, pleasantly smiling rock head rolls back-and-forth as if weighing the matter with a strong dose of humor all could use right now, as he touches a stone hand over Anna's pounding heart.

"Hee hee hee! And love thaws a frozen heart, too! Thought I'd just throw that goodie-but-oldie in for effect." An enthusiastic Olaf tosses his nuggets of wisdom into the magical ring as well with an impish smirk up at GranPabbie, Anna and her concerned, furrowed brow father.

"Yes, Olaf. Let us never shut out love as God created it to gives warmth to us all." GranPabbie aims a meaningful look up a King Agdar in respect to the stern human father's oft strict hold over both his daughters' relationships with young men.

"These are relationships that will prove vital to reestablishing your nation to peace and order again, as long as you are not foolish enough to coldly close the gates on them ever again, Ice King." GranPabbie speaks low for Agdar's currently receptive ears only to hear.

"Look deep in your heart, Anna, and find Kristoff there. A head can be easily fooled, but a heart does not ever forget its true love." The timeless leader of the trolls takes Anna by the hand and whispers in her ear now within the dim light of his glowing crystal pressed to her, sparking it back to life.

"Now, focus on your love for Kristoff and hold tight to your troll crystal necklace. Whisper your love for him in your mind, Anna. He will hear you, for I know your love is that strong and true to break through this storm."

{"Kristoff! Kristoff!"} Anna does exactly as GranPabbie instructed and whispers of her immense love for her mountain man from the depths of her heart.

 _'I feel you with me in my heart, you make it easier when life gets hard_.' Anna's sweet soprano sings directly to Kristoff's soul, breaking through the first layer of glassy ice beginning to seal its invisible double-sided dark matter of inverted reality over her uncertain heart.

{"Anna! Thank God you can finally hear me! I'm up here in the mountains getting my folks settled in, Baby."} Kristoff's soft mellow voice enters Anna's focused mind, heart and soul that was thinking and praying for him to answer.

{"Where are you anyway? Ungh. You sound close. Ungh…"} Kristoff may have been busy physically hefting troll kids and their food supplies and crystals and toys up a mountainside to safety.

All in that second in a tidal wave of pent up back-messages, Anna discovers that Kristoff _had_ been trying to contact her and didn't mean to shut her out at all. But that refracting mirror layer only reflected back her own lonely echoes.

After all the inattention and rejection from those she loved best in her childhood was what ignored little Princess Anna of Arendelle feared most the world. That inner fear now relieved, Anna's precious smile was a true bright outward one again, and not just forced trying to make others think she was happy. It was so bright that it glowed right through the dark overcast snowy night.

So much so, her Papa knew his baby girl had made contact with the boy she was madly in love with.

"Tell your… _husband_ … to send you his road location directions and I will join him there with GranPabbie and the remainder of the trolls here." King Agdar instructs his daughter matter-of-factly, spitting out the distasteful word 'husband' with as much decorum as possible.

"Anna, is there any use in telling you to return to Arendelle with the sleigh. I will keep a protective shell around it for you to return to Arendelle to warn Elsa and your mother to stay inside and batten down the hatches in the Castle and give instructions for the townspeople to do the same or take refuge in the Palace until all is clear." King Agdar, as a concerned father, had no wish to endanger his little girl. But, as his wife had informed him before this road trip began, Anna required - _and deserved_ \- some freedom to be the grown up young woman she had become.

Anna blinks up at her father several times before she answers.

"Nope." The feisty ginger does not disappoint, with her jaw set and lips puckered, hands on her jut out hips that clearly told her father she was quite immovable on the subject.

"But I've got an idea! You can send Olaf home to warn them, like Elsa did before, on the cross currents or some northerly gulf stream or something way up there, so he can tell everyone we'll be a little late in returning and not to worry 'cause we know how to solve it." Anna cunningly brainstorms suddenly up to her unwitting Papa.

"Yes, I suppose that will be of little trouble and a great comfort to your mother, my wise little girl. That is, if the little snowman is willing to travel by my polar express?" King Agdar glances down to where Anna was busily tucking Olaf up with a red scarf and earmuffs. She ties his branchy arms that often fell off, together with yarn from the scarf entwined in his branchy hairs as well until she finally finishes him off with a pair of sunglasses. Anna whispers a fond farewell or two or three in Olaf's ear before she stands to give King Agdar the signal to send him off.

"Godspeed, my frosty friend." With a flick of his ice coated hand, the Ice King follows his child's order and sends a smiling, waving Olaf up, up, up! and through the blizzardy sky until he was well above the harsh air stream that led back southeast to Arendelle.

"Bye-bye! Olaf! See you soon!" Anna and Little Rock wave frantically to their little snow buddy before she plunks the cargo bag she had dug through for Olaf to wear into the small storage boot of Baby.

"Bye, Anna! Bye, Anna and Elsa's Papa! Bye, bye Little Rock, GranPabbie and elderly rock trolls…!" Olaf's sing-songy tones are carried away on the muffled winds, all swirling around his snow form to send the hapless snowman via ice express small packet.

"Now shall we go, my child? The trolls are all prepared on my icebed trailer." Agdar specifies with a gesture to the back of the sleigh Svala was hauling where he had cryokinetically created a thick and sturdy ice sleigh trailer extension for the rock trolls to couple together on a ride further North.

They would travel the rest of the night to catch up with Kristoff and Sven before this unexpected journey would take the royal Arendelle father and daughter to Svalbard, the uppermost region of Norway, where the Snow Queen herself resided.

* * *

 _ **Back home in the southernmost town of**_ _ **Arendelle**_ _ **…**_

Wardrobe harried and hair primped together by mothering maids all the way down the stairs, Queen Elsa arrived in the Castle's throne room just in time to receive the delegation from Córdoba.

But after all that, the visitors had not yet arrived.

The royal ship had arrived in the Arendelle fjord, but the ice that was growing thicker and more dense by the minute halted the large Santiago class corvette named 'Republica' from entering the dock area.

Her mother, Idun, returns from having words with Minister Kai concerning the blocked ship as the conscientious man now reports to Elsa his findings.

"It appears that our visitors' ship has – forgive the mildly inaccurate nautical phrase _– run aground_ of a sudden unforeseen glacial ice floe that has arisen in our waters and stranded their vessel. The fierce katabatic wind shifted and somehow was heavy enough to block the corvette from either returning to sea or entering our frigid port full of fast ice at the fjord's margin. The ice floes accumulated ahead where clear waters were just minutes ago on the eastern side of the glacial front. With little warning, the fast ice that their hull had broken up as their captain tried to plow through, now has the icebergs moving on currents and trajectories potentially dangerous to the craft on either side." Councilor Kai comes across the Throne Room and bows down before Elsa to speak after quickly discussing the matter with Queen Idun.

"Are you saying the ship is unable to move in further, nor is it able to turn around and leave?" Though part of shy retiring Elsa Bernadotte secretly preferred the latter to the former with the sudden wicked winter weather to be blamed for the visitation to be called off, the diplomatic Royal Ruler in her was a trained monarch who knew her duty to meet and deal with the heads of other nation states.

A duty that must never be shirked.

The gifted Ice Queen in her also saw that it was within her skillful capability to make sure the weather did not hinder such important negotiations. Córdoba's equatorial South American climate granted people there a bountiful supply of fruits and grains and grazing lands for their cattle that King Agdar obviously felt would make the Argentinians beneficial trade partners with Norway's ample lumber, fur and fish industries.

So, as a well studied good leader of her country's economy and dutiful daughter to take up her father's banner when he was absent, Elsa would rise to the occasion her Papa wished of her.

 _I wonder how Anna and Papa are getting along on their journey North…_

The platinum blonde muses, trying to summon up the stabilizing thought of her dear little sister's sunshine through this ice storm. Then Elsa rises from her throne with a resigned look on her regal features.

"Your Majesty? Where are you going?" Kai speaks with astonishment. Though, after many long faithful years of service with this extraordinary family, he should've been used to their unconventionality.

Elsa, wearing her tall high heels and regal winter fur mantle, filmy cape and deep blue velvet dress, plus a determined gaze, moves elegantly past the wide-set Minister. She musters up all her confidence to stride through the wide double doors that the Throne Room guards wordlessly whisked open for their sovereign Queen.

"Come along, Kai. There's no stopping her when my daughter has that same stubborn look on her face as her father. This should prove interesting. And quite a show." Queen Idun mischievously smiles to her friend's flustered face as the quick-witted middle-aged woman follows the younger Queen's path out the Arendelle Castle rear entrance to its port side facing the sea.

"But… but that's not how it's done…" The overweight, over proper, overwrought, balding man sputters at the lack of protocol as he trails in the wake of the pair of unorthodox queens his King had left in charge here.

Elsa walks briskly through the halls of ArendelleCastle until the final door leads her to the Castle's south side port harbor.

Standing at the overlook with a heavy frost of snowflakes coating the steps leading down to the pier below, Elsa's azure blue eyes take in the stark sight of a large Santiago class corvette ship. It was flanked by several glacial chunks bobbing up and down at the normally clear waters surrounding Arendelle Castle's entry fjord.

The fast ice had formed around the frigid temperature margin of the sea to the fjord after the South American craft had entered the port in the midst of the fierce storm.

Try as the powerful two masted ship named Republica might, it could not break fully through the glaciers. And now, it seemed unwilling to risk further harm to its blue-and-white painted well polished hull.

The ship that had been sitting there stagnant for just about an hour now was almost too solid nautical kilometers out into the fjord's southerly direction. Elsa strains her eyes in the heavy snow fall to see the people on the deck tightly bundled up with hats and scarves and coats to ward off the nippy Norwegian weather.

Moving around frantically like industrious ants, they seemed to be up to something with a pair of compact, yet brawny looking strawberry roan horses they had brought up to the top deck.

"What on earth are those men doing with horses out there?" Putting words to Elsa's mental question, her mother was wondering the exact same thing. Idun comes up from behind Elsa, a curious Eliana on her heels holding that dainty little umbrella over her flowery hat head.

Devoted Gerda and Johanne, along with a stream of teeth-chattering other maids were trying to cover the older Queen with all types of shawls and coats and umbrellas to shield her from the bitter winter storm when Idun had chosen to walk out in pursuit of her daughter.

The servants were all aware by now that the younger Queen of Arendelle required no further raiment from the cold that she was born to as they all converge around Queen Idun.

"They appear to be lowering a ramp of some sort." Watching the strangers busily moving on the deck of the foreign ship with interest, Elsa murmurs to her mother. Her own crystal clear icy blue eyes were able to focus more through the montage of thick snow flurries enough to see many men on board the visiting Republica muscling a large fold-out wooden ramp.

The men lower the corn husk strengthened Peruvian teak wooden slats to the widest, most stable iceberg below with a loud 'Heave Ho!'

Elsa and Idun survey the happenings in mouth gaped silence when they see an extremely well-dressed in a long coat and hood, dark caped man, after having an argument with a taller more distinguished looking figure in a full length white fur coat, take his place with the more obviously cautious passenger astride a golden ivory, three wheeled chariot.

The horse drawn carriage comes thundering across the ship's deck to approach the just applied ramp. With a whip cracked, the rider suddenly surges onto the ramp with that pair of broad chested and strong matching chestnut roans, each charging down from the ship onto the floating glacier below with fearless boldness.

The brash, imprudent driver urges his equine team forward with a wide wing decorated small buggy that reminded both women watching of a Roman chariot exhibition, designed for racing speed in days of old.

"I do not think that is a very wise idea for our guests, ma'am. The fjord's currents at this time of the morning do not concur with the ice floes on the eastern side of that newly formed glacier. One unaccounted for crack in the thin verglas over the warmer undercurrent flow between here, and there, just may cause their vehicle to capsize –" Minister Kai gestures his hand between two points of the newly frozen over fjord he was quite familiar with, having lived here in Arendelle all his life. The academic man had prided himself in becoming an intellect on most subjects, and his best friend of a Naval Admiral in King Agdar made his research of the sea all the more essential.

To him, the probability of the foreigners' chariot with its forceful horsepower weight making it across the thin ice as it recklessly nears the dock basin's shallower jetty, was practically nil.

That is, unless you had a multi-talented Ice Queen with something up her sleeve standing at the ledge overlooking the harbor pier.

The katabatic polar wind begins to shift as the Mistress of the Ice, Queen Elsa foresees that fissure crack Kai spoke of beneath the ice surface, some thirty meters out from the coast. Elsa wills her powers to not only strengthen each glacier chunk that the small chariot was daringly quavering over in the unforgiving cold waters as it bobs dangerously up and down, but also build a quick bridge over the icebergs to be doubly sure the pair of insane gentlemen would not be falling in, once she had determined the path as highly questionable without her assistance.

For Elsa, as creature of the ice herself, sensed its incredible weakness just as the horses hooves were battering down against the ice at full throttle to wedge a hairline fault glacier as it crumbles in several pieces beneath her icy construct…

 _ **WHOOSH!**_

The double chestnut Criollo stallions' sure strong legs and low set hocks gallop in a whirlwind swirl of kicked up snow with impressive dramatic effect. Onto the dock they carry the golden winged chariot with the blue symbolized tower of their kingdom's emblem.

With only a few feet between herself and the incoming chariot below, Elsa gazes down with skeptical wariness at the cavalier young man who had recklessly driven it across the frozen fjord at breakneck speed, risking his neck and that of his poor passenger.

Her precaution doubles especially when the dashing figure in the dark charcoal and gold embellished suit of a bullfighter extravagantly climbs two steps at a time up the outdoor stone staircase leading to where the Queen of Arendelle was standing.

"You are my rescuing ice Angel of this snowy paradise! Queen Elsa of Arendelle, I presume." The quite forward twenty-six-year-old man brazenly claims Elsa's not offered hand in his grasping one, as he attempts to bestow upon it an alleged, chivalrous kiss.

But when the reticentt-to-be-touched Ice Queen yanks her unwelcoming digits away from his romantic capture, the conceited young man was still not deterred.

"Oh, where are my manners? It must be all this terrible bitter cold and ice that has frozen my blundering, adapted-to-the–more-beautiful-tropical-climate brain, Queen Elsa. I am Prince Alonso of Córdoba. May I say, the pleasure is all mine." Throwing back the hood from obscuring his dark sepia coif that seemed to have a buoyancy all its own to frame his smirking face, the arrogant voiced crown Prince of Córdoba gives Elsa his most winning smile and sweeping bow, along with a pair of come hither, rich chocolate brown eyes.

"Yes… Well…we in the Northern Hemisphere are _adapted_ to the cold, and quite enjoy its natural unblemished magnificence as we do our duty well in any weather, thank you very much." The sheltered and reserved blonde young woman is stirred to defend her country with some spice, Elsa wholly unaccustomed to this outward show of unrestraint from her obviously conceited and bold Argentinian counterpart, extolling the virtues of his country while putting down hers.

Mortified and irked and definitely not getting a good first impression of the man just a year or two older, Elsa again withdraws her elegant hands from his relentless attempt to claim at least one. Withdrawing into herself, she slips her hands beneath a glove that she had fortunately stashed in her pocket earlier with the knowledge that she would no doubt have many unfamiliar hands to shake on this most trying day full of visiting Royal dignitaries as Arendelle's lead representative in the King's absence.

"We welcome you to Arendelle, Your Highness. May we say what a daring emboldened entrance you have made at great risk to yourself to simply assure good and normalized trade relations between our countries, Prince Alonso." Seeing her daughter's discomfort, Idun intercedes to take a respectful place between the two young people.

"You are correct, Your Majesty. This inclement weather, even for our northern shores, does rather forestall mental faculties, and drive one inside the castle where we can have discussions much easier in more comfort." The Queen takes up the niceties when Elsa's cool standoffish reserve was making the uncomfortable silence quite noticeable, even now in the sharp bitter cold.

"Minister Kai? Gerda dear? Please show Queen Elsa and Prince Alonso inside. We have a roaring fireplace in the drawing room where it's much warmer, while Johanne and Eliana and I will see to your passenger, Your Highness." Idun sets her most trusted friends and servants to their tasks, with the thoughtful address directed to the visiting royal who seemed to have eyes only for Elsa.

The spoiled rotten Prince Alonso shrugs and rolls his eyes that could care less about the stuffy companion who had traversed the harrowing fjord polar winds and glacial icebergs alongside him in that fascinating chariot the young Prince had brought with him from his homeland.

"Warmest greetings, Sir. I must apologize that this harsh cold weather frozen over fjord has led to your understandable malady. Please allow me to sing you a healing melody as we escort you inside – _'The Lord is my Shepherd, no want shall I know; I feed in green pastures, safe-folded I—'_ Oh! Hello, indeed." In her softest voice as she leans her song towards the dizzy passenger in the chariot-sick backseat, Queen Idun was shocked to discover that beneath that thick white hood and blankets was a distinguished tan skinned man with a well manicured goatee and salt-and-pepper black hair that had an elegant swirling proof about his bangs over his still attractive features.

"Hola, Señora Bernadotte. It has been far too long." The man says with a gentle smile.

"How very nice it is to see you, Chancellor! What am I saying? It's _wonderful_ to see you, Esteban!" Idun was much too excited to feel the chilly cold too much anymore as the lively forty-one-year-old woman warmly squeezes the hand of the gentleman well in his sixties now that she and her husband had befriended over twenty-five years ago on their South American honeymoon tour that had a stopover in romantic scenic Avalor, in Peru.

"Johanne, come see who it is! You must remember the kind man who brought Agdar and I back together after our first terrible row on the world tour honeymoon vacation I insisted upon that he didn't want to take." Idun smiles at the memory of her highly strung, incredibly jealous, cold as ice-tempered new young husband when virile Agdar was just twenty years of age and flung out onto the world's stage for the first time.

Her dynamic ginger young man had begrudgingly taken his new bride halfway around the world after her pregnant older sister Arianna insisted Agdar show sixteen-just going on seventeen-year-old Idun the world before the overbearing big sister allowed him to tuck her away in his cold Norwegian kingdom.

"I was devastated when the news of your tragic shipwreck came to our shores, Iduna. As soon as I heard you were found alive and returned to your home and this ship from Córdoba was to visit, I felt it was God's plan for me to see you again, _mi querido_ (my dear). Just as He brought us to meet by chance that first time, behind the Avalor palace waterfalls. You and your jealous lover Agdar and that _asombroso_ (amazing) affection for one another, despite our little – shall we say - _encounter_ , gave me hope to survive those horrid, music-less times in my homeland when I felt I could endure my artificial farce of a life no longer. How seeing you, my _poco ave canora_ (little songbird) does melt the years away." The suave, elegant voice with the Spanish accented overtones related the Duke and Queen's interesting backstory meeting and a genuine fondness that had blossomed from it that not waned with time.

"Oof. But not the dizziness in this old body that is acquainted with the passing years since then all too well. That was quite a bumpy ride I did not enjoy, but the foolish Córdoban would not listen. _!Estoy mareado!_ (Am I dizzy!)" The Peruvian Chancellor woosily climbs from the chariot as Idun helps balance him.

Royal Advisor, Duke and Chancellor Esteban Flores of Avalor tries to rise from the cushions where madman Córdoban Prince Alonso had wildly raced across the glacial divide that the more cautious Chancellor had advised the brash Prince against.

Yet again it was a losing battle, though Esteban had the humor to recognize he was fortunate enough to have the un-exaggerated powers of world renowned Ice Queen Elsa secure the chariot across its brash, reckless path to safety on the other side.

" _Oh, mi estómago_! (Oh, my stomach!)" Tall Esteban dizzily teeters on his pins, holding his roiling gut while Idun was distracted in calling in the Arendelle guards to take charge of the restless pair of horses thoughtless Prince Alonso had left untended.

"Steady on, sir." Here, Johanne steps in to stabilize the wavering man.

"It is nothing, really! I will be better and more myself in no time. Just feeling a little chariot-sick. Thank you for your arm. Niña (dear girl)."The dapper gentleman would never admit defeat before a lady as he speaks to the older servant ladies' maid with a glint overcoming his sickness immediately springing to his eye as he looks up at her in recognition.

"Johanne? Such a true, loyal friend to the family. Do you yet play the pianoforte as well as you did for our little songbird then? _Todavía tienes ojos muy bonitos._ (You still have beautiful eyes)." Charming Chancellor Esteban was a natural flirt who was not bad with the ladies. He also still had a roving eye that looks the woman in a tight olive green vest and matching pencil skirt up and down when she bends over to fetch Alonso's tossed aside muffler. " _Y una buena figura_. (And a good figure.)" Even through the teeth-chattering cold, the Duke of Avalor was still able to lay the charm upon the pleasantly astonished, middle-aged ladies' maid.

"You remember me, Chancellor Esteban?" The oft forgotten, once rosy-cheeked and vibrant blonde young woman had by now gone gaunt and grayish, dares to make direct eye contact with the unexpected treat of the visiting dignitary she had come to know well in the past. She had dreamed of this dashing Hispanic _Guapo_ (handsome man) many years on end since that time, and was one of the reasons that had kept her going.

"But of course! How could I ever forget my bright yellow haired _bonita_ (pretty girl) from the North who could match – _no, surpass_! – my excellent guitar playing skills when we accompanied our pretty _poco ave canora_ in serenading her cool Crown Prince? We played a fine duet together, did we not, Johanne?" Debonair cousin to the Avaloran Queen, Esteban's brilliant smile turns back the pages for the usually dour faced Johanne. She modestly giggles like the young girl she had been, traveling with her new, mistress Princess Idun on her dearest Crown Prince Agdy's around the world honeymoon tour.

"What _are_ you two flirting about while I'm not looking?" Queen Idun returns her attention to this fantastic surprise visitor she was sure her darling Agdar had arranged to come see her. Even though their encounter with Chancellor Esteban in the past was as short as it was remarkable, some friendships were meant to last a lifetime.

As the older pair continued to laugh and twitter and lean to one another for support and amused chuckles without answering, Idun closes her puckered mouth and smiles.

"Who is this tall, dark and handsome man who made Johanne laugh, Your Majesty? Does he want to stay with us for Christmas? His ship may still be stuck by then, right?" Looking forward to the holiday she and Olaf loved most of all, Eliana pipes up from where she stood collecting snow, unobserved in the big snowstorm as the four stragglers finally stumble all together inside the Castle's rear entry to escape the harsh weather.

"Oh, I like her, _Iduna_. I do not relish shipboard travel, even if and when the craft is cleared to depart. It would be a welcome change to spend Navidad here with my old friends in this nice, quiet, scenic winter Wonderland with you and Johanne. That is, if Agdar would not mind having me as guest in his beautiful Arendelle home." After all the magic enchantment he had seen in his life with his dearest cousin Elena, what was talking to a snowgirl to the smooth-talking, unruffled, seasoned older man?

After all, Queen Elena and her Prince Consort Gabriel and _all_ their children were wonderful dear family to the lonely man, but with the newest baby on the way for the New Year, bachelor _Uncle_ Esteban was looked to for a lot of the babysitting for such a large brood.

 _Hmm…I could use an extended vacation from all those crying babies_. _What will this be, Elena?_  
 _Bebé (baby) number seven? I told you about marrying your Captain of the Guard! Oh, Gabriel…_ The snow crusted fur coat enshrouding Chancellor Esteban's yet slim and trim tall form, is shed when a sea of servants come to help decloak Queen Idun and her guest.

"Certainly, you would be most welcome to spend Christmas here with our family, Esteban! Don't be silly! _Min älskare_ Agdar will _adore_ the idea when he gets back from his trip with our Anna!" Idun bites her lower lip as she says this, not knowing how her King would actually react to meeting yet another old 'rival' of sorts, exactly.

"Though I do not know how quiet I can promise it to be. I have many secret surprise plans for my daughter's upcoming birthday this coming month near the blessed celebration. Perhaps you could even help me executing some of them, with your superior mind and wit." The idea bubble going off in her head, Idun whispers conspiratorially to her old friend as she and Johanne walk arm in arm with him into the drawing room.

"I am but at your command, Iduna." Esteban nobly addresses the words to Queen Idun, but his Casanova lowered eyelids were aimed at Johanne, who chuckles at all the unexpected attention of the good-humored man. "It is nice to be needed again for my intellect, rather than for my skills as a diaper changer, as vital a role as that may be."

The dapper Peruvian Duke's _poco ave canora_ continues singing her healing hymn song to him, with eyes full of laughter at this new romantic angle for her older ladies' maid, too.

 _''Let goodness and mercy, my bountiful God,_ _  
 _Still follow my steps till I meet Thee above;_  
 _I seek by the path which my ancestors trod,_  
 _Through the land of their sojourn, thy kingdom of love.'__

Music and laughter her daughter Elsa was decidedly not feeling as this conceited Prince of Córdoba, unhappily unaltered by time or wisdom since his wastrel youth, had been bombarding the current Queen of Arendelle with self-satisfied boasts of himself and his country and arrogantly implied open flirtations until Elsa was driven to distraction.

And garrulous, egotistical Prince Alonso had only been here for fifteen minutes.

 _Oh Hans. If only all men could be more like you. And not as annoying as this one…_

A flustered Elsa devotes her scattered thoughts to her truly gallant and witty and good-looking love who did not have enough vanity in his beautiful pinky finger to rival the measure of snow piling up outside the Queen of Arendelle's trapped window that was more equal to Alonso's vain opinion of himself.

 _I wish you were here with me…_ _Then I know I could weather this storm of trials…_

Elsa gazes out over the sea, fervently wishing for her darling Hans be here instead of this brassy Prince of Córdoba…

With a stifled giggle right in Alonso's easily perturbed face, Elsa bemusedly acknowledges that she even preferred the better disposition silent company of her ice statue of Hans, currently 'sweating' upstairs in her bedroom...

* * *

A hot mid-Summer 'Hello', Frozen friends! ;

It's so hot out here that a little snowy blizzard weather in our storytime Arendelle sounds pretty nice, eh? :)

King Agdar and Anna and Olaf were having some road trip bonding hijinx until they arrived at the Valley of the Trolls! GranPabbie had some foreboding news, so it looks like the father /daughter team are heading with Kristoff already on his way up North to figure out this chilly blizzard mystery's enigma.

Elsa and her Mother Idun are having some excitement of their own as the first suitor named Prince Alonso arrives on their soil with a showy flourish! And he brought along with him an old acquaintance of Idun's, Chancellor Esteban!

If you haven't seen Disney's new hit series 'Elena of Avalor' on the Disney Channel, you should check it out! There you'll see my newest additions to the 'Frozen Again' cast, some years younger than in my story! 'Elena' is set around 1831, when the star Crown Princess Elena's tall, dark, and dashing cousin Esteban was in his mid-fifties and Prince Alonso (seen in the hilarious episode titled ' _Prince Too Charming'_ ) was just a teen. So, Frozen Again is set in 1841, ten years after Elena the TV series where Alonso is at top suitor age for Elsa, and Esteban is Idun and Johanne's grey mixed in with the stylish black, older and wiser, and definitely still debonair and dashing, friend.

I fell in love with once ambitious Chancellor Esteban's hero in disguise, wicked-and-wouldn't-be, sheep in wolf's clothing persona on 'Elena of Avalor' from the first episode! I HAD to incorporate the handsome and svelte, ever youthful looking man. (even if he was the only one not age-protected in a magic portrait or amulet when the evil murderess of Elena's parents, named Shuriki took over the Peruvian Kingdom of Avalor. Young Duke Esteban, as nephew and cousin, as the only one still in the palace, kept his family within the painting hidden from the evil sorceress Queen Shuriki, pretending to be her lackey until Elena, her little sister and their Grandparents were freed to rightfully regain control of their land.)

Watching the Spanish-flair music and magic adventure filled new Disney Princess show is really a treat. And bringing in some of its characters, just a decade or so later when Frozen takes place, will be fun! And dashing older man Esteban's encounter with an envious 20-year-old Prince Agdar and his sociable newlywed bride 17-year-old Idun in their shared past should prove to be fascinating to hear more about in future chapters.

I hope you guys all enjoyed this latest part of the Frozen Again saga! Lots of mystery and romance to unfold for Elsa and Anna and their reunited with parents along our journey!

God bless 'til we meet again in the wonderful world of Disney!

HarukaKou

* * *

' _Lucky'_ – lyrics by Jason Mraz 2009

 _"Amazing Grace_ " – written by John Newton 1779

 _'The Lord is my Shepherd'_ \- written by James Montgomery 1837

* * *

 _'Nobless Oblige' –_ 'Nobility obligates'. The French phrase infers it is the responsibility of privileged people to act with generosity and nobility toward those less privileged.

 _Min kære-_ my darling in Danish

 _Min kærlighed_ \- my love in Danish

 _Jeg elsker dig_ \- 'I love you' in Danish

 _Min älskare_ – my lover in Swedish

 _Min kära_ – my dear in Swedish

 _Min flicka_ – my little girl on Swedish

 _Niñita – little girl in Spanish Bonita – pretty in Spanish Poco ave canora – little songbird in Spanish_

 _Guapo_ \- handsome man in Spanish

 _asombroso_ \- amazing in Spanish


	9. Chapter 8 - Feel Free to Have Fun

_We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

 **"Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act VI**

 **Chapter 8**

 **"Feel Free to Have Fun"**

 ** _In the Western European_** ** _kingdom_** ** _of_** ** _Corona_** ** _, deep in the night…_**

As the sun was just rising to beam through her window, a young woman opens her eyes and stares up at the darkened ceiling blankly.

Although there wasn't anything about this palace's high vaulted ceiling of her bedroom that could be called 'blank'.

From stunning sunrises to vibrant flowers to colorful chameleons, brilliant depictions of magic lanterns blazed across the sky of her Corona Palace bedroom walls and ceiling. The cocoa brown haired Princess had spent half the amount of her confinement's virtual solitude venting her artistic passions out with her beloved paintbrush and pencil in hand until the bedroom she shared with her husband and lover and best friend of over five years now had become a bower of art and creativity.

From top to bottom, floor to ceiling, wall to wall, this artist's Avante garde style of art displayed her life—sweet as the story goes.

From the endlessly long-haired blonde child staring out that drab tower window, dreaming of exciting adventure and vivid living in the world beyond; to leaving that tower prison with the wind in her hair with pluck and courage – not to mention a tall dark and handsome thief who liberated her into the wild freeing light of the outside, with the grass beneath her feet.

The wonder that followed was full of interesting books, picturesque maps, ice cream cones, and teems of shimmering flags with golden suns upon them all set among the artwork montage. Upon the wall trailing upwards were scenes of dancing and gondola rides and sparkling magic lanterns alight on that first wondrous day all wrapped up by her unlikely hero's dying sacrifice and the miraculous tearful kiss which followed that changed her life forevermore.

On the next wall was a new mystery where her long seventy foot golden tresses returned until another adventure was solved with her reunited family and new friends all dotting the landscape of her room's tableau.

Finally, the most recent trip that took her to the mountainous country of Arendelle in the North was there. It illustrated a gingery girl and her blond mountain man with their flying reindeer crossing snowflake bridges; two masted ships on the high seas swirling into that dreadful Moskenstraumen funnel that spun towards a castle surrounded by a moat where a handsome redheaded Prince and his blonde Queen embrace each other in the vista of many brothers and their wives and a whiskered old King smiling over the happy couple in front of a church.

In the cold late November early morn, Princess Rapunzel sighs a look up and around all the excitement and adventure depicted in her painted pastels all over the walls and reams of papers at her bedside filled with little vignettes of her life's story.

All in artistic descriptive drawings and stylized paintings in between every inch of the furniture until there was barely any room left for more.

And yet…what the spirited and free young woman of just twenty-five years of age wanted was just that – _more_.

She had been lying here in bed almost immobile for the past two weeks and thought she would go bonkers if one more person came in and asked how she was feeling.

 _How do you think I feel?! There are two rambunctious people in my stomach trying to get out, and I feel like I am about to explode!_

Rapunzel's pregnant abdomen had enlarged to a massive balloon – more like a watermelon – and the Corona Princess never felt more unwell.

"Argh! This is ridiculous, Pascal! I can't even move to my side!" The princess of Corona attempts to turn over from laying on her back, but there was something (or some ones) definitely in her way. It was all Eugene's fault!

Annoyed in her immobility for days on end, Rapunzel was having a tough time seeing past her bulbous wide girth buried beneath a mountain of pillows and plush toys and thick furry blanket and the huge rounded stomach beneath it all that was holding her back from even sitting up.

Grabbing hold of one of the teddy bears that seemed to be glaring back to her, the irritable, pudgy Prussian Princess tosses him in frustration at the closed door.

"You rang, my voluptuous Venus?" The sinfully good-looking man with the roguish smile peers into the bedroom he once shared with his bride.

But, with Rapunzel being at a very tender time and testy at this eighth month of her pregnancy, it was decided by her parents–mainly old Fritz, who was perpetually on the fritz, growing more antsy than his son-in-law about the fragile health of the expectant young mother—that Rapunzel stay quiet and relaxed. With King Friedrich's own ill experience with his dearest wife Arianna's first and only pregnancy being a rocky one, the older man was freaking out daily now the closer Rapunzel's time came.

It didn't help that the constantly poorly young mother-to-be was restless and sick to her stomach, unfit to see anyone most of the time until she was bottled up in her room, madly trying to wile away the hours by drawing or painting nearly all the time now.

And so, the overwrought King, after consulting with royal physicians, doctors and midwives who were all on call twenty-four/seven, had ordered his precious daughter sheltered in the peace and quiet with absolutely no disturbances to upset her in this delicate stage of her being great with child.

So that meant Eugene had long been kicked out from his wife's bed and their shared bedroom after the suspicious King had caught the virile thief unashamedly posing nude for 'sculptor Rapunzel' on her own aesthetic still life study of the male anatomy.

No matter how many arguments of simple impressionist art the young married couple had attributed, the Royal monarch of Corona could not be assuaged of anything less than Rapunzel's young man being sequestered to at least a joint bedroom, if just to ' _give the poor girl some breathing room in her delicate time'_.

Although he was miffed, Eugene couldn't argue the point too much. For his once lithe little lady had expanded her slender form by several inches in diameter until she could barely balance herself stable on her pins. Her hard pregnancy had made poor Rapunzel morning sick, afternoon sick, and night sick the majority of the time she was awake and even into her oft fraught sleep.

Eugene loved his wife so much that he did not wish to interrupt what few hours of real rest his beleaguered girl could find.

Plus Eugene did not want to either vex or incur the wrath of an already apprehensive King Friedrich more than the recently recovered from his own ailments old gent was pulling his waning hairline out for.

 _Do kids do that to us fathers? No way am I going to let any little brat impinge on my serenity, nor my good looks!_

"Eugene! I'm so tired of staring at the four walls! I need to do something!" The perplexed Prussian Princess points purposely at her puffing out extra large abdomen.

"I've used up and filled every page of the seventh diary sketchpad Mom gave me with so many drawings and doodles! And there's no room for you or Cass to stick them to the walls anymore! You have to find something to get my mind off this or I'll go stir crazy!" The exasperated girl tosses her discouraged pencil to the frustrating ground in defiance of her bottled up woes.

Just like she does to another stuffed 'animal' – this one a homage of her fine-looking husband – that her handmaiden Cassandra had her inventor friend Varian specially craft for Rapunzel in 'homage' of the representation of the reformed thief—to either cuddle or throw down when Eugene undoubtedly got under her skin.

"Whoa there, Brownie! It's only four in the morning! You'll wake the whole palace up if you persist in throwing things across the room." The actual dark-haired man enters the room to stoop down to pick up and dust off his besieged plush likeness.

"Don't take it out on little 'ole me." Looking down at it in the pale moonlight, Eugene makes the oddly disturbing wide-eyed doll move his arms and head around, comically mimicking its kooky facial features in a supposed high-pitched voice.

"Hi! I'm Flynn Rider and I like warm money!" Eugene cutely mimics the stuffed toy's crossed eyes and puckered lips as he crosses the room in his posh wine red velvet robe.

But the dismayed, distraught, dispirited Rapunzel wasn't biting with even the tiniest hint of a grin.

Her husband exchanges a look with a shrugging Pascal, who was by now fanning Rapunzel's creased forehead where she plopped down to her fluffy feather pillow, hysterical in the tears that were too very quick to come as of late.

In the darkness, a pain faced Eugene approaches the bed, touching Rapunzel's convulsing shoulder lightly with as much sympathetic understanding as the once loner, independent man could muster.

"Come on, Liebling. Give us a laugh! It kills me to see you this way." Eugene's voice says with a small grimace at his brilliant ray of Sunshine's sour mood. When she doesn't respond, Eugene perches at the edge of the bed and begins to stroke the short cropped waves of her naturally brown hair that had grown back to its usual, almost shoulder length style after she had cut it short to pretend to be a ship boy on that crazy mission in Norway.

"You know, what I'm about to say may sound sappy – and don't you dare tell anyone I uttered this, particularly Cass- _an_ -dra," Eugene stresses the name of the despised ladies' maid whose main role in life was to torment him since she took over the role as Rapunzel's confidante and close friend.

"– But I miss hearing your beautiful, infectious laughter in my ear, waking me up at the unholy hour of daybreak each morning, more than anything." Eugene tickles his talented fingers behind his upset gal's ear, scruffing the brown curls at the nape of her neck with a familiar touch as he lies down the on the bed until he was facing his pregnant wife.

"Oh, Eugene. I've missed you so much, too." At last Rapunzel opens her spontaneously tearful eyes to grace her mate with that smile and the tiniest of giggles - just as he requested - as she looks at the gorgeous man lying alongside her on their bed.

"That's better, _mein liebste_ (My dearest)." The dashing man captures Rapunzel's wobbling lips in his for a long-lasting and luxuriant liplock both were starved for during this aggravating past month-long taboo.

"You always can make me smile when I'm so scared." Finally admitting the source of her real frustration was her upcoming delivery due date, Rapunzel's scoots her body closer to his. Her hands tug at Eugene's sash parted robe the rest of the way until his dark hairy chest was revealed to her great satisfaction.

Any cognizant and involuntary thinking he has is halted when her bulging tummy presses against her man's bare rockhard abs. Both look down to the humorous situation of the growing future literally wedged between them.

"Hee hee hee."

"Heh heh hee." The easy laughter shared between the partners each revel in. These were rare moments in between pain and anxiety and frustration nowadays when they could be part of each other's lives again.

"Now… I know your Pops may have a bit of a conniption fit... But if you're still feeling this restless in the morning – _and you promise to be on your best behavior, Mrs. Fitzherbert_ – what would you say, to an invitation to the Corona Town Square to visit all the winter festive sights. You can spend some time with your old friends as they are putting up the ' _Christbaum_ ('Christmas Tree') in the church early this year to commemorate Advent Sunday's month's start, hmm?" The cocky man gives his instantly enthused woman a know-it-all simper as he props his well-toned body up on one elbow for dramatic effect to dangle the carrot before his curious, no-longer-weeping wife.

Lifelong loner Eugene Fitzherbert/Flynn Rider was not one for attending big shindig occasions, but he knew his effervescent little bride had a hankering for socializing with the townspeople. He knew his Princess Rapunzel always tried hard to please to make others like her.

 _Which shouldn't be hard at all, considering how pretty and sweet and adorable you are…when you're not throwing things._

Since the whole darn town (minus one Uncle Monty) adored their darling 'Missing Princess' since her return, Eugene reckoned that attending their Christmas tree church ceremony celebration was something Rapunzel's spouse figured would bring that sparkling grin back to her pouty face.

Pascal gives Eugene a congratulatory thumbs-up where the lizard was perched on the bedpost above their heads.

"I would say…' Thank you', Mister Fitzherbert." With happy tears now, Rapunzel beams from ear-to-ear up at him, already feeling the spirit lifted to have the prospect to be free of this bed's confinement and have some fun for a change.

Rapunzel playfully knocks Eugene's susceptible leaning elbow down until the man falls on his gorgeous face and prided nose flat to the bad. When he looks up, in a rush of energy, the brown-haired beauteous mother-to-be peppers loving, grateful kisses from the top of his Roman nose to his delightfully stubbly 5 AM chin.

"I love you, Eugene." Rapunzel whispers, her heart lifted as she rewards her wonderful mate who was so gifted to still be able to make her smile, even through her pain, with multiple kisses of such variety, he hadn't the drive to leave their bed so readily for some hours.

Besides, a little friendly fondling and gentle caressing would only do his lonesome beauty a world of good.

"And I love you most, Sunshine." Between those kisses, a teasing Eugene blows in Rapunzel's ear to gain her smile. Pascal covers his humongous reptilian eyes of the tenderly cautious couple's long-awaited osculation.

The father of her children would just have to be extra careful not to harm his _Liebling_ at this tender moment in her life. But at the same time, he would be sure to be able to share with the uncertain female the confidence of his love that she was so in desperate need of.

Princess Rapunzel needed to have the man who dared to unravel her tangled heart close at this time more than ever.

Master thief of hearts Eugene Fitzherbert was up to the challenge, as his dexterous hands caressingly massage Rapunzel's gurgling and throbbing, sore tender tummy while he soothingly blows in her gratified ear with whispered sweet everythings...

* * *

 ** _Arendelle_** **_Castle_** ** _, mid-afternoon…_**

Prince Alonso had been tapping his foot impatiently as he was given the full tour of Arendelle. Between the tedious old Council Chamber to the stately solemn Great Hall to the boring Portrait Room full of dull ancient history and dreary old library tomes of one sort or another, Alonso was yawning. The full-length paintings by some dead Master artists that Queen Elsa and Minister Kai took great pride in every inch of, and had been painstakingly describing to him as if it meant something to the insensitive twenty-something.

After spending all morning in negotiations of Argentina's natural resources of grain, fruits, and cattle, with Queen Elsa studiously listening, Minister Kai already had King Agdar's authorization of signing with the South American country's representative. But the annoyed young prince, who was less than interested in any talk of economy or trade deal between their nations, only gave the serious discussion that would affect his country's international prominence in years to come, only half his attention.

Sure, Arendelle had a lot of history and resources and assets to offer some interest to the visiting South American Royal, but the bored-out-of-his-skull Prince of Córdoba was solely interested in acquiring Arendelle's pale-skinned Queen.

Queen Elsa of Arendelle was certainly demure and quiet and reserved – all the qualities of a proper wife for him to bring home to Córdoba. And of course, she was undoubtedly a breathtaking beauty, at least enough to be up his own stunning standards.

It was undeniable that the pair of them looked quite well together in the full length reflective glass of the patio door in the conservatory when he had purposely cornered the standoffish Queen to stand beside her and take a proper assessment.

In those brief seconds of being intimately close to the pale blonde female, Prince Alonso was just that sure that the icy cool lady could be persuaded to fall for his ample charms and dashing good looks.

So, while that stuck-up Avaloran Chancellor Esteban had finally garnered the attention of the older Queen Mum and that fat Court Minister constantly hovering over the younger Queen, Alonso felt this was his chance to at last lay on his charm offensive thick.

"Tell me, Elsa. You don't mind that I call you 'Elsa', right? You may call me simply 'Alonso', now that we are such _good_ friends." Prince Alonso's scratchy, egotistical voice was so dripping with arrogance in the chilled air of the Arendelle Castle Conservatory that a reserved Elsa felt a bit stifled to contradict him.

Elsa simply nods and smiles uncomfortably at the tan-brown coiffed man in his direct address and insistence to speak exclusively to her.

"Now that I've seen all the ins and outs of your wonderful Arendelle Castle, don't you think it's about time I get the full tour of the beautiful countryside? I've heard so many tales of Norway's glorious mountains and crystal-clear fjords. The weather seems to have cleared up and my free spirit tires of the indoors already." The pretentious Córdoban Prince demands, compliments and dares in an ostentatious, flirty manner simultaneously as he bluntly confronts an astonished Elsa. He backs the skittish Ice Queen towards the large picturesque window with the ruse to overlook the snow-covered scenery outside and that glowing beacon of light shining back at them from the North Mountain's direction.

"I never imagined I would so enjoy visiting this bitter cold, but it's warming up to me in _so_ many ways. I would love to see more of your beautiful land, Elsa. The wide-open, great outdoors has more opportunity for glorious sights to enthrall and astound your royal visitor from a distant land, don't you think? That is, unless I am to take it that you're afraid to be alone with me? This trip has been so very rewarding for my country and myself in so many ways up to now. Never before have I felt so moved as I am now to be standing on the cusp of this beautiful new land. It is as if your glorious Arendelle has been calling for me to be part of its magnificent splendor all of my life." Prince Alonso boldly lifts Elsa's hand – thankfully gloved – and kisses the back of it with a flourish, followed by an excessively deep royal bow.

"We hot blooded South Americans sometimes tend to do and say things over the top when we are very enthusiastic about meeting someone new and exciting, you must forgive him, Queen Elsa." Here, Chancellor Esteban interjects with a dignified chuckle at how apparent this inept young man was making his woo pitching obvious for all to see.

"How very complimentary and astute of you to say so about our fine pristine landscape, Prince Alonso. But I'm afraid that the storm is too daunting for any jaunt out into the elements." Queen Idun chooses this moment of her tactful eavesdropping to intrude on her daughter's perceptibly unwelcoming, taciturn unresponsiveness to this self-absorbed young man.

 _Who can blame you, my girl, when you have so much a better prospect of a shining swordfish on the hook than this – to use a crass analogy - tactless little guppy?_

"Blizzard-schmizzard! Just look out the window, Your Majesties! The storm's let up, the sun's high in the sky, the wind's died down and the countryside is aglow like a wintry Wonderland! I'm sure I would welcome an excursion on this gorgeous day in this beautiful country, my first outing of many. After all, I plan to be a regular visitor to your enchanting shores, where our nations have just become invaluable trade partners. But remember, I have yet to inspect the grazing lands for the cattle we are trading before I put my good name on any deal. And who better to show me around for a little thrilling exploration full of new discovery than the Ice Queen herself?" The manipulative Prince had a way of making everyone else feel guilty around him for not immediately doing his bidding.

"Since when do you extol the virtues of a quality exploration, Alonso? Did I not hear you comment on this journey that explorers are young fools in search of old ruins?" The tall, dark and debonair Chancellor from Avalor scoffs at his contentious traveling companion from south of the equator.

"Better than old fools looking for new ones." Thinking himself witty and biting in his pointed remarks, Prince Alonso rolls his eyes at the older man with the distinguished moustache as he snorts a breath at Esteban and ushers a flabbergasted Elsa towards the door.

"Neither is true, Your Highness, Chancellor. Exploration is not for _any_ fools. It is ' _For the open-minded free spirit, who is never too faint of heart to try'_ , my wise elder sister once told me." Queen Idun observes to her argumentative visitors, recalling her sister Arianna's words when Idun herself was unwilling to entertain any unwelcome change or young men in her own time.

But Idun was thinking of another free-spirited young woman on an entirely different track with this potential suitor for her reticent daughter who held the powers of ice's frigid cold at her talented fingertips.

"I think that since the official business with Prince Alonso's country and ours is nearly complete, simply waiting for a signature as per the 'land inspection' clause the adept Prince has added, I suppose… we _should_ show this young man our most scenic sights before he goes. Once you secure his signature of approval of our grazing lands for his cattle, you may give the Prince a quick tour of your Ice Palace on the North Mountain. Would that not be a perfect 'thrilling exploration' end to a successful negotiation, Elsa?" Queen Idun says one thing, though her eyes possessed an underlying intent that had a different meaning entirely.

Elsa's mother had seen how very unattractive and repellant to Elsa's refined sensibilities this full of himself blowhard of a Crown Prince has been. No matter how hard he threw himself at her traumatized daughter all day long during his tedious visit, he was not in any way, shape or form accomplishing his task of swaying Elsa's mind from her valiant Prince Hans. The heart which Alonso had been persistently pursuing, was not for one second even touched in the least way, though the vain man believed he was brilliantly succeeding.

 _Did you really envision this blustery, conceited, arrogant young Crown Prince would even come close to enticing our Elsa to forget her gallant hero, Agdar? Ha! He doesn't hold a candle to our young Danish Vise Admiral! I suppose men are truly obtuse when it comes to perception of a woman's heart._

Within the confines of this Castle, as a good, proper hostess and regal monarch, Queen Elsa of Arendelle felt compelled to be stately and courtly and oh-so-polite mannerly to this pompous, vainglorious, little twit.

 _Pardon me – this 'confident, self-possessed young Prince.'_

But _outside_ its confines was a different story entirely. Elsa could be more herself in her own natural element of the cold ice.

Savvy Idun predicted that her big girl would be more comfortable in her own kingdom of her own making, where the Ice Queen surely could feel free to let it go and have some fun with this blowhard Córdoba boy at the same time. She could, once and for all ensure he would be reluctant to return to their country.

"Yes, it's about time Prince Alonso _experienced_ your Ice Palace, for all of its Majesty, min flicka." Idun weaves her wiles and connives quite intricately so that Prince Alonso is unsuspecting and fully taken in.

Elsa was left a bit unsure, though she had suspicions as to her mother's hidden inference.

"Great! Your mother is a smart woman after my own heart, Elsa! A grand tour of your stunning countryside with the daring excursion through the snowstorm to your secondary Royal Palace sounds magical – _and rather romantic_. I can't wait to begin! I shall escort Elsa in my chariot. It only requires two of us, Esteban. So you can stay here to entertain the other lovely ladies." The Prince of Córdoba says to the raised brow Chancellor, before turning back to the young Queen. "I do hope there are paved roads on this proposed journey northward, your Majesty, for those of us too regal to stoop to climbing mountains."

"Ahem. Please allow me to confer with my advisors on our schedule." A shell-shocked Elsa breaks away from the pleased as punch young man continually trying to ensnare her cold shoulder slippery arm.

"You want me to take Prince Alonso on a tour of Arendelle, even up to my Ice Palace, Mama? That will be a long journey by his little chariot's standard. You really think that's such a good idea? There are _snowgies_ up there." Scurrying up to Queen Idun as decorously as possible, Elsa's anxious thoughts trail off as she envisions the ensuing difficulties and disadvantages of showing this arrogant fool up to her northern ice sanctuary.

"Oh, Mama. Do I really have to?" Feeling very small, Elsa whines like a little girl to her sympathetic mother, who smiles and pets her cheek gently.

"With the sun shining bright and the blizzard passed, I can't see a diplomatic way out of his aggressive demands, _min spadbarns_ (my girl). Perhaps an afternoon out in the bone chilling cold will bring his narcissistic petulant youth down a peg. After all, it's when one is faced with the harshest development that distinguishes the men from the boys." Trying to make light of the situation, Idun whispers in her skeptical daughter's surprised ear.

"But, Mama. An afternoon alone with a perfect stranger! I don't know if I can do this." Elsa speaks in panicked tones behind her left-hand, not at all feeling comfortable with the thought of letting this insolent young man taking her for a ride.

"Elsa, please calm yourself. Prove to your Papa that you are a strong leader of your nation. _And_ a beautiful young woman who can accomplish all things through Christ. I am just that certain that the Ice Queen will be no wilting flower to any man, should the need to retaliate arise." Elsa's gutsy mother had first-hand proudly witnessed her big girl's bold and brave stand against wicked pirates, vicious sea monsters and malignant counts with the utmost grace and courage before.

 _So what was this one conceited little fool of a pint-sized prince compared to them?_

But her blonde child's unsettled face makes Idun want to assure her all the more, nonetheless.

"And if you don't come home by sunset, I'm certain Chancellor Esteban will escort Johanne and I right out to the Ice Palace to liberate you from the annoying young man in our royal carriage sleigh. That is, if Marshmallow hasn't already clobbered him. So you need not fret, my darling little girl." Idun says with a glimmer in her still vibrant indigo violet eyes.

"I suppose it will be just for a few hours. I hope Hans will understand that it is simply my duty, to receive with dignity, and somehow survive this envoy's visit." Elsa submits against a selfish desire to brush off any further relations with the bothersome Córdoban creature with an inward sigh.

"Of course you will, Elsa. Your Prince Hans wants you to succeed and mature in your role as Queen here, even moreso in his absence. After all, true love triumphs over jealousy." The Queen Mum says with wisdom, before quickly adding under her breath from her own experience with a stubborn man, though Elsa cannot hear it as she walks away:

 _"… most of the time."_

"Prince Alonso. We have decided that, as the weather has cleared up for the time being, we would be only too happy to show you around the Arendelle countryside where your cattle are set to graze before you have to leave on your ship for your return trip home." The last part of the lofty sentence was Elsa's preference, but with her even-toned voice and winning smile, she tried her best to keep that aloof sentiment to herself.

She succeeds, a great deal attributed to the fact the egotistically self absorbed young man was too busy fixing his slick charcoal black and gold trimmed tunic jacket 'just so' in the window's reflection. Prince Alonso swaggers across the room towards her, not noticing Queen Elsa's predisposed mood to dismiss his presence as more of a nettlesome formality.

"I knew you couldn't resist my charms much longer, you vision of beauty in blue." Giving himself airs as he saunters rather too close, invading Elsa's personal space, Prince Alonso flips his wavy cocoa brown hair out over his shoulder before haughtily signaling to Minister Kai with a clap of his arrogant hands.

 ** _CLAPP! CLAPP!_**

"You called, Your Highness?" Responding with a disgruntled pucker to his lips, Kai, obviously not impressed by this brash boy's irreverent rudeness – royalty or no – twists his lip as the large-set man briskly approaches at Prince Alonso's crude beckon.

"Yes, my good man. Have some of your servants prepare my horses in your stables for our day's outing. And have your kitchen staff prepare a basket lunch al fresco, fit for myself and Queen Elsa." Never uttering the word ' _please'_ , Alonso rattles off his orders without ever making eyeing eye contact with Arendelle's haughty Court adviser and Minister of Affairs.

"That will be arranged immediately, Your Highness." Courteous Kai says with a pair of pursed lips to the supercilious Argentinian young visitor.

"Then snap to it quickly, man. Before the weather changes and we are trapped in this dullsville old castle the rest of our stay, Sourpuss." Crown Prince Alonso had never learned to be respectful nor kind to those ranked beneath him, rather seeing them as lower-class than he. Alonso, after all, felt he would some day – _and soon, if my old man would get his posterior off the throne_ – be ruler of his vast country and all of its power resources and wealth.

 _So with my good looks and charisma to contribute, why should anyone I meet not do my bidding? Or fall for my charms?_

Now as for Elsa, though she too was raised to be the monarch of her nation, never once thought of her dear friends, Kai or Gerda or Johanne – or any of the other servants in Arendelle house for that matter – as any less worthy of respect or common courtesy and polite comity of civility than herself. After all, they were equal human beings and fellow children of God as her good and kind Papa and Mama had taught herself and Anna by example, never to hold themselves higher than any one of the citizens of their land that they were chosen to be the ultimate servants of.

She could not **ever** approve of a man who so disrespectfully disparaged one of her family's oldest friends, her tutor and teacher and regent caretaker, Councilor Kai.

But Prince Alonso indeed must have sensed her displeasure, turning to the beautiful platinum blonde with a conciliatory smirk. "I'm just kidding! C'mon, Elsa! You've obviously been working too hard! Don't be so uptight! You act like an old matron already, at the ripe old age of twenty-five instead of the gorgeous young thing you are!" Alonso, emboldened by her compliance, grabs tight hold of Elsa's unsuspecting hand and spins her around in a dramatic pose across the floor when she and he were alone in the long hallway leading to Arendelle Castle's front door.

"I am not yet twenty- _four_ years of age!" Being such an aforementioned young thing, Elsa was unable to help the blush at his too forward words. "Please! Stop! Let me go!" She indignantly manages to squeal out as she is pulled along quite unexpectedly. A dizzy Elsa says in muffled surprise as astonished ice fractals spout from her fingertips to streak dangerously even through her powder blue gloves.

Fortunately for accomplished dancer Alonso, her sharp frozen spurs just miss piercing his wrists as he had luckily just pirouette released the displeased woman to dramatically Spanish dance style spin her out towards the front door like a loosed toy top.

"Alonso! Do treat the Queen of Arendelle with more due respect! Or will I have to report to your father yet another scandalous visit where you have been ejected from another disgruntled royal lady's court? You are giving we South American nationals a bad reputation with the ladies, that only a few of us truly deserve." Playing off his own self-deprecating charm, Chancellor Esteban promptly comes to Elsa's rescue with one gentle steadying hand on her shoulder while she pressed a hand to her palpitating heart to quiet her ice-tossed nerves.

"Do forgive his boyish tendencies, your Majesty. Alonso still fancies himself as an accomplished dancer. Or what we call in my parts – a ' _mestizo'–_ eh, Iduna?" The tall and svelte Peruvian man with the graying hair and debonair features gives Elsa a fatherly smile and gentlemanly head bow after he likewise shoots Alonso a warning, chary glance.

"It takes one to know one, Esteban." Idun teases her old friend with the long tailed wine colored coat, dashing sideburns and well trimmed goatee who once enjoyed a good zamba, as she helps Gerda get an impatient Alonso into his fur collared poncho.

"Oh, ha ha hee hee. Touché, my poco avé canora." Esteban capitulates to his 'little songbird' with a small salute gesture and his dance of yesteryear's obligatory handkerchief quickly untucked and tucked back into his suave jacket pocket. Chuckling, the older pair follow the younger into the nippy, yet sunny cold to where Alonso's chariot horses were, as ordered, impatiently pawing the ground outside at the front drive.

"See! The sun is shining and the snow is all but stopped! We've done with our dreary negotiations, Elsa! For now, let's spend the rest of the day in the sun and feel free to have a little fun for a change. You look like you could use a little sun, yourself."

This sky indeed had nearly ceased its constant barrage of snow and sleet and blizzard condition weather as Prince Alonso athletically leaps down the final snow coated steps and into his vehicle. He maneuvers his horses easily around Arendelle's front courtyard to Elsa's advantage. The flamboyant prince holds out his hand this time to the Ice Queen with the sincere plea for her to quickly join him in his two-seater chariot.

Elsa, resplendent in her long, velvet body hugging dark blue velvet dress and flowing navy and silvery sparkling cape beneath her own fur mantle, takes a deep intake of breath before moving further onto the front steps to face this trying day.

Feeling the bright sun on her face, Elsa smiles.

Her mother was right. Deep inside, Elsa knew that her handsome Danish Prince would support her every step of the way on becoming a more confident and respected monarch. He would see this relationship with Prince Alonso as nothing more than on business terms. Elsa recognized that King Agdar had already prepared most of the trade dealings between Arendelle and Córdoba before he left, but the way she had deftly executed the remaining difficult and tedious trade negotiations, not giving too much without gaining enough in accord, she hoped would make her Papa proud.

Elsa knew she still had a lot to learn about international policies, and would feel so much more secure if her erudite future husband, who she knew by experience was a highly gifted negotiator, and whose ring was securely upon her finger, was here to do the face-to-face talking, especially with brash young men.

But today she would have to do the wheeling and dealing and confront other world leaders on her own, with neither father nor beau to guide or direct her as she matured in her sovereignty.

This very convincing young Prince of Córdoba was extremely good at making Elsa feel in the wrong for wishing to be serious about her kingdom's affairs. All day he had made it clear that she should find some time to feel free to leave work behind and enjoy herself and her youth when the sun shone, like it was now.

 _Maybe a day in the sunlight, as Anna always prescribes, beyond_ _Arendelle_ _Castle_ _'s confines, would do me some good to shake these nerves I've had since that terrible nightmare last night._

Elsa inwardly shivers, despite herself, as that frightening nightmare flashes before her eyes in one brief second until she sees her Hans' reassuring gentle smile and generous hand extended out to her.

 _There's no one like you to bring tranquility to my soul, Hans._

Resigned, with a determined look etched on her lovely face, Elsa accepts Alonso's suave, but not nearly as desired, offered palm to join her in his two-seater chariot. Hans was in the forefront of her mind as Alonso rather takes the liberty of scooting all that much closer towards her with the lap blanket he positions over both of them until he was practically breathing down her uncovered neck.

"Wait! Someone is absolutely dying to ride in your amazing chariot, if you would be so kind to allow her, Your Highness! May Eliana tag along? She can serve out the delicious lunch we have dished up in this basket for you!" As Elsa slides as far to the opposite edge of the chariot bench, Gerda and Johanne answer Idun's beckoning hand.

The sisters-in-law rush out to the chariot just about ready to launch, with their basket full of foodstuffs and the polite snow woman sitting upon its lid balanced between the running down the stairs women.

"A snowman? Oh, why not?" Alonso says testily, rolling his eyes to have his and the winsome Queen of Arendelle's romantic tête-à-tête moment marred by some strange local ritual of hauling a funny looking snow mound creature around.

"Oh, thank you very much, Prince Alonso. This chariot of yours looks so very exciting!" Courteous Eliana coos as Elsa magically lifts her atop the basket and the luncheon-filled container to the chariot to be placed between herself and a coldly-shoved-aside-when-he-tried-to-snuggle-close Prince Alonso.

"Huh?" Alonso gulps when he realizes that the snow-being placed directly beside him was indeed alive and able to sentiently speak to him in the politest of terms.

"You will find more magic under the sun in this Land of the Midnight Sun than you may have bargained for, my young friend." Esteban chuckles at Alonso's bug-eyed shocked countenance that so contrasted with either Eliana's pleasantly smiling or Elsa's calm and cool demeanor in the overfull chariot seat beside him.

"Shall we begin to tour Arendelle Town Square, Eliana? You know what Anna always says." Elsa leads the snow woman to speak.

"Oh yes! Arendelle town center is so very lovely at this time of year with the frost covered eaves of the houses all aglow in the noonday sun making them look like gingerbread dollhouses." Eliana begins to rattle off as tour guide on the route that Anna often gave to their visitors with a stop at the sweets shop that her little sister never failed to take their visitors to.

 _Oh, Anna, if only you were here, I wouldn't have to do all the entertaining by myself. Well…at least Mama snuck Eliana on board at the last minute._

Elsa thinks in gratitude to her intelligent parent she left back at the palace as the talkative snow woman fills the chilled, but clear air with all sorts of informative chatter, much to Alonso's sighing disdain at his thwarted romance attempt.

But out in the open fields where the snow-woman could easily be mislaid, the red-blooded man would get this gorgeous pale Queen alone soon enough.

He'd prove once and for all that an Argentinean future King beats a Danish thirteenth in-line Princeling wanna-be, any day, as the ice statue of Hans Westergaard Elsa had subconsciously erected stares coolly out the window as they depart…

* * *

 ** _Half a world away in the_** ** _Midwest_** ** _section of_** ** _India_** ** _…_**

Hans Westergaard awakens, feeling rather chilly cold—which was a strange sensation for his experiences here in the tropical weather of the Southeast subcontinent. India was situated near the equatorial line, surrounded by major oceans and seas on three sides of it that gave the land a humid climate, even well into this late November day.

The young Dane groggily opens his eyes and rubs at them to gain his bearings. For some strange reason it was all a bit hazier than usual to come to consciousness, but Hans was doggedly determined to come to.

"Oh, you poor _chère_ boy! Try not to fight so hard to awaken! You have been here under my care for only a few short hours. I have seen men far more experienced in the jungles than you stay bedridden for days after being bitten by one of those venomous Pardosa spiders! The goddess Kaveri almost had her revenge on yet another man. Which would have been such a waste of a rare specimen—such a fine, fit and well sculpted male as you, _bel homme_."

Hans had been too dazed to open his eyes fully as the sultry female's voice was cooing and lulling him into a stupor. That is, until the icy pendant upon his bare chest starts to pulsate cool energies over his burning up chest, stirring Hans awake.

"...S-sp-ider?!" Of all the terrors and creatures and mortal fears in this world, Prince Hans of the Southern Isles secretly harbored a dreadful gripping fear of the albeit small in size compared to a human man, eight-legged arachnid since he was a small child.

Perhaps it stemmed from the time in his early toddler years that Hans still vaguely recalled his heartless older teenage brothers and their cruelty for pushing the unwanted little three-year-old lad into a dark pit full of spiders they had gathered along with some choice creepy crawlies of all shapes and sizes to inflict the most terror on the young toddler.

All the long-legged creatures – Violin spiders, Fiddleback spiders, Simulan spiders, Little White Spotted spiders, Malmignatte spiders, Comb-footed spiders and numerous other unnamed deadly venomous ones such as the Recluse spider, native to Denmark, were taunted by the bigger teenage brothers to be mixed in with the group. But most of the spiders were non-fatal poisonous, though at the time, little Hans did not know that. When the spiders all had converged upon the terrified boy, wee Hans had cried and screamed and wailed, perhaps in good training for stretching his golden vocal chords. But the little child could not climb out of the ten foot deep dug pit until nightfall came and the tearful heartsick child had to be retrieved by his big brother Kaleb with a rope ladder the next day.

The eldest Prince of Denmark came to the boy's rescue more so to save face with his visiting friends come to patrol Egeskov's plush lands for hunting purposes and not bother his father with the unwanted child's disappearance, when their pointer dogs located the weeping, starving, cold and frightened child in the spider filled pit early the next morning.

Just like Biblical Old Testament hero Joseph, Hans had forgiven his brothers many years later, under the Lord's guidance. But the youngest Prince of the Southern Isles, try as he might, had not forgotten that terrible scar upon his young memory.

"Is he awake at last? You've got one strong constitution, Handsome, to have survived a nip from one of those blighters. Not to mention a particularly nice, tight and trim bum." Another feminine voice with a definite cockney British accent and her own brand of playful ribbing enters the darkened room with a candle lamp to inspect the prone-on-the-bed young man.

Stirred fully awake by now, the redhead blushes violently as he looks to both the scantily dressed pair of women hovering over him, one directly perched beside him, down to his own unsatisfactorily clothed form lying on the foreign bed.

"What?! How!? Where are my—?! Please…may I have my… _GULP_ …trousers?!" Spluttering modestly, the bashful, genteel Prince immediately grabs for whatever sheeting was available on the bed to cover his long bare legs from the two women gawking down at him.

"We had to remove them to dress and wash and clean your wound as thoroughly as possible, Sahib. I personally applied my special salve so that your fang-pierced leg will heal without scarring." An exotic black rim eyed Hindi woman wearing her slimming lehenga and traditional sari wrap and filmy scarves joins the other two in the room when she overhears their conversation.

The experienced female, well over five and thirty, gently caresses Hans' lower leg where the southeastern spider had left its poison marks in the man's well toned and muscular lower left calf.

"Do not struggle so, Sahib. My mystic herbal teas have done their work of keeping you sleeping to rest your weary body for the past three hours. You are a very resilient young man to recover so quickly from such a poisonous pardosa spider's venom. It is good Fernan brought you to us in time, after that pardosa crawled up your pantleg. She must've thought you rather tasty." The wise lines on the face of the India native woman displayed her age as she teases in her bedside manner. She rechecks Hans' nasty spider bite entry wound her concocted aloe vera, turmeric and other natural remedies combined appear to have neutralized the toxin of.

The young naval officer blushes in utter shame at having his bare lower extremities exposed before any lady, and to have the three of them all unabashedly touching and gaping at him all at once was almost too much to bear for the light-headed, and at times such as these, timid and shy man.

 _Ladies of the evening… No doubt_.

Hans quickly deduces, the thought ringing in his woozy mind from not only their scandalous state of dress – _not that he was any critic of how tight around the hips or how daring low cut or how high the thigh slit of a delicate female's garb should go –_ but their easy tones and the way each would crawl upon the bed, with a virtual stranger in this Victorian era of feminine modesty, was a dead giveaway as to their age-old profession.

"I thank you all very much for what you have done to make me well from the venom of that malignant creature, ladies. But I really must be on my way. You see, I have an urgent deadline, and a ship to meet, so as I can return to Norway in time–" Embarrassed and beet red-cheeked as he makes his way up from the bed to stand, Hans politely explains to the patiently listening women while his keen eyes had located his removed trousers that had been washed and neatly pressed in the interim.

The Danske Prince leans his 'nice tight legs'–that were both Providentially still working, thanks to these ladies and swift-acting Prince Ferdinand–to stretch across from the bed to the lounge chair and retrieve the absconded breeches as he does his best to remain dignified and still get them on as swiftly as possible.

He was acutely aware of how the pair of females remaining did not raise a hand to help him but merely giggled at the young man's stubborn, resolute determination despite his recent wound.

"For your beloved Queen's birthday party. Ah, men like you are rarer than _heera_ (diamonds)." The older Indian woman compliments as she finally relents to assist her somewhat disoriented patient into the pants he was quite comically stumbling into that she had removed some hours ago to see to his nasty spider bite wound.

"How did you –?" Hans looks up from where he was tidily tucking in the pale green silk shirt the British woman had freshly ironed and delivers to him that the strawberry blonde had fetched from the replete closet stores full of men's clothing she had chosen to go with Hans' eyes that would fit his slim size nicely indeed.

"Oh, Fernan has explained all about your incredible journey North up to the continent, all to attend your lady love's special occasion. I wish I had a man who would go the distance, through all that trouble for me. It's really quite romantic, you sweet thing. By the way, my name's Colleen." The thick cockney accented young woman introduces herself as she helps Hans into the donated shirt, her yearning hands rather enjoying doing his buttons up over that delectable auburn hair spattered muscular lean chest.

"Shame to cover that enviable lot up, luv." She pats Hans' tight abs one last time with an approving murmur.

"Oh, boy." Hans' eyes dart everywhere in the room but at the admiring, smirking woman giving his wares a favorable perusal.

"Ahem …that is…well…uhm…God bless you…Colleen, for your aid in…dressing me, as well as doing all in your power to set me right. I don't think I've ever been so…pampered in all my life." The flustered, flushed Dane was beyond humiliated to be thrust into such a harem situation with the many ladies fawning all over his partially clothed body. "And I am much appreciative and grateful to you as well for taking me into your house to tend to my wound with such care, for a stranger. If there is anything that I can provide, I certainly will endeavor to exceed, to show my humble appreciation, Miss…?" Ever the true gentlemen, despite his own mortification, Prince Hans turns and gives a sweeping bow to the Hindi woman with more respect than she had received from many a fine gentleman in these past twenty-five years of her chosen profession.

"Mrs. Padita Sarasvati, Sahib Westergaard. My own young husband died of a poisonous cottonmouth snake bite near the Kaveri himself many years ago soon after our wedding night. I have had to put food on the table for my son ever since. He has become a fine, accomplished doctor in the city of Bombay now. So do not concern yourself over me, Sahib. I run this business for my girls. And I know not a one of us would take a single cent from a true gentleman such as yourself who has a pure heart for his lady. Perhaps this act of human charity will add to our meager ledger books in the Hereafter. You eyes are as genuine and crystal clear as this _marakata_ (emerald) gemstone." Padita displays her bejeweled choker pendant as she states this proudly while she pats the Danish man on his sideburned cheek.

"Besides, it was your mystical nurse who has watched over you. More than any of my simple home remedies." She says in awe to feel Elsa's cool ice miniature emanating a protective field around the spot of the young man's spider bite that perhaps localized the vicious venom before it paralyzed his muscles until Padita could treat it.

"I know I have been a blessed man to have my angel near me all this time. So you see why I must do all in my power to make her happy." Hans admits solemnly with a soft smile down to the crystal clear image of the beauteous woman who forever held his heart.

It was then he noticed that his facial hair over the past few unkempt days on the road had grown to a slight moustache and thicker stubble than he ever sported before.

 _I do look rather dapper with a moustache, if I do say so myself. But I believe you would not approve, min kæreste (my dearest) for I am not your 'fatherly figure'. So it has to go._

Hans remembers with a smile his finicky lady's tactful opinion on the hairy subject that came up when they two were first aboard the Gler, what seemed a lifetime ago now. He digs in his pocket for the utility knife razor that had been washed along with his trousers.

"It is a shame that Fernan does not share that same sentiment about his own lady love Princess. I know it would do his listless ship a great deal of good to go home to her. He is really miserable, for all his salty flirtatious bluster and feigned dangerous charm." The older woman seemed to know a lot more about the French Prince than Hans had gathered up to this point.

Padita continues to speak as she sees Hans rubbing at his chin and upper lip philtrum and intuitively brings a basin of water for him to use his shaving razor on his mildly hirsute face by the nightstand mirror.

"I believe a modern, enlightened man such as that with a free-thinking heart wishes to sow his wild oats for an extra season or two. But eventually he will long for a contented and secure home. Though sometimes, it seems that his ambitious fianceé Princess rather drives him away, rather than lure him home. Still, there is no doubt in my mind that he does love her." The worldly woman had known Prince Ferdinand Egalité on and off for the past ten years of his adventurous crusade with the French Expedition and the country's Legionnaires into Africa and Afghanistan and Southeast Asia that had taken the Prince away from France.

His demanding father's pressing insistence that his eldest Crown Prince son's arranged marriage to Princess Helene of Mecklenburg-Schwerin would profit the kingdom and anchor his adventurous free spirit down. However, his devout mother disapproved of the match, for she and her son were Catholic, while the German Princess, a Protestant.

"Prince Ferdinand is to be married?" A curious Hans pauses to look up from where he had finished his shaving and patting his face dry with a towel she provided by the nightstand table and was now re-shoeing himself into his signature tall black boots that the kind ladies here had carefully brushed and polished until the leather shone from their former mud caked discomposure.

Prince Hans was quite astonished to hear this news with the way flippant Ferdinand Egalité was so libertine in his opinion of women.

"Oh, he does not broadcast the fact, for his reputation as a gallant legionnaire, mercenary ladies' man of the world would be tarnished. But Fernan, after all his ideals of freedom and equality and hopelessly French modern views of liberal relationships are said and done, is still romantic enough to keep a special place in his heart for his one true goddess named ' _Helena'_." The almond eyed woman with the olive-tan skin squeezes Hans' wrist. "Do not judge him too harshly. Fernan has his father's French ideals and his mother's Italian nature. But he's all right." Mrs. Sarasvati concludes just as a rhythmic knock comes to the door of the establishment in the central India rural province.

"Namaste, Padita. May come in? Yes? Mores the pity. That means I'm not interrupting anything. I hear your patient is awake and anxious to leave, though I cannot see why with such lovely creatures of beauty surrounding his bedside. Why not stay to enjoy some of our hostesses' entreaties, _mon_ _frère_ Hans? You should feel free to have a little fun once in a while, when the opportunity for delightful company arises. There are many miles between here and the Bombay hotel, and few stops in between, so you should take your opening." World sophisticate Prince Ferdinand glides into the unusually brightly lit bedchamber spouting his charm with a tight arm placed around the French lady of the evening who had informed him of his companion's consciousness, and a loose kiss to the strawberry blonde Englishwoman doing up the bed Hans had deserted for its next customer, perhaps later tonight.

"Do you not feel the pressing need to succumb to the impulses coursing through your veins as most other men do, Westergaard? Are you not human enough to feel free to land your ship to shore and have some fun once in a while, Vise Admiral?" Stroking his amused moustache with an inviting simper on his urbane features, Ferdinand plays devil's advocate tempter to Hans in a leaned-in whisper that only they two could hear.

"I am an unworthy human who has been miraculously blessed to be affianced to the dearest and most incomparable woman ever born, who deserves my constancy wherever in the world I am. I am devoted to her, and her alone. That means even during hotel bedroom stays." Hans states bitingly with the moral turpitude on his now stunningly clean-shaven and sideburn preened handsome face as he delivers this edict with his own wry smile.

After several seconds of them sharing a silent confrontational look, he adds: "And you would do well to cast your libertine attitudes aside for Grace, Egalité. You'll find much happiness there that debauchery never can satisfy." Hans addresses his philanderer friend with some hearty idioms down his long cultured nose at his French companion.

 _I see no one else—my eyes can only look at you, my Elsa. There are no other women in the world. To me, there is, and always will be, only_ ** _you_** _._

"Then your venerable reputation as a changed man has not been overrated, thus far, _mon amie_." Prince Ferdinand murmurs beneath his breath more to himself than for anyone else to hear.

"Egalité. I thank you for bringing me here after I endured such an injury, but we will be leaving immediately. Have you seen my belt pouch?" Clearing his throat, Hans ashamedly diverts his eyes from his fellow prince's open display of lasciviousness, desperately trying to remain pure and noble in both thought and deed. The Danish prince lays down the law, ignoring such a libertine offer on the face of it as he finishes preparing himself to go on the road again, but finds that special leather pouch holding his most precious items was missing from his belongings which Colleen brings to the redhead.

"Oui (Yes). And oui. And _bon jour_ , good morning to you, too, _Mon amie_. I am very well, thank you. I trust you are feeling better?" The Frenchman expounds with a ruffled salutation morning greeting, as he enters the room. He tersely tosses Hans' leather pouch that was interestingly already in his hands, nonchalantly onto the table behind the Danish Prince.

"I am well, Egalité, owing to you. _Du har min taknemmelighed_ _(_ You have my gratitude.) These kind ladies have attended my wounds and have given us a place to rest for the night that I am extremely grateful for. So now I am sure, due to their efforts, we are more than ready to continue our journey." After he addresses his traveling companion, Hans replaces his belt around his chest along with its attached leather satchel, and reclaims his sword in its sheath from the dresser it was laid upon. Hans then quite gentlemanly bows to each of the three women in the room with a friendly handshake and smile.

"Yes. Enticing distractions aside, I suppose I am ready whenever you are, Westergaard. But when you suddenly passed out and tumbled from your horse last night after we were riding straight for hours, I became rather worried. That swelled redness of your lower leg told me it was not mere fatigue. Fortunately, we were but a few kilometers away from this house of ill repute, where I knew I could rely on my dear scarlet angels, Padita, Colleen and Gisele, to take care of us hungry, tired and poison spider bit shirtless wanderers. _Merci beaucoup, la femme._ (Thank you very much, ladies)." The roguish Prince of the French kisses each striking, sultry female's hand as he passes.

"Such a crass title for my weary travelers' lodge, open to all seeking refuge, Fernan!" The Frenchman smoothly wraps a familiar arm around the vexed older woman after slapping the other two on their rear ends, bringing a horrified look to Hans' blushing face, and an amused glow to the lady of the house's dark skinned face.

The debonair man smiles winsomely and kisses both her sallow cheeks with chivalrous aplomb.

"You know I hold your establishment which I have visited so often in my wastrel youth with high regard, Shrimati Sarasvati." As the frivolous Frenchman civilly flirts with a caress to the southeastern woman's ebony hair in its gandahara curled ponytail, Hans innocently notes how this merry cat and mouse game the playboy rake played was a part of dissolute Prince Ferdinand Phillippe's natural charm.

Hans vaguely recalls thinking how that sort of romantic daring gallantry was what he too once supposed refined ladies found attractive. In his own youth, he had honed himself in the use of clever speech and witty phrasing in order to sweep Princess Elsa Bernadotte of Arendelle off her dainty feet with his winning chivalry and charismatic arrogance.

Hans was nearly as good as he thought he would be at the art of deceptive flirtation, but had discovered almost too late that the true path to win a lady's delicate heart was with truth and sincerity, not merely bedazzling her with a worldly man's flippant attentions.

"Well, though it means you will never come back to me, I hope you will grow up someday soon, my _payan natoutiyaaka_ (little boy wanderer)." The Indian woman playfully lets Ferdinand put on his charade as she feigns more dampened spirits than she actually felt and gives him some of her time-honored advice.

"Then you already forgive my unintended slight, beautiful one! I thank God for that. Because I prefer to leave you not bitter against me _, ma belle_." Ferdinand gives his old friend a conciliatory smile as he describes their itinerary more than pay heed to her words which he lets slide down his slippery shoulders. "For, alas, Westergaard and I must take our leave from you three delectable delights lest we miss our clipper packet from Bombay in two days' time."

The British East India Company mail had an express route that would take the men from India to the Mideast and Suez, through Alexandria to Rome and onto the continent.

The French Prince had traversed a great deal of this overland route before on his expedition seeking gung-ho past, but never in such an urgent manner of pace. However, he found a deadline added to the overall thrill that the jaded Royal Crown Prince craved on a daily basis.

The other young man in the room whom this escapade's designed swift passage was actually for—Prince Hans, was already clean and dressed and itching to get out the door of the solicitous house of comely women, so Ferdinand knew it was time to go.

Though Hans knew nothing transpired between himself and any of these the lovely beauties, it still pricked at his conscience to feel guilt in his pledge to Elsa of his constancy to even be within the walls of such a shady institution.

Perhaps it was his own plotting and scheming nature of the past that made the young Prince wary of ever being sighted in such a place, lest his pristine reputation suffer, making him unworthy of a relationship with the Queen.

 _Or maybe_ …

The feminine temptation made him miss his lithe, lissome beauty all the more, dreaming of the days when he wouldn't have to be embarrassed to wake up with a woman at his bedside.

 _My Elsa…Have no doubt. I will keep myself true, in wait for you…_ _min ædle…(my precious)_

As he and Egalité wave a fond farewell to the ladies as they mount their steeds, Prince Hans' mildly hazy mind was determined to keep his total focus on his goal for the rest of this incredible journey.

"May God, your Father and mine, see your hearts safely returned to the bosom of your true loves, _E_ _ṉ_ _a_ _ḻ_ _akā_ _ṉ_ _a airōppiya i_ _ḷ_ _avaracarka_ _ḷ_ _._ (my handsome European princes)" Padita waves from the front porch of her house, which is quickly obscured in the dark of night as his and Ferdinand's steeds race away.

Hans smiles to the wise older Indian woman with the red dot gleaming on her forehead that signified she was still married and just as much in love with her long-passed sweetheart.

As for Hans, he would keep his eye still unwavering on the ultimate prize of securing the happiness of his true love Ice Angel, as he and the traveling companion he was slowly learning more about, continue to cross the humid Indian Tropics…

* * *

 _min ædle -_ my precious in Danish

 _Mon ami –_ my friend in French

 _Frère_ – brother in French

 _heera_ \- diamonds in Hindi

 _Shrimati_ – Madame in Hindi

 _Namaste_ – Polite greeting in Hindi

 _Ma belle –_ 'my beauty' in French

* * *

Hello, Frozen/ Tangled/ Elena Disneyana friends!

Can you hear the fun Spanish flavored song playing in your head as you read this chapter full of enticements and irreverent calls for our dutiful characters to just let it all hang out and have fun?

Our cast, none of which were feeling 'free to have fun', are being confronted by many temptations this chapter! Between the arrogant suitor Prince Alonso and flirtatious scarlet women in India, with some new insight into Prince Ferdinand's background, our Helsa certainly has their constancy put to the test today! Interesting, exciting times for our handsome pair!

And hooray! Eupunzel has made their first entrance into Book 3! Poor Rapunzel is so woefully pregnant, she's pinned to her bed and longs to escape to the world outside again! Poor 'Punzie! Eugene seems to have calmed her, for now, with a promise of a sneak visit into town when her over-worried Father King Friedrich isn't looking.

What won't Eugene Fitzherbert go through to keep his girl happy? Our criminal thief turned out to be such a sweetie! I wonder what else is in store for the Corona angle of this tale! (Besides babies imminently on the way!)

We'll see more of them all soon as we enter my writing-fest birthday month of August!

Stay tuned for more adventures, Frozen friends!

God bless you!

HarukaKou


	10. Chapter 9 - Light a Candle for Me

_We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

 **"Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act VI**

 **Chapter 9**

 **"Light a Candle for Me"**

Princess Anna loved going fast, riding in a one-horse open sleigh by the seat of her pants, for as long as she could remember.

With her papa, King Agdar, at the helm, his cryokinetic abilities gave Svala the reindeer hauling Kristoff's fast sleigh an extra boost of velocity, making the excitable ginger girl want to squeal with delight.

But just one look upon her dear Papa's deeply furrowed, creased brow and obvious frown all during the exciting ride, song or no song, restrained the chipper girl from doing so. Even as the snow drifts parted and ice fractals wondrously whooshed alongside their craft in a dizzying vortex of cold, Anna and her silent father raced nonstop northward from Troll Valley up to the Trollheimen mountain with their passengers of GranPabbie, Little Rock, and the elder trolls accommodated in the ice trailer behind.

That is, until Anna spotted a familiar, well-polished blade runner sticking out the huge snow embankment at the base of an ice crag. This was at the eastern side of the main road that split on the tall mountain of Trollheimen at this point, up from its deep valley to the surrounding Langfjela range's great kingdom of peaks to the west.

What disturbed the Arendelle princess most was the fact that the oh-so-familiar Ice Harvester sleigh was not only abandoned, but it was turned over on its side as well, along with some mysterious deep gashes across its once fresh lacquered dashboard.

 _Kristoff! Please don't be hurt under there, please don't be hurt under there, please don't be hurt under there… You CAN'T be hurt under there!_

Anna's panicked mind begins to freak out, especially when her intermittent psychic link with her husband was currently off-line again.

"Papa! Stop the sleigh!" The petrified young woman screams out above the din of tinkling ice shards and whooshing supercooled winds at her side and beyond the trailer they were hauling with the elderly rock trolls at her back.

Anna leans over the edge of ' _Baby'_ , screwing her face up at the inexplicable skidmarks and tracks that led to the frozen ice crag and large mound of snow piled at its foot.

"Anna? What's wrong?" Agdar's bluish white, filmed-over eyes defrost at his traveling companion's urgent call. The Ice King instantly slows his ice thrust accruement until the sleigh halts to a complete stop.

"Where are Kristly and Sven?!" Anna immediately hops from the sleigh bench even before it skidded to a halt in the thankfully letup storm. Without a care to herself, Princess Anna falls to her knees and frantically begins to rapidly dig with her mittened hands at the snow sludge base of the inverted vehicle. But that was futile, for the weighty sleigh was wedged against the side of the mountain gully, buried in an avalanche of snow.

Without wasting a second, the elder trolls all go piling out of their sleigh trailer to help dig for any survivors of the snowy crashed wreckage that was now exposed.

"Snow go! Snow go! Snow go, snow go!" Anna was chanting subconsciously while she was on her knees burrowing through the cold white powder like a blind mole rat.

Her friend Little Rock emerges from the icebed trailer to be quick right behind her, throwing snow up in every direction as the elderly rock trolls had lent their big, cupped rock hands for shoveling assistance to a frightened Anna.

"Everyone! Stand back!" King Agdar orders in his deep baritone ringing over the mountainside as he approaches the turned over, snow piled on sleigh.

Gran Pabbie places a wise stony hand on Anna's convulsing shoulder as Little Rock grabs the distressed girl's pom-pom skirt ends and tugs her back away from the half-buried sleigh.

The Ice King then raises both of his cryo-charged hands to draw on the chilled currents of the air stream. He masterfully lifts the upside down sleigh vehicle, picking it with an invisible icy grip straight up to the sky to flip it back over to the roadside, right side up.

"What creature in our Nordic environment could possibly have made those burnished gashes into this polished maple sapwood, Pabbie?" Learned man Agdar Bernadotte asks the elder troll in a hushed tone as not to alarm his daughter with this stark query.

Satisfied that Anna's mountain boy was neither trapped nor pinned beneath the sleigh's weight, or an even worse condition under the vehicle, Arendelle's King employs his powers of polar wind to blow the remaining snow away to its hoarfrost dewpoint withered grass. It was curiously mottled and apparently sizzled beneath the fresh snow.

"Perhaps a creature not from our environment, but one of many from the heated core center of the earth, thousands of kilometers beneath our snowy mountain clime, your Majesty." GranPabbie responds in his enigmatic way in an equally muted tone to Agdar's grunted displeasure when the tall, ginger blonde King leans his head down to the troll's level.

"Hmph. From the core center of the earth…" Agdar trails off that blistering thought taking various routes in his fertile, knowledge-seeking imagination combined with ancient Scandinavian folklore and Biblical prophecies concerning the 'lake of fire' where sinners are cast down if they defy God and not believe.

"Papa! GranPabbie! Where did Kristly go without his sleigh?! You think he's still out there with the trolls at the top of the mountain? I'm going up!" Hope springs eternal Princess Anna was determined to not give in to her fears as she stands to her full five foot four height to look up, shielding her eyes. The feisty princess gazes upwards to the noontime sun towards the Trollheiman mountain plateau above.

It was up there she had her last mental communication with Kristoff when he was on the mountain getting Cliff and Bulda and the rest of his troll family settled in their new surroundings last night up there at the Trollheiman peak.

Anna grabs the rope and tackle from the back of Kristoff's ice sleigh wagon, fully prepared to climb the mountainside rather than journey the trip around the mountain's spiraling paths by sleigh.

"No, Anna. My troll crystals are pointing to Kristoff having a residual signature in the valley's direction." Confused himself, GranPabbie's previously defunct aurora borealis powered red and yellow and purple troll crystal necklace starts to shimmer with the will of the Troll King.

GranPabbie conjures decades of magic know-how to ensure all the remaining vagrant energies still hanging in the still mountain aura respond to his summoning.

His crackly, stony ancient hand gestures across the picturesque mountain to the direction back down into the valley.

"Then I'll go that direction!" With a blustery pair of gloves slapped together, Anna tries to cover her inner fears as she determinedly marches in the opposite direction down the path.

However, the gutsy girl was totally unprepared by the sight she sees after stumbling head-top over teakettle down a snow disguised deficit in the ground.

"Oof." She grumbles beneath her breath, and shakes her head. She stands up to brush the snow out of her cute, fur-trimmed pale blue hood and braids before putting her mittened hands together to call back up to the others: "I'm okay! No worries, Papa! Just marking where the potholes are on this ol' mountain road so no one else falls into one." The clumsy girl calls up to her alerted parent as the Ice King dismissively nods from where he was conferring with the older trolls in trying to assess if the Ice Harvester sleigh they recovered was in any shape to be functional.

"Hey! Where did you come from, little fella?" The always sociable, animal loving Princess smiles down to the no more than one foot tall miniature being suddenly standing before her, shivering in the cold as it stares up at her beneath its dark brick and burnt sienna shaded mop of fur hair.

The odd creature Anna couldn't quite identify the category of right away, resembled something between a hairy monkey and an iguana from the way the skinny biped was hunched over wearing a mud caked little frock, on two webbed feet with a spiked head of what could be construed as tree roots for hair.

Its large rounded ears that belled upwards seemed to perk up when Anna spoke, with eyes so tightly shut that they were practically nonexistent.

Its tail ended, in what appeared to a blinking hard, partly snow-blind Anna to be a flickering – _no, furry_ – plume?

"Huh? What funny fur you have! What type of little critter are you…?" Anna's curiosity was about to get the better of her as her hand reaches out to pet the strangely adorable, eyes pinched tightly shut creature that was cowering in the shade of the mountain boulder she had stumbled against to steady herself from breaking her ankle on the sunken hole.

The poor little thing was quivering so much and looked lost and frightened, Anna felt compelled to give it a warm welcoming hug…

{"Anna! Don't touch it!"} From the deepest recesses of her mind, Princess Anna hears a small voice ringing inside her head. She automatically takes a step back from the tiny unassuming creature shivering in the snowy mountain shadows.

"But he's so cute." Something in Anna's subconscious argues aloud, she inexplicably drawn to the beady-eyed, big jug-ears critter that was wearing the funniest little brown dress.

{"NO. IT'S NOT. Anna, hold your troll crystal necklace tight and close your eyes. Clear your head of everything but my voice. Don't touch it, do you hear me? Just do as I say, and look at that thing with the truth of your heart, not the mirror of your eyes."} Kristoff Bjorgman's normally mellow, sweet voice was urgent and sharp now as he unequivocally directs his partner in life to follow his unusually terse words.

Tearing her gaze away from the amusingly sweet and interesting small fellow, Princess Anna shuts her eyes as tightly as she could. She presses her mind to ignore all the glorious mountainsides and pertinent sounds going on around her with Papa and GranPabbie and the older trolls all grimly conferring as they inspect the sleigh and were deciding the best way to repair it.

It wasn't too hard for the girl-in-love to focus on her favorite physical part – _oh so many delectable choices on Kristly!_ – of her handsome Mr. Bjorgman. That being his soft and sweet, gentle loving voice as her hands solemnly take hold of the magical troll crystal necklace clasped around her throat.

The golden yellow hued AB infused crystals had connected herself to her soulmate through some rough uncertain times before…

"The truth of my heart. Not the mirror of my eyes." Anna spiritually repeats her guy's words over and over until she hears Kristoff's gentle voice in a commanding yet tender whisper right in her ear: "Now open them."

Anna obeys, her aquamarine orbs slowly opening to come into focus with that funny furred, adorable critter that she had stumbled into a strange hole to find.

"Eek!" The ginger plaited girl squeaks when her truly cleared eyes see not what the mirror image of the convoluted sky had tried to project, but what really was actually there.

Rather than the sweet, half monkey, half lizard, hair-sticking-up, mole-like animal she saw before, it was more of an ugly, reptilian skinned, reddish-brown, devilishly squinty eyed, fiery creature of darkness. The mini monster had a burning lava coat of crackling skin that left evaporated smoke trails in its wake beneath his feet wherever it touched the snow.

The very ground it touched was burned by its triple claw paw mark, the same as those that were imprinted as deep burnt gashes across Kristoff's crashed Ice Harvester sleigh.

This small, but unearthly magma monster was about to lunge its bared claws at an innocent Princess Anna and leave its charring marks across her pretty face too…

"Anna! Hit the dirt! Now!" Kristoff's physical voice cries out through the crisp, cool, skies.

The Ice Harvester/Snow Prince/Wind Whisperer utilizes all his years of training to have clearly cleaved with his handy ice pick a pointed chunk of ice from the iceberg plateau on the adjacent mountainside he and his flying reindeer Sven had death-defyingly dived by to load as a special ice arrowhead upon the perfect nock point setting of his Saami longbow to fire it with such precision aim as the cold wind was at his arrow's back –

 ** _T'CHI!_**

 ** _SCHHWAFF!_**

His pure mountain ice-tipped arrowhead sinks straight into the place where a heart may have been, had the wicked creature born of dark thought, fear and loneliness, been able to possess one.

"Wow." Before Anna's besotted eyes from where she was at ground level, the Princess watches how her gorgeous mountain man single-handedly take down the deceptive creature. She had been seeing the devilish monster as cute and cuddly through the false mirror reflected in the hazy ice of the atmosphere.

The Wind Whisperer's arrowhead struck the little lava monster directly in the correct spot on its chest. The hot target could be only pierced by ice sent via a heart so true and genuine and honest. Trickery through fear and loneliness, knew no power or hold over this extraordinary young man, against all odds.

"Anna!" This all happened in a matter of seconds, and the dazed girl was still digesting it all.

Her Papa Agdar comes running over to where his younger child was obediently lying face down in the snow bank surrounding the inexplicably scorched earth all around her.

The ice cold with fear King pulls Anna up to him, and backs from away from the wriggling, writhing creature on the smelly, burnt ground until it finally gives up and is metamorphically fossilized into an inanimate pile of rock of andesile proportions.

"What a fine shot! Well done, young man!" King Agdar congratulates his son-in-law unabashedly, forgetting himself after witnessing Kristoff's incredible archery skills and mid-air feat that caused the ensuing demise of that vile little vermin who attacked his daughter.

But as the conquering hero circles the air on Sven to make a gallant landing on Trollheiman's mountain rise, Agdar watches his pleased-as-punch Anna ditch him and throw herself bodily at the boy with a lengthy and overtly passionate kiss.

"Take it easy, Baby." Kristoff tries not to cringe at her touch, his body aching and scorched beneath his thick tunic clothing.

"But next time, I would like to be kept abreast of any dangerous situation involving either of my children. You took a great chance in launching that arrow, even as my daughter was just diving out of its way." Agdar pompously grills Kristoff on that daring save maneuver when Anna was endangered in that split second, life-and-death decision. Agdar withdraws back into himself to be more stone-faced critical.

But one look at the Snow Prince's contorted face causes the experienced Navy man to raise his brow and cease his upbraiding.

"What is that thing, and where the devil did it come from?" The leadership position in Admiral Agdar overtakes his worried father role as he stares down at the hideously screaming and baring its fanged teeth, petrified into a stone statue gargoyle that was once a firebreathing, smoke stenched creature of darkness.

"It is just that, King Agdar. These are the underground magmaites I spoke of to you earlier that are nothing more than illusions of nonliving matter, soullessly come to life as minions by the dark magic of our troll cousins led astray – the Nibelungs." GranPabbie announces in answer to Agdar's hypothetical posed question.

"But how did it get up here? I chose this solid, highest peak mountain as a refuge for my trolls to escape, chiefly because there are no geysers or hot springs perforating the landscape with cracks in the earth's crust for many miles." The old troll inquires himself, displeased that the Wicked One's destructive fingers could reach this far up into the ice capped mountain in order to do his brethren harm.

For, as legends said, one scratch from the magmaite's claws to his rock troll kind would irrevocably transform the troll's metamorphic nature into an igneous creature that must live beneath the earth's surface in the kingdom of the damned forevermore.

And if the rock troll was exposed to the magmaites touch for an extended period of time, with one breath of fire, he could be reduced to fossilized dust and perish.

"Three of the Magmaites must've been clinging to Sven's sleigh runners, GranPabbie, since we passed the geysers on the way up here. We had to make a stop around there, now that I think about it, when Homfels had his urgent bladder issues again." Kristoff recollects his oldest rock troll uncle's inability to travel for long without taking a kidney stone passing pitstop.

"I thought I noticed something weird, but with my senses all out of whack, I didn't pay much attention to it." Kristoff bangs on his noggin with a self-punishing fist and frustrated sigh. "That is, until we finished setting up camp at the old Ice Harvester's site I was telling you about at the Trollheiman mountain peak. Those things must've been stunted from the frigid cold temperature way up here as the air thinned near the summit. Anyways, just as I was getting ready to leave, after I built a fire for Bulda to cook the soup of frozen moss and carrots we brought up, two of the things popped out from my sleigh and started terrorizing the camp." Kristoff was explaining his previous day's encounter to Agdar and GranPabbie as he was lifting the petrified monster into a watertight satchel. Then he carefully sweeps up its lava dusted pile to place into another sack he enigmatically packs with snow all around it onto the small cargo hold of his new sledge named 'Baby.'

"When the smoking hot molten monster attempted to attack the trolls, Cliff rallied the other troll men where they all could push a load of snow and ice from the hanging precipice above while Sven and I cornered two of the rabid creatures directly below. After a lot of corralling, we at last succeeded. The onslaught of bitter ice and snow was such a shock to the magma creatures, they turned into stone and cracked all apart." Kristoff demonstratively expounds with his big manly hands, even as he was removing all of the tackle that he unhitched Sven in a hurry from before. He loads it onto the newer sleigh, as Kristoff walks about stiffly.

"How's that for rock solid teamwork! I wish I was there to see you guys in action! Good job, Sven!" Anna happily congratulates, wrapping her arm around Sven's head warmly as she always does, but the reindeer bull lets out a pained 'HOMN!' at her familiar squeeze.

"Sven?" Anna immediately pulls back to now look at her Rangifer buddy more thoroughly.

His grey fur was singed off from his neck up past his jaw to his cheekbone until the poor animal's raw skin was red and exposed at the side of his injured face. The severe burn reached all the way to under his eyes, so that the reindeer bull was squinting up at her pitiably from his right side.

"Kristly! What happened to Sven?!" Anna was all in a panic to see her dear furry friend hurting.

"Ah, yeah. When we were on the way back down to scout out if any more of those awful things were on their way up, one more of those darned lava creatures crawled up from where it was frozen to the sled base stanchions. It must've heated up from the friction of the runners, woke up and set the cargo bed on fire. I tried to unhitch Sven from it ASAP when I couldn't put it out, but the nasty little monster jumped me while I was working on the tackle. Good old Sven reached his neck around and took most of the hit for me." Kristoff oh-so-tenderly brushes his sore reindeer friend's antler.

"It burned the poor guy at his neck until I wrapped it in my sealskin vest and rolled out of the moving sleigh to knock it to the ground into some fresh powder. The creature steamed up and stunk like brimstone, but it got up and kept coming at us until I kicked it with my boot and smashed it against the iceberg causing a little avalanche to fall over it. When nothing moved under the piled on snow, I never imagined it would have survived being buried alive, to get back up again. Resilient little buggers. _Szzt_!" Kristoff lets out a little sizzle through his clenched teeth as the pacing back and forth blond surveys the area where the signs of struggle were apparent now that and Anna and King Agdar knew what occurred, as Kristoff had described.

"Poor Sven. You think it will help if Papa makes an ice pack for your face to keep the swelling down?" Compassionate animal lover Anna gingerly pets the wounded reindeer, Sven giving her a pair of big woeful eyes and a mournful moan as the Ice King complies with said ice pack delivered to Anna's mitten hands as she leads Sven to Svala, still hitched to 'Baby.'

After Anna gingerly applies the ice pack, brave Sven screams and shrinks back. But the female reindeer doe tenderly nuzzles her mate, licking his burn wounds that were starting to painfully blister on the side of Sven's face, giving him some relief.

That's when one of the troll elders on the ice trailer approaches. He had mixed an herbal treatment balm that was sure to soothe the burn blisters on Kristoff's friend.

"Thanks, Master Mylon. I hope Sven will be well enough soon to keep traveling, because I've got to go North see my Ma about this." Kristoff shakes his own pounding head that was already swimming with troubles and prophecies and intuition of the nature he was so connected to. He had a responsibility as Snow Prince and Wind Whisperer to help fix this new disorder, that somehow involved his revealed mother, the Snow Queen—he could feel it in his bones.

"Come, Kristoff. Let Healer Eclosite tend to your wounds first before you continue your journey to Svalbard." GranPabbie says as the Troll Healer approaches from where he had been applying the special salve to Sven.

"Kristoff's hurt, too?! How?! Where?!" A wide-eyed Anna was so busy fussing over their reindeer pal, she failed to notice her own quiet man's bravely fought back injuries from the impious molten creature's attack.

"It's nothing really, Anna. Just a little singe on my back. Like I said, Sven took the brunt of the hit. I'm okay. You guys just care for Sven. I'll take Svala on the new sleigh up to Svalbard." Kristoff says matter-of-factly, gaining King Agdar's respect for the boy's protective altruism for his new wife's sake combined with his uncomplaining manly attitude and devotion to duty that the older man found commendable.

"There will be time for the Troll Healer to care for your injuries along the way while I drive the sleigh up to the troll encampment to deliver these troll elders and see that the others are safe, and that no other threats have developed. Then we leave them to journey northward together. Now lie down and take the benefit of their wisdom and restful treatment in the interim… Son." King Agdar makes his man to man resolution to a visibly gratified Kristoff, along with an acknowledging nod to GranPabbie, Healer Eclosite and elder Trainer Master Mylon.

The older troll with a large utility belt full of pouches and many ropes wrapped around bags of feed and canteens of water gently takes charge of Sven. Trainer Mylon holds Sven by his single antler to lead the reindeer to walk beside the secondary sleigh's course up the mountain.

"Yes, sir." Kristoff does not argue as Little Rock and Healer Eclo, and GranPabbie usher him to their flatbed trailer to lay face down on some dried grass and leaves they spread from their bagged possessions for a mattress and pillow for their injured favorite human son.

While he takes control of the reins of the sleigh and its attached flatbed, just as Agdar predicted, his lively little girl Anna crawls from her passenger's seat in the sleigh beside him to make a little wild leap over into the sleigh's trailer icebed behind where her husband lay under the doting older trolls flanking him all around.

Her intrepid Ice King Papa was lifting the ice trailer on a cool air stream to both lessen the load for Svala's single pulling and also give a smoother, less bumpy ride for the injured Kristoff and Sven up the mountain path.

"Thank you, Papa." Anna whispers with a small smile, sensing her father's current aid and reassuring guidance. She was grateful how her often stern, frosty parent was slowly warming up to her dearest love when Kristoff needed them most, even to the point of calling him ' _Son'_.

{"I caught that, too, Anna. Maybe I should get injured more often, if just to gain your father's vote of sympathy to accept me. Ouch!"} Kristoff reestablishes his mental link with his gal, a bemused smirk on his mouth resting the hay.

Anna feels all giddy inside to feel her lover's mental presence again, smiling from ear to giggling ear until she spies his bare back and extremely red, inflamed sore rear end where the troll healers were working on him.

Anna cannot control herself from bursting out giggling even with her hand over her mouth as the gleeful ginger kneels down beside her injured fallen hero.

"Don't tell me that cute little gremlin burned your buns?! _Hee hee hee_! No wonder you were pacing back and forth before and wouldn't sit down! My poor Kristly! _Ha ha hee hee_." The reveling Princess comes down from her terror and fear of just a few minutes ago with this jovial mood shift's release.

"It's not funny, Feisty Pants." Kristoff murmurs out the side of his pursed mouth from where he was lying face down in the center of the dry grass covered floating ice trailer, as it makes its way up the mountain.

"Better a _Feisty_ Pants than a _Toasty_ Pants!" Holding her mouth so as not to explode in mirthful laughter, Anna chortles as she inspects her man's blackened spot trousers that the trolls had already removed en masse.

She holds Kristoff's trousers up in the chilly, brisk air to find that they had burn holes at the seat of each where his behind usually resided, just where the sneaky Magmaite had attacked with molten fire while he was attending to Sven.

"Oh, you are a laugh, Anna Bjorgman." Kristoff spits out the grass in his mouth that was pressed to the ice slab floor as Troll Healer Eclo was chanting while shaking some salt-and-pepper looking shakers on Kristoff's embarrassingly exposed tight posterior.

"S-sorry, Kristly! But whatever seasoning they're using on that braised beefsteak, it does look tasty!" Anna peevishly scoots down with a whisper until her face was at his level, where she rewards her Kristoff with the quick peck to his annoyed lips. "You want me to kiss all your branded boo-boos to make them better?" The energetic girl coos in her baby voice, half taunting, half serious, all good-humored flirt.

Red-faced at being in such a publicly humiliating situation, Kristoff is aware that his piquant little wife's father – who was just warming up to him – would not appreciate a full vulgar view of his rear posterior from his driver's peripheral vision.

"Just tell your father to follow the trail markers bearing left all the way up, and then head straight right at the fork in the road – R-R-RO-ADD! Yowie!" Kristoff was wholly unprepared for Little Rock, as the new apprentice Troll Healer, takes a cloth he wets with a little too much medicinal vodka that Master Eclo had brewed from rye and potatoes onto the poor man's raw, bare backside, slapped on by the rather green around the gils young healer with his heavy, rocky hand.

Not to mention, King Agdar's almost purposeful bumpy ride he was charting the swift sleigh's shockless runners over at inopportune moments in Kristanna's romantic reunion.

"Ow-Ow-Ow-Ow-Ouch!" Despite his best attempts, Kristoff could not restrain all of his moanings.

"Good thing you know how to drive this craft, Gingersnap. Because it sounds as if your young man appears to be unable to sit in this driver seat for a spell." In his chuckling baritone directed backwards, it was an amused Agdar's turn to tease the couple in the comical situation.

The King glances behind him while driving this fast special sleigh further up the Trollheiman Mountain to the Ice Harvester encampment where the rest of the trolls were safely waiting.

Then they would head to Svalbard, to see what mysteries lay inside the palace of the Snow Queen…

* * *

 ** _At_** ** _Corona_** ** _'s St. Katrina's Church,_** ** _Kuldiga_** ** _,_** ** _Prussia_** ** _…_**

From watching street painters to carolers to old men putting up holly and wreath decorations on every street lamp pole and lively door filled with sound and color, Princess Rapunzel had been having the best day ever!

 _Okay, maybe not the bestest-best – that was the day_ _Eugene_ _climbed my tower and gave me my freedom – but this day was a close second – no no no no! Third. Because the best day ever would have to have been, like, my wedding day, of course – Duh!_ _Eugene_ _would definitely freak out if he heard me saying our wedding ceremony ~ **and** wedding night on our wedding yacht ~ was anything less than –_

"Uh, Sunshine? If I may intrude on your very interesting mind's wanderings, that I am being extremely-understanding-and-not-freaking-out-about-whatsoever?" The aforementioned Eugene Fitzherbert's voice interrupts his wife's unspoken thoughts. At least, she thought they were.

"You do realize that you have been murmuring to yourself out loud for the past two minutes, right? Because if you needed to use the Confessional, I bet there's one in that Chapel up the road that's next on our itinerary." Prince Consort Eugene Fitzherbert turns with his droll sarcasm to the mumbling girl leaning on his arm in the carriage he was driving.

"Oh! You didn't tell me we were going to St. Katrina's, Eugene! I was so bummed out all morning that I must've forgotten what day it was! Everyone in town I met today was so excited. It must be about lighting the Christmas tree and starting up their decorations! It's been one of my absolute most favorite days of the year since I got back to Corona, to go to church with all of the other townspeople and celebrate the coming of the Baby Jesus in forty days from today, at the Mass on the first Sunday of Advent! I was so sick in my confinement, I was upset I was going to miss it! But now I'm going to be there this year, too! Thank you so much, Eugene." The Prussian Crown Princess was nearly in tears at how sweetly considerate her wonderful and patient guy was to have brought her to one of her most cherished places in the whole wide world.

When Rapunzel first returned to Corona, so many fellow Curonians had come out to share fellowship with their lost Princess. They had generously showed the curious young woman so much of God's beneficent light that it led the girl imprisoned in a solitary tower for the first eighteen years of her life, to the Way the Truth and the Life of our Lord Jesus that frees all mankind from the bonds holding them back.

" _We're_ going to be there, Brownie." Flynn Rider was not by any means the churchgoing type, with all the pomp and circumstances and ceremony his liberated soul generally skirted around.

But the past adventurous year's journey full of faith and enlightenment, took his generally blasé heart - especially when it came to matters of the Omnipotent Deity and His Church which the rascal thief often shunned during his orphaned childhood - to a whole new higher level of understanding of God's endless mercy.

As well as His Everlasting Love that newly discovered Lillebror Hans, at a critical juncture of repentance and forgiveness under Inspiration in his own life, had a major part in revealing to Eugene by example of the importance of faith in one's life.

So if Eugene's anxious wife and mother-to-be of his children needed to get out of her bed and experience something beyond her four walls – this holy place on this special holy day was it.

The royal couple of Corona arrive at St. Katrīna Church in their phaeton carriage that Maximus and the golden mare, Fidella, had slowly driven them to. Normally a fast driver, Eugene amended his usual fast-paced personality that demanded speed when operating any vehicle to an oh-so-slowly snail's pace drive for his very pregnant wife. So they made it to the church going at a scenic ½ mile per hour, without any upsetting bumps or pothole dips along Corona's bustling Winterfest square filled with festive Christmas preparations.

After he had led Fidella and Maximus to a choice parking spot under the ivy crawling over the side entrance wall, near a crate of harvest picked fresh apples – _okay, Max! I'll buy the whole bushel from that two bit blacksmith – later… Why do I have to have to act contrite to this law enforcement horse all the time, anyway?_

The tall, dark and handsome, stubbly man had leapt from his driver's side carriage bench to lift down his blushing – _Oof_ , _you're getting heavy, Blondie_! _Them babies are going to eat us out of house and home, ain't they?_ – bulging-tummied bride to escort Rapunzel into the white washed tall steeple Chapel.

The beautiful white limestone Evangelical Lutheran church in the middle of Corona's town square had been erected in the late 13th century as a shrine of the Lutheran denomination. But freethinking King Friedrich had found all the bickering between the like faiths silly and made an edict to unite all of the Christian churches in his kingdom. Lutheran, Calvinists and Reform alike were joined to be simply called 'Evangelical' and _all_ be recognized in the official church of the Corona kingdom as the church of Royal Prussian Lands.

After this merging resulting in the Evangelical Prussian Union of Churches, St. Katrina had become one of the most prestigious churches in Western European society. The inviting, simple white washed austere façade and tall bell-tower turret presented a stark contrast of the magnificently decorated interior.

One step inside its godly resplendence, from the stained-glass windows that depicted so many Biblical themes, to the many columns where wooden carvings were etched that gave the church a holy aura beyond what Rapunzel could describe.

Once inside, Rapunzel looks around in delighted wonder at all the bustling ladies and noisy youngsters and helpful clergyman rearranging the pew benches now all scurrying about with decorations of bells and holly and fir limbed wreaths—each made in honor of this special first Sunday of Advent at the start of the holiday season.

"So are you glad I snuck you out of that boring old bedroom _\- chiefly dull because it was deducted of its main attraction, namely moi_ – to experience this, Liebling?" Eugene whispers in her ear tantalizingly, enjoying watching his Rapunzel enjoy something for herself again after all the long months of anxiety and nonstop pain.

Unable to speak for joy, Rapunzel's big, bright green eyes did all the talking necessary to her pleased lover. The cocoa brown haired princess was exuberant to gaze around at all the excitement and sounds of teems of people all communing, being friendly, and teaching children how to weave special Advent Wreaths.

The children were animatedly gathering their colorful candles near the altar as the choir begins to hum the Christmas melodies they were planning to perform at the Mass on the new organ the church had just acquired for this year's festive occasion.

The Princess of Corona obliviously yanks Eugene's unsuspecting arm backwards nearly out of its socket when she comes to a sudden dead stop after trailing the children to the gathering at the back pews.

"Now that you have your wreaths made, children, we will place four candles – three purple and one pink – to hang on its bows about here and here and here and here." Rapunzel stops still to listen in on the educational lecture, thoroughly intrigued by the instructive story the plump matron with a small toddler bouncing on her knee was relating to her eager audience.

"Then we ask our mother or father to carefully light the first purple candle here at the top of the wreath on the first Sunday of Advent, which is today. It is named the 'Prophecy Candle' because it brings to mind the wise prophets of the Old Testament who foretold the birth of the Baby Jesus. The Prophecy Candle represents 'Hope' and the expectation for our coming Messiah." The perpetually smiling older woman begins to explain the importance of each Advent candle after the children had woven together their wreaths in an earlier class. She waves a sample purple candle around in swirling circles like a cheerleader's baton to gain the low attention span of the kids wriggling uncomfortably in the back pews.

"And the second purple candle, called the 'Bethlehem Candle', symbolizes Jesus' manger and His love for you and me, so much so to be born to this world, just like one of us." The older woman continues on, now with two purple candles, one in each hand as she bops one disorderly boy on the head with the unlit candle end.

"If you listen closely, you will eventually learn, Heinrich." The frustrated teacher tries to chuckle pleasantly to the rowdy child, but his constant troublemaking all morning was wearing on her frazzled nerves.

"Wow. This is really interesting." Whispering to a frightened looking little girl at the end of the opposite rear pew, forever innocent, at times naïve, Princess Rapunzel plunks down in the next pew beside the berated eight or nine-year-old little boy who makes a sour face at the enthused pregnant woman. "Doesn't she speak well?" The brown haired young woman oozes sunshiny friendliness.

Unlike the little boy she was trying to converse with.

"No. Frau Kirchen is our Sunday School teacher. She's duller then dusty old tombs and her false teeth rattle out the same story of the 'five special Advent candles' every five minutes. I still can't get the dumb colors in the right order for all her fancy words! She talks too much." The jaded young boy with the spate of curly blonde hair crinkles his nose with his sullen complaint at the broadly grinning Princess. He waves his not so well made attempt at a currently noncircular wreath under the cocoa brown hair young woman's nose.

"Hey, kid. Watch where you're waving that thing! You'll poke someone's eye out! Besides, you have to treat that handmade wreath with some respect. Besides, you got the candles on it all mixed up." Eugene comes to his wife's rescue, taking a stance between the dangerous wreath-waver and his vulnerable wife. The wandering thief, staking out the church, had been sampling some of the baked, jelly-centered German chocolate cookies in the shape of candles and wreaths and Christmas trees he had found on a tray in the lobby meant for the children after the dedication mass.

However, Flynn was not too convincing an authoritarian with a guilty mouth full of cookie crumbs.

"What do you know about it, old man? It's my stupid wreath. I made it, so if I got the candles all mixed up, I can do what I want with them!" The combative, nasty boy murmurs discontentedly at being once again corrected by yet another adult.

"Old man?! Here, I got these for you, Blondie. As a good, loyal husband, I was simply tasting if it was the flavor you liked before this kid rudely interrupted me." Eugene shoves a habitually stolen napkin full of candle shaped marzipan and jelly-centered St. Nick shaped butter cookies to Rapunzel's bulbous lap.

"Now, look, kid. I guess you're new here in Corona, so we'll have to make some allowances. Lighting the Advent candle on every week's Sunday from here till Christmas is a well honored tradition, originating right here in our homeland since the 16th century. The candles go from purple purple pink purple then white, signifying hope, love, joy, peace and purity. Prophecy, Bethlehem, Shepherds, Angels, Christ. Initials: PBSAC. 'Peanut Butter Sandwiches Are Chewy.' That's how I learned myself to remember long word sequences. Works for lock tumblers, too, but that's another lesson." Flynn Rider pauses when his laughing-eyed wife gives him the high sign as not to input any bad influence in these young skulls full of mush.

"Okay, now how to memorize the meaning part. Let's see. First you hope for your present. Then you love on Santa to ask him for your present. Then you have joy knowing Santa is gonna get you your present. Then you're at peace on Christmas Eve because you are pretty sure your present is under the tree. And of course you're pure as the white snow on Christmas day because you get to open your present at last."

Eugene had garnered not only the slack-jawed audience of this one boy, but several other children now gathering around him. Rapunzel smiles proudly to look around and see all the little faces full of interest with a curiosity that had been piqued by the animated way her good-looking, charismatic Prince Consort was being entertainingly edifying.

"Think of it like this German chocolate cookie here, just upside down. It's two layers dark purple chocolate until you crack it open to find the pink strawberry filling, with one more dark purple chocolate layer before you reach the creamy white frosting on top that makes the whole thing delicious. Got it?" When Eugene had been sampling the Christmas cookies, he had also been reading the reason for the season message poster that a young nun was putting up in the hall.

"Each candle represents something different about Christ's miraculous birth and life and sacrifice and resurrection to give a second chance to even jerky kids like you – and including undeserving fools like me, too - a pardon, not just a parole. That is what your wreath is all about, boy. Not the colors, not the order, not the straightness, but the Savior who makes our crooked ways straight." The former criminal ne'er-do-well turned royal gent, in this interim of his wife's first – _and extremely rough_ – pregnancy, with him being drummed out of her room, had time to do a study of those Bible parables and their timeless message his handsome little brother Hans had recommended and lived out before Eugene's admiring eyes.

The man who formerly went by the name 'Flynn Rider' had indeed found solace and hope and security in the power of prayer and trust in the God who brought His Son into the world, for all of His children.

The same Big Guy Upstairs who created man, could surely handle a perfectly normally produced, mundane pair of bouncing baby twins to pop out without much fear.

With a genuine smile and an offered up two fingered salute, Eugene looks past the jaw dropped little boy and up to the nativity scene of mother and newborn child spanning all the way from the manger cradle to the crucifix cross gleaming in the stained-glass window panes.

"Peanut Butter Sandwiches Are Chewy…Prophecy, Bethlehem, Shepherds, Angels, Christ—Light of the World. Purple purple pink purple and white! I got it!" The curly headed child repeats as if in a trance until he finally gets down pat the correct colored candle pattern – as well as their meaning – that the frustrated dyslexic child had been messing up all morning that no one could teach his angry soul.

"Well done, Prince Eugene! I had no idea he was so spiritual a man! And also so good with children, Princess! Maybe we should sign him up for some Bible study classes for the younger boys! Look at how they're listening to him! Thank you for somehow getting that message through Heinrich's confused, stubborn head, your Highness. You are a Godsend! If I may, Princess?" The tubby Sunday school teacher who had been trying to drill the candles' colorful significance in all the children attending her wreath weaving class, after obtaining Rapunzel's cautious nodded permission, gives the tall dark and gallant husband a wide smile and even wider hug.

"Gee ( _urgh_ ) – don't mention it." Eugene squeaks out, all the air squished out of his lungs by the big woman's broad chest and linebacker quality hug.

"That's my Eugene. He's going to be great daddy." Rapunzel nearly bursts out in tears of joy again, Eugene already reaching into his pocket for another ready, dry hanky to provide for his emotional, weepy wife.

"I agree. That was a beautiful sentiment that epitomizes the very meaning and significance of this Advent Wreath Ceremony we celebrate, to perfection, Your Highness. And in simple layman's terms any man – or even child – can comprehend." The inspired pastor of St. Katrina himself had the good fortune to overhear Eugene's heartfelt exchange with the adolescent boy as the man of the cloth was just coming into the chapel rear.

"May I borrow a great portion of your standpoint, young man, as well as several of your spot on verbiage for my dedication addressed to the congregation a few minutes from now, before the lighting ceremony? I have been searching all morning for the exact right words myself. Since I see how it has so affected this little child, in terms of the subject I have never heard so colorfully essential to our faith, I will incorporate it into my humble message tonight with your kind consent, Prince Eugene." The long-winded preacher of this church usually spoke in lofty platitudes that went over the heads of the townspeople as well as Eugene's the one time he came here and fell asleep in the pew several months ago when he was pulling all nighter stints for that rotten ole bas— _pirate_ —Houtebeen.

The preacher wished to connect to his congregation in simple terms like those that the Prince Consort had spoken so plainly.

"I'd be honored, Padre." Flabbergasted, Eugene looks from the pious priest to his teary, enthralled little wife who was sparkling up at him for the impression he seemed to make on the young whippersnapper.

After the priest had blessed him and returned to his liturgical duties, as the Mass begins, Eugene was more than a bit awed at himself as he steadies Rapunzel to her feet for the royal pair to take their reserved seats in the front pew. That is until he looks back down to the boy who seemed to be yet mesmerized by his glib eloquence. It was then that Eugene noticed that there was something colorful on a church shelf just beyond his shoulder that had captured the child's attention.

Something that fluctuated in hypnotic rhythm in the colors purple, purple, pink, purple, and white. Purple purple pink purple and white were the subtle shades burning into Eugene's subconscious as vivid as a candle's flame.

"Can't I do anything on my own? You've been messing with me, Frog?!" Eugene hisses at the chameleon who was changing colors before the now submissive little boy Heinrich's mesmerized eyes. Pascal had been playing his color-changing show in visual compliment to Eugene's instructive speech.

"So the lizard is the one with the inspiration behind your spiritual speechifying to the kiddies, oh honored and persuasive Prince Consort Eugene?" Rapunzel's lady-in-waiting, Cassandra, observes, arriving at just this opportune moment to enter St. Katrina's Chapel. The independent woman was not exactly _not_ on the arm of a quite dapper looking, dressed to impress, local inventor/scientist/boy genius, Varian.

The gangly youth now had blossomed into an appealing man who was only too eager to please the tough as nails woman's every whim. When the brilliant young man volunteered to engineer getting the star at the top of the Christmas tree without setting it on fire this year, he was only too eager to invite the girl he cared for to watch the ceremony with him.

His 'Cassie' was looking rather fetching herself in an orchid, organdy frock, rather than her normal hunter's tunic, boots and pants that she usually preferred. But today was a special occasion, which, like this dress, only came once a year.

But Eugene didn't have the chance to respond, as the rest of the congregation sweeps he and his blushing bride up the aisle, all holding either a candle or wreath in honor of the Advent Wreath Ceremony the worshippers had begun.

After the shortened holy Mass and subsequent dedication of the wreaths, including the one Eugene's talented hands had woven together for Rapunzel while he was talking, the royal pair watch the pleasant congregation head out to start the tree decorating process.

But Rapunzel, after inhaling a bit too much of holy incense smoke, needed a little break before joining the others outside. Eugene sits her down in the pew nearest a window that he opens and starts fanning his pregnant wife with a church missal.

"I've gotta admit. I was impressed by your silver tongue to that little boy before, Fitzherbert. Did you just photographic read that word for word from here, or was that peanut butter memorization system you've got going the real thing?" It got under Cassandra's skin to see Eugene being falsely attributed to brilliance when his photographic memory did a number on such ecclesiastic subjects as the priest who was even in admiration. With an accusatory finger, she points to the poster adorning the outside wall that the plump teacher herself had painted to visually instruct her Sunday school attendees.

Yes, Eugene and Rapunzel had surreptitiously left Corona Castle early this morning without breathing a word to anyone, for a full day out on the town that both hungry souls found thoroughly enjoyable, mainly because they were finally able to be alone and together at last.

 _Just like old times, Sunshine…Until that sourpuss Cass cast a dark shadow over us…_

"What are you doing here, Cass- _an_ -dra? This church isn't your usual haunt. Can't my bride and I ever get some quality time alone together? Or did your old man send you drag us back? Or is your boss, old Fritz, not trusting his son-in-law with his precious girl. Has he forgotten that her welfare – _and that includes her happiness_ \- is now in _my_ district? But them's semantics." Something about Rapunzel's handmaiden, and the Captain's daughter, Lady Cassandra, always set Eugene off to be instantly evasive, aggressive and egotistical, even as the dedication mass was wrapping up.

"Varian invited me ages ago to this tree lighting ceremony he helped stage for the town. When I found you both missing from the Castle, after making a ton of excuses to your folks – that will only count as _white_ lies on a Sunday, I trust – " The raven haired, fit, well framed woman glances her catty eyes up at the many statues of saints and holy disciples staring her down at the side rear vestibule.

"I brought with me the letter that arrived just now at the Castle, posthaste. And since Varian _did_ say he was going to save me a seat, even if I was on-duty this time of day, I decided to take him up on his offer so I could bring it to you, if you happened to be here, Raps." Cassandra looks out the open door to where the lanky dark-haired young man only a few years her junior was last-minute messing with the safety candle holders he had set up to hang candles on the Christmas tree soon to be lit up in the church's courtyard.

"I bet you did, you Cougar, you." Flynnagan Rider can't help himself from raising his eyebrow at the _older woman_ , Cassandra, and her teenaged genius scientist boy they had befriended many years ago named Varian who always had a long-time crush on the 'tough-guy' ladies maid.

The master thief snatches the letter marked urgent from the dark-haired woman and cracks the seal without even looking at the return address label to see if it was for him.

 _Let me open this one, gals! I never get mail._

Eugene turns to where Rapunzel was seated in the pew he had placed her in –

To find she had vanished.

"Rapunzel?" Distracted by his favorite sparring partner, Eugene glances around the beginning to empty out chapel in search of his off-balance due-to-her-extra-large-stomach wife. Rapunzel had all day been so elated, giddy and giggling, happy and carefree to be with her love, free and having fun, that she had forgotten her constant pregnant complaints.

She didn't think an anxious thought, nor worry any of her almost nonstop worries about the successful births and health of not one, but two babies she had on the way, as the hands were ticking down to her time.

"What's the matter, Liebling?" Eugene locates and softly caresses his weepy girl where she had wandered over to pitter a few notes out at the new church organ at the side of the Chapel that had been just moments ago filled with the joyous mass in fellowship.

Rapunzel was quietly seated at the organ bench where beautiful music had been played, care of a sweet old lady who had been the organist for years, and the well-dressed, cleaned up pub thug the named Hook Hand as they played a lovely duet together.

"I'm so happy." The chocolate brown haired princess melts into her husband's strong chest, all smiles and tears with clenched hands placed over her very full, very chaotic tummy. "Thank you, Eugene. This day was the best Christmas gift already. I don't need a single thing more. She whispers looking all teary-eyed and glowing up at her mate.

"Hey. I'm the one who's supposed to thank you for these. My greatest Christmas presents of all, give or take a week or two, but I take rainchecks. Just, would it be looking a gift horse in the mouth if I asked for an angelic pair of lovely little girls rather than twin terror little boys who may up and resemble good ole Heinrich over there?" Eugene's humorous gaze directs Rapunzel's to the scene of the Christmas tree going up outside, where that nice, curly-haired blond brat was caught climbing through the great big fir's limbs, knocking down some of Varian's ingenious candle holders until the town fireman had to come to the rescue.

 _"_ Hey, Raps. That letter for you is all the way from Norway. It was marked urgent so I thought I'd bring it to you." The cool, monotone woman says with a sympathetic look to her good friend at Eugene's side.

"All right, all right. Great timing, as usual, breaking up our tender scene, Cass." Eugene antes up the letter he'd pocketed and rips it open with his talented fingers in a quick second before he passes it over to his wife.

"What's it say, Eugene? I can't read." Rapunzel asks, rubbing the tear stained water from her blurry eyes that barred her from deciphering Anna's ever-poorly handwriting skills.

"Should I be doing this in my girly voice, or am I just reading it straight?" The funnyman teases in choked modulated effeminate pitches as well as fluttered eyelashes as he retrieves the letter, rewarded by Rapunzel's wry smirk at his comical entertainment.

But Eugene's golden eyes inaudibly peruse for several seconds the letter's contents as expressions vary between boredom to annoyance to confusion as his eyes scan the Arendelle stamped page.

 _'Dear Cousins Rapunzel and Eugene,_

 _Hi! How are you? We're all pretty well here. Well, that's not exactly true._

 _Elsa's been heartbroken about Hans being off at sea for so long. But Mama and I have secretly planned a birthday party and sent Hans an invitation posing as an order from the Admiralty, just so the stuck-up guy accepts it._

 _Of course, Papa knows nothing about all this. However, Mama said that she would take care of it._

 _But with there only being a few weeks in between, and Hans all the way on the other side of the world in_ _India_ _, I know this trip will be rough and the traveling time tight._

 _So, I was wondering, to make sure that Hans arrives in time for Elsa's birthday Masquerade party on December 21, if you could maybe send_ _Eugene_ _to meet Hans and speed his journey to get him to the continent on his_ _Overland Route_ _. I bet_ _Eugene_ _can help Hans get across the continent quick, since Mama said Aunt Arianna knows he has some connections in_ _Italy_ _, especially.  
We're only trying to make Elsa smile again, so I know you'll keep it under wraps, 'Punzie. I love you like another big sister and know you'll do your best to help us up here. Can't wait to see your twins and will come down to __Corona_ _after they've arrived to cuddle them bunches! So save some cuddle time for their new Auntie Anna!_

 _Love and hugs and kisses,_

 _Princess Anna of Arendelle'_

"Umm… Your little cousin is asking about your health and can't wait to see the babies and… Okay…" Eugene pauses in his relaying the full missive here to finish the rest silently, his perplexed brow thickly furrowing the more he reads Princess Anna's perplexing printed plea.

"What is it?" As Pascal had taken over fanning her with the church missal, Rapunzel could read her husband's apparent facial expression revolutions to sense that something was up.

"Riiiiight. So that crazy little Pixie wants me to go get Hans so he could attend Elsa's Masquerade ball for her birthday next month." Eugene finally admits in serious toned honesty, aware he would be unable to hide such a thing from his little pregnant wife for very long.

In the past, Flynn Rider would have closed mouth just taken off, without a second thought, to stretch his wandering legs and go on an adventure with his favorite little brother.

 _Only little brother. Right, Pops_? Eugene smirks, recalling Hans' father, who happened to turn out to be his too, just from the other side of the sheets. But that's all in the laundry now.

 _To aid his little brother in reuniting with his leggy lady love of an Ice Queen whom Hans would be fool to let it go to waste…_

 _Nghn-Nghnn. No can do, Lillebror. As much as I'd LOVE to see you and her Legginess hooked up, I've got my responsibility to be here for my Liebling (Darling)—come Hell or high water._

Eugene had learned in his experienced old age, and an epic adventure that almost cost them their lives, that his roving legs weren't heading anywhere anymore without his precious Princess bride's knowledge and blessing.

"Hans is coming back to Elsa early?! When?! Can we go to the Masquerade ball, too, Eugene!? I'd love to see them get together again!" Rapunzel is instantly lifted from her icky-sickies at the thought of her lovelorn friends being reunited at last at an oh-so-romantic and exciting ball the bubbly young woman would do anything to attend.

"Looks like the Ice Queen's top-secret birthday party at the end of December is about at your due date, Sunshine. So I kinda doubt your folks will let you, in your delicate condition, go on an overseas ship voyage to ill-weathered, cold, blizzardy Arendelle. Especially considering the track record for ships going down between here and there. Not so hot. So I won't fault them on that restriction, for once." Raising his eyebrow, Eugene was taking on his role as dependable husband seriously now that he had two more responsibilities on their way to take care of as a caring father.

"But Anna wants _you_ to go meet Hans somewhere and bring him back to Norway? Without me?" Beginning to tremble inside, Rapunzel turns to her man with that small voice that was trying to keep level, despite her own disappointment coupled with lonely fear to let him go, as she was not invited to this latest adventure as well.

"Don't worry so much! I'm not going anywhere, _mein liebste_ (my love) I swear I will be here at your side, every second of every day, and every minute of every night for the birth of our-" Eugene dramatically kneels at Rapunzel's feet with this overemphasized pledge and a hand over his heart as he looks deeply into his wife's eyes.

"No. I want you to go and help your brother, Eugene. Hans really needs you to help him get back quick. I know he's very far away and time must be tight, for Anna to ask you to lend a hand. We'll be just fine here, patiently waiting for you to come home, Daddy." The Prussian Princess sticks out her chin defiantly to her pain and takes a deep breath to let out all of her fragile insecurities and fears.

The compassionate Princess reassures her husband that he could leave her for any amount of time long that it took to assist his little brother and her dear cousin she had come to love and cherish, in order to bring them together again.

Though it took some time, Rapunzel had learned the rewarding lesson of caring more for her friends and family than she did for herself.

She decides there and then to be as strong and amazing as Eugene said the Lord created her to be, for their babies' sake, too. She could not be a wishy-washy weakling if the Prussian Princess was ever was to set an example for her children.

No, Rapunzel would be brave and independent and daring, with the precious knowledge her Eugene loved her without question. No matter where he was, she had the deep belief that the God who Eugene finally accepted as sovereign of his life and hers, would watch over all _four_ of them during this altruistic season of giving.

"But that's – Brownie, look. I've got to be honest with you. This Passage East journey is no cup of tea. I've only gone as far as the Mediterranean once before. It's a long journey. I might not make it back in time." Eugene starts to lay out the negatives and contradict her selfless plan with the leading stipulation that should've been a dealbreaker –

"I _know_ you will. Even if just in spirit. Besides, I have my mom and dad and the townspeople and the Snuggly Duckling boys and Job – everyone is here with me. Hans only has you to stand by his side and help him during his difficult times. You and Pascal and Maximus…and Cassandra." Rapunzel announces her final decision with certainty, she not wanting to send Eugene out into that far-away world alone.

"The frog and the horse…are fine, I guess. But I can't abide that dragon blade woman with the tongue sharper than her multiple knives." Eugene twists his lip with the one protestation of his unselfish, trusting lover's offer.

"Eugene." Rapunzel only must say that single word in her most demanding voice that her husband had learned over the years meant in no uncertain terms: _'You better just agree, if you know what's good for you.'_

"You know what? You are the most beautiful, most phenomenal, most **confusing** woman in the world, Rapunzel Fitzherbert. First, you can't live without me, and now you can't wait to get rid of me. Women. Go figure." Eugene scoffs, shaking his head at the most baffling conundrum in the whole complex universe that God wisely named 'Woman'.

"But I suppose that's why I love you. God knows how much, Brownie. And I will be back for you _and_ our babes, _mein liebste (my dear)_." Eugene kisses Rapunzel's forehead and by now weeping eyes tenderly as he places a warm reassuring hand over her pink pregnant dress stomach.

"I may miss lighting the Bethlehem candle, and the Shepherds candle, and maybe even the Angels candle, my Prussian cherub. But on my honor as a master thief, I will be here to light the Christ candle with you on Christmas morning, Sunshine of my life. So promise me you'll keep your chin up and light those three weeks' worth of candles for me on your own, until then."

"I'm never 'on my own' anymore, Eugene. You gave me that gift already." Rapunzel whispers, feeling the silhouette of the Lord's Cross in the cool winter twilight standing above her head as she lets her tears spill over his warm hands pressed to her cheeks lovingly.

"Hey, not too many tears, right? I'll be home for Christmas, if it takes Santa Claus and all his flying reindeer to get me back here. Maybe I'll even bring 'ole Uncle Hans to visit with you and our babies after I get him up to our nutty northern neighbors in Norway. We'll see. Those gals must be your close cousins all right, with all of this scheming nutty madness running through all your magnificent, blueblood, royal veins." Eugene again shakes his head in incredulity at how these related Royal princesses always seemed to find a way to wrap men around their dainty elegant fingers to get them to do their bidding.

"Oh, Eugene. I love you and I know our babies will be so proud to love their good as gold _Vader_ (Father)." Rapunzel reaches her arms up to her handsome man's stubbly chin as he tenderly does his best to wrap his with-child wife and her expanded womb within his warm loving embrace and gentle kisses.

"I'm so proud of you." Rapunzel was in tears again by now, but they are not tears of sadness, nor fear, but rather tears of joyful fulfillment that she still had the bestest best man on this bestest best day ever.

"No prouder than I can be of you, my brilliant, brave girl." Eugene kisses away the remainder of Rapunzel's tears, he the one impressed at how selfless a beautiful, trusting soul he had been granted the blessing to have married in his sweet princess.

Together, the couple move from the empty church to the outside courtyard in the midst of the town square where, Cassandra and Varian, arm in arm as she was holding him up from tripping on his ladder to the soft pillow of her chest moments ago, were included with so many other Curonians to be gathered.

Strolling together towards the dazzling Christmas tree with all the purple and pink and white candles lit on the wreaths in every family's joyous hands, Rapunzel and Eugene view the scene.

There were many Snuggly Duckling thugs mixed in the merry townspeople caroling, hanging holly and tinsel; Big Nose and his own new wife Hildegard stabilizing old Aged P to place the churchgoers' handmade decorations, Hookhand, Attila and Job aiding the small children reach the tallest limbs of the gorgeous spruce with their popcorn strings that Ulf and Shorty with Maximus and Fidella's help had strung (deducted of many of the softer candied morsels, for horsies had sweet tooths, of course); Gunther, Vladimir and Thor had artistically placed the candle holders to be filled under Varian's direction; while Bruiser, Killer and Fang helped the children light the purple Prophecy candle on their own personal Advent wreaths before the newly erected tall Christmas tree in the front of St. Katrina's Evangelical Church full of holiday start activity.

Rapunzel leans her head, contented and secure that this amazing man, if anyone could do it, would be able to find and help his brother and still return for the birth of their children. All under the almighty, watchful presence of the supreme God who created the greatest miracle of all that Christians around the globe celebrated at this time of the year, which originated some 1900 Christmas pasts ago…

The two lovers light their wreath's first Prophecy candle on this opening Advent Sunday, together hand in hand, so contented and secure in one another's love.

Just as they did with that special magic lantern all those years ago, Eugene and Rapunzel Fitzherbert hold their wreath up to the twilight, with the shared silent prayer on each of their lips that these month long days apart would pass swiftly.

And someday not so long afterwards, they would be rewarded with God's Heaven-sent present of a child's laughter, _Bescherung_ gifted to one another doublefold by year's end…

* * *

 _mein liebste -_ my dear in Prussian

 _Liebling_ – Darling in Prussian

 _Bescherung_ – Giving of Christmas presents to one another in Prussian

* * *

August is here my Frozen friends!

I'm a little late on my self-imposed schedule in getting this chapter published (had to replace the broken central AC in the hottest month of the year! Yikes! sweatdrops) It's tough getting into the ambiance of writing about snowstorms and blizzards in Northernmost Norway and Wintery Prussia when I'm melting in 95 degree Summer heat! ;)

But, now that its up and cooling again, finally, I will, as promised, be writing like a madwoman again to get to the climax parts of this story arc end of Act VI!

There are all kinds of adventures and drama popping up at all corners of the world for our 4 split up teams! Lots of excitement in store for the characters ahead, as new aspects develop and our heroes and heroines rise to the challenges!

Anna and Kristoff and King Agdar have been presented with some foreboding predictions by GranPabbie! Magma monsters from deep in the earth?! Eek! Scary stuff! o0o

There are many researched elements of Scandinavian folklore I've incorporated into this plot, along with much of the original legendary Hans Christian Anderson 'Snow Queen' tale's battle of Good vs Evil, God vs the Devil, and man's free spirit to choose to fight for love and righteousness or be swallowed up by his own multifaceted temptations of fear and loneliness. So, we'll see if our brave heroes will rise to the challenge once again!

Will Hans, out in the dangerous wilds of India and the Mid-East in between, make it back to Arendelle in time for Elsa's Masquerade Ball? Now, maybe he'll get a helpful boost with Eugene on his way, sent by Anna to speed up the journey in true Flynnagan Rider adventuresome style! But with all this danger and upheaval, will Arendelle even still be there if Hans gets back?

Stay tuned Frozen Again adventurers! Please review! :)

God bless till next week! (or sooner, if I get my tush in gear! :) oops, don't use that word! Poor painful burned butt Kristly! Don't laugh, Anna!)

Love,

HarukaKou

P.S. Did you all see the amazing new cover Setsuna illustrated for this Book 3 in our trilogy:  
"Frozen Again: Love Never Ends" ?  
It's on her 'SetsunaKou' on DeviantArt OR  
QueenElsaWestergaard on Tmblr  
if you'd like to view it in full! Helsa in that beautiful romantic kiss scene will be coming soon!

Please favorite and follow this latest story to get all the updates I've promise will be rolling in in this birthday month of August, Frozen friends, to see Prince Hans reunited with his Ice Queen Elsa!

'When we're together, it's my favorite time of year!'


	11. Chapter 10 - Eye of the Tiger

_We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

 **"Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act VI**

 **Chapter 10**

 **"Eye of the Tiger"**

Exotic eyes gaze over a pure white unsullied countryside with a fierce excitement she felt no where else on earth.

Just as her sensible mother prescribed, Elsa Bernadotte was feeling more free and at liberty to be herself with each further step she took up the North Mountain. It wasn't exactly the cold weather, because due to this abrupt snowstorm, Elsa had felt the temperature deliciously drop to more of her comfort level even as far down in the valley as Arendelle Castle.

No, it was more due to the liberating wind blowing through her, and the deep freeze chill calling its Queen to return to her true kingdom of the Ice that was beckoning her homecoming.

 _Oh, my dearest one, I wish it was you here with me now, experiencing this magnificent scene…_

Elsa gives a rare dazzling smile she had not felt in a long time, unrestrained in the enjoyable brisk cold breezes that were accompanied by a vague memory tickling the edges of her subconscious mind.

She indistinctly remembers a man's warm embrace that had carried her in his arms on this very horse-led trail between her Ice Palace and Arendelle.

She recalled that utter feeling of protection enveloped in that man's warm strong arms which came at a time when a gone astray and alone Elsa needed it most, though neither of them realized it at the time. It was at that terrible time when the lost young woman felt she had to lead a solitary life of loneliness as an outcast, to selfishly remain up here alone in her Ice Castle.

And yet, through all the inner doubt of herself and knowing the fear of her people at her revealed powers, it was Prince Hans who saw past it all to bring her home, unharmed.

No matter the dire grim circumstances during the eternal winter when he pleaded with her to stop it, nor the selfish inner demons he allowed to run rampant as he ran out of options at her shocking confession that she couldn't—driving him to an insane last resort, Elsa still could never forget Hans' first kindness to her.

That warm emotion had been repeated so many more times in her subsequent encounters with that selfsame man, since the bitter shadow of fear had been lifted by her sister's sunshine and Elsa could see the light all around her.

Elsa lifts her face up to the sunshine that dared to peek through the blizzard clouds the closer she got to her palace on this late afternoon. She gives a soft, reflective yet quirky smile.

 _Oh Hans, do you miss me as much as I miss you?_

"So I see my charms are finally working on you, Elsa. Maybe now we can enjoy the rest of this ride on more friendly terms." Another male voice entirely answers her silent plea, bringing a wistful Elsa back down to crashing reality.

The tan brown-haired Prince of Córdoba slides even closer to her on the small two-seater bench of his chariot with a smug expression on his somewhat good-looking face.

Snow woman Eliana, who had been riding between the driver and his passenger most of the ride, had been relocated to the rear of the vehicle to open up and check out their lunch basket meal that had been turned topsy-turvy by the reckless Prince's bumpy driving.

Prince Alonso considered himself a patient man. He had a forced smile when the beautiful Queen of Arendelle and the noisy little snow friend he was merely putting up with, had directed his creamy blue and gold trimmed chariot into town before they ventured out to the North Mountain in the opposite direction.

The bossy little snow person extolled the 'crystalline sparkling eaves' of the 'lovely town' by the frozen fjord. There a few older children had dared to emerge from their homes after the past few nights' cold blizzard had coated Arendelle center square amply in its white veil.

Eliana had been the perfect tour guide, pointing out shops and streets and even people by name until her high-pitched monotone drove Alonso batty. Elsa, as grand hostess, was asked by a trample of bratty kids to play. The mob of children had tugged and pulled and jumped aboard their caravan via Elsa's queenly dark blue ice cape, slowing the ride of Prince Alonso's disturbed horses.

The giddy children were learning to ski from their gracious Queen, much to the Peruvian Prince's dismay, with his supreme chariot serving as their begrudged barnstorming wagon.

Not a children lover, Prince Alonso put up with stopping by the fjord to collect even more grubby children, but he certainly didn't want to share the Ice Queen all the time with them. Yet Elsa ignored his request for a private spin around the frozen lake in favor of teaching a troupe of even smaller, whiny waifs how to skate.

After they had wasted all morning giving out lessons, Elsa insisted that they stop by a quaint little bakery run by an old Norwegian granny she knew. There, they picked out some fresh baked deep-fried sweet _fattigman_ and wafer thin _vaffler_ that finicky Alonso thought looked and smelled rather too plebian and homemade for his refined royal palette to taste.

His slick romantic move to have Elsa eating out of the palm of his hand was once again thwarted, this time by the folksy, irritating baker who insisted Elsa was allergic to the chocolate covered strawberries that the Prince had choice plucked from the decoratively arrayed cake slice to feed the Queen with.

Though Alonso was growing more and more aggravated, a local news gossip reporter peeking through the bakery window was madly scribbling down tension-filled details of their unwed Queen's new sugary entanglement with this warm-blooded Peruvian royal visitor when Alonso finally got to hand Elsa an approved chocolate dipped _pirouline_ cookie.

So with the early afternoon's relationship building opportunities blown, a disappointed Prince Alonso could only hope for more luck in impressing and astounding the blonde enchantress when they had more of a chance to be alone, and not with all of her annoying citizens swarming around.

Alonso had finally wrenched Elsa away from those lowly townspeople who obviously adored their Queen, and quickly drove down the street and up towards the mountain—unfortunately unable to leave Eliana behind (though Alonso tried to _misplace_ her in the antiques shop's large grandfather cuckoo clock).

"Whew! I thought we would never get rid of those throngs of people, Elsa! It's tough being a Crown royal, so I know just what you're going through, my lady. You obviously need someone to train you on how to get some 'me' time to yourself. And I think I know just the guy." The condescending Crown Prince had expected that turning on his suave, full charm would get Elsa to open up to him now they were alone, but the shy girl looks up with a start from her tinkling ice reverie, obvious that she had not even been listening.

"I'm sorry, Prince Alonso. What were you saying?" Elsa glances over to where a smirking Alonso had been intently staring at her. The platinum blonde young woman blushes in shame, both for her _inattention_ of this ardent young man's overt _attention_ and that he was leaning deeply into her private space.

"Pardon my intrusion into your romantic reverie upon this breathtaking land you have gone out of your way to bring me, so we could finally be alone, Your Majesty. But may I say, your flawlessly beauteous, white-coated countryside is _almost_ as lovely as you are." The shameless flirt in Prince Alonso pulls off his fur cap and straightens his poncho as he lays his obvious flirtations on thick to boldly take hold of Elsa's gloved hand.

Out here alone with the cornered and vulnerable female in the unblemished and untouched Norwegian mountains, hidden within the layers and layers of freshly fallen snow, the Córdoban Casanova thought this the perfect moment at last to unleash his unparalleled charisma and lure the innocent young woman in the rest of the way.

"Why, thank you for complimenting my country, Your Highness. We do take pride in our scenic...vistas… Ahem." A growingly uncomfortable Elsa was having a difficult time being polite and courteous at the same time as keeping her cool—literally—against Alonso's blatant coquetry.

"Here are the choice grazing lands we will use for your cattle that I promised to show you, Prince Alonso. Look there! Isn't that also the perfect spot for our al fresco luncheon, Eliana?"" A wild-eyed Elsa tries to remain in control, being evasive of Prince Alonso's ardent attentions as she turns back to Eliana for some moral support.

"Yes! It looks too-too pretty over there, under those winter frosted trees. I have all the fixings for a wonderful lunch in here." Eliana obliges Elsa with the affirmative, holding her replete basket up proudly.

"I suppose the cattle will find ample grazing land here during the spring and summer. It appears suitable." Alonso answers peevishly, sensing Elsa giving him the cold shoulder.

The Ice Queen, without even waiting for the fast-moving chariot to stop, or even slow, pulls her polar hand back and uses her cryokinetics to airlift her lissome form up and away from her chariot seat to the ground near the trees nearby which Eliana specified.

In a flutter of swirling snowflakes, so ornate in detail, so precise in architecture, the Ice Queen closes her catty eyes to create intricate furniture fit for a Palace. Elsa metaphysically begins to build a glassy crystal table and chairs with the power she so masterfully controlled that augmented her artistic creativity.

With the beautiful backdrop of a cascading waterfall frozen mid-stream over the freshwater fjord nearby, Prince Alonso watches with wide brown eyes how the tall, regal Queen of Arendelle had merely to gesture a hand and three fancy decorated glassy chairs rise from the snowy ground. Ground that the magical woman had the forethought to coat over with a glass floor of sorts that was not slippery for the salt Eliana supplied from a shaker in her food basket.

As intelligent as she was talented, Elsa sprinkled her newly formed ice with a flourishing flamboyant toss of the granular powdered stuff over the icy platform that she created beneath the canopy of shady maple trees.

"Luncheon dinner is served." Elsa announces, proud of the elegant, impromptu table and chairs setting that she and her diligent little snow friend Eliana had quickly put together.

An astonished Alonso was circling his double horse drawn chariot around until he finally decided to stop to alight before the magical display.

"Incréible! _Éres deslumbrante, chibola_! (Incredible! You are a stunning woman!) In Córdoba, they will worship you was a goddess if you bring them the power of cold magic in the heat of our steamy summers. You and I can make some beautiful Ice Castles together, _bonita chica_ (pretty girl)." Prince Alonso murmurs under his astounded breath. He already saw the advantages and the palace perks of bringing home not only a gorgeous woman with a high title and aristocracy, but a singular beauty of mystical proportions who could cultivate the landscape of his hot South of the equator nation as one of the most powerful kingdoms in the world, as well as add her nation's wealth to his.

"What a romantic backdrop for our al fresco table setting, my Queen. We in Córdoba take pride in kissing the hand of the lady who serves a bountiful luncheon before we partake its rewards." The South American young man was doing his best to be overwhelmingly charming, as the brash Prince crosses the unspoken line to unexpectedly remove Elsa's pale blue left glove.

"And may I say, we have much finer gold and sparkling gemstones to grace this lovely hand with, than this quaint little thing." The conceited, vainglorious Prince brags boastfully of his country's gold and jeweled finery, while murmuring disparagingly about Elsa's precious snowflake ring.

Fortunately for him, as she grabs her glove back possessively with a tense giggle, Elsa did not hear the swipe at her beloved's engagement ring, she too busy helping a chattering Eliana set up the food for the table. "Do you prefer cucumber, or cold ham sandwiches?" It was Elsa's turn to be unaware of what interesting thoughts were floating on the surface of the selfish Royal Prince's mind.

She politely holds out to display a delicately sliced in half honey ham and Swiss cheese sandwich in one hand while Eliana offers the cute little quartered diced cucumber ones she daintily prepared herself under Gerda's supervision back at the castle this morning.

"I always have preferred sweet meats to cold vegetables myself, Waitress." His roguish eyes make some innuendo laden analogy to his lovely serving attendant as he places a roving hand to Elsa's forearm. Alonso tries to slip back into his cocksure urbane and flirtatious mode as he leans across the table towards a wild-eyed Elsa's retreating, uneasy features.

 _Still you play hard to get, eh, Tiger Eyes?_ Alonso considers the young blonde who looked either ready to break into a run or else to strike out with her icy claws whenever she looked at him.

 _I'll change that, soon._ Just as the Great Hunter in Prince Alonso was about to give his skittish prey hot pursuit, Elsa jumps to her feet to stand behind her knocked back chair, her ice magic hands clenched in fists, but equipped to strike—some strange noises interrupt the quiet still countryside.

 _ **BBANNG-KKRUUPP! KERPLOW-SPLOOTT-BANGG-KLLANNGG!**_

The dissonant noises were accompanied by a human voice coming out of nowhere, much to Elsa's relief.

"You hoo!" The next sight coming around the snowy hillside was even more perplexing, as a very large man in a bright russet tan and green and orange pinstriped sweater and fur cap was riding some strange snowplow puffing steam engine little vehicle that was sputtering oil and spitting fumes as it spews chunks of ice while the machine was cutting across the previously pristine grasslands.

"Oaken?! How glad I am to see you, Sir! What are you doing way up here in this weather?" Yelling at the top of her coloratura soprano lungs so her high voice could be heard above the cacophony of mechanical sounds, Queen Elsa trots over to approach the big and tall man riding his newest – and _noisiest_ – invention device.

"Yah! Good afternoon, Your Majesty, Queen Elsa. This is a pleasant surprise! I was out looking for my greatest new discovery and happened upon you of all people out here in the middle of nowhere! But it is a nice day, after the howlers we have been having, to enjoy a fine tea with your interesting gentleman, ya?" The heavily accented traveling merchant always made pleasant conversation, perhaps as part of his selling technique, but today he was over the top.

"Today, may I interest you in purchasing some of my fine traveling goods, Mr... ~" Oaken tries to be couth and not outright ask for the name of this foreign man he discovered with the Queen.

"Crown Prince Alonso of Córdoba." The uppity Peruvian royal answers, with his nose up in the air.

"Oh my, I have plenty of merchandise handy for someone not accustomed to our cold climate, especially in this doozy of a blizzard! I have everything you need in this cold weather spell for the rugged outdoorsman, even one foreign to these parts." Oaken was well aware that the Queen of the Ice did not require any of his coats, mittens or hats that were in his traveling closet wardrobe at the rear of his snowplow vehicle. So his sales pitch was more extended to the Córdoban Prince who looked like a fish out of water wearing a double thick fur hat, short poncho cape over his jacket and awkward snow shoes over his stylish spats rather than sensible winter boots.

"A traveling salesman shop direct to you? What a novel idea for this backwater – _ahem_ – rural countryside. At least something around here is convenient. Are these gloves made of pure wool? I only allow pure wool to touch my skin." Narcissistic Alonso says with a critical eye at the closet full of dubious winter stock common clothing that Oaken flaps open for sale as a counter display.

Alonso fingers through the variety of gloves stacked on Oaken's open wagon at the back of his running steam engine snowplow vehicle until he decides on a pair of kid leather.

"Oh! A very discerning young gentleman! Those are very fine gloves. And for you, today only, I have another special offer of my latest and greatest invention – the Oaken Hot Crystal Warmer!" The big man unbuttons his top overcoat to model his newest, useful innovation.

"Just feel how nice this hand warmer/scarf feels, Your Highness, Prince Alonso! You will stay warm all day for hours and remain toasty without reheating, even all through the night. Believe me, I have tested this new invention myself! Made of special, superhot, elemental crystals I discovered in the hot springs just recently. I have cleverly crafted together to put inside of in insular animal skin fabric that keeps Oaken's Hot Magic Warmer a constant sauna-like temperature. It is very easy to apply as either a scarf around the neck, or muffler around the hands or even if you mummify yourself with it around your entire body, the whole length of fabric radiates warmth! And it is extremely stylish, too! Ya?!" While he was launching into his zealous sales pitch, the entrepreneurial natural salesman was demonstrating how his 'Oaken's Hot Magic Warmer' was essentially a scarf/muffler which maintained a convection warmth emitting from a hot elemental crystal that the inventor had unearthed beside the Hot Springs a few days ago. He had innovatively sewn the crystal into a piece of durable fabric sealskin that was both waterproof and would not burn.

The seven foot tall Norwegian had found out the hard way that these special little crystals, when touched to the bare skin, would burn human fingers pretty badly. But the industrious man was still money hungry enough to not give up. He instead innovated a way to market the dangerous item he found buried in the earth near the geysers as a useful item for his winter shop catalog.

And he was currently in search for even more valuable crystals.

Blizzard or not, nothing was going to stop him from making money!

Enthusiastic to feel his body parts again, a frozen Prince Alonso grabs the scarf and wraps it around his bare neck and arms and even around his torso as much as possible beneath his loose fitting poncho, with abandon.

"But where did it come from? Is it safe, Oaken?" An incredulous Elsa had wandered over in curiosity to ask the big man. Oaken looks down to speak to her with an excitable, money-obsessive look in his eyes.

"Ya, ya, sure! Very high quality sealskin! Just don't cut it open so the hot crystal stays safely tucked inside and no one else will get burned! I guarantee this product only for the lifetime of the sealskin, of course, and do not extend the warranty if merchandise is ill-used, or purposely ripped open with a sharp object." A fast-talking Oaken quietly gives a quickly spoken disclaimer that alarms Elsa further, though Alonso seemed to pay no heed as he plays with the amazingly warm piece of fabric.

"No one's going to be dumb enough to do _that_." Alonso scoffs at how bothered women could become about the simplest, most logical things that were beyond their understanding.

"But be warned. It is wery, wery hot." Traveling salesman Oaken removes his glove to show his sizzled fingertips that had been bandaged thickly by his wife who had gotten in a fight with her usually obedient husband over going out in the storm to find more hazardous hot rocks.

 _"Orts, orts, orts! I need more orts to keep my family warm!"_

"This special sealskin fabric is pliable and durable and still keeps the scarf with the crystal at the center, warm and snuggly. Just like your Mama's embrace. Only one hundred orts, one day limited time sale. Only three available, that is, until I find more special crystals." Oaken puts the final touch on his hard-driven sale, his hand extended to Alonso to be paid for the three-of-a-kind sealskin scarf he had _humbly_ named 'Oaken's Hot Magic Warmer'.

"I don't remember my dear mother." Alonso answers pensively as he extracts a large stack of coins from his pocket pouch to hand it to Oaken quite ostentatiously.

"But I'm sure this great amount of pure gold will cover the fee." The show off rich Córdoban smiles to Elsa's cautious face, not wanting to look miserly in front of this pretty Queen he was trying to impress all-day.

"Being Crown Prince of a raw gold and resource-rich nation has its advantages over being a squalid 13th-in-line gold digger disgraced Princeling with little wherewithal to offer." Alonso arrogantly flips his poncho back as he shrewdly throws a dig at his chief rival for this exquisite lady's affections.

Elsa stiffens, her mouth just twitching to sass him back with biting words in defense of her darling Prince Hans. But her calm cooler head prevails, and she says nothing to his baiting.

"Thank you, Oaken." Elsa smiles sweetly at the big and tall man, though disturbed by his obsession with money to the point of self-endangerment, before turning back with a decided frown at her other companion. "Now that we've concluded your tour of the grazing lands for your cattle, let us continue to my Ice Palace you've requested to see, so we can return back to Arendelle with all due haste." Elsa states tartly, her ire aimed at Alonso point-blank.

But trader Oaken took her terseness for meaning that his Queen wished to be rid of _his_ intrusive presence, and be left alone again with this handsome young man.

"Oh yes, your Majesty! Please pardon my interruption on this fine day for a romantic outing with your kindly and generous Prince of Córdoba! Ta-ta! I must go look for more crystals now!" Getting the wrong signals, Oaken thought he was doing Elsa a favor by leaving her in a lurch with this comely royal suitor. Besides, if there were more hot crystals to be found before sunset, he would be a wery rich man soon!

"Yes, by all means, Elsa we shall continue this _romantic_ tour." Alonso leers at her triumphantly, as he then flamboyantly gestures Elsa to return to his awaiting chariot.

"Let's get this over with." An agitated Elsa says under her breath, purposely lifting Eliana and the basket she had cryo-magically cleared up from their picnic area to Alonso's chariot with the basket once again placed firmly between the bench front seats.

A cold frost definitely fills the chariot as an aloof Elsa stews in the corner, glaring ice daggers at the prince. Although, Prince Alonso didn't seem to notice as he was fervidly talking a mile a minute in blowing his own horn and crowing of his electrifying exploits in a heated passion while his pair of powerful Criollo horses climb the mountain at just the same swift pace.

"What a palace!" Breaking their standoffish silence, Alonso whistles at the palatial edifice all agleam in the sunset as he gazes up at the tall ice structure. "There are no words for how impressed I am, Queen Elsa. Please forgive my often self-indulgent tendencies to speak my mind when I have been so wholly impressed by the magnificence of your breathtaking northern abode." A Machiavellian Prince Alonso had learned long ago that the best way to climb out of the doghouse was by paving the road with compliments, even to the point of deceit and lies.

"I'm glad you like it." A quietly listening Elsa modestly folds her arms over herself, bashfully flattered by the obsequious remarks to her own artistic creation.

"Let's trip the last rays of the light fantastic and dance our way up these glorious steps you've fashioned!" The warmed up hot-blooded Hispanic Prince also found that the ladies enjoyed a good spin around the dance floor to loosen them up and let them grow accustomed for further intimate close contact yet to come.

"Oh no! Prince Alonso! Please! I – I don't da-a-ance!" Elsa squeals as she is swept off her feet once again by the pushy Córdoban Prince once they almost reached the summit steps of the landing at the front portico of the Arendelle Queen's Ice Palace.

Leaning to her with hot breaths and burning eyes, Alonso merely laughs at her stuffiness.

"Come on, Elsa! Everyone secretly loves to dance! Maybe you just never had the right partner!" Alonso waggles his eyebrows as he suddenly grows more aggressively enhanced, dipping her after a dizzying spin as he continues on his rhythmic tramp up the icy staircase.

"You and I are here alone and unencumbered by old chaperones or out-dated restrictions holding us back, like they are down there at your father's Castle. I know how tough it is to be the first royal kid. It's no fun! But this is _your_ place we're about to enter! So, let this be the day I teach the Queen of the North Mountain how to let her hair down and feel free as we step through your wondrous threshold together, hand-in-hand!" In one swift motion, Alonso carelessly pulls the hair pins neatly keeping Elsa's hair in that tight chignon bun as the Prince runs his bold hand through her pale platinum tresses until she was left with just that loosened braid tail flying in the cold rush of wind.

"You'll see, Elsa. A little candlelight, some mood music…If anyone can make you forget about that toffee-nosed, dishonored Dane, it'll be me." A forcefully agitated, worked up to the point he was almost sweating Alonso adds one more insult to injury as he besmirches Hans almost by name while feverishly tossing and spinning Elsa around the icy dance floor, grabbing and touching her in ways she did not like at all.

"Wait! Please, stop!" At her restrained break limit, though she was trying to remain calm and politically diplomatic so as not to spoil their trade deal, a silently seething Elsa was not only embarrassed and mortified and scared she may lose her well honed control, she was also insulted.

The Ice Queen felt her personal space violated again by this boastful, brazen, ambitious Prince who had flagrantly touched her in places any other man would have gentlemanly shrunk away from, due to her foreboding cold nature.

Every man except for one other.

But unlike this crude Prince, her Hans' touches and embraces, running his beautiful hands through her flaxen hair, were more than welcome.

So very much more than a steadily growing angrier and more frustrated Elsa could say for this loudmouth, impulsively vain man, as the cold weather outdoors was surging back to a full-blown blizzard.

 _ **KIICCKK!**_

His sleek, wild dance moves had taken Elsa up to the Ice Palace entrance, where an overheated Alonso gives an overdramatic show-off, athletic kick to the large double front doors directly at their meeting center. The expert thrust breaks the icy seal to the majestic Ice Palace, just as he hoped, by the end of this Norwegian visit, his animal magnetism would no doubt unravel the same cold unwelcoming lock over this pretty little Ice Queen with the fierce catlike eyes…

Or so he thought. The tall, double doors separating the North Mountain Ice Palace from the world outside would not have been too easily dismantled by such a small man's rude kicked dance step, had not someone inside been simultaneously opening it.

"Hmm?" It did not take Marshmallow much more than a few seconds to extrapolate from the conceited look on the arrogant stranger's smug mug and the fearfully upset, unwelcoming expression on his Queen's cold flustered face at this belligerent, brown haired foreigner who had his scrawny arms aggressively around her pale form.

 _ **R-RROOAARR!**_

That one glance was enough for the Ice Queen's bodyguard/bouncer/Captain of the Guard of her fiancé's Southern Isles' estate, to see red and more in his protection of his royal mistress.

Marshmallow's twenty-five-plus-foot tall, previously peaceful snow mounds instantly spike out into twenty-five-feet full of angry fury in a matter of seconds.

His ice armor envelops all around with sharp spikes shooting up from his massive legs and arms and even projected from his livid shoulders, as the North mountain snow beast pounds his chest in unmitigated defiance of this little worm prince who would dare tangle with his Queen.

The gargantuan snow and ice creature uses his large, now ice clawed, hands to separate Elsa ( _gently_ ) from her captor ( _not so gently_ ) and draw the Ice Queen into his monstrous hand's defensive shelter away.

"Hey!" An affronted Alonso cries out, tripping on his own awkward snowshoes as his skittering momentum is bodily knocked back to skid across the Ice Palace's sparking Great Hall's mirror reflective floor a few feet away from the frozen fountain in the hall's epicenter. The hot-headed young man blames the twenty-five-foot foot tall snow monster for his fall and clumsy slide away.

"I will **not** be treated in such a fashion! Kill all the contracts, Elsa. I'm outta here!" A by now feverish, ill-tempered Prince Alonso was angered and frustrated in every way possible as he peevishly displays his childishly selfish and irksome nature that had less representative diplomacy in mind and more his own selfish, egotistical pride.

"Prince Alonso! Please wait! You must forgive my bodyguard! He doesn't see many people to know what dancing is! Please!" Elsa, though secretly pleased that her snow beast friend, acted not only as her protector, but also in the place of a jealous Prince Hans, who, before he left for the Navy, placed Marshmallow as Captain of the Guard of his own Castle estate at Holsteinborg in Denmark.

But as the Queen of Arendelle making important negotiations with this increasingly arrogant, royal visiting dignitary of Peru, Elsa had a sinking feeling this kerfuffle could be a deal breaker.

"Ooh, Marshmallow! Now what am I going to do?! I was trying to impress Papa that I could handle important trade negotiations successfully on my own! And now it's all ruined!" Wringing her hands as she paces about the snowflake burst etched mirror floor, Elsa bears her frustrations aloud at this entirely unpalatable outcome to her first stint at diplomacy since her father, the King, returned to Arendelle.

Marshmallow sheepishly transforms down from his ferocious Snow Beast state back to his sorrowfully melty, sad-sack, sweet namesake look at his mistress' frustrated sighs and upset disappointment.

Running up the spiraling ice staircase of her Palace, Elsa felt so worn down by this day she was about to either scream or cry—whichever came first.

 _Oh Hans, if only you were here, you would know what to say and do! I **need** you with me—so much!_

Elsa blindly throws herself upon her ice canopy bed, burying herself in the waterproof pillows Anna had made for her in the shape of funny snowmen last Christmas.

A multitude of snowgies peek out from every corner to peek at her with sad eyes blinking up at their distressed 'mommy'.

 _Let it go, Elsa. You're standing upon an architecturally astounding magnificent edifice which you created in a single night. You are the Ice Queen who could show that petulant_ _little cretin you are not a quitter. You go out there and prove to him that you are a serious, tough negotiator who doesn't fall apart at the smallest trouble._

Elsa hears the small voice in her subconscious speak to her, until its soft golden strains calm her, bolster her, be her strength in the not-so-surprising velvet tones of Prince Hans Westergaard.

"That's right, Hans. I'm not a quitter. I won't run away from my problems, anymore. I will prove to Papa that I can negotiate with even this pigheaded prince." Addressing the man she was madly in love with to bring some sanity to her upside down world even though he was not present, Elsa gazes out the second-story balcony attached to her Ice Queen bedchamber she had escaped to.

Her eyes scan the suddenly restored storm blizzard-like landscape below her Ice Palace for the Peruvian visitor who had just stormed out of her castle. The group of snowgies were on the balcony now too, looking up at her intently and collectively shaking their snowball sized heads, as if they were trying to tell her something.

 _Prince Alonso can't travel out in this weather! What if he gets lost? Or hurt? It will be all my fault!_

The anxious faced Ice Queen glances down to where a multitude of snowgies were trying to build a wall around the exit door. They all tumble down to gather around where she was perched at the edge of her billowy lavender chiffon canopy bed that she had constructed of the softest feather down and aerated snow mixture. The snowgies again start to assemble one atop the other again at the bottom opening of the bed until they sealed its opening entirely.

"It's all right, everyone. You don't have to protect me from Prince Alonso. He doesn't scare me. I was just…more afraid of myself—of losing control to the _emotion_ of fear. But you know what? I'm not scared anymore. I'm going to put my foot down. To show just who I am. I control my emotions—they don't control me. Hans taught me that. I guess I was just forgetting because I haven't seen him in such a long time…I miss him." Elsa wistfully chuckles, wondering if this was the lesson her brilliantly wise mother had really sent her up here to learn in the cold, crisp air where everything became so clear. And she could look down from the heights of her own North mountain and sea how all her problems looked so small for herself.

A determined, strong Elsa emerges from her bedroom with the anxious trail of snowgies following her down the steps. The composed Ice Queen smiles down at a wretchedly remorseful Marshmallow's face.

She floats over the stairs like an angel with her entourage of snowgies bopping behind her, trying to block her path as the Ice Queen pets his big sad face leaned down to her over his contritely folded fingers.

"It's not entirely your fault, Marshmallow. It's all right, I'll go explain to Prince Alonso that your bark is worse than your bite. You just keep the snowgies here so they don't scare our edgy visitor further. The storm must have them all on edge, too. And don't worry if we don't return today, Prince Alonso probably may just want to go back to Arendelle. But when he's gone, I'll come visit you very soon, I promise, and we'll talk." Like a good guardian, Elsa waves to her 'children' where all the pensive snowgies were lined along the long ice staircase steps peeking through down at where Marshmallow was huddled down in a penitent pose at the foot of the Great Hall's icy steps.

 _I'll convince him to see reason… I must._

As she adds the thought, Elsa closes the door behind herself and a silent up to now Eliana via her ice magic, with a toss of her Ice Queen filmy navy blue and silver snowflake cape back over her shoulder as she marches out from her Ice Palace with determination.

"I still see his chariot at the base of the ice staircase, so he must yet be on the premises somewhere." Elsa hopes against hope that the moody, bad tempered Prince had decided to give her another chance, that being why he did not just take off in his chariot in a fit of anger.

And not that the abrupt snowstorm's violent winds had simply blown the pompous blowhard Prince over the edge of her precarious winding ice staircase, stretched over the North mountain crevice's deathly chasm drop below.

 _Sunshine, Elsa. Sunshine. That did NOT happen._

 _Remember when you looked back to see Hans hanging from the edge of this treacherous precipice? He didn't fall._ Though it was not _exactly_ a happy memory, Elsa reminisces yet another past recollection of beating the odds involving that certain strikingly handsome redheaded man looking quite dapper in his long grey Arendelle uniform cloak and even longer legs that were so remarkably agile and limber and –

 _Elsa! Focus on finding the Prince at hand!_

The tall stately blonde decides to descend to the mountain's next lower level, less by walking her exquisitely attractive legs with her lifted velvet skirt sweeping, and more by ice sliding down the steps at an accelerated pace with Eliana hanging on to the train of her long chiffon cape.

 _Where could he have gone?!_ Beginning to panic, the Ice Queen pauses in her swift, fluid movements when she reaches the bottom level of the North mountain peak, only to find Prince Alonso nowhere in sight.

Despite the bitter cold winds and the whipping icy blizzard's bitter snows, Elsa, as mistress of the ice could step her high heels onto the ice crust without sinking beneath the eight foot of fresh snowfall.

But what of Prince Alonso? He may have tripped and fell to sink beneath a deep snow mound somewhere on this mountain and freeze to death at the foot of her pristine Ice Palace...

Resolute, yet still able to be terrified by her own vivid imagination, Elsa guiltily was visualizing various untoward accidental demises for the South American royal envoy up here in the solitary cold she had brought him to when Eliana suddenly gives a tug to the edge of Elsa's velvet dress bottom.

"Look!" The inquisitive snow lady calls out hopefully, pointing down to where Alonso's obvious footprints they had been following come to an abrupt stop before the entrance to a small, previously unseen cavern at this unexplored edge of the North Mountain.

But the Prince's messy snowshoe footprints they were tracking were disturbingly not alone leading up to this mysterious cavern opening.

Elsa squints her eyes in the growing blizzard's growling din and kneels down to the cold frost to examine the thick footed impressions that appeared directly in front of Prince Alonso's last obvious shoe tracks. It appeared a struggle made a mess of the snowy landscape in the way something look dragged about towards the cavern entrance.

 _A brown bear paw print…? A grey wolf…? A mountain lynx…?_

The intelligent young Queen tries to apply her vast knowledge of book studied animal wildlife of her countryside as she looks for an assessment of the rounded, yet craggly clawed foot mark.

 _Are those… Troll footprints? But they're not exactly the same shape or size of the footmarks of the trolls we know as friends…_

She clinically observes the heavy, flat-footed marks ahead that stepped through not only the freshly fallen ice of the blizzard, but also with something so heavy they had sunk into the glacial topcoat of the permafrost layer of her constantly frozen North mountain peak.

"I think I see something down there, Eliana. Stay here." Elsa was sure she saw some movement in the mountain shelf at the level below. Without a second thought to herself, the Ice Queen takes to her magical ice and builds a slide off the ice stair to the dark cavern ledge below.

"Prince Alonso?!" Her high and clear voice sings through the mountain peaks when she calls the man's name. Elsa's helpless anxiety was rising at this strange turn of events when she hears a small shout and a crash of sounds from somewhere behind her.

Her ice heels glide quickly and purposely towards the partially obscured cavern that had a mouth opening she never noticed before, several feet down from the precipice edge where Elsa's Ice Castle was built.

But it was getting hard to see as the twilight falls into night, with virtually no moonlight out to illuminate her dimmed view.

"Is anybody there? Prince Alonso?" Into the a black entry, Elsa's eyes were trying to adjust, but the fallen dusk in the blizzard thick sleet made her pupils dilate too much. She ice shields her eyes with a transparent ice visor so Elsa could just make out the silhouette of three bent-over, short figures standing over Alonso.

The moaning man was crumpled to the cave entrance floor in a pile of his entangled snowshoes.

 _Wolves? No_. The dark brownish-grey skinned creatures were walking erect on two legs and definitely were not of the canine familia to Elsa's alert eyes.

As she glides across the dusky sky to stealthily approach where poor Alonso was being tugged and pulled and smacked around in the dizzying darkness, the Ice Queen could have sworn that the trio of his attackers, standing at less than three-foot heights hunched over, resembled the friendly rock trolls in their short stocky structure.

But instead of being rounded and square jawed with big blinking eyes and clunky feet, these three were more sleek, with jagged claws at the tips of their extremities and a sprout of mahogany red hair at each pointed hexagon head top.

There was a gag already tied around Alonso's mouth as the three shadowy figures all seemed to be interested in removing that sealskin scarf Alonso had just purchased from Oaken which was wrapped all around his body.

Apparently frustrated, one of the dark figures pulls out some sharp object, a jagged, dagger-like weapon and moves towards the prone young man to simply cut the scarf from Alonso's neck, as the others hold the struggling Peruvian Prince down.

But from the quick way the clumsy creature was moving, it didn't seem like he would take much precaution to not cut too deeply into the flesh of the man's neck the scarf was wrapped around.

Alonso's big brown eyes were so wide and scared as he looked in terror around in the dark until he spies Elsa not too far away. He looks at her woefully, frantically struggling and shaking his head, murmuring noises beneath his gag so that all three of his captors also noticed the Ice Queen's silent presence.

 _So much for the element of surprise…_

"Who are you?! And what do you want with Prince Alonso?! As Queen of this nation, I order you to let him go!" The scared little girl of monsters in the dark had grown into a responsible level-headed woman as she speaks with authority in a warning to the beady eyed strange creatures.

"Please step away from him, or I'll have to ice you!" Elsa, despite her own shivering fears at having no backup, no help on the way, no one to look to for guidance or direction but herself, would never run away when someone was in trouble.

"We care nothing for this annoying little thief." One slithering sounding masculine voice says as the secondary female one hisses right in Alonso's ear, making the snobbish Prince nearly faint from his captor's sulphuric bad breath. "It's what he stole from us."

The other strange dwarf moves in towards Alonso again with the knife, about to recklessly slash at his scarf neck when Elsa is forced to unleash a pinpointed volley of ice blasts at the attackers.

One of the three beings shrinks away, frostbitten and immobilized to half roll to the ground in a fetal ball, while the other two hold up a glowing crystal of some sort of talisman that wards against Elsa's cold blasts, melting her ice mid-air.

The two brown trolls then roll back into the cave and seep into the cavern's dark crevices using that red molten hot glowing crystal to open a portal that just as quickly snaps shut behind their retreat.

In a passionate dread, Elsa uses her talents to ice the newly opened cavern entirely with a thick layer of impenetrable ice where the strange monsters had escaped to, and no doubt had emerged from earlier.

 _So maybe that's what the snowgies were trying to tell me before…_ _I'll have to build a wall of ice down here, so no other monsters from below can sneak through_ … Elsa was doing her best to remain calm and cool in the midst of this tense situation as her mind was racing with these new challenges.

After Elsa uses her ice 'muscle' to drag Alonso out the rest of the way, the Ice Queen was satisfied that she had plugged this strange new cave that was only a few hundred feet beneath her own Ice Palace refuge with a thick layer of ice.

Eliana had pushed the half petrified female creature as well, out of the cavern that the Ice Queen thoroughly seals with an extremely thick ice cap over its now buried entrance.

"Alonso!" Elsa calls out as she kneels to the snowy ground and gathers the young prince on her lap to see if he was injured or worse by this unexpected attack so close to home on her kingdom's soil.

"You finally have me right where you wanted me, Queen Elsa. Right in your arms. Feels good, eh? _Cough, cough_!" The slightly delirious, rambling Córdoban smirks egotistically up at the blonde Queen cradling him in her arms as Elsa removes the gag over Prince Alonso's choking mouth.

She ignores his oddly-timed, open flirtation and asks a more pertinent question." What happened? What did they want from you?"

"This, I think. I wish I never bought it from that two-bit salesman now. Loser." Alonso sourly grasps at the scarf so entwined around him that those creatures had nearly strangled him to death and probably would have decapitated his head for.

"That new scarf from Oaken? But why?" Elsa carefully unravels Oaken's special 'Hot Magic Warmer' from around Alonso's choking neck as she applies the cold ice palm of her hand to soothe his reddened bruises.

"Mine… Mine… So cold…" An indiscriminately weak and raspy voice comes from the weird female 'troll' Eliana was watching, as its reddish-brown clawed hand reaches out to claim the ripped scarf in Elsa's hands.

"This hot lava crystal… belongs to you?" Elsa, with ice coated hands, cautiously exposes one end of the sealskin covered red crystal for the female creature to see. It nearly lunges for the red hot crystal had not the other paralyzed half of its half rolled-up body not held her down to the snowy ground.

"Don't even think about giving it to that…that…thing! It tried to kill me for that scarf! I bought it fair and square with my gold! It's mine!" In the cold night, a crazed, wild–eyed and still feverish Alonso chokes out, shaking his heated fist threateningly at the half petrified gray/half mahogany brown small creature also prone on the ground.

It appeared to Elsa that something about this mystical crystal which did not seem powered by the aurora borealis in the sky above like the rock troll crystals were, appealed to the lower instincts of both human and troll alike.

Wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony.

Seven sins of fallen humanity that Alonso and these animalistic trolls had been amply displaying since they got near those hot crystals.

Leaving Eliana to care for the strangely behaving Alonso when she had secured an ice pack fashioned from her removed glove to cling to his bruised neck, Elsa cautiously kneels down beside the small troll-like creature that was half paralyzed.

"What do you want from us?" Elsa murmurs, feeling some compassion and pity for the vulnerable creature with the small reddish eyes that were fluttering shut and open feverishly up at her.

"My crystal… So cold…" These were the last words the troll-like creature was able to speak before it succumbs to unconsciousness entirely where it was lying prostrate on the snow-covered ground.

Keeping it away from the bare skin of her left hand, Elsa wraps the disputed crystal back inside the scarf. She would not give it to either side as she recalls what Oaken said about uncovering some crystals buried in the ground near the hot springs.

 _What do I do, Hans? I'm so alone up here…Should I check back home in Arendelle and see what Mama says? Or maybe I should keep going North to ask Papa…_ In the starting to resume blizzard, Elsa glances between the injured Prince to the half undead female creature a few feet away from each other both restlessly begging for the addictive hot crystal from where they were lying on the ground.

"Dear Lord, please give me a sign to know what to do." With the softly spoken prayer to the One who was always close beside, just fresh on her lips, Elsa was sure she heard a voice cry out in the wilderness, so she opens her eyes and gazes up to the heavens.

Just then, as an indecisive, prayerful Elsa looks up to the whiteout stormy sky, something like meteoric asteroids in three parts come flying down from the stratosphere over her head to land directly at her feet and at either side of her with three loud thuds.

 _ **SPLAT! SPLATT! SPLATTT!**_

"Olaf!?" Rubbing her clouded eyes, Elsa was more than glad to see her snowman friend at this doubtful juncture in her decision-making process.

"Elsa! Whee, that was fun! Makes you feel all light and airy, like a little ballerina…" A tipsy Olaf dances on his tiptoes in demonstration of how he felt as Eliana giggles at her funny beau just before he falls flat on his face at her.

Olaf's big toothy grin was so warm and inviting that Elsa did not deny her good friend a cuddly warm hug for once, squeezing him back with all the affection that she could muster in an Anna-ish embrace.

"Olaf? What you doing here? Is something wrong? Did Papa send you to find me?" Elsa begins to extrapolate the greater meaning - _beyond the moral support that she could use right now_ – of the reason why her snowman friend who was last seen traveling with her father and sister on their journey North, would have been sent back down in this posthaste fashion she invented.

 _Looks like Papa figured out how to use the airstream currents to send Olaf as a messenger between us. He sent Olaf directly to me? This must be important._

"Yep. And to tell you and Queen Idun and everyone in Arendelle to stay inside and drink hot cocoa and – no! heeheehee – that was me saying that! Anyways, GranPabbie says there are some bad creatures coming up from underground, so Kristoff had to move the rock trolls to a higher mountain that just happens to be named 'Trollheiman'. Isn't that funny? Kristoff says it has no crevices or cracks or swiss cheese holes that the bad trolls called 'Ni-be-lungs' or their nasty, fire-burn-your-butt pet 'Mag-ma-ites' can come up through. There! I remembered even the big words!" Olaf says proudly to himself as he peers around curiously to where Alonso was just coming to after Elsa's iced glove had cooled his momentarily driven insane, hot frenzied senses down to normal level again.

Shaking himself with two slaps to his cheeks to make sure he was himself again, Alonso removes his awkward snowshoes and dusts himself off to stand.

"Ooh, a new friend! Hi! I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs!" Olaf waddles over and stretches his arms up to the Córdoban Prince who purses his lips and places his hands on his hips defiantly.

"Yeah. Whatever. Go hug that tree over there." Alonso had had his share of odd magical creatures in Arendelle for the time being to be overtly friendly with a second annoying snowman buddy. He watches Olaf bounce over to Elsa and suddenly recalls what he had said and done to her before, rubbing at his own forehead for the burning pain the remorseful memory caused.

"What? They know about these creatures already? Papa wants me to stay back in Arendelle Castle? Where are they heading, Olaf?" Elsa glances down to the creature her cold had paralyzed and then back over to Olaf with her uneasy questions.

"Ummm… I think she's not feeling too well, so they're heading someplace called _Sval_ -Bard to see Kristoff's Mama, the Snow Queen. I wonder where it is? _Sval_ -Bard sounds like a nice place to vacation in summer. Don't you just _love_ the way it rolls off your tongue? _Sva_ lbard. _Sval_ bard. I bet the summers there are wonderful." Olaf always dreams of visiting far-off places where there were endless beaches to suntan gorgeously in the Summer, his favorite season of the year.

"Svalbard? The Snow Queen? Doesn't Papa want me to come and help, too?" Elsa ponders, remembering the proud celestial being who was so instrumental in their lives and the inherited ice magic gifts of this Royal Norwegian family, who had come to their rescue before. It was only right for them to go to her now, if she needed help.

But was there any connection between these underground creatures with an insatiable hunger for heat and the distant Mistress of the Winter? Elsa looks to her airhead snowman who was swaying on his heels, catching snowflakes on his distracted tongue.

"Oh! Oh! Maybe Anna wrote it in this note here she squirreled away in my hat! I think it's a secret note she scribbled down, just for you, Elsa. Because you are bestest of friends!" Brightly smiling, Olaf produces a folded up piece of sackcloth fabric cotton that Anna had swiftly scribbled on a note to her beloved big sister.

There were only eight simple words inscribed on the torn piece of cloth in Anna's unmistakable handwriting that told Elsa everything she needed to know:

' _Do you want to build a snowman, Elsa?'_

But Anna's loving big sister knew exactly what that artless phrase meant.

Anna needed her best friend there, even if their Papa was trying to shelter her, once more. And Elsa would never, ever let her little sister down again.

 _Papa, it's time I proved to be a leader who makes decisions worthy of being entrusted with their security, too. I'm not letting you do this on your own, for our nation and our people._

"I'm going." The Queen of Arendelle announces more to herself than to anyone else present.

"Go where? You still owe me a tour of that gorgeous Ice Castle up there. I'll overlook your clumsy guard's disrespect as deep regard for his ruler. Like you said, he doesn't get out much. And he's not a fan of dancing." His inexplicable heated anger and intense unmanageable emotion from before simmered down by her cooling touch, Prince Alonso decides to be the bigger man. He was impressed by an unruffled Elsa's coolheaded actions in the face of danger in his rescuing and perhaps feeling pangs of compunction for his improper behavior and flared temper earlier, brought on by that strange fever.

"As you have deduced, Prince Alonso, those dark troll-like creatures who attacked you wanted that magic heat element crystal in Oaken's scarf. So first I must locate my friend Oaken and relieve him of the burden of those other two crystals he said that he found buried near the hot springs, before they do. It may be dangerous, but as one of my citizens, and my friend, I must protect Oaken's life—even if it costs me my own." As a responsible monarch of her people, Queen Elsa made a pledge before God that she would secure the nation to the best of her abilities, and that meant every last one of its people, too. As Queen, Elsa was not about to shirk any of her duties and play it safe at home, behind the false security of Arendelle Castle's closed doors.

Not anymore.

"Prince Alonso. I'm sorry for having to cut your inspection tour short – I hope you understand the urgency of my circumstances – but if I may impose upon you to excuse me, and return to Arendelle in your chariot as swiftly as possible to warn my mother, Queen Idun, and Minister Kai of this unfortunate turn of events, without alarming them too much, if you please can. I will do my best to render a cleared path for you to make it back safely. I thank you for the lovely day, and hope that any little disagreement between us, _I realize now was due to this unforeseen, mysterious influence that preys on craven desire_ _,_ does not affect our negotiations. I believe we have made positive progress that will flourish during more peaceful times when we will meet again, Sir. But this danger is my nation's business, where you need not be involved." Being as pithy and polite at possible, Elsa courteously remembers to give the niceties to her visiting envoy from Córdoba as she prepares to create her own a sled transportation for her determined journey northward, intending him to return to Arendelle to the south.

The Ice Queen cryokinetically gathers and secures the half paralyzed 'troll'– the _Nibelung_ – into the large basket she empties. Elsa had vigilantly laid a thick blanket in it first to give the ailing creature, that was slowly turning to grey stone almost entirely, a more comfortable ride in the ice cage the Queen crafted around her on the cryo-magic sled.

She then carefully entwines the hot crystal scarf around a small boulder from the mountaintop she cryokinetically transfers to her ice sled, as well. Elsa places the regulated rock atop the constantly re-icing basket to give the ailing, unconscious Nibelung girl some semblance of the warmth emanating from it she craved.

After seeing that Oaken was not endangered, and to relieve him of the other two dangerously molten hot crystals that the ignorant, unwitting man had gotten involved with, Elsa intended to bring this troll like dwarf to GranPabbie on Trollheiman mountain along the way. Perhaps the Troll seer could identify her dilemma and be able to heal her from this wretched half gray-stone immobilized paralysis as well.

"And miss my chance to face deadly blizzards, dangerous troll monsters, as well as meet your illustrious Father, King Agdar _and_ the legendary Snow Queen on the greatest adventure of my lifetime, to the furthest corner of the northern hemisphere? Besides, you want me to give up the opportunity to prove myself as heroic as your absent Danish Prince? I think not, you beautiful icy vixen." Alonso stands to his full height and brushes himself off from the light dusting of snow that had covered his lap where he had seated himself on a nearby rock.

His scratchy voice's arrogance reemerges forcefully, causing visible disappointment to Elsa who had hoped to be easily rid of him.

 _I'll even let it pass that you took my crystal scarf warmer thingy and gave it to the vile little beast to keep it alive, you angel queen you._

Still, the pale blonde beauty's compassionate Christian heart was starting to work on him the way the gentle woman treated everyone—even snowmen, snow beasts, and yes, enemy trolls with utmost kindness, for that matter.

"But… Your Highness, I cannot guarantee your safety, nor that of your fine horses or beautiful chariot that you hold in such high esteem, for the duration of this unspecified mission into the northernmost parts of my nation. I myself have never even traveled there." Elsa argues the obvious, feeling the need to continue to clarify in no uncertain terms.

"And even if you did deem to come with me on this tentative journey, I promise you that my attachment to my fiancé, Prince Hans Westergaard, **cannot** be diverted by any amount of daring or 'heroics', as you call it. He owns my heart already, as I hold his. So I will warn you now beforehand that any of your valiant efforts for 'romance' will be in vain, and summarily derided and scorned." Elsa coolly and calmly brings Hans' actual name and status position as her betrothed to bear, to, in advance, to hopefully ward off any outlandish demonstrations of this Prince's valor, whether forced or feigned or real, to strike up a rapport with her.

Elsa knew her heart would not ever be swerved by another, no matter how hard he attempted to impress her. Her heart—and hand—was Hans', and Hans' alone.

"Then, I promise to be on my best behavior as a proud representative of my nation of Córdoba. Please allow me to accompany you, Queen Elsa, for as long as you see fit that I am useful to you. If simply to prove myself as a man, even just to _myself_ , in the cause of this great country you hold dear, with no strings attached." Whether Prince Alonso was being sincere in his measure of his own worth, or simply trying to endear himself to Elsa's frank laying down the law to worm his way through her aforementioned unshakable affections surreptitiously, through these first signs of humbleness, he succeeded to a degree.

"I beg your pardon for my unseemly advances earlier, whether influenced in my feverish state or not. They will not occur again. Unless you yourself come to your senses and initiate them, of course, Queen Elsa." The Peruvian Prince bows his head and boldly takes up Elsa's bare hand. His gesturing brow touches down to her left hand finger, wordlessly relinquishing his prospects to the snowflake diamond engagement ring that lucky Hans Westergaard had enduringly placed there first. Then Alonso symbolically replaces the glove Elsa had given him as an ice pack for his wound, all the cold inside it melted away, as he slips the glove upon her elegant digits and wrist.

"Thank you, Prince Alonso. You are a gentleman." Elsa smiles a genuine smile, looking from a broadly grinning Olaf back up to the seemingly sincere Córdoban Prince she had put in his place. He had taken the blunt rejection like a man, even more than she expected, and Elsa was grateful for that, too.

For the first time in days, she felt less on her defensive guard with the visiting Prince and worries of state negotiations and now more able to focus on her duty and obligations to her nation and her family with a clearer mind and eye on the new prize of preserving her country.

"Eliana, it's your turn now. Did you hear what Olaf told us?" Elsa speaks down to the nodding snowlady. "I'm going to send you home to tell Mama and the Arendelle citizens to indeed stay safe and keep indoors as much as possible in this blizzard. At least for the time being, as Papa, Anna, Kristoff and I are going to set the weather straight in the far north and help the Snow Queen. I think Olaf needs some ground time, or else he may lose his mind completely up in the higher altitude stratosphere. Besides, I can trust you to be more tactful and not scare Mama too much, right?" Elsa whispers the last lines to Eliana as she ties her ribbon bonnet on securely.

"Yes, Elsa. I will do my best to impart the important information Olaf has passed on to us, without alarming Queen Idun and the others, nor losing my mind." Eliana says primly and plainly as she fixes her frilly pink dress just so. She opens up her matching pretty pink parasol with a pleasant smile on her snow white face and holds it up to the snowfalling night sky.

"Good girl. Give Mama a kiss for me and tell her we all will be back very soon, I promise. God bless you." Elsa bids Eliana goodbye with sweet kisses to the snowgirl's chilly cheek.

Olaf gets jealous and rushes forward to land a smacking kiss right on Eliana's unsuspecting, pink, glossy lips, their carrot noses crashing at the shock on both their cutely astonished faces.

"Be brave for me, Eliana I will return, you supercalifragilisticexpialidocious snowlady you!" An over-vapored Olaf wipes tears aside as he bids a sappy farewell to his practically perfect girlfriend floating away on her umbrella with the extraordinary crafted word for her to ponder on her first high-altitude atmospheric journey.

"And may God bless our journey and that of my Papa and my little sister Anna as we all endeavor to bring peace, safety and stability back to this land for those we love. Even the ones supporting us from so very far away…" Elsa pauses to bow her head in reverent prayer to God above Who had her back, no matter how uncertain the winds howled through her head, with a Faith that could never again be frozen out of her warm heart.

So with quick, brave blue eyes, Ice Queen Elsa of Arendelle looks from her Ice Palace's majestic tiers down to the South where Arendelle's fjords in the backdrop signaled where her Mama and her fellow citizens safely would stay safe. She gazes back beyond the clouds to the distant northern isle of Svalbard, deep in the mysterious Arctic zone, over a thousand miles away.

And the harsh blizzard snows full of uncertainties that Queen Elsa faces with determination cease to blow, if just for a while…

* * *

 _ **Thousands of miles away in the opposite direction of the world…**_

 _'My dearest Elsa,_

 _I compose this letter in my log diary while Egalite and I are en route, more than 2/3 into our itinerary across the subcontinent of_ _India_ _, with_ _Bombay_ _close in sight in the next few days. I believe my companion and I are making very good time across the continent interior, and if all goes as on-schedule as this first completed week on our Overland Route, I will arrive in Arendelle in time for your birthday celebration._

 _But between this missive and the last I have transcribed to you, something has occurred that I would feel remiss in not relaying to you - as a scrupulously honest man coming to you, an innocent, in our relationship - the complete full account of my indiscretion._

 _By whatever health necessity of the moment or flaw in character, there is no delicate way to phrase this, my love, but just to bluntly state the facts:_

 _I was dotingly attended by three ladies in a brothel._

 _I give my traveling companion, Colonel Egalite much leave on this point, for the good man brought me under swift, dire circumstances, in an unconscious state after being bitten by the venom of a poisonous spider on the road of our swift journey, to this house of ill repute, solely for my recovery purposes. And in so doing, probably saving my life._

 _I will confess to you, my innocent love, that, due to the proximity of the site of poison injected, it was compulsory that I was unclothed to a large degree and put to bed by those benevolent ladies, whom I look to as tender nurses, and nothing more._

 _I pray that you believe that I will keep myself pure, my eyes virtuous, and my hands chaste, with nary a thought in my heart to stray from my express purpose and desire of adoring and loving only you, from the day you accepted my hand in matrimony, until the last one I spend on earth, God-willing._

 _Elsa, I beg you accept my apology for being involved in even the presence of such an indecently scandalous ordeal. But please be reassured that nothing untoward occurred there that I would be ashamed for the Lord to chalk down in my Book of Life._

 _When our eyes meet again, min ædle (my precious) I want to be able to look you straight in those beautiful, gorgeous, stunning orbs and say that I have been ever constant and true, as you deserve nothing less._

 _I anxiously await being engulfed in the ocean of your blue eyes, my darling one, in thirty-three short days._

 _Your loving, grateful and humbled Hans_

 _18 November, 1841_

After writing this confessional letter in his naval journal in the waning light of sunset and into moonlit dusk, Hans Westergaard looks up to the moon. There, somehow, he felt assured that his Queen Elsa's beautiful, exquisite eyes were always staring back down at him.

Now, with that confession off his chest, Hans felt no guilt to think of her eyes watching him again.

 _My precious Snowflake…_

The Danish twenty-five-year-old man had never seen a pair of eyes as stunningly beautiful as his Elsa Bernadotte's. There was something irrefutably dangerous and yet intangibly vulnerable simultaneously ablaze in her ice cool stare that Prince Hans could never tire of.

Every dream burned with those eyes, his every thought seared with a yearning that his memory could never erase.

Nor would he ever want it to.

Hans was one hundred percent sure that he would carry Elsa's azure blue smiling eyes in his mind, every moment into the rest of life. Maybe it was particularly because they were forced to be split apart for so long that the hopeless romantic would cherish each imagining of his lady fair so acutely in her absence.

Or maybe it was because he was so ardently in love with what he once thought was his unattainable dream that he treasured her all the more.

 _'I have found my angel, with the dust the stars in her eyes.'_

Pressing her especially vibrant ice miniature to his heart that made him feel so very connected to her, Hans begins to hum the golden song in his mind, lost in his own world of dreams.

But the Danish Prince could not look up to the balmy twilight without comparing each star with a certain gleam in his Elsa's gorgeous eyes, every cool wind a blown kiss from her soft velvety lips, every sound of the wilds a whisper of her intensely passionate nature kept hidden beneath that cover of ice he intended to melt someday…

"Earth to Westergaard. Of what shooting star are you dreaming the miles away by? As if I do not know your lover by her name by now, her song always upon your lips. Though I dare not utter the word for fear of breaking your magic spell, _mon frére_ (my brother)." As the travelers slow their horses for a well-deserved drink of water by the Krishna River the pair had been traveling alongside for miles, Ferdinand Égalité softly intones in the stifling humidity of this mid-western Indian province of Karnataka.

The pair of men had been riding steadily on their fresh pair of horses they had picked up at the last French legionnaires outpost they would see for a while, upon entering the largely British acquisition section of the subcontinent that would mark the halfway point of their stretch across India.

For some reason, perhaps due to Hans' near-death illness, or maybe to other extemporaneous account, Prince Hans found Prince Ferdinand's uppity portentousness to be more tolerable of late. There was a good humor and more pleasant at ease atmosphere that accompanied their sociable journey for the past eighty kilometers or so that Hans found more amiable than their former contentious attitude towards one another.

"You should not be the one to speak of uttering a lady's name, Sir, by your track record." The Danish Prince says, just to spice things up, as he dismounts his slow walking horse along the banks of the Krishna River to stretch his legs from idly sitting all those long hours. He walks up beside his French compatriot who was still astride his steed, yet again named 'Helena'.

"And that is meaning?" Prince Ferdinand responds with a quiver to his inquisitive brow as he deftly directs his mare through the darkness around the riverbend they were following northwest through the Karnataka forest near the town of Bellari.

"Well… I don't mean to pry but… each stopover we have made thus far along this Overland Route by steed, you have, at every outpost or stable yard, particularly requested your chosen equine to be a mare. Now, I am by no means prejudiced when it comes to gender of my horse, as long as I judge either mare or stallion to be healthy and hale, and ready for elongated expedition." Hans explains his point of prying to his traveling companion.

Égalité and Hans and their horses, that happened to be both mares this time, were currently taking a breather from the light canter through the dark lush greenery of this unsettled forest area.

They were cutting through this particular area of the rainforest to make time at this only place in the Krishna where there was a decent crossing for miles.

"I have my reasons." Égalité evasively tries to skirt the question, though horse enthusiast Prince Hans wasn't going to let this intriguing subject go so easily. He was in a lovesick mood under this full moon, full of curiosity to seek some answers after he had an interesting talk with Padita back at her brothel the night before.

"And though we have been through five sets of equines already, I have noticed you always have named yours 'Helena', no matter what the original name or breed or color code of the steed. I wonder why that is? Are you referring to the mythological Grecian goddess, or another more earthly woman of eminent prestige, pray tell?" Petting his horse idly as it drinks of the cool river greedily in this heat, Hans presses the French Prince further. His friendly chat with the ladies of the night in the house of ill repute they had visited had peaked his curiosity that had little else to think about in these hours of quiet solitude.

But Prince Ferdinand had already zoned his inquisitive, moonstruck friend's musings out about half a kilometer ago.

"Quiet…mon ami." The French Prince holds up a halting hand, having had an unsettling feeling in his gut for the past few miles. To the experienced French Expedition adventurer, it was as if they were being watched in the darkness where the damning moonlight only spotlighted the pair of out of place travelers.

But Hans did not hear him from where the young Vise Admiral was digging through his horse pack sack at the rear of his saddle for the curry brush to get the insufferable knots out of his current Mawari horse's blonde mane. Hans was too busy imagining that it was another female's blonde mane of tresses that he longed to stroke right now.

 _"Do I love you because you beautiful… or are you beautiful, because I love you_?" Hans begins to croon his overly romantic song in the Indian moon night to this pleased to be so pampered feminine horse.

"Shh! Westergaard!" Égalité cautiously hisses back to his songful friend urgently, but Hans was so glad to be alive tonight, and so fond of teasing someone when he was intoxicated by the moonlight, that he no longer heard his fellow journeyman's insistent warnings.

 _"Are you the sweet invention of a lover's dream?"_ Hand was singing blithely in that soaring high range tenor, as he continues to curry the mare while the two men and their steeds move along the river. With the entrancement of Elsa's beautiful eyes keeping the man in love going, Hans suddenly feels another pair of exotic eyes pierce through the darkness to be watching his every move.

 _"Or are you really as wonderful as it seems?"_ The Danish Prince quietly trails off his tune as he follows Égalité's stare to watch a large 700 pound, nearly five foot of pure muscle, white albino Bengal tiger stalk them from only a few meters away.

"It will no doubt pounce on us as soon as we try to cross the narrow part of the water. We cannot possibly outrun it, nor outswim her with these horses, for she could race on both land and into the water in a sixty mile sprint, at a second's notice. But if you make quick to mount your steed to a full gallop at my signal to the west on this river's path, Westergaard, as I take my swift Helena east, I will make a volte-face reversal at the distributary just up ahead. Perhaps le tigress will be confused which one of us to give chase. That extra few moments of indecision is all we require to outpace her. Once we reconvene we will have to find another crossing several miles further out. If this is le tigre's territory, she will not let us pass." A resigned 1st Regiment Hussars Colonel Égalité begins to formulate this strategically planned course of action in low, even tones as not to arouse the female white tiger's wrath.

He had personally seen men torn to shreds by this powerful feline menace who was the true ruler of these Indian jungles, by far.

But the dreamy ship's Kommander did not see death, nor terror, nor even hunger in the pale white furred and black striped tiger's eyes.

What the perceptive Dane saw was curiosity in the eye of the tiger who was raptly staring, entranced with the shivering ice pendant sculpture hanging on display across Hans' unbuttoned silk shirt chest.

" _Am I making believe I see in you, a girl too lovely to be really true?"_ Prince Hans utterly astounds Prince Ferdinand when the young redhead actually abandons the side of his horse by the river to move towards the prowling tiger with nothing more substantial than an open hand and a song as his defense.

 _What you playing at, Westergaard?! Are you crazy?! That cat will kill you, damnable fool!_

The more experienced adventurer in these native wilds thinks the fierce imprecation, but dares not speak anymore as Hans slowly approaches the large albino tiger with his lilting sweet voice singing as if in a lullaby.

 _"Or are you really as wonderful as you seem?"_

The Vise Admiral of the Sjoforsvaret steadily moved in towards the panting tigress as she was in turn clearly moving towards him, staring each other down.

Égalité's teeth were on edge, but the cool as a cucumber crackshot soldier's hand was covertly snaking into his gun pouch to retrieve his rifle. That was a trial for the nerves, without making any disquieting sounds to alert the keen-eared beast.

But there was no need. For as intrepid Hans had never broken eye contact with the pale tiger in the moonlight, his gentle song never wavering, the daring prince had somehow tamed the overheated animal before Ferdinand's amazed eyes to lie down to the ground at Hans' black booted feet.

In fact, the fearless Prince of the Southern Isles kneels down to tenderly stroke the tiger's mottled black and white fur coat with the curry brush, still in his hand. He was serenading the tiger while his magical icy muse with the powers of the cool breeze had the carnivorous Felidae Panthora Tigris spellbound, as Hans dares to tenderly stroke across the albino tigress' white belly.

 _"Are you the sweet invention of a lover's dream? Or are you really as beautiful as you seem?"_ Prince Hans was conveying an emotion serenading more than just that tigress, as the five foot long, usually ferocious, contented big cat turns over to its exhausted side, lulled to sleep under Hans' gentle lullaby and tender touch.

"How did you do that, you _étourdi_ (dizzy) Danske lunatic?! Are you some kind of wildcat whisperer?" A whispering Égalité was in a state of utter wonderment as Hans slowly returns to his frightened horse and wordlessly steadies it to quiet by the river's edge. The two riders quietly cross the Krishna River, unmolested by the Queen of the jungle night who was now purring in slumber by the lateral 1300 mile-long river's edge.

"She simply needed to cool down." Hans smiles enigmatically down at Elsa's magical ice miniature that he presses to his heart, blessing her for her Heaven-sent assistance in his time of need, though his ice angel was half a world away.

"A lady needs to be serenaded, every now and then." Hans recalls that same pensive, wild look in his Elsa's eyes when she had struck out at those Weselton guards at her Ice Palace at that time when his cool voice had calmed her then, too.

A passage of the poem by the famous William Blake springs to his reminiscent mind…

 _'Tiger Tiger. burning bright,_ _  
 _In the forests of the night;_  
 _What immortal hand or eye._  
 _Could frame thy fearful symmetry?__

 _When the stars threw down their spears_ _  
 _And watered heaven with their tears:_  
 _Did He smile His work to see?_  
 _Did He who made the Lamb make thee?'__

Tiger, Tiger, burning bright…

 _…I saw the same eye of the tiger burning there and then in you, my beautiful, indomitable Queen…_

"I could see it in her eyes." The redhead says to his astonished companion as the pair slip across the river at its narrowest path crossing, just as planned, to continue their journey north and west towards the port city of Bombay. Hans gets lost again in the glowing, illuminated beams of the light of his brilliant hidden moon, the celestial body that he, from henceforth, would romantically refer to as his beloved ' _Elsa'_.

* * *

'A Tiger' - Poem by William Blake 1794

"Do I Love You' – song from Broadway's 'Cinderella' by Rodgers + Hammerstein

* * *

 _Mon ami_ – 'my friend' in French

 _mon frére_ –'my brother' in French

* * *

Birthday greetings, my Frozen Again friends!

It's here at last! August 17! My birthday! I'm 8 years old again this year! (8 is my favorite number and the best, most unforgettable year of my life where imagination first took wing. So I will always turn 8-years-old every year, and eternally hope to look at this great mystery called life that God blessed to me, with the soul of a poet and the eyes of a child. :

Or the Eye of a Tiger…;) I've been singing the epic, timeless, power-song Survivor catchy tune all chapter! Written by Frank Sullivan and Jim Peterik, it reminds me of our dauntless fighter Hans somehow with the _odds stacked against_ him.

' _Did my time, went the distance, now I'm back on my feet; Just a man and the will to survive…_ '

So what did you think of our latest foray into my Frozen Again sequel's sequel storyline? It started with Elsa's moral combat against that brash, arrogant, spoiled Prince Alonso (his already bad behavior only enhanced by those mysterious 'hot crystals' Oaken sold the whiny and hot-headed foreign crown royal and the 7 deadly sins they invoke in a weak heart:) and concluded with our dashing and courageous Prince Hans taming another Queen – this one a tigress of the jungle. : Because sweet music can even calm a wild beast! (Wildcat whisperer – You called that, Banana-rama-sama!)

And the adventures between Svalbard's top of the world and the southeastern subcontinent of India that Hans and his companion are just about departing to enter the perils of the Middle East part of their Overland Passage are soon to unfold!

I will be writing nonstop in my birthday week off, so hope to get up a lot of chapters and hopefully make it to the monumental meeting of Helsa again (or just leading into the crucial event)! Birthday fireworks for Elsa when she sees her dashing Prince Hans are sure to go off then!

God bless you as we travel these adventurous romantic roads with our fairytale heroes and heroines together! Your wonderful reviews and kind support of my works over the years makes every day a Happy Birthday for me! Thank you for the friendships we have forged through the magical literary world of our fairytale dreams and imaginations, my dear Frozen Again friends!

Love,

Haruka, turned 8-years-old (again:) today!

P.S. And thank you for joining this incredible journey with me, my friends! Stay tuned and ready for some rapid–fire story-telling if my writing muse is in the heavens! Wish me Inspiration, for I strive to use my humble God-given talents to glorify Him to the utmost of my abilities. I hope to make this trilogy the finest I can write, set in this fascinating historic era full of Scandinavian culture, Norske folklore, and elements of the original Snow Queen story that 'Frozen' was inspired by for our wonderful characters in their continuing saga! Thanks for riding along as Book 3- 'Frozen Again: Love Never Ends' first arc is just getting warmed up!

 _'Let your light shine before all men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven. – Matthew 5:16, my life's verse._

Jesus loves you all! :) See you again soon in my birthday 10-day writing-fest!


	12. Chapter 11 - Circle of Life

_We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

 **"Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act VI**

 **Chapter 11**

 **"Circle of Life"**

The polar night that subjugated the far northern section of Norway, starting at this mid-November time in Svalbard, was already steadily creeping downwards towards the mainland.

It was noon time in the midsection of the country's Sor-Trondelag area - which was the only time in the short days now where it wasn't totally dark, if just for a few hours – not too many aerial miles above the Trondheim area where Anna and Kristoff had adventures before, on the ground.

All through the night, Anna had been in a tight enclosed space with her father and her husband – not an enviable spot to _ever_ be on a road trip – while the trio traveled North in Kristoff's rapidly moving speed sleigh named _'Baby'_.

It was all blurring in an icy chilled haze of muted reindeer hoofbeats, stifling cold air inversion within their icy dome, and wind whirring alongside the cold crisp atmosphere as Princess Anna gazes out from their vortex protected snow globe to see the glorious towers of Trondheim Cathedral on the horizon.

She recalls with fondness the stopover early this morning at Trollheiman peak to visit with the rock trolls, who were indeed still safe and secured by Kristoff earlier, way up there at the top.

Old troll shaman GranPabbie and all of the elder officials had offered whatever small amount of aurora borealis infused energies left in their pink and red and green and blue crystals to channel enough healing for their beloved son.

Then Bulda and Cliff and Gothi and the rest of the troll family had worked on healing _'our Kristoff_ ' with a songful 'Fixer-Upper' tune, full of dancing and herb mixing and massaging as the whole community of trolls all revolved around his scorched posterior like it was some prized treasure they were consecrating.

While Kristoff was putting up with being the _butt_ of all noisy jokes as he was being _'treated'_ – troll style, a relieved adoptive Mama Bulda had been teaching Anna the art of making an extra soft padded patch out of woven lichen. They were using it to repair Kristoff's singed pants that Troll Priest Gothi was blessing over the burnt seat thereof.

Of course, Sven, who was also undergoing treatment with Troll Trainer Master Mylon applying tree bark, saps and various herbal salves mixed with mortar and pestle, may have been inclined to take a chomp out of Kristoff's sewn up trousers, since lichen was the Rangifer's favorite treat.

"Our Kristoff is going to need all the love and support you can give him, Cupcake." Bulda had used the troll's fond nickname for the Princess of Arendelle that all of the rock trolls called their favorite ginger by so affectionately. "His mama, her Majesty, the Snow Queen, must be in a real bad way for this foul weather and bad omens from beneath the ground to be happening. That boy's going to need all your love, dear." Bulda glances up to where poor Kristoff was wailing in pain at some of the rougher trolls' smacking ministrations. "But if anyone can do it, I know it's you, Sweetie." With a big, trolly warm hug, Bulda nearly squeezed the breath out of a chuckling Anna, having taken her into her confidence while Kristoff was recuperating under the male trolls' _tender_ , loving care.

GranPabbie and the elders had been discussing the mysterious magma trolls' appearance with King Agdar. The Ice King had used his cryokinetic power to double down seal the mountain from any fissures or tiny crevices in its high-altitude surface to ensure none of those wicked magma creatures who were targeting the trolls could get through.

"What kind of discordant battle is ahead for us, Pabbie?" Gracious enough to ask for the wisdom of the ancient Troll shaman, Agdar had brought the well-wrapped parcel from the sled's cargo. There, Anna's young man had perceptively thought to tightly swathe in virtually impenetrable animal skins the petrified statuette of the singed earthy red and brown troll who, with an illusion, had tried to trick Anna earlier into touching its caustic form.

"Once again, a schism has arisen where the heart is not so easily changed." The old troll had spoken in grave, hushed tones while drawing mystical illustrations in the dark sky with his powerful yellow troll's crystal necklace that still had some brilliance to it. "That is why you must seek peace in your own frigid heart until it is new, King Agdar, before you will be able to mend the rifts in the heart of your nation. Look to your reflection." The enigmatic troll stated directly into Agdar's widening eyes.

GranPabbie had placed his crumbly rock hand over the surprised royal King's chest and had pressed against its straight, cool veneer.

" _My_ heart is tied to the heart of my nation?"

As she peeked her head out of the tent that Kristoff had put up for his parents atop the mountain, Anna had overheard her Papa mumbling in confusion, unsure if inscrutable GranPabbie was merely speaking symbolically.

The trolls had finished patching up poor Kristoff, who had to endure an embarrassing trouser reapplication that the trolls believed required all of the younger boy trolls to put back on him.

Reindeer buddy Sven's face could offer his smile again as well, with his injuries well on their way to healing, as he glances towards Svala and her fluttering eyelids.

Through all the noisy jubilation and dancing and rudely joyful singing of these undeterred rock trolls with inextinguishable spirits, Anna had noticed how her normally stuffy and aghast Papa had been too distracted to take umbrage.

Even to the point of the King allowing a mostly healed-with-just-slight-tender-buns Kristoff to drive the pair of flying reindeers from the mountaintop with no protest.

So after many heartfelt hugs, deadpan troll anecdotes and farewell waves goodbye, _'Baby'_ took off over the ostensible white night of this dark, mid-polar day.

To calm her confounded, agitated Papa's restless soul, Anna begins singing an appropriate healing hymn that her extended troll family was harmonizing backup for as Kristoff drives the magical flying sleigh across the dark sky…

 _"'Lead kindly light, o'er the encircling gloom, lead Thou me on;_

 _The night is dark, and I am far from home, lead Thou me on;_

 _Keep Thou my feet, I do not ask to see, the distant sea;_

 _One step is enough for me, lead Thou me on.'"_

* * *

 ** _Twelve miles high above the pelting sleet…_**

The speed sleigh named 'Baby' traveled just at the altitude above the troposphere where storm convection met the cumulonimbus clouds and warmer temperatures increased the abundance of natural ozone at this elevation. It moved through the fast moving airstreams with the trio of humans and their pair of reindeer pulling the sleigh, making incredible time more than ever they could on land.

Agdar subconsciously creates his ice vortex around them competently, ensuring breathable atmosphere at this height way above the clouds. But the taciturn King had been quietly stewing over GranPabbie's perplexing nuggets of wisdom for the last several hours of their journey northward.

Kristoff didn't need his capacity as a psychic Wind Whisperer to sense his father-in-law's disquiet in the bench directly beside him in the front of the vehicle.

"Huh!?"

Kristoff gasps when Anna suddenly leans over the backseat were her hubby was trying to discreetly assess the brooding older man seated beside him, surprising the blond Ice Harvester to nearly jump out of his skin. {"Don't do that, Baby!"}

{"What did GranPabbie mean when he told Papa : _'Seek peace in your frigid heart until it is new; Look to your reflection._ ' Huh? What's that mumbo-jumbo supposed to mean?"} Pausing in her singing to catch her physical breath, chatty Anna still could talk mentally. She projects her question to her hubby to fill in the unsettling, uneasy silence with her comical impersonation of her recollection of Kristoff's adopted grandfather's cryptic message.

{"Got me, Baby. Your father's so uptight with me, it's hard to tell what's on his mind. And – _before you even think it_ – no way am I **ever** going to try to traipse uninvited through his thoughts to find out why."} Kristoff dismisses Anna's sneaky insinuating head gestures pointing to her head over to where King Agdar was intently surveying the high-altitude sky, obviously in deep thought.

{"Ooh. Spoilsport."} Bored silly after hours of sitting in the crowded rear of the vehicle, Anna had the urge to sneak her chilly hand down the back of Kristoff's tight, ripped muscle structure with a punishing pinch.

But feeling the padded pants patch she and Bulda had previously installed down there makes Anna stop her cruel tease to his freshly healed buns and instead gives them a tender, loving rub.

{"Anna! Not here! What are you…do…in…g..?!"} the ticklish blond man's husky tones at his young wife's intimate touches is stifled by his nerves in fear of being caught by her forbidding parent. An intimidated Kristoff's dreamy brown eyes bug out at his Feistypants' pluck to be so audacious right in front of her stoic father.

Ticklish Kristoff, in his anxiety to not _arouse_ undue attention, draws attention by the erratic way he was driving the airborne sleigh.

Poor Sven and Svala at the other end of his reins, had no idea with their friend and driver of 'Baby' were directing them to do with his chaotic jerking them about. But they responded accordingly to his unintentional directions nonetheless, causing quite a bumpy ride.

 ** _LEFT! JERK! RIGHT! JERK! LEFT! STRAIGHTEN UP!_**

"What in blazes are you doing, boy?! Didn't anyone ever teach you how to drive a vehicle properly?!" Fatherly Agdar's frayed temper flashes with brilliant ice crackling behind his pale blue eyes as the mercurial Ice King fixes his troubled glare less at the endless sky and more at the blond young man seated beside him in the front seat.

"Uh...umm... Sven's face… ummm… My backside is just… A little sore…" It pained Kristoff try to subvert and misdirect the moody King's scrutiny, but his gesture up to his reindeer buddy did give Anna's snaking wily hands the chance to retreat back to her innocent place and withdraw to the back cargo sleigh seat, whistling.

"Well… if it is impairing your ability to operate this vehicle...I suppose the reindeer as well could use a break from their travel…Hmmm… Perhaps we should make landfall for tonight to allow your… _inflamed_ locality… some leisurely – and **undisturbed** – _ahem_ – repose for the night." The King shifts his eyes between Kristoff and Anna with the caveat as he speaks.

"That settled area down there appears suitable for you to stretch _your_ legs that no doubt long to run, as well, my Gingersnap." Agdar focuses his baritone voice behind his back to where Anna was all uncomfortably contorted around their bags of clothing, food and supplies that she was perched around and under. There were some satchels and supplies on her lap, some on her legs that were askew and awkwardly on display to show her double thick wool bloomers that Gerda insisted she wore for this cold trip to the far North **.**

Agdar's hardline lips could not help but curl a bit under his ginger moustache at his quirky daughter and her funny little ways that had never changed.

"Sounds good to me, Papa." Anna's mouth that was squished against the frozen loaf of bread sticking out from the basket full of food at the moment mutters. The girl had been trying to perform all different positions to uncomplainingly cease her restless leg syndrome for the past airborne hundred miles or so.

But her thoughtful father's brilliant solution of touching ground sounded even better to her constricted muscles right now.

"Start bringing the sleigh down for a landing in that area…Son." Upper-class King Agdar was trying his best to acknowledge Anna's choice in a working-class mate, especially since this dirt covered boy from the mountain turned out to be of the Snow Queen's bloodline.

Since this Kristoff Bjorgman had shown himself to be a capable, reliable young man and worthy protector of his daughter time and time again, the haughty monarch just may have to give him some leeway room when it came to refined manners and good breeding.

With a pleased puffed-up inward smile, Kristoff parks his well-crafted sleigh to the snowy ground as he leaps his athletic body like a gallant hero out of the driver's seat, his own long lanky legs aching to be free.

"Oof! Did we land yet? Whoa! Lights just went out! Must be that altitude drop! No, I got it! It's all good! Just my skirt. Whoo, that was scary! Which way is up anyway?!"

But that didn't mean Agdar enjoyed seeing this unsophisticated Snow Prince usurp _his_ place in setting Anna right way up as Agdar verbally grumbles to see Kristoff take physical liberties with the King's baby girl. The protective father watches the mountain man's large workman's hands – that practically spanned Anna's entire waist – lift her out from the sleigh's cargo like she was a weightless sack of potatoes.

But Anna approved, giggling in delight as the man rather familiarly shakes down her pale blue flared hoop skirt from where it was sent flipping up over the dizzy girl's head when the currents got under the sleigh as it touched down to the snowy ground.

"Hee hee hee! Do it again, Kristly!" Ever effervescent Anna, exhilarated by her lover's touch in the cool winds, adored being rocked and rolled in her guy's powerful grip like a pepper shaker.

However, her father was rather appalled at how rough and coarse this commoner treated his precious little Princess even as newlywed lovers Kristoff and Anna were reveling in one another's company.

" _Bures boahtin, sg ustiba_! (Welcome, friends!) _Ipmil jopmomeanttun lauki doudai albumi ban a bivdit dandatte_. (The eternal God of heaven has brought you from the sky to hunt the evil from our land.)" A small, older middle-aged native man, who seemed to be taking a stroll in his handmade moccasins through the thick snow coverage as if it was nothing in these few hours of dull daylight, enthusiastically calls out to the group. But they only faintly heard his foreign words that were lost on the bone-chilling winds.

"Please contain yourself, Anna. Citizens are approaching." Straightening himself to come down from his lofty Ice King behavior back to his normal Sovereign of the Kingdom of Norway mode, Agdar closes his ice blue eyes to stabilize and prepare to be sociable to the stranger nearing the sleigh.

It was only a few minutes after Kristoff had landed Sven and Svala and the sleigh to the snow-caked ground in this middle Norway parish county of Sor-Trondelag when the three travelers now look around in the snowblinding weather to glimpse the man, to suddenly find he wasn't alone.

Two more figures dressed in thick furs and highly decorated clothing appear as if from the very mists of the swirling snows at the other man's side.

"They appear friendly, but… these are most likely the descendents of the indigenous race of people of this area of Norway that I taught you about when you were young Anna, known as the 'Saami' or 'Lapplanders', though the latter is often construed as being demeaning to the proud race. So let me do the talking, children, lest we misstep upon their ancient traditions and culture. Their unique, nearly indecipherable language is an ancient Uralic which I have some book learning of." The fatherly figure pompously directs his self-aggrandizing whisper back to Anna and Kristoff behind his hand before the cultured man turns back to the old Saami man and woman standing there blinking back at him.

Kristoff diplomatically halts Anna from saying anything, exchanging with her a shrug rather than challenge her bombastic parent.

"Greetings, honored citizens." Smiling invitingly and giving the impression of understanding and being perceptive, though he had absolutely no idea what the man had said, King Agdar waves his open hands in colorful gestures as he enunciates careful words.

The skeptical Saami couple stares at the exaggerated actions of the unfamiliar man like he was crazy.

" _Samas giella mun inaddadaza ka?_ (Does he not comprehend our Saami language?)" The short, gray haired old man with the tan skin and wrinkled face murmurs to the equally aged woman with the gray hair and bright colored hat over her thick braid. Both of the elderly pair in traditional bright colored striped and embroidered Saami attire beneath their thick bear-skin fur shawls begin to chuckle at the obtuse King.

" _Dat lea guhkesaigi. Cappet biebmob **á** rdni dut moarsi gonagasnieda_." (Long time no see, pretty little Princess bride of our adopted son.) The wrinkled old woman's hand emerges from her fringed shawl to pat Anna on the cheek lovingly.

"Yeah! It's been too long, _Aahku_! (Grandmother!)" As she hugged the old Saami woman, Anna totally shocked her flabbergasted father when she not only seemed able to translate in her head what the Saami woman said to her, through the magic of her Wind Whisperer, but the young girl also answers her in the different accented language with a warm hug as if she knew the foreign woman all her life.

"You've met these people before, Anna? You understand what she's saying?" King Agdar was quite impressed by his will-o'-the-wisp child who, in the past, never took much interest in learning linguistics nor applying their short attention spans of the intricate cultures interwoven through the land.

Yet now his little Anna suddenly having a knowledge in connection to this elderly trio of nomadic Saami, wearing their brightly colored gaktis and deerskin moccasins totally blew him away.

"Oh yeah, Papa. They're friends of ours. Kristoff's _other_ adopted family who brought him his Saami longbow that he just, like - _wheesh!-_ suddenly learned how to shoot amazingly as he does now, like overnight! I guess I can't interpret their language or anything, but the words just pop in my head. It must be Kristly's Wind Whisperer ability talking through me, because he's so close to my heart." Anna extrapolates proudly as she compliments her modest hubby with a squeeze to his massive musculature beneath his long-sleeved grey jacket tunic. "And I s'pose Kristly's incredible mind is translating for me again, just like I can understand birds and whales and animals of all sorts. Easy peasy." Anna snaps her fingers with her mittens for quite a comical sight.

" _Gávnnai_ _leat_ _doai golmmas eará_ _dollát vahát_ _bahákas_ _rihkus_? (Have you three encountered fire monster trouble here, too?)" Incredible Kristoff totally floors his father-in-law too when the _ignorant boy_ takes a step towards the now trio of Saami elders, and not only understands, but speaks fluently in the tongue of the first group of people who were blessed to adopt this most special baby.

" _Bagadit dalvi okto dvottar morassahka, Guoldugongasbardni_. (The winter grieves all alone in the tundra, Snow Prince.)" The Saami shaman, wearing a tall bright blue four-sided pointed hat with many unique markings and beads and feathering that obviously came by years of experience and knowledge gathered, says to Kristoff in his enigmatic way.

"What did he say, Son?" King Agdar felt left out for being the only one present who could not speak the language as he demands it of Kristoff to translate.

"'Something like: _'The winter grieves all alone in the tundra._ ' Whatever that means." Kristoff answers, confused himself by the cryptic words of the Saami man.

"Then, please tell them that we would like to discuss all they know of the recent altercation and if any of their natives have reported to have seen either these purported magma trolls, or any strange beings likened to them. Also, that we would be grateful for any lodgings they could provide for our two reindeer and ourselves for the night. I fear that the storm will be too fierce to cross into the upper atmosphere again." The King bows to the younger man's uncanny linguistic prowess that was clearly lent to his young wife through that impressive psychic contact Agdar was beginning to believe they truly shared.

"Why don't you try to speak to them directly in their language yourself… _Gonagas_ …ehhh… _King_ Agdar? I can maybe…manage to do that…" Getting a little bit mixed up in his languages, Kristoff closes his eyes tight. With a grunt he unlocks another impressive door of his Wind Whisperer potential that seemed to be exponentially increasing of late, along with his confidence in his revealed powers.

"But how could I possibly–" An incredulous King of Arendelle was already shaking his head at the boy's outlandish suggestion. He, having no formal training whatsoever in the distinctive Uralic tongue himself, could not ever possibly just pick up the language, even by some mystic trick.

 ** _CLICK!_**

 _"Okta giella ii leat goassege doarva, Isit Gonagas."_ (One language is never enough, my lord King. _)_ The hunched over little Saami man's amused words directly translate into Agdar's head as if a light switch of sorts flicks on between his icy eyes. The previously incomprehensible phrases in the foreign Samit language enter the King's mind as if it were perfectly spoken in his own Norwegian tongue.

 _"Don duhtat galgat_ _čotta váibmu_ _. (You must accept a new heart._ )"

Again, it was the second time in twenty-four hours that King Agdar felt he was schooled, under advisement that he needed to obtain a _'new heart'_ by another older and wiser, more mature being. Though his stubborn mind rebelliously tried to buck them, in his heart he knew they were doubtlessly right.

"We will only be too glad to welcome you into our _siida_ (community), your Majesty." The older man bows reverently to the King of this country, realizing the diverse linguistic barrier between them had been pulled down by the Wind Whisperer.

"Yes. We have much to speak of, King Agdar. There are many presages heralded by these signs in the heavens foretelling when those chosen will be tested, and destiny fulfilled before the seventh moon rises." The shaman perseveres to speak in his enigmatic way as he and the other Saami man take Sven and Svala by the reins to lead the group into the Trondheim rural area outskirts.

"Before the seventh moon?" Speaking in a hushed tone, King Agdar's pompous mind had finally learned to quietly listen more than speak. His usually resolute heart slowly opens up to the new possibilities of Kristoff's Wind Whisperer ability to break down the language cognizant aspect between the Norwegian-only speaking King and the Saami population of his nation.

"Ah, you have made him understand at last, Kristoff. I see that your inherited mystical talent has enumerated beyond the _juoska_ (path of the warrior) you had mastered, Snow Prince. That is well, for the time in your near future draws closer to when they will be needed to safeguard the future from another Eternal Winter." The Saami _Noaidi_ shaman says beneath his pointed blue hat, his gnarled hands brushing over the Saami longbow strapped to Kristoff's back as if it were a holy object, while they walk.

The six people and two reindeer slush forward through the bitter snow with only a pair of torches to light the path between them.

"Another… _gulp_ …Eternal Winter?" Anna swallows hard as she shivers and cringes at the very thought of the bone-chilling weather prediction she had had a firsthand acquaintance thereof. "But didn't Elsa fix that already?" Anna almost whimpers in a small voice, looking from face to face, when she overhears the older man's foreboding words. She attaches herself to Kristoff's big strong arm while the harsh wind whistles mercilessly at their huddled backs.

Silently offering her all his strength and warmth, Kristoff instinctively pulls Anna close with one arm around her trembling shoulders as they walk forward, knowing her beloved best friend and sister was on her suddenly troubled mind.

"Don't worry, Anna. We won't let that happen to your sister ever again. We will vanquish whatever storms lie ahead with the warmth of our love for one another." Her father, also feeling a high anxiety for his cherished first daughter, says to his younger one with a comforting determination that the Ice King may not have felt inside himself, though his pride would never let that on.

"Well said, Gonagas Agdar! You are learning. The indefinable power of _Love_ does indeed thaw a frozen heart. So first we must speak of the past, before this land has a peace to last. Come with me." The old Saami woman, whose own daughter was the first foster parent entrusted with Prince Kristoff's care by the _Nuorhtuvuoinna_ – the Spirit of the North Wind – had her own soulful ties the young Snow Prince.

Wearing her fringed shawl and fossimer brooch, her old crinkled eyes were full of a lifetime of wisdom as she takes Kristoff and Anna by each of her wrinkly hands to usher them into a small _Sametelt lavvo_ (Saami dwelling tent) where many wooden drums and flutes made of bone, reindeer antlers and bearskins hung from the large a-frame tent. Along with a replete stock of a wood whittler's carvings adorning the curved 'walls', filled with folk legends of the aboriginal people of Scandinavia that the Saami traditional handicraft called _'Duodji'_ epitomized.

"Oh, I love seeing old family albums!" The peppery girl wipes the fear from her eyes after the travelers had been welcomed in by the roaring fire and had been given some hot drinks and warming vittles by another quiet Saami woman inside.

She takes a quick turn around the one room lavvo tent to observe and finger all the interesting whittled carvings of animals and combinations in between people and rock creatures alike. Anna then returns to the center tabletop with enthusiasm behind her now excited eyes when the older woman brings over a large, dusty old book to sit on the table before them.

To Anna's delight, despite the ominous character letterings across the cover of the book, there were many pictures and etched drawings contained in the tattered pages of the centuries-old tome.

Strange character words were etched down by the tightknit Saami group ancestors in berry juices and bark leafy pigments from decades gone by in the indecipherable language of the ancient nomads that only few Saami nowadays could still translate.

"This book has been passed down from Saamit generation to generation as we have wandered the tundra in search of our livelihood. See the notches? Each one signified a new year." The old woman motions to the intricately decorated and well-notched wood engraved cover of the book that had some kind of bizarre, otherworldly spiritual charm that invited the reader into it.

"Hey! I know her! That's the Snow Queen, isn't it? Your ancient ancestors got her down just right. They could draw real good, just like Elsa! Golly, your Mama's pretty, Kristoff." Anna comments across the table to her husband as she points to the magnificent scene painted in natural inks and plant dyes that depicted on the archive's yellowed pages a resplendent figure all colored in silvery white and pale blues singing to Heaven with ice arrows shooting out from her in all directions, like a starburst.

But as Anna turned the first page of the book, there was a fine-line illustration of a thin willowy woman alone in the dark. She was on her knees praying to God in the midst of a fiery conflagration where her small wooden house was crumbling down upon her. In the next scene she burst forth from the rubble with the hand of God leading her across a path carved by the Northern Lights across the skies.

Imbued with holy grace in answer to her genuine, virtuous prayer to save her village more than herself, the tall and elegant woman's alabaster skin coruscated like dazzling regal ice crystal diamonds that poured sleet down from the sky upon the flames, rescuing her endangered people with the power of a plaintive song.

The next several pages showed the ethereal beauty's growing command of the weather, ice storm and peaceful snow alike through the frozen fjords that froze and thawed at the elemental beauty's powerful whim.

The next pages, drawn in charcoals by another Saami artist's documentary, were from one hundred years hence, displaying that delicate yet strong Snow Queen's pure aurora borealis powered gifts to coat the lands across the globe with pure snow beauty shined on from a blessed Light from above.

The Snow Queen reveled in the pristine song of winter she could peacefully bring to the world. After the entire world was covered in white, in degrees of her variable whimsy, she next artistically aspired to build a home for herself on the lonely, untouched northernmost Eastern Island of Svalbard, called Nordauslandet. There she could freely build her beautiful frost castle bastion of eternal ice in permanence, so constant and unyielding in her own bitter cold realm where all would remain flawless and unsullied forever in ice.

The uninhabited archipelago became the location of the Snow Queen's isolated Snow Palace in its enormous empty splendor where no human, nor animal would ever be bothered by her insatiable appetite for ice and all things arctic. Immaculate and magnificent, the frozen glaciers and snow-covered mountains and icecaps her imagination crafted were maintained by their mistress' innocent joyful song of the God-given talent He gave her free reign of and which she never would tire of.

But when another page is again yet turned, and hundreds of years had passed, the lonely cold of the ice had dulled and the soaring music it once majestically played was no longer full of warmth. In fact, it had turned the heart of the winter endowed woman of legend to grow more and more isolated as her mind had almost forgotten what it was like to be human.

Long years that were nothing more than the blink of an eye to God, bestowed her once warm, loving heart with an inextinguishable longing to glimpse humanity every now and then—to yearn for the reflection of her dream. It was then she remembered what the warmth of beating heart was still like. The blessed curiosity that her Creator orchestrated, also gave a chance for the lonely Snow Queen – the _Mistress of Winter_ as she had become known and revered as in legend – to be touched by the pure heart of a little child, whose Savior and the Snow Queen's alike, would never leave a believing, loving soul forgotten…

Agdar instantly recognized the depicted tale told throughout his childhood by his friends Gerda and Kai. He saw the scenes of the sweet little girl who surpassed an incredible journey and dared enter a terrifyingly massive Snow Palace in the far north—a reflection of Jesus' perfect unselfish love. The child chose, over fear and doubt, undying friendship, love, and hope for a young boy she had traveled 1000 miles with a kind minstrel to find and show her dear one that he was not alone in this world, nor forgotten.

While the battle of good and evil raged within, the reunited children together were able to spell upon the Mirror of Reason the truth of Heaven's 'Eternity' that awaited every heart who believed like that of an innocent child. The grinning Devil in the background could no longer escape through the cracked ice lake mirror's splintered shards into the world as the faithful minstrel soldier stood beside the brave Snow Queen, giving her courage and strength and warmth.

The quiet man who had accompanied the little girl in many of the drawings, appeared to be sent by Providence to the lonely Snow Queen to aid her in her valiant fight against the fires of Hell itself.

And when the battle was won, the soldier turned minstrel turned hero named Ragi had become more than the Snow Queen's helper in her time of need.

This special man of nature, granted with gifts of his own, had become her life's partner that God had joined together, as was always part of His unerring plan.

As the years passed, in fervent curiosity, when amid church wedding bells she heard the wind chimes in a castle on the southernmost end of her chosen land, the Snow Queen reached in to touch a tiny baby with ginger hair, changing the course of his life, and that of his special descendents as well. But that unforgettable physical contact with the newborn babe left her with a yearning to have a child of her own to love.

On the wings of a prayer, God's miracle of a child was eventually born to the destined pair at a time when the Snow Queen's warmed heart was stretching for humanity once again. The marvelous babe was showered with a love that this ageless wintry woman's cold heart never knew she could have.

A mother's love that the crackled pages of the ancient Saami book showed was great and genuine and selfless enough to give up the reverently named human baby boy to live a life out in the real world where he could grow up, not as a recluse surrounded by nothing but cold snow and ice in his life. The Snow Queen knew the loneliness of the cold ice all too well, so she wanted her baby to flourish in the warmth of a traditional family's caring warmhearted bosom.

The childless robber girl who Gerda had met as a dear friend during her incredible journey to save her friend, Kai, some years was approached by Ragi, who had never forgotten how kind she truly was inside. The robber girl and the son of the Saami elder she had married had gratefully accepted the child after she had recently lost their own little one in childbirth.

The Snow Queen had aptly named the pretty little blond boy 'Kristoff'– her _'Christ bearer'_ , for her preternatural child symbolized the miraculous love of the Almighty whose own Son broke down the gates holding back all who lived in the cold of doubt and insecurity with His warmth.

But alas, as the next leaf of this much wept over Saami opus was turned to a few years later, that sweet Saami couple of wild reindeer herders on their sleigh had met with an avalanche accident and was tragically killed. But the baby who was a toddler now, was believed to have survived through the deliverance of his extraordinary real mother who was embracing her little child back to her chilled breasts, with tears in her eyes to give him up yet again for his own sake, even as the winter storms raged in her broken heart.

But that harshest frostbitten winter the world had yet seen was calmed when her prodigious partner in life had stood by her side through thick and thin. He saw to both her and her child's welfare by splitting his masterful mind of nature in two out of his immense love for both mother and child.

And there, upon the yellow parchment sewn together with leather lacings, was the Snow Queen's life story, told up to the part where the Saami people had a vital hand in her only son's raising, over two decades ago.

"Whew! Now that's a good read! I wish all our boring old history books back home in Arendelle Library were half as interesting! It's like the story just leaped out at us, like magic! Hey! There's some blank pages left here! Let's get our super artist Elsa to draw the newest entry where the Snow Queen reveals herself as Kristoff's mother. And the part before that where you guys brought him his Saami bow and arrows for Kristoff to conquer sea monsters and wicked pirates and now evil magma trolls with his supreme wit—and impressive muscles, too." In the ensuing silence as the gravitas of the moment sinks in, sparkling Princess Anna of Arendelle didn't wait for anyone else to speak, as her mouth runs off a mile a minute with her thoughts in excitement.

Her embarrassed father clears his throat at his rude child's social faux pas, and her mortified husband shifts back-and-forth uncomfortably on his square shaped feet at her over the top praise.

The three were seated around the small hut's central stone table where they were encouraged to eat the _Bierggojubttsa_ stew made of some mystery meat, potatoes, carrots and other root veggies.

Cautious Kristoff had instinctively skipped the, no doubt, reindeer based soup. _(Yuck!_ _Sorry to even have to think it, Sven!)_ He just opted for the _Gahkko_ \- traditional Saami flatbread fried on the griddle hanging over the kettle fire that had a faint taste of anise.

"He will need all those skills and more, young Princess." The senescent Saami Noaidi speaks directly Anna who was also under the influence of Kristoff's mental translation that adroitly masterminded their comprehensive synapses to understand one another.

"This past chronicle of the Snow Queen's legend has been very enlightening, and we thank you for the opportunity to view your culture's time-honed insight and colorful artwork. But I still don't see the correlation as to why the strange magma trolls we have encountered have been unleashed upon the land at the present." King Agdar's patience was wearing ice thin at the slow speaking and methodical elderly Saami who were not more clearly explicating their cryptic meaning for the King's quick paced, easily panicked mind. "You do appear to know so much of this land and the Snow Queen we all honor – _none more than I_. So, is it possible for any of you to please elucidate further of this mysterious adversary we will be facing once we arrive in the Svalbard archipelago?"

"Trolls? The Stallu?!" Several other tittering Saami men and women and children had furtively gathered in the small hut to see the interesting _Dáčča_ (outsider) visitors. But when they had overheard the fearful word ' _Troll',_ each had shrunk back out through the corners of the tent at the frightening thought the term engendered.

"King Agdar. The connection between the past, present, and the future holds the answer to all your questions in its vast unending circle of life unwinding. I foresee a leap of faith will be required of you particularly on this chosen path, your Majesty. You will do well to take heed to our warnings before your cold actions prove the undoing of this great nation." As he was stirring some strange gleaming mixture in a bowl, the elderly shaman was too set in his ways to patronize this edgy, upstart young King as he gives his insight and sagacious opinion unfettered.

The dark skinned, wrinkled old man was far too old and had seen too much to toughen his old leather hide over the long years to care if he slighted their current, unpredictable monarch, who turned out to have some winter powers of the legendary Snow Queen's influence as the book also chronicled.

After all, the penalty for slighting a ruling King should have a heavy sentence for disrespectful insubordination, if nothing else.

Biting her lower lip that was chomping on some potent cheeses and stoneground crackers, Anna looks from a swallowing Kristoff to her stiffened father. But his hard-to-read flaring eyes and puffed ice cool breath expression Anna couldn't tell was ranging from astonished to indignant to incensed.

And finally down to humbly submissive.

"Please, sir. I apologize for my severity and impatience unbefitting your good people's leader and hope to find prudence enough to bow to your greater wisdom. I will endeavor to instill forbearance, caution, and above all patience in every future circumstance, in order to preserve our nation that I have foresworn to uphold to the best of my abilities. As God is my witness." King Agdar sincerely bows his head in respect to the Saami Noaidi elder and each of the indigenous people peeking into the tent who were also prized citizens of his nation whom he protected and served, just the same as those in Arendelle.

"Then may He guide your steps and unclutter your mind to look beyond the past and see the clarity of the future. So let us pray for the God of your land and ours to restore the circle of life that moves us all, great and small, with a new heart to forge a path that neither ice nor fire will ever defeat." The wise-eyed shaman lays the rosary clutched in his hand upon King Agdar's shoulder as the rest of the Saami gathered join hands in their chanting a spiritual joik revolving around the words that their leader was imparting to their monarch.

" _My faith looks up to Thee; Lamb of_ _Calvary_ _, Savior divine! Now hear me when I pray: take all my guilt away. Nearer my God to Thee…"_ Anna takes her Papa's cold, chilly fists and warms them as she sings along with the chanting Saami in healing music inspired in her heart that blended together with the spiritual _joik's álbmotmusihkka._ (poetic folk music)

"Through faith, hope, and love together, we will find our place." She smiles encouragingly up at both her men with optimism for their journey ahead.

 _Oh boy, Elsa! So much is going on up here! I can't wait to tell you about this incredible book I actually LOVED reading!_

 _But I'm sure glad that you're safe and sound, staying warm and cozy with Mama down in Arendelle!_

Anna was lost in her own thoughts as Kristoff stares in wonder at the open book of his illustrious mother's past revealed, as the child of the original Wind Whisperer tries to read deeper between the snow-flurried lines...

* * *

 ** _Down south in Arendelle, the next morning…_**

What Anna didn't know was that Elsa was _not_ back home in the warm comfort of Arendelle Castle's humongous, hot-burning fireplaces, entertaining snobby guests.

Rather, the Ice Queen was out in the cold blizzard, even far beyond her secondary Palace on the frigid North mountain by now.

Though she too was unaware that Elsa was out there facing some new dangerous threat, Queen Idun was beginning to second-guess the wisdom of her decision in sending her child out there with Prince Alonso, practically all alone.

 _I realize you sensibly chose to stay on up at the_ _Ice_ _Palace_ _when the weather became fierce, for Alonso's warm-blooded sake. I know you are no defenseless damsel-in-distress, min flicka. So I have absolutely no concern in that department especially with our Marshmallow there to keep the boy in line… But I pray you made it to the_ _Ice_ _Palace_ _before the storm broke. Maybe I should not have foolishly put you up to taking Prince Alonso up there, Elsa…_

"Is this some way I can help you, Iduna? Your pretty face looks so tense and worried, ave canora (Songbird). While still lovely, it does not suit you, dear girl." Chancellor Esteban had witnessed his hostess' mood change when the visiting dignitary of Avalor was sitting pretty with the heavy hearted Queen after breakfast.

Ever so slight a worried frown on Idun's cute little mouth, ever so slight a line to the adorable crinkle of Johanne's blue eyes as well, was noticeable to the keen Duke Esteban of Avalor.

He had watched the pair of women move restlessly back-and-forth through the sitting room, glancing out the window from time to time as they pretended to serve cakes and teas and coffee to him, making pleasant conversation like nothing was troubling their minds.

"As it does not suit you either, my dearest Johan- _ne_." The way her stressed name rolled off Esteban Castillo' silver tongue made the well past middle-aged woman smile like that girl of nineteen who now fell for his debonair charms all over again.

The tall, dark and oh-so-charming, cultured coxcomb wearing his wine colored longtailed jacket, white breeches and tall black boots, moves from the fireplace mantle he was leaning upon in urbane circumspection of the pair of ladies bustling about the sitting room in quite a tizzy all morning.

"I do not mean to pry, my friends, but I infer that Minister Kai is unwell this fine blustery morn? Do not take me wrong, please dear ladies. While I _have_ enjoyed our delightful breakfast together uncommonly well, I have missed the fine company of Arendelle's Premier Minister. I pray your brother is not indisposed?" The visiting ambassador turns his polite speech from Queen Idun to progress his more focused and handsome attentions onto Idun's ladies' maid.

"Yes… well… Sir..." Johanne pauses to blush when the South American man's emotive eyebrows raise at her. His thin lips beneath that dashing moustache purse at her too formal address of him while he serves her a cup of tea like a gentleman would a lady on equal footing.

"—Esteban."

The oft forgotten servant who just _happened_ to be in her finest frock that had not aired out for ages with its pretty and colorful, dainty flower rosemaling embroidery along her pale aquamarine blouse and sleeves and coordinated long skirt – never felt so pampered in her adult life as a servant. She averts her secretly pleased eyes and accepts the teacup with a blush and a more civil answer.

"Thank you for your kind concern. My brother Kai has been having trouble with his eyes for the past few days, and Gerda thought it best for him to stay in bed to get some rest for his poor aching head." Johanne responds to the ambassador's query truthfully.

Esteban lays his hand atop hers and squeezes it with a compassionate smile. "It is well he has such a caring sister and wife so good to care for him in his later years."

"Knowing our Kai, he will be up and inspecting that the draperies and windows have been properly secured, and the Royal fireplaces have been well-stocked with correctly dried logs, in no time." Queen Idun simpers at the very funny thought of their uppity, exacting like-clockwork every morning Butler/Chief Minister of Affairs/ Head Palace Administrator involuntarily cooped up in his bed when the normally busy dutiful man felt chiefly responsible for keeping Arendelle running shipshape and Bristol fashioned, especially in his King's absence.

The petite Queen crosses the large parlor where she was entertaining her old friend from Avalor, to tug on the windows' maroon curtain dressing yet again with a chuckle. Her indigo motherly eyes nonchalantly glance out for the hundredth time this morning into the whipping blizzard without, to see a strange sight in the distance indeed.

A trio of large snowballs were swirling about the chaotic north winds in such a wild manner that Idun pauses to squint at the incoming vision, trying to decipher what they could possibly be.

But the sleet was so thick and the cloud coverage so dense that a premonition stirred Idun, by female intuition, as she impetuously lunges forward to throw the window wide open to get a better view than through its clouded up panes.

 _I've survived far nippier, colder mornings than this, min älskare (my lover)._

Idun smirks against the chilled wind suddenly thrashing upon her reddened cheeks, the rather recent memory of one of their passionate hot-cold nights still giving the amorous woman an exhilarated rise of color…

"Your Majesty! It's much too cold for you to open the window and be out there in that weather! Please come back to the fire where it's nice and warm." Nursery maid Johanne had been Idun's ladies' maid since little Prince 'Agdy' brought his Swedish Princess back home to live with them and become part of their Norwegian kingdom's family.

And what a family they were, too, as reclusive Prince Agdar's ice magic powers—that had originally brought Johanne with her brother Kai and his wife Gerda into the kingdom's service at the Snow Queen's recommendation - were doubled in the birth of the Crown Prince and his bride's firstborn extraordinary child they named 'Elsa'.

But just as the concerned and kind-eyed Johanne was placing a warming fleece wrap around the back of Idun's shoulders, those three large snowballs Idun had been eyeing whiz directly towards the open glass panes.

 ** _SPLAT! SPLURT! SPLOOSH!_**

Selfless Johanne's first reaction was to push her lady Queen out-of-the-way of the incoming snowy projectiles as she was fully ready to take the full impact in her place.

The bonita needn't have worried though, for a dashing, debonair hero was at her beck and call.

In the flash of a few seconds, Chancellor Esteban's quick reflexes had kicked into gear as they had not been called upon in years. The tall, svelte man ignores his age complaints to grasp tight hold of her rib cage and literally spin Johanne in a bolero-like spinetta dance move to him.

The surprised, starry-eyed older female had not experienced the enthralling thrill of being embraced in a man's arms in an intimate dance such as this in over twenty-five years.

Esteban, with a smirk on his comely goatee embellished face, deftly takes her place in the line of snow fire, as the tanned skin charmer shields Johanne with the protection of his own warm body.

The Avalorean Chancellor is pelted instead by the triple frozen snowballs right in his not-as-lean-and-trim-as-he'd-like gut.

"Ooch! Ouch! Ouchy!" Esteban's usually come-hither eyes bug out with each of the three hits to his abdomen ( _particularly that last lower one was a doozy_!) that made the poor man see stars himself. The well-dressed man stumbles back to the coffee table and is maneuvered onto the couch by Johanne and Idun's steadying arms.

The three adults end up in a chaotic unseemly pile of arms and legs.

"Hello, again. Handsome man." Snowgirl Eliana's mouth coos as Idun lifts her hat from covering her face where her head lay disturbingly on the Chancellor's disturbed lap.

"What am I to do with this headless snow lady talking to me, Iduna?" Esteban, in all his interesting glory days back in Avalor with his cousin Elena and her adventurous group of friends, had never encountered a mystical being, magical spirit fox or flying Jaquins, or little purple goblins, or otherwise, who could function their body and a decapitated head separately without death being involved.

"Answer her back, of course." Idun whispers cattily to the deadpan, eyebrow raised man in his ear, her humor not knocked out of her like her wind, as the Queen answers her friend with simple sarcasm. Idun expertly extracts her askew body from the sofa where Eliana had knocked she, Johanne and Esteban in a pile down like a trio of wooden stake cricket wickets.

"Of course." Esteban strokes his debonair goatee at the bottom of his long face's chin. "Hello, Eliana, was it not? To what pleasure do we owe you for careening us down with your disassembled snow parts? Or is this common sport in Arendelle? Your Agdar always did have a quaint sense of humor." The eternally charming man sits up as a blushing Eliana ludicrously pulls herself into shape again with the sweet giggle at his silliness.

Her head on right again, Eliana hops down from Esteban's lap to the floor to speak to the Queen with a serious expression on her frozen face.

As for poor humiliated Johanne, the tall and swanky Latino entangled within her mortified skirts and legs somehow manages to replace one blushing female with another.

Esteban gathers the slender-framed servant woman onto his lap like it was second nature.

"All set right again, my _Bella Ojos Azules_ (Beautiful Blue Eyes)." The Avalorean Chancellor openly flirts as he brazenly straightens Johanne's forest green and black trimmed cap covering her disheveled grayish hair that was once a vibrant yellow blonde.

"You know. There has not been another woman to sit on my lap so well. Are you just as ticklish as you were then, Johan- _ne_? Shall we find out?" Esteban flirts, teases and good-naturedly taunts the slowly becoming not so uptight woman.

"Oh, you are still a rascal." Johanne chuckles and feigns shame and horror at the ambassador of Avalor, though inside, her heart was doing somersaults for this dashing man giving her attention after so many years of loneliness.

But their lighthearted romantic mood is all transformed when Queen Idun urgently returns to them with an expression full of uncertainty and fear.

"I'm so sorry for what will be entirely rude as your hostess, Esteban. But I will have to ask you to pardon me for the remainder of your visit. Circumstances have arisen that I must leave Arendelle immediately. But Minister Kai and Gerda and Johanne will see to your needs." Idun was almost driven to the point of distraction when Eliana, even in her most tactful way, explained to the Queen Mum of the King and Anna's unexpected trip to the northernmost Svalbard Island of their nation due to some new unknown dangers the pair were facing.

"My needs? Think nothing of it, Iduna! But, ave canora, whatever is the matter? Whenever and wherever you are intending to go, I will be only happy to be your able-bodied escort." With a pound to his sophisticated chest, Duke Esteban's gentlemanly side comes out as he and Johanne move towards their dear worried friend and mistress.

The tall, svelte man compassionately offers Idun his arm for support, sensing the small framed woman about to break into emotional tears.

"My husband and Anna appear to have encountered some trouble that endangers the entire country, so they have begun to travel to Svalbard to see the Snow Queen about it. I must collect my eldest daughter from her Ice Palace so we can join them. Elsa may be needed." Queen Idun loved her tight-knit family too much to see them ever face danger again on their own, when she knew she could make a difference in her small healing way.

 _No, Agdar. We will be at your side, as a family, no matter how much you wish to keep us safe behind these Castle walls. Do you never learn?_

The petite five foot two woman puts on her tough face and takes a deep breath as she prepares herself for this new traveling endeavor and the adventure beyond it that could very well be dangerous though Eliana had tried, in vain, to disguise it.

"Johanne, please tell Gerda to explain to Kai that I have gone to Queen Elsa in her Ice Palace on a journey North for an indefinite period of time. I leave the three of you, our most loyal friends, in charge while we're gone." The elegant dark brown haired Queen shows her commanding capability, knowing she wielded great sway over her kingly husband and had the power to make decisions in his absence.

"And now, bring me St. Olaf's Royal sceptre from the reliquary." Idun commands, thinking ahead what tools Elsa may require if this new threat was as mysterious as Eliana tried _not_ to alarm her with. But Idun was far too discerning to not see through her transparent husband's order to ' _stay home and safe inside'_ façade.

 _You are not going anywhere any more without me, Mister_. _You should know by now that you can't live without me._

Queen Idun glances down at the beautiful diamond heart necklace pendant her husband had recently given her as an early anniversary present. It matched the engagement ring he had bestowed upon her a quarter century ago that he didn't know she had lost at sea when their ship went down in the Skaggerak Straits.

 _Just as I refuse to live without you._

"But Queen Idun! I don't believe I have the authority to open the church reliquary." Johanne had been a servant in Arendelle far too long, under the leadership of her snobbish brother Kai, to not observe proper protocol, especially when it came to handling holy religious relics of the realm.

"But **_I_** do. It is **_my_** duty that no one shall take away from me. Be still, Johanne. I am at your command, your Majesty." Just then, as the maidservant woman turns the fancy golden crocus encrusted knob of the door, Minister Kai enters with a haughty bow and halts his younger sister with a touch to her tense shoulder.

The large framed man with tufts of orangey golden hair framing his balding head enters the room with a white gauze patch affixed with bandages over his left eye. His short, plump wife Gerda with her still dark-hair in a neat cap, was supporting his side as they walked in together.

"Kai?! What happened?!" As if she did not have enough worrying her, Queen Idun flies to the side of the special dear couple who had gone out of their way to befriend and welcome her since that first moment she stepped through Arendelle Castle doors as Crown Prince Agdar's bride and future Queen, many years ago.

"Good morning, Queen Idun, Chancellor Castillo. I deeply apologize for missing our breakfast conference, Chancellor, and all that delicious food I was deprived, due to my minor visual discomfort." Kai bows deeply to his sovereign's Queen and then to the visiting dignitary from Avalor, who responds in kind to the quirky worded, obese man a few years his junior.

The stubborn Head Minister of Arendelle stoically intended to keep quiet about his own ailments, especially when entertaining guests at a state visit level, where injecting your own personal problems would be viewed as a diplomatic blunder.

"No Kai! It's not just 'minor'! We must tell Queen Idun and ask her opinion. Maybe she can help you with her healing song." The caring, chubby cheeked woman would not take 'no' for an answer anymore from her stubborn partner in life, despite his contrary shaking head. "Kai has been experiencing some… problems… with his eye. He can see out of it, most of the time…just…everything is warped and dark and ugly through it. I was hoping you could maybe sing him a hymn to clear it up." Gerda, the sweet tempered Arendelle Royal housekeeper, had great anxiety on her face that her perpetual smile belied as she comes to her Queen to request assistance, for she knew not what else to do.

Gerda's beloved husband's left eye had an old wound that began to pound out of the blue several days ago. Then the next day the images he saw through just that left eye were half-diminished, dark, or contorted, making everything he saw through it repulsive and disliked. That startling revelation gave the plump little woman hidden anxiety in memory of just what injury her Kai had sustained there, decades ago.

But Kai's pride would not let her complain nor ask for the Queen's healing help for his ' _insignificant little discomfort'_ that the slow to respond man was quick to be angry about, stating to Gerda's horror: _'the Queen has no time for me with her too 'handsome' guest taking all her attention'._

Together, the close childhood sweethearts and lifelong best friends decided to just cover that eye up, lest it let in through the closed up slice that once existed there more of the sins of pride, envy, wrath, sloth, gluttony, greed or lust that were creeping up from the cracks in the earth into his psyche.

"Of course. Gerda dear. I will do my best." Queen Idun bows her head and hears a song move in her heart as she begins to sing in her lovely soprano its healing melody for the sake of her dear friends.

 ** _'_** _I love thy kingdom, Lord,_ _  
_ _the house of thine abode,_ _  
_ _the church our blest Redeemer saved_ _  
_ _with his own precious blood._

 _I love thy church, O God._ _  
_ _Her walls before thee stand,_ _  
_ _dear as the apple of thine eye,_ _  
_ _and graven on thy hand._

 _For her my tears shall fall;_ _  
_ _for her my prayers ascend;_ _  
_ _to her my cares and toils be given,_ _  
_ _till toils and cares shall end.'_

But as her lilting soprano finishes, though all four people in the room were enthralled, Kai's eye only moderately ceases to pound. It was as if the pain was coming from deep within and he was only holding back floodgates with his virtues of faith, patience and diligence.

"Did that help any, Kai?" Idun asks with a gentle touch to the heavyset man's arm, hoping her poured out song full of charity and kindness had eased his pain in some small way.

"Thank you, your Majesty. Indeed the pressure has been alleviated. But still, it is as if there is something invisible hovering behind my eye, even in my mind, gnawing at that place where a shard of the Mirror of Good and Evil penetrated it once upon a time." Minister Kai says, acting more his normal self with a grateful smile to his Queen.

"I have been praying to our Lord constantly, and trying to convince Kai that we need to see her Majesty, the Snow Queen right away, to find out if this has any connection to the deep snow blizzard weather. But he says he can't leave the Castle while the King is away." The bright eyed little girl full of faith and belief in the power of prayer had never faded as Gerda speaks with a squeeze to her mate's hands. But dutiful Kai shakes his head in embarrassment to Queen Idun, even as his wife gives him a supportive smile.

"Don't be silly, Kai! You've been friends with him for the longest time! You know Agdar is not an ogre! Besides, _I_ am in command now, and I desire for you to accompany me." Idun wastes no time in prevaricating, her head held high as she comes to a decision.

"We shall all travel together. Kai, Gerda, Esteban, and I will meet with Queen Elsa and go further North if she is so inclined. Johanne, if you would stay here–" Idun was just about to ask her cherished friend who was more than a trusted ladies' maid to this kingdom, to once again be left in charge of running Arendelle Castle in the entire Royal family's absence.

But the sheer disappointment written on the older woman's pinched features stops her in her tracks. The thought broke her heart at being left out again, particularly when her handsome heartthrob of the past, namely Chancellor Esteban Castillo, was going along for the ride she would miss if she were the only one left behind in Arendelle.

"–that is…rather… if you would stay here _**with** _ Chancellor Esteban _,_ in whom I will be entrusting the safety of our kingdom and to watch over our people. Chancellor, I leave you in charge of Arendelle for the interim while the three of us go to meet with my daughter, and the Snow Queen beyond after that, under Queen Elsa's command." Giving her daughter deference, Queen Idun looks to her not so bold and daring team of adventurers, from Kai to Gerda and finally down to little Eliana.

"But my poco ave canora Iduna! Are you sure you wish to give me control of your nation? I have not always been classed as the most trustworthy of souls to leave a kingdom's rule to…" A remorseful Duke Esteban had retained a certain degree of guilt after the occurrence of that evil witch Shuriki's takeover of Avalor had his involvement in the thick of it. For a while he fooled himself it was all for the sake of his family's safety, but the culpability he felt for his youthful grasping heart's desire to be in command and ruler of a kingdom of his own, Esteban bitterly regretted. The fact that it made him susceptible to that villainess Shuriki's ambitions, to the point he had to turn a blind eye to much darkness for far too many years, still haunted his dreams as well as his contrite soul's nightmares...

"I have the utmost confidence in your steadfastness, Esteban. And with dear, dedicated Johanne at your side, you cannot go wrong." Idun encourages her old friend with a broad smile that encapsulates both he and the blushing ladies' maid as Idun pulls them both close together with a tug of her hands.

"I will endeavor to perform my duty for this fine country you have trusted to my regard to the utmost of my abilities, Iduna. Under this beautiful, virtuous maiden's tender, steady hand, I will never falter from my commitment to keep her safe in my care." The dashing and urbane Chancellor grins devilishly at the doe-eyed slender servant, much to her irksome elder brother's chagrin.

"You had better keep her virtuous, you snake oil foreigner—" That sin of envy still left a touch of its odious stench hovering over Kai's proud tongue, as the fat man defends his 'little sister' from the debonair older man from the other side of the globe with slurs and slander under his heated breath.

"Kai! Hush and act with respect befitting your high office. Please go fetch the Royal sceptre." Queen Idun matronly interrupts her uncharacteristically rude royal cabinet member before he said anything more libelous to the Chancellor she was leaving in command of their kingdom.

"Gerda, you may see to our provisions. Johanne, ready my wardrobe and the others for light travel accommodation to be in order. Chancellor Esteban, if you would please order the horses of our swiftest sleigh carriage from the stables with supplies, as your first function of the kingdom's rule, I would be grateful." Queen Idun found it rather exhilarating to hand out royal orders and have people just jump at her bidding.

 _Now I can see why you are so fond of the feeling of power, min älskare_ —y _ou good-looking Norske brat._

Idun had a smirk on her face, especially when she spied her usually composed and quiet ladies' maid with a skip in her step to be left to stand at the capable side of this good-looking Hispanic Chancellor she secretly admired, for once in her quiet, sheltered life.

Then the decisive Queen walks with assurance towards the hall of her Castle that led to Arendelle's Guardhouse. There she would speak to the Captain of the Guard, and give her instruction on the transition of power in her King's and her daughter—the Queen's, absence.

"I trust you implicitly, my old friend, with Johanne's able assistance and sound common sense advice, you will be ready to rule and secure Arendelle's kingdom—to safeguard the people while we are away." Idun placates the strange uncivil behavior and grudge Kai held over poor Esteban with her own praiseful words and winning smiles, to which the Duke of Avalor rewards with a sweeping, affable bow.

"There are two Queens in their Palaces of Ice and Snow and it's about time we paid proper visits to." The petite beautiful _third_ Queen of this special Land of the Midnight Sun stands decisively tall as she takes command for once of her adopted nation's destiny…

* * *

 ** _Six thousand miles to the southeast quadrant of the world a man writes a letter to the home of his heart…_**

 _My darling Elsa,_ _  
_ _We have arrived in_ _Bombay_ _, slightly ahead of schedule due to some shortcuts through_ _Bengal_ _Tiger territory. The safe passage of which I owe primarily to your magical ice and your hidden moon that mesmerizes not only an unworthy human man such as I, but massive, carnivorous felines as well._

 _Égalité thought me insane – a logical notion in which he is probably not that far-off, min kæreste – but my drive to return to you as swiftly as possible has been my muse for so long now, that I seem to have laid aside all reason._

 _Reason and logic – I have discovered the hard way – have no place in the course of true love. For us particularly, do you not agree, my Elsa? For reason would say that you should not have come anywhere near me, and logic demanded me to come nowhere near you._

 _But who needs reason or logic when the gorgeous Queen of Ice is in love with the author of this missive, and no doubt, breathlessly waiting for his return?_

 _Anyway, my darling, enough of my inane ruminations when I am alone and restless, with pen and paper at my rudder._

 _We are grateful to the son of…a friend. (Yes, one of the illicit ladies I told you about in my previous epistle, named Padita. Again, I beg your forgiveness, my beautiful, merciful angel.)_

 _Here in the bustling British conclave of_ _Bombay_ _, the young doctor has put us up in his own humble housing apartment until our ship is to leave Port through the_ _Arabian Sea_ _on the morrow._

 _I must say, along this road trip thus far, I have been indelibly impressed by all the foreign sights and sounds – from the stunning lay of the colorful land, to the thrilling unique wildlife, to the fascinating and charming people I have been blessed to meet along the way – that one can only experience here in India. I wish my inadequate terminology of lexis could have described every breathtaking moment to you far superior than I have, my love, on these simple pieces of parchment I use to bridge the gap between us, if just for sanity's sake._

 _But even all this awesome splendor of nature pales in comparison to the lasting memory of your entrancing eyes, coupled with that beguiling smile I pray to God will encapsulate me soon again._

 _Good night for now, Snowflake. May I selfishly aspire for your dreams to be of me tonight? I can assuredly say that you will be the heavenly body of mine._

God bless and keep you safe, Elsa, as I prepare to embark tomorrow to cross the first of two oceans that stand between us, with exactly one moon left until your special day.

 _With all my deepest love and affection,_ _  
_ _Hans Christian Alexander Westergaard_

 _20 November 1841_

The handsome redheaded man looks up from the fine penmanship he had signed his full name with through the mosquito net bedside to the moon outside that was in its first crest over this balmy Indian night.

As he tucks away his dipped ink nib pen and naval journal back into its secured waterproof pouch beside his pillow he lays his head down to, his nimble hand pauses to elevate the remarkable pendant of the striking pale beauty that was resting against his chest.

 _Someday, my Elsa. Someday it will be the real you pressed close to my heart…_

Hearing the buzz of strident insects, the snores of people over-filled in the thickly populated chawls and the clamor of British colonial soldiers stationed at bungalow not too far down the dusty, bumpy dirt road, Prince Hans deliriously begins to drift away into a dreamy slumber.

A sleep full of the jam-packed day's noisy bullock carts and cotton gins whirring; wafting scents of opium and exotic spices intermingle on the streets of the diverse port city, where multiple ships and all their bustling sounds of foghorns and engines all part of the commercial hub that was the gateway to India.

But hovering above all of it, was that singular celestial body glowing with a luminescence that transcended the busy noisy crowds whirling in the circle of life below in her cool, demure, heavenly beauty…

 _… Take me to my world of dreams…_

 _Elsa, my hidden moon…I wonder what you're doing right now…_

* * *

 _Nuorhtuvuoinna_ – the Spirit of the North Wind

 _joik -pronounced 'yo-ii-k' -_ Saami lyrical poetry set to music to tell stories

 _álbmotmusihkka_ \- folk music in Saami

 _biebmobárdni_ \- foster son in Saami

 _vájbmo –_ heart in Saami

 _Noaidi –_ shamen in Saami

 _Gonagas -_ King in Saami

 _Guoldugongasbardni -_ Snow Prince in Saami

 _min älskare - my love in Swedish_

 _min kæreste –_ my dearest in Danish

* * *

'I love thy kingdom, Lord' **–** hymn by Timothy Dwight 1777

'Circle of Life' - Elton John 1994

* * *

Here's another August installment, Frozen friends! Loads of Snow Queen backstory history included in this one! Kristoff's powerful Mama is at the heart of this story arc. Let's see if King Agdar can figure out what all those wise elder trolls and Saami were trying to impart to him...Many revelations unfolding with Hans Christian ANderson's original Snow Queen story coming in the spotlight…

And now Queen Idun is going to join the adventure with her unlikely troupe! She's on her way to see Elsa in the Ice Palace, but the Ice Queen already departed with Prince Alonso...hmm..wonder how they'll meet up!

Now Esteban finally gets the chance to rule a kingdom! I adore that man! At first I wanted him to join the travelers. But it was more logical and dutiful for him to stay in Arendelle to safeguard the welfare of the citizens as leader. More romantic too, with his old flame Johanne to keep him company and warm inside the palace. heeheehee!

And the chapter wouldn't be complete without an update from Hans via his sweet little letters! I have lots of fun imagining what dashing Mr. Westergaard's innermost secret mind rambles about when he's alone in bed at night. Juicy food for thought! :

And a little back music from epic 'The Lion King' sets the mood of nature's prophecy and past colliding!

Well, back to the writing board!

See you again soon, my friends! I appreciate your reviews of this developing Frozen Again adventure!

Love and God's blessings,

HarukaKou


	13. Chapter 12 - A Pirate's Life for Me

_We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

 **"Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act VI**

 **Chapter 12**

 **"A Pirate's Life for Me"**

 **5 AM, just before daybreak on the** **Arabian Sea** **…**

… _In dreams you know the place so well…_

This patch of ocean voyage had become known as the 'Spice Route,' for obvious reasons—ever since the seventh century traders had traversed it. Records of this area's sea traffic stretched into first century Roman Empire connections and even further back into the Ptolemaic dynasty.

Amidst the whirring sound near the boom cradle lower deck of the ship's steam-powered engine, Hans had to shake himself awake. He had been experiencing strange hallucinations of murmurings nearly every early morning since they had been at sea. But this morning they were intense and ceaseless whispers in his ear, as if issuing some kind of urgent warning.

Prince Hans Westergaard was surprised at himself. He usually never felt more comfortable anywhere than he did on board ship when it was most far-flung on endless oceans. It was out here, far past the horizon, far away from the angry derision and spiteful disdain of his family—who, even back in those lonely, dark days practically disowned him in the Southern Isles—on the deck of many fine naval crafts in his past, where a young Hans found he excelled at each task.

His discarded soul had longed to find a place to belong all his worthless life. So, in the Søværnet Navy, Hans Westergaard applied himself dutifully to his maritime endeavors, where he survived his state of being a virtual outcast, and was accepted as a commendable sailor and comrade.

There has, for centuries, been some hidden fascination for men about being able to sail far beyond one's cares or troubles, where painful memories were left at home, which every sailor found alluring. The boy who had become a Navy 'man' at just the age of twelve, was no different in his yearning to be free, and forge his own life's destiny—wherever and however it took him.

But that solitary life had been transformed by the love of an extraordinary woman who showed to him the forgiving love of Christ, and miraculously gave the misguided prince a true place in her heart to belong.

"Are you already awake, man? It's too early! I thought traveling by sea was supposed to be a soothing, calming, lazy sort of affair, mon ami. But between those swells and those wild waves and the inebriated captain of this vessel - _who seems to purposely make us hit every one of those breakers, mind you_ – I think I preferred riding alongside the tigers on the Bangalore roadway myself." Suffering from more than a touch of _mala de mer_ ('seasick'), Prince Ferdinand of Orleans complains of the bracing weather conditions racing across the turbulent Arabian Sea. The harsh winds thrashed and intensified as the days wore on with the small steamer named the 'Hugh Lindsay' while they crossed from the Indian Ocean to the Arabian sea from Bombay Port.

The steam packet was built for quick travel of the East India Company's mail route, cutting the time of a large ship not able to traverse some of the small waterways yet to come by less than half, through the Middle Eastern section instead of going around Cape Horn.

It didn't take much of Hans' natural charm (or was it Colonel Egalité's under the table offer of hard cash?) for the half drunk commander of the vessel to agree to accommodate the two young royals who claimed to merely be commoner students of art on a southeastern exploration and simply wanted to return home to see their ailing parents for Christmas.

Hans did not like telling the fib to the ship's Captain, but an overbearing Ferdinand insisted, believing it better for the pair to travel incognito for less questions and the least chance of being targeted for robbery.

Taken in by the pair of winsome charmers' embellished deception, the old British captain of the 'Hugh Lindsay' agreed to allow them on board his Royal Mail steam packet service between Bombay and Alexandria.

The accommodations may not have been the most luxurious on board a small steamship designed for speed and content capacity for delivering mail more than comfort. Ferdinand and Hans were unceremoniously squeezed into a tiny cabin where big bags of envelope letters and packages the mail ship had picked up from Bombay from the British soldiers at the base were stored.

The two small hammock bunks that the few sailors on board had begrudgingly provided made for a discomfited bumpy ride on these past few days for the tall and lanky princes. Particularly the rather peevishly demanding Frenchman who was more tailored to traveling the seas in the high life of ease.

"How can you just sit there happily scribbling in your little notebook when the entire hazy world is roiling around us, Westergaard?" Pausing in his moaning, Prince Ferdinand lifts the wet cloth from his forehead over his eyes to peek out at his more productive roommate.

Hans was sitting up on his bunk studiously evaluating the laid open maps and papers all surrounding him on the bed.

"I am plotting the distance of our course versus the allotment of time frame remaining for our itinerary, particularly in lieu of the real-time measurements of how long it has taken us to get here along reasonable nautical miles. And then, once we arrive past the Gulf of Aden and are inland of the Red Sea in Egypt, I wish to calculate how many miles of the Mediterranean it will take before we make landfall in Malta." Hans answers without lifting his head. Nor does he put down his mapping pencil and protractor from where he was still assiduously working on the logistics of their journey to bide his time.

"More damnable water! It is a shame the great inventors did not conceive some sort of air travel possible so man does not have to endure rough choppy seas." The bilious French Prince give Hans a condescending bored smirk beneath his well trimmed moustache as the other young man in the room seemed to be enjoying plotting with a nautical map and compass and all those dull cartography tools employed at his fingertips.

"Must you constantly wear that Vise Admiral uniform, even when you do not have it on, _mon_ _frère_ (my brother)? He may not believe me how dreadfully dutiful and mind numbingly dull you have been on this journey thus far." The French Prince grumbles and mocks Hans' industriousness with the ridicule.

" _Who_ will not believe your report of my character?" Hans asks suspiciously, cocking his head at Ferdinand. Hans had been primarily preoccupied with heretofore drawing up the most expedient route of the waterways once they had traversed the Arabian Sea where he had already taken into account the wind propellant to wave oscillation ratio.

"It's too suffocating in here to even speak civilly any more. Look at me! I'm stripped down to my _extremely comely_ underwear, as you have the pleasure of purviewing." Nimbly changing the subject, Ferdinand slaps the wet cloth back over his exasperated eyes at being reduced to such humiliation of wearing his longtailed sleeveless undershirt and linen drawers with laces at the waist to tie around his tight body. He then drops his head back to his, by no means, fluffy enough pillow that felt as flat as his unamused head.

"Do forgive my foul mood, but I tire of languishing here all day, Hans. But what else is there to do on board this humdrum, always whirring, sputtering vessel? It is a shame there are no women aboard this drab postal craft—it's so befitting the stuck-up British." The Frenchman, who had a natural prejudice against the English, _mais oui (_ but, yes _)_ , was going a bit stir crazy in the noisy steamship that was decidedly _not_ designed for passenger travel.

Ferdinand Egalité was the kind of man who longed for freedom and liberty – not being cooped up and crammed inside anywhere for an extended period of time. So he was indeed in a foul mood due to his seasickness for the past two days, ever since they had begun to cross the Indian Ocean that merged into the Arabian Sea.

"Egalité. There are many other activities far more worthy than merely amusing oneself by mingling with the opposite sex." Hans corrects his cabin mate with a raised brow as he puts aside his pen and paper, and maps of the area wherewith he was transcribing the distance estimates. The slim man places all his cartography tools on the small end table he had erected from an overturned bucket where many mailbags were propped up on the side to keep it from pushing over when the waves insisted.

"Hmmm… Cannot think of any at the moment." So utterly French, the roguish adventurer speaks flippantly as he tosses his arms above his handsome head and speaks with an experienced flourish that just itched to get under Hans' moral fibers.

"You are incorrigible, considering." Recalling what he learned of Ferdinand Égalité's betrothed, soon-to-be-marital status, Hans throws the words over his shoulder as he gathered himself up from his hammock.

"Considering what, mon ami? Where is it you are going?" Ferdinand's inquisitiveness outweighs his indignance at being called out while he watches his curious companion peruse through the satchel at his hammock side for one of those ingenious bars of soap made from lye and flower extracts rather than just the normal perfumed fat and lard that the naval commander had keenly acquired when they traded with an Asian peddler back in Bombay.

"I require a proper shave. I have been only giving it only a lick and a promise these past few days and am losing the battle with my stubble. There is neither water nor space in this tiny room to do so adequately, so I am going above deck." The redheaded Prince, who could be a bit of a dandy from time to time, brushes a hand lightly over his cheek and chin where stubble was starting to sprout quite unsatisfactorily for the rather finicky Prince's well manicured tastes.

"Oh, you and those heavenly sideburns! I have no idea why some men are so particular about their facial hair. Vain creatures." Prince Ferdinand says in partial self-mockery as he strokes his own thickening moustache and beard with a winsome simper on his regal face.

"It's not vanity! It's just that it will be far too difficult to retrieve this level of perfection if I do not get some semblance of grooming. I have rarely neglected it for this length of time, primarily due to these cramped living conditions. That's all." Knowing his secret fetish could be equated with a peccadillo against the virtue called humility; Hans admits his habitual frailty with a cute pouty expression. He assesses his pretty boy face down his long celestial nose with the thoughtful forefinger and thumb pinching his pointy, albeit stubbly, chin.

"Now who's the one being incorrigible? But I'm sure your lovely lady would no doubt appreciate the end result. So off you go, you hopeless romantic. I must confess, I would rather sleep than primp for my invisible _la Belle (Beauty)_." Ferdinand ribs, teases and announces his intention to go back to sleep in one sentence as he clamps the moist towel back over his droll eyes. He groans as he turns over on his stomach that was starting to wrench again with the sudden instability of the small light craft on the thrashing waves this early predawn morning.

"Then I'll leave you to it, my friend, whilst I go and ' _primp'_ as you so wittily put it, for my darling Elsa's inclination. She has already stated that she prefers me _without_ a moustache, so I will assume that extends to untidy stubble, hence I must accommodate her even when she is not present." Pulling off his shirt so as not to get one of his few articles of clothing wet while he shaved, Hans gets the last word as he leaves the cramped mailroom with his new single bar of natural Asian soap, his sharpened razor knife, a washcloth, and the small mirror he never left home without.

Now all he had to do was go up on deck to the head, and draw a bucket of fresh seawater to shave his red stubbly chin and trim his sideburns by.

 _It's the least I can do, keeping myself prepared and proper for your approval, min elsking (my love). Hans smiles to the shimmery ice pendant miniature resting against his manly bare chest that the usual proper gentlemanly over well-dressed man was growing more accustomed to._

As he peeks out the door into the empty lower deck and begins to climb up the wooden stairs, at the last minute, an embarrassed Prince pulls the light shirt he was carrying over his chest.

Taking his role as Kommander of his own ship quite seriously, Hans was still not normalized with walking around the decks half nude, not wearing any covering as he goes up into the public topside.

But, as he was not divulging he was the Vise Admiral of the Sjoforsvaret, even though they were incognito, he needn't keep up with appearances.

 _As Vise Admiral of the Sjoforsvaret I must be civilly attired when viewed by others, in respect to my rank under Admiral Bernadotte and Queen Elsa, whom I represent._

So even though he was only going to fetch some seawater to perform his morning ablutions on this steamship packet's deck, as a royal representative of two kingdoms, Prince Hans Westergaard would be presentable. Even if his audience was just five rough and tumble sailors in the East India company on this slapdash ship they had hitched a ride upon.

" _I wake in the loneliness of sunrise, when the deep purple heaven turns blue. And start to pray, as I pray each day that I'll hear some word from you."_ Hans begins to sing a soft song to God's miracle of the dawning sky as he emerges from below deck into the teetering moments between darkness and light.

But the sight that greeted his lovesick eyes as he adjusts to daylight takes all his other thoughts away, his golden voice catching in his throat.

The British steam packet named the 'Hugh Lindsay' was not the only ship in these Arabian waters. There was another larger vessel that had, in the Captain's drunken stupor and the crew's inattention, been waiting near the shoals of the island archipelago of Socotra where the Lakshadsweep Sea joined the Arabian. The dense plant and mountainous treeline of the archipelago covered the ring-shaped eroded volcano atoll that encircled the lagoon. It was the perfect disguise for the outlying ship until it was too close upon the island chain for the surprised steam packet to react and move farther out to sea.

In the air stifled cargo hold down below where Prince Ferdinand had been loudly snoring for most of the morning, Hans was not able to hear of any of the scuffle taking place up on the quarterdeck. The raiders – who preferred to be called 'privateers' in this 19th century era – had been lying in wait for the small steamship to slow rudder as it puffed around the colorful island's reef.

The captain of this Chinese junk, one Tauku Abas, was the infamous high-class brother of the Rajah of Achim who was alleged to surreptitiously sponsor his little brother's penchant for plundering ships and smuggling stolen goods into the black markets in Asia.

As a Navy man and former slave on a pirate ship himself, Hans had heard of such piracy, especially at this vulnerable point in the Gulf of Aden. But rarely had he heard of such a blatant raid attempted in the midst of the Arabian sea, as if the attackers had been alerted of their itinerary and were waiting for the Hugh Lindsay to come around the island bend as the ship was pulled in by its undertow currents.

Hans peers through the deck hatch from where he had fallen back to the lower stairs to see a considerable sized Asian man stalking freely across the deck. He was wearing that colorful feather trimmed pirate's hat that the most infamous brigand of this region had become known and feared for.

 _I've heard of this Asian marauder before. He is said to have more audacity than even you, Captain Houtebeen._

This all passes through Hans' swift mind in the flash of a second as he stealthily slinks his sleek frame above deck and into the faded darkness behind its secondary mast without being spotted. There were seven men armed with guns and swords and clubs who had stormed the steam packet with the intention of hijacking the valuable mail of the British Empire.

These savvy pirates invaded from their larger ship and intercepted the 'Hugh Lindsay' into backing into a corner of the connected islands' shoals. The men of all ages, shapes, sizes and races, used several flying gaffes launched from their ship's forecastle to attach themselves to the slowed steam packet and climbed down to its deck using the rat lines.

The vicious mercenaries silently overwhelmed the small steamer crew and had slit the throat of the helmsman who had collaborated with the pirates in the kind of rotten doublecross that was part and parcel for the course.

In the eerie predawn darkness, Hans makes a mental count in an estimation of each of the pirates taking over the ship and the location of the six tied up or knocked unconscious crewmen left on the deck of the 'Hugh Lindsay.'

The young man of action hunkers down behind some of the captain's finest rum barrels fresh from Bombay's storehouses to assess the situation.

 _At least I have the element of surprise on my side since those privateers appear contented that the crew have been neatly subjugated._

The crew of the British packet he had been traveling on with Prince Ferdinand had kept their mouths shut – _or perhaps they had forgotten_ – about traveling 'art students' Hans and Ferdinand's presence on board the ship. But either way, it would work in Hans' favor.

"Take control of the steering helm and bring us to the deserted island where we'll hold the ship's British Captain for ransom. Feel free to kill the crew rabble before they give you any trouble and plunder whatever loot takes your fancy, boys. Grab the most valuable parcels and imperative governmental missives on board the ship, while I see if it's even worthy of claiming this old heap for scrap, British garbage." The dark Malaysian man says with dark intent to his fellow pirates.

The merciless upper-class prince turned privateer made it a point to never show mercy to his victims, if just to keep up the reputation as the fiercest scourge of the Southeastern Seas.

But the Danish naval officer, though he spoke no Malaysian whatsoever, could read the body language of the aggressors who were holding weapons threateningly over the poor tied up crew of the mail packet. They were forced to their knees, about to lose their heads to the sharp scimitars of the pirates.

So, though he had no known backup, little hardware of weapons, and a few seconds of time with even less by way of odds, Hans Westergaard was crazy enough to play the hero once again.

 _I'm not a hero. Just the man she deserves me to be_. The handsome redhead thinks to himself the profound contradiction as the other more instinctive side of his quick clever mind was already in process.

In the last glint of moonlight against the emerging dawn, the nimble footed gain races across the ship deck's strakes. From sail mast to mast like a night shadow, the slim, svelte prince stalks the ship. With his sharp shaving razor in his right hand, his dagger blade extracted from his black leather boot in the other ambidextrous left, Hans moves across the ship unnoticed.

Just as the cruel intimidating pirates were about to summarily execute the crewmen on their knees on the deck, Hans makes his presence known in an alarming warcry scream that was purposely meant to disorient the swordsmen attackers and give the captured crew precious seconds of time to hit the dirt at Hans' motioning command for their incredible rescue.

The expert bladesman slashes his dagger clean across all three of the rope lines that were the only things left holding the center mast up in a perpendicular position –

 ** _CCR-EEAA-KK! SW-WII-SSH! WWHOOOSH!_**

The upper mizzen mast of the steamship's sails are masterfully let loose from their secured tackle clew rings and jib stays and the unfurled canvas is snapped hard in the southeasterly wind the 'Hugh Lindsay' was flying.

The sudden action of the free swinging wooden masts smacks five of the seven pirate swordsmen clear off the ship deck, a great deal of them quite badly injured as they are swept over the railing into the choppy Arabian sea.

But Hans had no time for remorse if he was going to single-handedly save these sailors' lives.

 _So that leaves just two_ …

Hans' cold calculating mind had no room for pity right now for the wicked men his precision actions had mowed down into the jaws of an unforgiving sea and all the creatures circling around. After all, it was the ruthless pirates who had stormed the steamer's wheelhouse to have spilt the first blood in the water—the unfortunate helmsman who obviously changed his mind about collaborating with the pillaging miscreants a little too late.

The remaining crewmen were still vulnerable, tied upon the deck with those two villainous survivors yet prowling despite the swinging mast's strike.

So Hans secures his knife between his front teeth as he devil-may-care swings across the loosed jib staysail ropes with a momentum filled leap from the upper forecastle down to the main deck.

The daring young man makes an athletic, strong leg muscle propelled pass to squarely kick the second to last buccaneer off the ship and force him to plunge down from the starboard to bounce harshly against the ship's keel on the way down. But not before smashing back into one of the others who was already treading water trying to scale the rudder and hull back up.

 _One to go._

By now, Hans Westergaard was getting pretty full of himself for so neatly taking down villain after villain without even yet breaking into a sweat. All for his brilliant mind's planning and his toned body's adept execution.

But Lord Abas, the lead plunderer of his motley gang of South Asian raiders, was of course the one wily enough to duck and sidestep both of this rascally European's deft moves that had eliminated the other six members of his commandeering party.

The smirking lone survivor was as cunning as he was wicked. In a split second, the man makes a grab for the soused English Captain of this targeted mail packet and begins to garrote his own knotted tie around the old Captain's neck in a stranglehold lock.

"I'll say this once: LET. HIM. GO. No more blood will be spilled for the sharks to feed on this daybreak." Hans warns in his most serious tone as he simultaneously draws his long Navy sword now and brazenly shows off his swordsmanship skills of its sharpness by deducting a nearby barrel sitting on the deck by a third of its round cylinder.

The Captain's favorite gin that had been secretively stashed there in place of water explodes all over the deck at the British ship commander's feet.

 _"Ah, seorang yang bijak. Anda ingatkan kamu boleh menakutkan saya dengan helah pedang lawan, orang asing? _(__ Ah, a wiseguy. You think you can scare me with your fancy fencing sword tricks, foreigner?) You are just one scrawny man? I kill him in most painful way possible if you not put down weapon and surrender this vessel to me now!" The tall Asian member of the a Achin Royal line speaks first in his Malay language and then in a broken not-too-bad-attempt at English as he speculates tall and fair Hans to also be of the expected nationality on board this British craft.

But in a split-second decision of life and death, our reformed Hans finds he was not morally prepared to gamble with another man's life. Looking in the grave Malaysian pirate's black pupilled eyes and seeing real danger there, Hans begins to lower his sword. Much to the wide-eyed Captain's relief and the cruel pirate's poker-faced sneer…

 ** _BANGG!_**

A single gunshot fires from the side area distance of the waist section of the ship—the forceful, unexpected impact of which knocks the leg-penetrated Prince of Achin to stagger back towards the edge of the ship's curved railing.

Hans reacts without missing a beat, lunging forward to solidly punch the dreaded gentlemen pirate of the South Eastern seas with all his might, socking him directly in the pirate's soon to be tooth missing, dislocated jaw.

Then Hans pulls the awestruck British Captain, still deafened by the gun blast so close in his ear, to safety. The unforeseen action reaction of which sends the marauding pirate leader Tauku Abas teetering backwards to join the rest of his marooned crew – _or what was left of them_ – plunging into the dark, predator shark and batoid filled waters below.

"Mon Dieu (my God!), you have made a mess of this deck, Westergaard! Good thing I decided to come up to chew out that inebriated Captain for his inept steering skills. Or you would have been forced to make that decision. Fortunately enough, I made it for you. I have utterly no qualms, nor the limits of your high moral compunction about shooting dead violent ship attackers in an premeditated ambush. But this obese old Captain may have gotten in the path of my bullet the way they were in such close quarters. So, alas, I did not have the opportunity to aim to shoot the legendary Pirate Abas between the eyes to claim the glory, if not the reward, on his ugly head." Blowing the gunsmoke from his pistol that just happened to be at his side - though he was by no means well-dressed enough to be at the top deck - strides across the strakes of the mail packet ship where cut ratlines and clews and loosed sails were drooping all over the chaotic vessel.

As he was speaking, one by one, Colonel Egalité 'unties' the crewmembers with Hans' handy knife that is trustingly tossed across the frenzied deck to him by the relieved Dane—still coming down from the unexpected early morning adrenaline rush.

" _Cough cough cough_! Now I'm ever so glad to have brought you two artists on board! Artists indeed! What an action team you are! You can be sure there will be a hefty reward when we get to Aden's port, for _our_ capture of that heinous criminal of the high seas! We certainly showed him not to mess with we Westerners!" The pompous ship's Captain, totally sober now, was sure to include himself in this takedown and capture of one of the most wanted men in this part of the world. He chuckles merrily as he stoops down to pick up the broken teeth of the infamous _Gentlemen Pirate_ that this simple art student lad, half the ocean marauder's size, defeated.

"Thank you very much, chaps!" Remembering his manners, after the future monetary reward, at last, the British packet Captain of the East India Company's mail service gratefully chokes out as he rubs a sore neck. Then the ship's Captain starts barking out orders for several of the crewmembers that Egalité and Hans had finished untying to make sure they were unharmed.

 _"Reattach the sails and secure the lanyards before this prevailing wind throws us off course any further or you'll be deducted wages, ye scalawags!"_

A small punt with armed maritime officers soon approaches the ship from where they were stationed on the islands of Socotia. The British governed territory had spotted the pirate ship hanging around the archipelago from its lighthouse and had sent their small pickup craft to collect whoever – or whatever – was left of the wanted gang of pirate attackers that these astonishing heroes on board the unassuming steam packet had knocked into the dark swirling water's drink.

 _"_ _Anda akan terima padahnya untuk ini! Saya harapkan anda akan reput di neraka, orang asing! _(You will pay for this! May you rot in hell, foreigner!)"__ _The Prince of Achim yells out viciously up to Hans with a shaking fist as he is dragged up from the raging sea to the police boat and is quickly bound up by the authorities._

The gentlemen pirate, hunted down with a reward offered by his upstanding cousin, Prince Khalid, would be finally incarcerated after years of escaping authorities without any hard evidence thus far to tie him to any scene of a crime. The careful upper crust man made it a point to never leave witnesses.

"Not the best enemy to have made, _mon_ _frère_. Let us hope that humiliated Prince of Achim never discovers your identity. Best to get some distance between us, oui?" A strangely wary Ferdinand murmurs to Hans under his breath, as if he was genuinely fearful of that southeastern pirate's threats to Hans.

"Is it possible to get the ship operational again quickly, so we can continue our journey _vite_ (quick!), _mon chere_ Captain? I'm sure my friend here will allow you to claim the reward for the pirate's capture – to pay for any offenses to repair your damaged ship – as we are only interested in getting home to our families as quick as possible. And if we all pull together, there is no doubt we can put the sails up and running by teatime! My good friend Hans here is an expert after many summers doing ship art and carving figureheads at the prow for the Royal Navy." The way Ferdinand plainly stated words, and leaving you feeling indebted to him somehow by the time the smooth-talker was done, made Hans smile at how much the Frenchman reminded him of himself in the way he could put his finger on the pulse of another human being and make them feel important.

"See how beautiful his work is? A Christmas gift for his Norwegian _modèle_ back home. That is, if you can get us there in time." With insinuating eyebrows raising, partial tall tale spinning Egalité boldly sticks his hand inside of a shocked Hans' lightly buttoned shirt to display that sculpture in ice of Queen Elsa to demonstrate for the dubious Brit.

"Exquisite workmanship! You truly are an artiste to have captured the woman's expression of vulnerability to perfection…" Mesmerized by the gleaming statuette depicting Elsa of Arendelle, the thoroughly bedazzled captain, who was about to give them a negative response, suddenly does a 180° to the positive.

"Such a beautiful lady… Think nothing of it, my good fellows! It will be my privilege and honor to try to get you as far and as fast as my ship can take you towards your destination, my young friends! I am indebted to you, to be sure, and I'll do all I can to spare not the coals and square knot the ropes for your benefit, boys! That is, if my crew is with me?" With an arm squeezed around each of their straight, broad shoulders, the Captain of the 'Hugh Lindsay' turns to his crew. The majority of Hindi men, freed of their bondage now, were only too grateful to Hans and were willing to go that extra mile to accommodate his request for the rest of their trip together.

"Yes, after I make a quick report to the authorities here on the island, then we can get back on our way. That is, if you boys could lend your expert help in the sails' refitting. If we can get underway again by this afternoon, I believe we still can arrive at Aden's coaling station at the appropriated time I promised you originally. We've got a full day to get there, so hop to it, gentlemen! There's a gleaming lady at the end of this horizon to please." The old man felt invigorated to get to work rather than take a swig out of the bottle that was always around in his pocket when times got tough. But somehow, that extraordinary young man's lifesaving, heroic actions, all for the benefit and love of a gorgeous young woman he was speeding home to, put the old man in the mood for good will that he had not felt the in a very long time.

"Yes, sir." Hans keeps up the pretense of not holding a maritime rank higher than the small ship's Captain, not only to keep up the guise of being mere poet and art students, but also to not take away the authority of the older man just coming into his own again and maybe making one more attempt to beat the bottle.

"Alright, men! Be it rain or shine – _or weasely pirates_ – the Royal Mail must be delivered! In the name of her Majesty, Queen Victoria!" The gruff older gent cries out in his thick British accent and patriotic fervor that gains Hans' smile at the mention of another powerful young Queen who ruled her nation well.

"It appears you're feeling better yourself, Egalité. Maybe a little rousing of the blood was all you needed to conquer that persistent seasickness plaguing you to bed rest ever since we set sail." With his Elsa's gentle coolness calming his rattled nerves, Hans smirks at his companion's untidy state of dress. Ferdinand was only wearing his sleeveless, square-cut, long linen undershirt and the unattractive, knee-length drawers that those in his high class status usually sported beneath all those fancy jackets and coats and silk ties. The freedom loving Egalité normally refused to wear those unattractive, knee-length drawers but on this journey, it was a necessity.

"Perhaps… But next time the ship starts swaying to and fro, I may not be inclined to come running to your rescue in only my undergarments." Egalité complains of his unsatisfactory appearance in public that his worry for his partner's safety had to overlook, just this once.

"Why? Would your _Helena_ not _enjoy_ seeing you so intimately attired?" Hans challenges his friend as he nods to each of the six Indian crewmen who were smiling and gratefully bowing to him as they laughed along with their brave Sahib's joke on the French man.

"Hmph. Would any woman? I certainly will not be requiring the need of any of these unsightly underclothing to cover my fine physique on _our_ wedding night. Nor every subsequent night thereafter." The humiliated Frenchman boldly implies to the challenge with some risqué imagery of his own. He pokes fun and a finger at Hans' chest now just to get even as he makes an inappropriate stroke along Elsa's ice miniature where it rested against Hans' flexing pecs.

"Well, since it's what lies beneath the garment that counts, I can say with assurance my Elsa would appreciate being with me wearing anything. Or _nothing_." To come down from his pensive state, Hans throws some healthy male bravado into their private conversation to keep up morale.

"Not if you don't shave for her, she won't." Ferdinand has the last word. The tall Prince of the French affably smiles as he rubs then pats Hans' yet past 5AM shadow that his particular fiancée was said to have some eccentric objection to.

Ferdinand and Hans exchange racy barbs with grins on their handsome faces. But soon, both young men were laughing at their competitive absurdity as they both put their shoulders and hands to work right alongside each other, hand in hand with the busy crewmen in re-rigging the tousled ship.

Fearlessly unafraid of heights, Hans Westergaard climbs to the top foremast's skysail by way of the jib boom and clew lines like an expert tightrope walker as he works his entire body's muscles very hard to quickly get the rigging and sails he'd knocked down attached again so the swift craft could sail soon.

As he does it, climbing higher and higher into the breathtaking rising sun at dawn's light, Prince Hans never felt closer to God in His Heaven.

 _From way up here, I could almost feel I could reach out to touch you,_ _min ædle Elsa (my precious Elsa)._

Closing his eyes to soak in the glory of that fresh morning sun, the Danish Prince begins to sing a beautiful hymn in praise of his precious Saviour who granted him a precious love of his own to keep aiming for no matter where he traveled.

 _"'Jesus shall reign where'er the sun_  
 _Doth his successive journeys run;_  
 _His Kingdom stretch from shore to shore,_  
 _Till moons shall wax and wane no more._

 _To Him shall endless prayer be made._  
 _And princes throng to crown His head,_  
 _His name like sweet perfume shall rise_  
 _With every morning sacrifice._

 _People and realms of every tongue_  
 _Dwell on His love with sweetest song;_  
 _And infant voices shall proclaim_  
 _Their early blessings on His name._

 _Blessings abound where'er He reigns:_  
 _The prisoner leaps to lose his chains,_  
 _The weary find eternal rest,_  
 _And all the sons of want are blest.'"_

Able-bodied sailor Prince Hans, once he had secured the rigging to the highest mast at its crow's nest view, slides down the clew line to the foredeck. There, while the others were scurrying around deck getting the sail back up, the master seaman checks his rigging was taut to the fore, his lilting song of praise never ceasing.

 _"'Where He displays His healing power_  
 _Death and the curse are known no more;_  
 _In Him the tribes of Adam boast_  
 _More blessings than their father lost._

 _Let every creature rise and bring_  
 _Peculiar honors to our King;_  
 _Angels descend with songs again,_  
 _And earth repeat the loud Amen.'"_

 _"_ AMEN!"

Hans was distracted where he was perched over the long protruded edge of the front bowsprit that extended over the mermaid figurehead proudly adorning the ship's forepeak. There, where he was cavalierly double-checking and securing the rigging, young Mr. Westergaard was absolutely certain he heard an ethereal voice – Or was it voices?- echoing back his song's triumphant finale line of praise.

Far into the distance the redheaded Prince of the Southern Isles could've sworn he heard a chorus of otherworldly voices continuing a muted indistinct song, as if inviting him to join them beneath the surface of the waves, towards the direction of the Red Sea his ship was sailing…

"… _For if you hope and you believe_ _  
 _You'll see the golden nets we weave_  
 _You'll hear the magic in our spell…"__

* * *

 _'Loneliness of Evening' – Song by Rodgers + Hammerstein, sung by Santino Fontana_

 _'Jesus Shall Reign Where'er the Sun'_ \- hymn by Isaac Watts  & John Hatton 1793

' _Where Mermaids Dwell_ ' – 7 mermaid sisters chorus in 'The Little Mermaid's 'Songs from the Sea' album

* * *

So! There it is! The exciting last episode of this August writing-fest Birthday month for me! : (I finished writing it a few days back, but was a bit slow in the typing up with Dragon and proofing to make it by my midnight deadline for myself! Oops, sorry! ;(

Just when he thought he was out of the pirate gig, our Vise Admiral Hans versus a band of pirates on board ship at sea made for some pretty captivating seafaring moments! And his edgy banter with Egalite both top deck in the aftermath and below in their cramped cabin', was fun, wasn't it? Guess it's a ' _Pirate's Life for Hans'_ all over again! I had to pull out some of my old ship schematic diagrams and ocean-faring vocabulary research for this one! Kinda missed ship travel myself! So I find myself agreeing with Peter Pan's Lost boys: 'A Pirate's Life for Me!'

The chapter got so long after I was done writing it on my last days off ( _boo-hoo, byebye birthday week_ ), I decided to split the chapter in two, so the next one's already ready for next week's installment. Much will be revealed of the new danger's plot adventure unfolding! I'll be hashing it all out soon at the normal pace, weekly by month, so I hope it was interesting enough to stay tuned for it to be solved by our great Frozen cast!

Hans is on his way home to Elsa, but with maybe a few adventures of his own with some other characters inspired by other Disney movies.

Did you catch the mermaid singing that spooky cool "Where Mermaids Dwell" song from 'The Little Mermaid's 'Songs from the Sea' album echoing up to Hans from under the deep blue sea? Maybe we'll be seeing more flippin' fin tail action in upcoming chapters with our handsome hero still out on the high seas!

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, my dear friends! See you Frozen Again soon where 'Love Never Ends'!

God bless you til next time!

Love,

HarukaKou

P.S. Thanks to my super new friend, AshisGrey-sama for her brilliant translation clarification of the Malay dialogue of my villainous pirate prince this chapter! I truly appreciate your great input to give the true flavor of the culture to my humble story! :)

Doumo Arigatou! You're an invaluable friend for being such a excellent reader and helpful proofer! Now my mangled Malay should be more understandable! ^_^ Yeah! I'm always grateful for help to make this globe-trotting international intrigue story authentic!: - HarukaKou


	14. Chapter 13 - Devil in the Details

_We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

 **"Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act VI**

 **Chapter 13**

 **"Devil in the Details"**

 ** _Back in Norway, many miles north of the Ice Palace in the Trollheimen Mountain range, Sunndal municipality…_**

"So, when are you going to tell me all about your 'Mr. Awesome Too Prince Charming?' You wear him on your sleeve so much, I feel I'm getting to know the Dane." Prince Alonso of Córdoba remarks from where he was comfortably seated in the passenger side to the stunning beauty driving the cryo-magic sled that his pair of Criollo horses had been hitched up to.

"Hmm?" Only nominally listening to her companion, Elsa was maintaining an ice vortex around their sled, much like that King Agdar had placed around his vehicle. But the Ice Queen's version featured an artistically designed diamond studded dome of her ice construct that made the sled now look similar in shape to that pumpkin coach befitting Cinderella of fairytale legend.

Glancing over in a daze, Queen Elsa had been lost in her own crowded thoughts for the past few kilometers of their travel. She was trusting the two South American horses to follow the foreign blizzard hit road path she had directed them to, and they complied well. Perhaps Elsa had gained experience soothing horses with her ice like Sitron, her 'Prince Hansome' steed.

 _I wish I brought you, Prince Hansome…eh...'Sitron', on this excursion._ ** _And_** _your attractive Master, for that matter._

With a flick of her gifted hand, Elsa was constantly clearing the slippery path with her ice powers, commanding the new fallen icy thick snow and hail to part, ensuring easier travel for the steeds.

"If he cares for you so much, why isn't he here? _If it were me, and some Padre – mighty King or no - up and said I couldn't see the girl of my dreams and sent me away to the Navy, I'd riot."_ The Peruvian Prince says out of the blue, murmuring the latter snide remark.

Could Alonso read her thoughts?! A startled Elsa looks up in surprise at her passenger's abrupt question.

"Basically… I want to know why you were so willing to forgive him after all I heard he did to you and your kingdom? I mean, he was disowned by his own Royal family for trying to kill _**you**_! That's got to leave a scar on the memory. " Alonso lifts his incredulous arms behind his head where that fuzzy Russian fur cap Oaken had traded with him was squarely secured past his ears.

"The Lord taught us to forgive—as we have been forgiven, and keep no record of past wrongs done to us, Prince Alonso. So I only recall my _no longer disowned_ Prince saving my life many times since then—even and always to his own detriment. That sacrificial love he showed is what left an indelible mark, far more lasting and true than any other, in here." A devoted Elsa calmly and distinctly explains with a hand touched to her heaving velvet blue bosom above her heart.

"Doesn't leave much room for anyone else, does it?" Under his breath, his attention was already diverted from hearing what Elsa was saying and more in the way her magenta lips said it. A greedy eyed Prince Alonso gives a longing glance, first to the voluptuous body-hugging velvet dress blonde, then back behind her in speeding coach to that special hot crystal hand warmer that he had purchased from that Trader Oaken guy.

But the magnanimous Arendelle Queen had carefully affixed the long scarf wrap to rest around the ice cage she had built after she had captured that fiery troll. The compassionate ruler in Elsa had tried to keep the creature comfortable, yet still continually frost covered to prevent her escape from the basket in the ice vehicle's sleigh bed.

"Please don't touch. Remember our deal? We agreed you could only come if you behaved yourself."

Was Elsa speaking of Alonso touching the scarf warmer or _herself_?

In her peripheral vision, Elsa had perceptively seen the Argentinian Prince's attempt to touch her bare shoulder with the fingers of his right hand, and his left one just itching to reclaim that magic crystal warming scarf in the back from where he was quivering with envious eyes back into the sleigh bed.

"Hmph. Right." With a forced smile and hand drawn back, Alonso catches himself from that red-eyed temptation with a hard shake of his slapped with a dash of cold, self-possessed head. He folds his strangely wanderlust hands on his lap so tightly that they were blood drained, rather than be mentally seduced to reach back and grab that warm scarf that belonged to him…

 _Mine! No one else's!_

But that gorgeous young woman seated in the fast-moving sleigh had a crisp clear look in her eyes that could instantly douse the burning insatiable grabbing sensation that kept rising in his chest from time to time.

"If I had someone's hand to hold, it probably wouldn't be so bad." Alonso smiles the obvious flirtatious simper out to Elsa as he extends his hand, palm side up for the Ice Queen to hold. Elsa wished now that the she had not displayed as a conversation starter her ice prowess to show off how her mind's focus was all she needed to keep the reins magically taught before her, without the use of either of her hands.

Elsa nervously chuckles. Her gloves being off presented a bit of a dicey situation to be so blatantly asked by this virtual stranger to have him hold her hand. It was only Anna and Mama and, _yes Papa too, now at last again_ , that Elsa only felt at ease to hold the warm hands of for extended periods of time.

Only her immediate family… and of course, Prince Hans Westergaard's' beautiful, wondrous warm hands…

 _Oh, my darling Hans! Especially now, in this time of uncertainty, how I yearn for your warm hand to fondle me now and hold me tight…_

Elsa's inner mind screams for her hero in this awkward moment, trying to think a way of not being too difficult or cold or unfriendly with the visiting dignitary, and still maintain her distance…

"Ooh, let me! Let me! I'll hold your hand! I LOVE warm handshakes! Almost as much as I love warm hugs! Ooh, kid gloves feel nice!" Olaf had been sitting back in his seat, quietly humming to himself where he was sitting in the front bench of the ice sleigh. Elsa had purposely designed it to be widened with the molded center passenger seat for her friendly snowman to safely fill.

Prince Alonso looks down in dismay at the snow creature whose branchy paw grabs the chance to squeeze and shake the shocked palm of the Córdoban prince heartily.

"Yeah, me too. Much better than the cold shoulder." A miffed Alonso answers, his annoyed, insinuating voice wobbling with Olaf's energetic pumping handshake and subsequent hug to the fed up young man.

 _Good boy, Olaf._ Elsa mentally thinks to herself, grateful for once of her first snow creation's overenthusiastic, at times embarrassing, interference.

After several more minutes of driving up the white out Trollheimen mountain, with Olaf doing the majority of entertaining, Elsa pauses the sleigh at a fork in the road.

"We're almost at the top of the mountain, Olaf. Is this the way that Papa and Anna brought GranPabbie and the other trolls?" Elsa asks, suspect of her snowpea brain friend who had been acting a little more than lightheaded since he had spent a little too much time up in the higher atmosphere as their frozen courier.

"Yep! Papa and Anna brought GranPabbie and Trainer Mylon and Healer Eclos and Master Phylite and Homfels and Gheiss and Blueschist and his twin brother Brownschist up to see Kristoff and Little Rock and Bulda and Cliff and Priest Gothi –"

"Okay, Olaf, okay. We know all the names of the trolls." A smiling Elsa stops Olaf before he rattles off the rest of the monikers of the entire Troll Valley village.

"But they're all up there having a big ole troll party without us! Let's go join them in their fun singing and dancing!" Olaf dances a little jig in his seat to Alonso's rolling eyes that were already dizzy enough from the spiraling road encircling the highest 5,364 feet tall Såtbakkollen mountain peak that was growing narrower and narrower further up the mountain they went.

 _I've got talk to Papa about doing this to the little guy anymore. His mind is already aerated enough without us sending him into the troposphere._

"Yes, a… party… sounds like fun… Olaf, but—" Elsa says, trying to let her little friend down diplomatically.

"Party? Fun? Maybe you are a woman after my own heart, after all." Sitting up from his slumped over lazy snooze, Prince Alonso perks up at his keyword life's motto from where he was gloomily pouting on the right side of Elsa's elegant magical sleigh, lifting the cap he had pulled down over his eyes.

Brash Alonso makes the mistake of scooping up Olaf and exchanging seats with him as he reaches his kid gloved hands to excitedly wrap around Elsa's pale alabaster shoulders while they were driving up the narrowing road that spiraled upward and around towards the former mountain man campsite and now where the trolls had been relocated.

Whether it was that sudden unwelcome action that had caught a disturbed Elsa off guard, or some other force at work, the entire Trollheimen mountain range, eclipsed in blizzard's snows, begins to quiver with an unknown commotion.

From out of the three foot deep, fresh fallen snows a creature of ice and snow begins to rise from where it had been obscured by several of the jagged snowy mountain peaks' formation.

"Watch out!" Alonso moves back away from Elsa as he alerts his horses, who were trotting along at a quick clipped pace, up the mountain to make a sudden final screw hairpin turn at the top of the summit.

 ** _WHINNY! NEIGH! WHINNY!_**

The two tan and white Criollo steeds cry out for their master as they skid to a halt dangerously near the ledge of the several thousand feet high mountain peak at this altitude.

"What's going on?! Who's that!?" Alonso cries out with his eyes bugging at the revealed hugely tall and extremely leggy, icicle tinkling hair flowing freely in the crisp winds, ice statuesque armored Warrior Valkyrie. The armored and armed frost creature had, silent like a ghost, come to life from where she was catnapping in the untouched cover of snow that served as her bedding.

The Ice Valkyrie kneels and then stands upon the mountaintop before the ice sleigh, blocking their entrance into the encampment that was just one more turn around the mountain bend to its summit.

"I don't know! But she looks strangely familiar." Elsa answers in a panic, trying to calm the horses and stabilize the sleigh at the same time, all while gazing deep into the exquisite indigo eyes of the ice warrior woman who was staring them down with warning defiance.

" **VARðA!** (HALT!)" The intimidating twenty foot tall ice armored creature rises before them with a shield and sword of ice that was more her scale than theirs. It made the weapons of this monstrous being, almost four times their size, even more deadly and frightening to be on the receiving end thereof.

Elsa was in disbelief of her eyes and ears – which amazingly translated the Old Norse word _'Varða'_ that the tall, sparkling in ice woman spoke to mean ' _Halt_!'

 _But how could this skaldic mythological being be physically here?_

With all that was going on recently, the young Queen of Arendelle was becoming a bit disoriented to think herself capable enough to ably distinguish fact from fiction herself.

She recalled her dear Papa in the past telling the fable stories of the strongest of women who guarded the kingdom of the ancient Norse Kings. These celebrated Valkyrie were said to protect their land from invaders, and reap the souls of their enemies in triumphant battle.

When she was young, Elsa thought these warrior women so brave and bold and beautiful from their storybook pictures and skaldic poetry. Her Papa had described from the Norske mythological tales of ancient Eddic skalds so vibrantly, with such enthusiasm, it always got his little daughters' vivid imaginations going.

And now here she was, staring at one of those legendary warrior women, the one who fit the description of being the sword warrioress named ' _Hjörþrimul'._ The tall and slender warrior woman exhibited frozen ice streaming from her fingertips with an enchanted shield attached to her wrist bracer and glistening ice blade sword already unsheathed from her gigantic side.

" **VARðA!"** TheValkyrie repeats in a loud and booming voice that rings over the mountaintop, even above the blizzard's maddening din. Then the Valkyrie directs an intense frost breath that physically blows Elsa and Alonso and Olaf and their skittering horses sliding back down the mountain road, spiraling in abject fear of teetering off the ledge of the high mountain cliff.

Yes, this abrupt ambush of a monstrous magical creature was terrifying, but Elsa had sworn to Anna, to herself, to her nation… _to Hans_ … to never to be frightened to stand up for herself and her people, anymore.

"I am the _**Iss**_ _**Dróttning**_ **(Ice Queen)**! And you are my subject! Cease this attack and kneel before me!" Elsa's coloratura soprano rises above the howling wind as she squints her azure blue eyes through the blizzard winds. It was beating down hard against them now with Elsa's weatherproof bubble enclosure exposed when the ice sleigh was sent askew.

In her overwhelmed mind, the courageous young woman finds that tranquil place inside to remember her Papa's old stories of ancient Norse soldier warriors having the duty to respond to their respected commanders without question, when they were spoken to with authority.

As she fearlessly brings the rearing horse sleigh back up to the snowy mountain summit, Elsa makes her regal clout known again. **"I AM YOUR QUEEN!** I demand you **KNEEL** before me in respect!" Every cell of her being infused with ice magic tingles with the command until that shapely, fearsome gargantuan woman stops her blizzard breath blowing back against Elsa's determined cryokinetic shielded sleigh.

"Good, brave girl." The twenty foot tall Ice Valkyrie's harsh scowling face suddenly smiles as she speaks in her language now, with a more tender and gentle voice as the Ice Valkyrie ceases her attack to gaze down at Elsa with something like…pride.

The monstrous Ice Valkyrie instantly falls to her knees to her recognized leader's order in respect and bows reverently before the Ice Queen, until she turns her large face up to speak.

The fierce storm suddenly clearing up, Elsa was able to see the lovely eyes set upon the pretty face that was not that of the Valkyrie Warrior woman from her mythological skaldic tome learned memory.

No. Those sweetly caring eyes, the entire face shape and soft smile gazing down at Elsa now reminded her of…

… _Mama?…_

Indeed, the breathtaking, voluptuous woman meagerly dressed in bust armor and Roman style leather skirt wraps with tall boots, had the body of a tall legendary Norse warrior. But her face was far too sweet and her smile too ready for Elsa to ever be frightened by her presence.

"Oh, Papa! This is your doing, isn't it? Mama as a Valkyrie Ice Warrior? You are too precious!" Previously tense, Elsa chuckles as her fear subsides totally when she recalls how her stoic father tried teach her – _and Anna, miserably_ – all about the myths of their forebears, the ancient Old Norse Kings, when they were wee little girls.

Elsa's intelligent mind concluded that this supposedly threatening Valkyrie warrior woman was simply a creation of her similarly powered Ice King, of her father's romantic – _in both senses of the word_ – conjured up, ancient Norse guardian. The Ice King had placed their dear friends, the threatened rock trolls, under this mythical protector's watch while he had to go further north.

"Your father turned your mother into a twenty foot tall Ice Valkyrie? Whoa. Gives a guy second thoughts about marrying into _this_ loco family." A weirded-out Alonso murmurs under his breath at the extreme marital solution in this far northern section of the world where magical ice powers seemed common for the royals.

"Don't be ridiculous, Alonso! My father has ice magic similar to mine because I inherited it from him. I believe he crafted this guardian for Trollheimen mountain in my mother's image because she is his muse, his whole world. And he adores her so much, I suppose any powerful female he ice sculpted would be in her likeness. I must admit though, I didn't see _this_ coming." Finding laughter in the humor of the situation calms Elsa for the moment as she dismounts the sled to walk up to touch her 'Ice Mama's' long flowing tresses that glisten malleably in the verglas ice.

"We are friends, dear Guardian. There are troubles ahead for this nation that I must confer about with the Troll Leader in there." Elsa speaks in a soft tone to the great ice creature who bows her head to the Queen of this land in respect.

"Thank you for watching over our Troll friends." Elsa says, then she turns back to Alonso.

He was seated at the reins now, where he was ready to direct his horses to bolt away from here, down the treacherous mountainside, if need be, at full speed, should the gargantuan ice woman monster acting all nice now goes awry.

"It's all right now. She will listen to me because Papa appreciates soldiers who show respect more than anything. Please bring the sleigh into the encampment, Prince Alonso." Elsa calls out to the Prince as she walks into the encampment unmolested.

" _Nei_! (No!) Barn minn einn! ( _Only you, my child!)"_ The Valkyrie suddenly screams out, changing her demeanor entirely from looking fondly at Elsa to glare at Alonso and the sleigh.

" _Dj_ _ǫ_ _full_ _snubba bruni_ (Devil's curse of fire), _Nei_! (No!)!" The ice sword warrior swings her huge sword of sharpened ice through the cold air to land squarely in front of the sleigh Alonso was reluctantly steering towards the troll camp.

The powerful magic sword severs his horses from their tackle and reins as the frightened equines quickly follow Elsa inside the encampment and race far in until they disappear. That left Alonso, Olaf, and the sleigh bed – where that interesting passenger in the back was held – to remain on the outside of the camp and its entire mountaintop's ice protected shield.

"'Devil's… curse of fire?' Please let them pass!" Elsa wracks her brain to recall the old Norse language lessons her Papa and Minister Kai had tried to train her, as the future monarch of Norway, of their ancient Norse heritage. "Oh! You mean her?! But this injured troll girl is the very reason I came to speak to the troll shaman! I need him to heal her. Please, she was once a member of the Troll family a long time ago, too! And isn't family important?" Elsa pleads with her Papa's ice incarnation of the mythological Valkyrie warrior concerning the fire troll she had captured, who was half stone and all despair.

"Hmm?" Her broadsword still drawn and her massive ice shield wedged between Elsa inside the Troll camp and the others still on the sleigh, the Valkyrie sword warrior seemed to be pondering that heavy question.

"The _Iss_ _Dróttning_ (Ice Queen) speaks the truth, Hjörþrimul _."_ GranPabbie's old, scratchy voice speaks with wise reason and calm conviction that the ice warrior, left here by his old friend King Agdar to guard and protect his troll kind, listens to closely.

"GranPabbie! Thank goodness! Maybe you can convince this guardian that I, as Ice Queen, promise to keep an extremely close eye on this injured rock troll. I have the power at my fingertips to cast this creature fully to solid stone if she acts badly. But I wish to understand her plight and motives of why and who sent her up here to the surface. That is why I brought her to you. The guardian should have no fear." Elsa explains to the ancient troll before turning back to the tall Ice Valkyrie.

"Please let us through… _Hjörþrimul_." Confirming her name from a nodding GranPabbie, Elsa gazes her clear blue eyes upwards to the giant large-scale woman nearly three times her height. But that didn't seem to reach through her chilled aura.

"Dear Guardian, we must find out more of these underground trolls, if we are to help Papa." The young woman who also saw her sweet mother's kind eyes reflected in the created ice being addresses her with the right words to touch even an icy heart.

The Valkyrie almost smiles and nods first to GranPabbie, then to the Ice Queen in her regal blue velvet gown as she withdraws her ice blade and lifts up her shield that was blocking Alonso and Olaf in the sleigh from entering the old Ice Harvester camp where the trolls were now residing.

"You can come now." Elsa projects her strident voice to Alonso who had been either too chicken or too awestruck by the incredible scene of Ice Queen versus Valkyrie with this strange Nordic Troll creature named 'GranPabbie' as referee.

"How are you so sure?" The streak of cowardice that sometimes ran in the Prince of Córdoba's veins since he touched that dark crystal, showed he cared more for his own skin than for anything else. Prince Alonso was a tad unsure that the armed and dangerous, twenty foot tall female beauty would not wage war against him with her sharp sword for a second more damning strike.

"Because I believe that my dear Papa would never create anything in my Mama's image that could be unjust or cruel. He loves her too much to degrade her like that." Elsa answers Alonso with a look that was proud of her parents' devoted, unshakable relationship with one another.

"That's right! Elsa and Anna's Papa and Mama are really tight, and still amazingly in love. Believe me, I know. I'm a love expert." Olaf happily gives commentary where he was sitting beside Alonso in the peanut gallery.

"Oo-kay. So that's the depth of love you expect from the man _you're_ going to marry, too. Some pretty high standards there. Can your loverboy Dane can live up to that? But I guess I'll have to just go by that happy hogwash, for now." Again with the negative murmuring! Was Prince Alonso trying to be annoying, or was he just a natural at it? Though her mind was busy, Elsa was vexed enough to be none too gentle with lurching forward the gelid braking system of her solid ice vehicle. She cryokinetically pulls the sleigh with its three passengers into the protected sanctuary Trollheimen mountain peak with no obstruction.

"Now, Elsa. This dark Troll you have captured and brought here – which I commend you in the highest terms for your prescience – may be one of the most ancient races of trolls in all of Scandinavia – perhaps in all the world." GranPabbie begins to enlighten with his age-old wisdom as Elsa brings the carriage around. The Ice Queen uses her power to lift the woven basket that she had encased in ice throughout their journey to keep the incarcerated fire troll subservient from escaping, with the cold that was abhorrent to her fiery form.

"Yes. She is one of the ancient Igneous Fire Trolls of old." In a hush, GranPabbie speaks solemnly as the throng of nosy rock trolls who had come out of their tents to see the raucous goings-on as audience gives a collective gasp when, with a magical breath of her own, Elsa defrosts the ice cage enough for its single occupant to be viewed by all.

"A Nibelung! Nibelungs?! Ni-be-lung!" More than a few of the generally friendly and pleasant company of trolls point and cry out and shrink back in fearful prejudice of their legendary ancient enemy.

Bulda grips Cliff's arm when they all glimpsed how this half stone cold, half vivid fiery red troll fit the passed down descriptions of the oddly shaped and pointed head and hands and tails of the race of trolls who were their archaic greatest enemy.

And also once their dearest friends.

"This Fire Troll is now called a Nibelung. But before the result of the Great Troll Wars, in days of old, they were one of the three races of ancient trolls – the Rock Trolls, the Water Trolls, and the Fire Trolls, who once cohabitated side-by-side in perfect harmony for millennia." GranPabbie begins to alliteratively explain as his aurora borealis charged crystals faintly draw colorful illustrations upon the blank powder of snow on the ground.

"Our cousins, the Fire Trolls, were created in the beginning of time of volcanic igneous composition, honed by fire, while the other group of our extended family, the ancient Water Trolls, were more of a sedimentary nature. Alas, they were ultimately all turned to dust and vapors against the all-engulfing, conflagration flames of the Fire Trolls in battle. Fortunately, we Metamorphic Rock Trolls were able to withstand the forces of their evil with our ability to return to our stone forms and rejuvenate by the power of the aurora borealis crystals we each hold inside our hearts, if they remained pure." GranPabbie's vivid depictions of his long-forgotten relations had garnered him the title of wise leader and great teacher for years since his own youth where he gave Troll history immense study.

So now, in benefit, Elsa, Alonso, Olaf and all the rest of the Troll clan were mesmerized by his historical, geological, and genealogical revelations.

"Why have we never seen nor heard about the Sedimentary Water Trolls – or the Igneous Fire Trolls, for that matter – before this, GranPabbie?" A student of Norwegian history, Elsa questions the old shaman with an open mind. She walks alongside him while cryokinetically hovering the injured fire troll over towards the wise troll leader's tent that Kristoff had set up to be his headquarters in this mountain outpost.

"That is, because we Rock Trolls have been too ashamed of our wicked cousins; and too tender for the painful memories of family betrayal that we had tried to forget over the decades. We have lived in fear to utter their name after they had been banished to forever live – if you can call it that – in the dark abyss beneath the earth's surface. After the Great Troll Wars, the Fire Trolls were rumored to have forgotten who they were originally, as they were transformed by the evil they allowed to let in their souls to become the Dark One's servants. From that cursed day on, they were renamed the 'Nibelungs'." GranPabbie pauses for breath to let that information sink in Elsa's disturbed mind before he continues on.

"It was the Snow Queen herself whom God our Creator had appointed, millennia ago, to not only rule the snow with the rejuvenated power of the aurora borealis which He brings each night and day, but use its energies to crush the jealous ambitions of these lost Trolls. It was through her magic manipulation of the cold that we were given our troll crystals, to sustain our Rock Troll ancestors within that great final battle when we used the aurora borealis crystals to banish the Fire Trolls from ever rising to the surface again." GranPabbie's dramatic descriptions were alight in Elsa's bright, fertile mind.

"So these Nibelungs you speak of were good Fire Trolls once?" Elsa asks in a timid voice on a subject she did not quite fully grasp yet herself as her ice magic cautiously was defrosting the Nibelung girl's frozen cage for the Troll shaman to have a better look at her.

"Yes, they were our igneous cousins, born of the fire lava. But the Lord maker of all tempered them with a cool heart. With it they could halt the magma from bubbling up to overflow from the faults and crevices in the earth from Satan's lair before it destroyed life up here on the surface in the light of his raging jealousy. As Fire Trolls, they performed their role for thousands of years, until Beelzebub spoke into their nightmares whispers and caused them to desire to rule all the trolls and prove themselves to be the most important to God of the three Troll races. Which is preposterous for any of His children." GranPabbie tells his tale as he was mixing some kind of potion in his great big ceramic bowl with mortar and pestle in his tent.

"So you're saying the _'Devil made them do it'_ , right?" Prince Alonso, where he had been skulking around the darkened tent, had been silently absorbing all of the strange and new data like a proverbial sponge. The generally dulled and bored eyes of this young Crown Prince were glowing with interest at this growingly intriguing tale of ancient mysteries and adventure here in these Nordic lands that made even old history lessons spring to life.

"Well, more or less." GranPabbie flippantly answers the similarly facetious question, rolling his moss covered rocking head back-and-forth with the statement. He goes towards the female half-petrified-to-stone Fire Troll to fully appraise her problem. However, the dark red Nibelung hisses at her age old bitter enemy in response as he nears.

"But it is the darkness in each of our hearts that can succumb to the Dark One whose ways are death and sorrow and makes us vulnerable to anger and sin to shut out the Light if we allow it. But the promise of God's mercy is life and hope. _And_ the virtue of forgiveness." The sagacious old troll speaks with an inner spiritual wisdom that was more inspiring than it was ominous for once.

"Amen." Also keeping her eye on her awakened charge, Elsa bows her reverent head and says a prayer in her heart for not only the welfare of this single lost fire troll, but all the citizens -human and troll alike – who lived in her great land.

GranPabbie takes the powders he had crushed together with his pestle and uses the very last Northern Light energy remaining in his troll crystal necklace, and that of all the elder trolls gathered (some begrudgingly) in his tent, to infuse them with raw aurora borealis magic.

"HHOOUUU!" With great effort, the old troll leader takes the glowing powders he had mixed with the aurora energies offered up and tosses them over the form of the trembling with anger and cold Fire Troll.

He bravely uses his old gnarled thumb to rub the Nibelung's obstinate, struggling forehead with the powders and a chanted incantation as he does so. Elsa was using her Ice Queen magic to dampen the fire breath the angry Nibelung was spewing from becoming anything more flammably dangerous than phased puffs of steam smoke.

Elsa, Olaf, Alonso and the other trolls watch in suspense as the troll female's greyed out, hardened and petrified stone half of her small troll body begins to shimmer with glowing energies until it was supple, normal troll skin again.

What was even more heartening was the fact that the dark maroon and bright red colors of its skin before was now a more subtle orange and natural colorings of burnt sienna. It was in stark contrast for several seconds to the still vibrant red left half of the Nibelung that yet had the wild crazed look in her left eye, the partially snarled and half serene curl of her convoluted mouth that was fighting GranPabbie's healing magic from its cursed side.

 **שלח את עצמך ולכן אלוהים** **.** **להתנגד לשטן והוא יברח ממך**

" _Submittere te igitur God. Reisst Diabolo, et fugiet a vobis.-_ (Latin for Hebrew Bible verse 'Submit yourself therefore to God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.' James 4:7)

The few spoken words the ancient troll shaman speaks next in the Hebrew tongue of long ago, of when a single Man who epitomized God had more power than any mortal to change the heart of everything living with a single word.

In these words from thousands of years before, GranPabbie repeats ancient text to speak over the half angry, half at peace creature struggling against the ice cage Elsa had with her sparkles of cooling mist to stabilize the rising heat in the tent.

The trembling Nibelung in the cage starts to shiver uncontrollably, her two-toned bright red and dull orange sides both transmute along with her angry sneering face and wild eyes into a deep fuchsia–orange and salmon shading. Then she collapses to the icy basket in a motionless heap.

"Is she all right?" Elsa felt pangs of sympathy for the convulsing small troll-like creature as she kneels down to the floor of the tent's snowy ground at eye level with the Nibelung.

"Thanks to you, Queen Elsa. I believe we have made our first conversion of this Nibelung back into her original Fire Troll form. It is fortunate for this girl that your ice miraculously was able to temper her burned up heart once her corrupted mind was frozen out from making the decisions. You truly are a special young woman, who I have no doubt will guard this nation and many beyond with your crystal clear, true heart, my Queen." GranPabbie bows reverently to Elsa as he had not bowed to a human monarch for many centuries of his long life.

"Wow. You really are something, lady. And so is your crazy nation and all the amazing things that live here..." Alonso smiles with genuine respect to the monarch of Norway, who blushes under all this attention.

"Gratias tibi ago, Glacies Regina. Ego sum libero diaboli maledictionem. (Thank you, Ice Queen. I am finally free of the Devil's curse.)"

Most surprising of all was when the heretofore incoherent, linguistically challenged by the angry fire she felt inside troll speaks in Latin. A cool light inside stirs the troll girl to look with clean, no longer red and glowing eyes, directly at Elsa with gratitude.

"Yeah! Elsa saves the day!" Olaf happily chimes in and collapses from where he was staring entranced at the tall Valkyrie woman standing at the entrance of the tent, vigilantly keeping watch of both them and the entrance to the mountain.

"Thank God, not me, for allowing second chances, my new friend." The Queen of Arendelle takes little credit for the lost troll of long ago coming back to her true form.

Elsa had discovered on her journey this truth for herself, when she felt lost and forgotten in her own heart, that the Lord did not forget to bring the warmth of His love Heaven-sent through her caring, selfless little sister's sacrificial love, And in turn, her belief and forgiveness towards the Southern Isles' Prince who had once wronged them both, now had been freed in the Light of God's Redemption.

 _Now we must ensure that_ ** _all_** _peoples of my nation are encompassed in Your loving shine again, Lord…_

And the merciful sun begins to peek through the blizzard stormclouds, as if in answer to Queen Elsa's pure-hearted believing prayer...

* * *

 _Varða –_ wait/ halt in Old Norse

 _Skilja_ – get away! In Old Norse

Iss – ice in Old Norse

 _Dróttning –_ Queen in Old Norse

 _Þekkja –_ I understand in Old Norse

 _Hjörþrimul –_ Name of sword warrioress in Norse mythology

 _Nei_ – No! in Old Norse

 _Einn_ – Only in Old Norse

 _Barn minn_ – my child in Old Norse

 _Snubba bruni_ – curse of fire

 _Dj_ _ǫ_ _full –_ Devil; creature from hell in Old Norse

 _Submittere te igitur God. Reisst Diabolo, et fugiet a vobis.-_ Latin for 'Submit yourself therefore to God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.' James 4:7

 **שלח את עצמך ולכן אלוהים** **.** **להתנגד לשטן והוא יברח ממך** **'**. Hebrew Bible verse James 4:7

Gratias tibi ago, Glacies Regina. Ego sum libero diaboli maledictionem. (Thank you, Ice Queen. I am finally free of the devil's curse. In Latin)

* * *

Happy Labor Day, Frozen friends! I hope you and your families are having a wonderful last grab at Summertime fun!

I know this chapter was some pretty heavy lifting into ancient Troll history, but here's the next part installment of this story in perpetual motion! Serious stuff happening in this eye-opening chapter of what's developing in the far northern corner of the world! Hope you enjoyed all the Nordic skaldic poetry inspired adventures that Queen Elsa is tackling with new bravery, even against the Devil himself, whom Hans Christian Anderson portrayed in his original Snow Queen tale as trying to torment us all here on earth to shake our trust in the Lord with his reflective trickery for millennia—that wicked ole' Scratch! So now it's Elsa & gang's turn to push this ancient evil back down again!

Whew! Are you ready for a thrilling ride to get there!? :)

The Snow Queen's Castle, Svalbard bound, next stop, everyone! Bring your winter coats and gear! Thanks for tagging along!

And please don't forget, while we're having good times BBQing and celebrating and such, to keep the victims (and so many real-life selfless heroes) all those poor dear people in Texas who lost so much in that recent hurricane named Harvey in your thoughts and prayers.

Your courage and amazing Faith to beat these odds will be in our hearts, dear Texan friends, this weekend, and many years to come in your recovery effort, where America's support for her fellow citizens will be unwavering. Jesus loves you and is with you, especially during your times of hurt and pain. We love you, and are so proud of your remarkable perseverance in this time of trial of flood, as my family and I pray for God's strength to raise you up again soon.

God bless you all!

HarukaKou


	15. Chapter 14 - Will-O'-the-Wisps

_We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

 **"Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act VI**

 **Chapter 14**

 **"** **Will-O'-The-Wisps **"****

 ** _The lowland foothills of Mala Strama, in the Austro-Hungarian Empire…_**

In his thoughts, Eugene Fitzherbert was of the firm opinion that everyone in the world was born a little crazy, he being no exception to that rule.

He had been riding through the connected trails and forested paths of central Europe's scenic landscapes for days on end now, nearing a week.

 _I'd have to be bloomin' nuts to be setting myself up for this inconvenient insanity for the sake of a little brother I never knew until recently. Wonder how the good-lookin' kid is doing on his crazy journey north, back into the Western world from his stint in the_ _Far East_ _, and all just for his leggy lover's birthday…_

Though Flynn Rider was not the type to dillydally, he was the kind to have the attitude that traveling was supposed to be more of a leisurely thing. But _Lady_ Cassandra was a real sergeant major when it came to taking breaks. The strict and stringent daughter of the Captain of the Guard's regimen was showing no mercy to their poor horses.

 _Just imagine. Instead of being out here in the middle of nowhere with this viper woman giving me the silent treatment or dirty looks all day, I could be sitting pretty with my sweet lovely bride waiting back home about to give birth to our first babies._

 _Babies! Whew! I'm going to be a double daddy soon, or so everyone says! Whoa, that's heavy. The wee little things might be waiting on my doorstep by the time I get back. Still got a lot of work to do on the heady subject of the tiny, precious, noisy, cutesy-wootsy, smelly, adorable, weepy lot of those wriggling things soon to come my way. Don't know how much I can pick up out here on the open road on how to be an A+ dad, especially since my own Old Man – who, by the way, turned out to be an all right guy in his old age – abandoned me when I was babe myself. So there is absolutely no way am I going to do that to my kids. EVER. Come hook or by crook – no puns intended, Hook Hand, old pal – I'm going to be back in time for their first arrival, and every day thereafter. None of this deadbeat dad stuff for me._

 _But everything about the subject of babies still gives me the willies or reminds me of either the color pink or brown. And with twins on the way, I know some double diaper duty is in the cards for me. Unless, I can find a pretty patsy…Hmmm…_

"Hey! Cass! How's it going? You look like a real trooper, bucking up fine after our seventh day of nonstop travel." With roguish lowered eyes and his best charming smile full of compliments, Eugene begins with a little bit of sugar coating his phrases.

The dark-haired woman riding on her golden tan Percheron several paces behind him on his hearty white stallion of the Thoroughbred variety glances over at him incredulously.

"What do you want, Fitzherbert?" Cassandra smelled something fishy in the way that her normal verbal combat rival was buttering her up now. Especially after several hours of virtual radio silence between the two riders, other than their contradictory choices of paths on the map they were fighting over the general road directions.

"I was just wondering… Does being signed up as the Princess's faithful, loyal handmaiden come with any special responsibilities when say, your fair lady has her hands full with her new, sweet bundles of joy?" Eugene postulates aloud out of the blue to his riding companion when their horses, Maximus and Fidella slow to a side-by-side cantor.

"Such as…?" Lady Cassandra Schmidt, Rapunzel's personal ladies' maid/best girlfriend, had her own reservations about annoying children of any sort. Delicate, squirmy, crying babies definitely were not the tough, independent woman's cup o' tea, nor ever planned to be on her bucket to-do list.

But Cassandra had figured that she would help Princess Rapunzel out with her pair of highly anticipated infants – by getting out of the way.

The Princess already had her mother Queen Arianna – _who was just as anxious for this pregnancy as she could be, without saying it_ – providing too much advice, too many special pillows and bedding, and too many overindulgent foods, with a nanny list a mile long, for Cassandra to be needed or to get involved. Panicking King Frederick was growing more terrified by the day that his precious flower of a little girl, who was ripped away from her family for too long already, would perish due to an extremely full and complicated pregnancy again. With a shortage of magic flowers left for him to seek out in the kingdom, made Corona's monarch tense and uptight during this anxious time.

So freedom loving Cassandra had made a silent pledge that she wouldn't be the one to give neither annoying input nor overbearing advice, and just remain quietly supportive of the strong young woman her friend Rapunzel had become. Particularly concerning _babies_ self-sufficient, career-driven Cassandra Schmidt knew nothing about, nor did she ever want to.

After all, wasn't it said that half the joy of motherhood was for the young woman to be involved in every aspect of her own child's caring and upbringing? Cassandra would feel like a third wheel on her friend's exciting and new, enterprising bicycle if she got involved. She was a motherless orphan herself before Captain Schmidt took her in as a tiny child. So what could the weapon trained guardswoman toughie know about rearing babies that Princess Rapunzel would possibly want to assign her to any tasks concerning the King's royal grandchildren and future heirs?

"Well… for instance…you could enjoy the sunshine, getting out of the castle while you take the cute little sweeties out to the garden in their two-seater stroller old Fritz already had specially handmade for his spoiled little grandkids; then you can make sure that the adorable kiddies start to learn their four food groups and eat their yummy chopped up baby food fruits and veggies for din-din; then you'll benefit from some downtime, kicking back on the bed and reading bedtime stories to the precious pair of sprites while ensuring they don't tumble out of their cribby deep in the night. There will be some little, minor, mundane duties, like diaper changing during the day when the poor little wee things messy themselves with baby doo-doo. Just think all the fun that you'll have, bathing and splashing and playing with my tiny pair of angels to your heart's content, Cass." Grinning all sappy-eyed innocent with the idyllic notions as he spits out the words like rapid-fire, bubble gum dreams, Eugene tries his best to guise around and put a happy face on the penultimate unpalatable job to him of washing up new babies' smelly diaper changing.

"I am Princess Rapunzel's **_ladies'_** _**maid**_. So my duties are to change her clothes, fix her hair, polish her shoes, bring her clothes to the wash to get her room in order, and remind her of her full schedule. Nothing more. Nothing less. So wipe that silly grin off your face, Mister. You are not going to waylay me to do your kids' dirty diaper changing, no matter how many cute words you attach to it." The dark-haired young woman retorts with a decided pair of purplish lips that were pursed together at her sparring partner nemesis' sorry, sneaky attempts to trick her into doing the rotten jobs.

"Oh, c'mon, Cass! You can't bail on us, _your **best** friends_ , just because we're going to have a couple of sloppy little miracles on our laps soon! Where's your badge of friendship and loyalty to your dearest friends in their time of need?!" In his hyper exasperated voice, Eugene Fitzherbert spits out his last-ditch effort to gain Cassandra's compassionate sympathy for the plight of the new parents-to-be.

"I left that in my other tunic, Fitzherbert. Besides, you claim to be a man. And they're _your_ kids – so _you're_ the one responsible for their diaper droppings. After all, those critters about to be born to this world are the result of your charged pants, not mine." But the catty eyed, stubborn woman would not give one iota to this deceitful man's wheedlesome pleas for assistance. Even though, the small soft side of Lady Cassandra _might_ have capitulated to her best friend Raps' unspoken need had her shifty, bossy husband not said something, causing her to be even more obstinate.

"Did you just call my future daughters, or sons, or daughter and son, or whichever the hell way the twins pop out – wait - _critters_?! Ouch! And what was that crack about my **_charged pants_**?! Excuse me?!" An indignant Eugene screeches out in the fallen darkness at the vexatious woman who was dealing it out right back at him in the saddle across from him.

"Don't play innocent with me, thief! You know exactly what I mean! Where have you directed us anyway? I should have never let you take the lead! We definitely should've taken a right at that fork in the road by the covered bridge back there like I said." Cassandra merely answers with a criticism of Eugene's poor directional skills that he stubbornly insisted to turn left, despite the dark woman and Maximus' objections.

While their pair of riders were arguing and throwing underhanded barbs worse than cats and dogs, the distracted, ear-itated horses were left to their own devices with Eugene on Maximus and Cassandra on Fidella had been racing along the forest path at breakneck speeds.

Speaking about breakneck speeds…

 ** _WHINNY! NEIGH! WHINNY!_**

Rapunzel's Percheron horse Fidella, who had been almost mesmerized by strange bluish lights that were blinking on and off periodically on the road, takes several missteps on the windblown leaf scattered paths between Austria and Hungary.

The mare squeals out in fear of stepping on some of those weird otherworldly dazzles that the skittish horse had been transfixed upon watching them dance at her feet. Fidella rears up uncontrollably, in scared shock of the suddenly appearing and disappearing pulsating lights that begin to hum and almost sing the closer the horse on the disorienting dusk forest trail put her ear to the ground.

The large bodied, off-balance equine's hooves were tiptoe trying to avoid the swirling invisible singing fluctuating shimmers on the path. The unsettled mare begins to slide towards the ledge of the ravine that had been covered by a downed tree branch and its slippery, thick coverage of leaves. In her panic, Fidella accidentally backs onto a false section of the road and throws both a horseshoe and her unaware rider.

"Cassandra!" Eugene yells out the woman's name as she is tossed from Fidella's panicking back and tumbles down the valley's slope all helter-skelter.

 ** _WHINNY! WHINNY!_**

Maximus too was beside himself with worry for his secret lady mare love's endangered welfare, as the anxious stallion rushes the edge of the ravine.

Max stretches his long neck and uses his strong teeth to reach out and grab the horn of Fidella's battle, as Eugene, working in sync with his steed, seizes Fidella's flailing reins.

With all their combined might, the two males pull the big female equine out from slipping down the precipitous ravine, no doubt saving the large horse from leg broken doom.

"Cass! Are you all right?!" Once nearly leg twisted Fidella was secured to collapse to her knees to the safety of the road, Eugene leaps from his mount to run back to the edge, calling down as he strains in the dusky sky, hoping against hope to see the brash woman's silhouette shaking her fist up at him, and not her broken body lying at the base in a heap.

The athletic thief rushes around the ravine's top perimeter in terror to look down with wild eyes, hoping against hope that Rapunzel's ladies' maid was not instantly killed by the steep fall.

After licking some of Fidella's scrapes and scratches with a tender tongue, Maximus rushes back to the ledge to keenly patrol the sheer drop beside a troubled Flynn Rider in search for the girl.

"You see her, Max?!" Eugene's childish anger's biting remarks exchange with Cassandra just seconds ago is totally eclipsed by his natural male protector mode that even the man he ' _claimed to be'_ felt driven by.

"Cass! Can you hear me?!" The suave, swarthy man runs his fingers through his dark brown hair, pausing only a few seconds to listen intently for a reply. When it does not come, he shouts: "We're coming down!"

Flynn then shares a determined look with Maximus, as the pair of dark man and white horse prepare to madly plunge into the unknown. But that's when Cassandra's distant voice calls up, just in time to halt their speeding-to-the-rescue gait.

"You stay up there, you crazy man! No good for both of us to be caught down here just so you can bluster and show off!" Cassandra's angry voice echoes up through the descending darkness, Eugene already visualizing her vicious fanged expression when spitting out those nasty words at her one lifeline.

"You okay?" Glad she was conscious enough to still want to bite his head off, Eugene still has the prescience to ask, perceptive that this behavior was normal for the easily irritated female.

"I'm just peachy! I don't think any bones are broken, but it's a pretty steep climb with only a few loose root handholds I can make out in the dark." Cassandra sounded like she was already assessing her escape route situation, not one to ever beg for any help when she could do it herself.

"I'm sending Owl up for you to give him the end of the long rope for me to use to climb up. You'll find it in Maximus' back left leather pouch. After you tie your end to that sturdy tree near the ledge, give it to Owl! Then I can climb back up and we can get going on this crazy mission of yours again!" The impatient young woman standing at the base of the ravine, where her faithful nocturnal bird had already located her, calls up with her hands cupped around her mouth. The competent woman directs the man, some fifty feet above the ravine she had been thrown down, to fulfill her succinct orders.

Poor Fidella looks sorrowfully at Maximus, with her large brown eyes full of contrite regret for her reckless inattention that caused all this trouble, as those pesky, dimly lit will-o'-the-wisps begin to lay a trail further down the pathway.

"Right! Rope left rear pouch. Rope left rear pouch. Rope left rear – Uh-oh. Wasn't that the pouch that we emptied to switch for your bushel of secret apples back in Bavaria town, Max? I thought the length of rope in there was just some unnecessary extra tackle horse gear we no longer needed 'cause Cass had previously replaced your reins with the super heavy-duty hemp rope I traded for this ingenious Arabian whittling knife that doubles as a nifty looking glass for when I feel the need to have a shave on the road." Out of his front pocket Eugene whips out an fancy golt-gilt, ivory handled, folding out pocket knife that was so polished and shiny it reflected his photogenic posing face.

"Oops. Cass is going to kill me." Eugene guiltily whispers as he bites his lip when the capable guardswoman's gray and tan brown pet owl dutifully comes over the hillside edge to fetch the end of the rope Eugene had time to have surely tied around the tree by now.

Eugene looks guiltily back to Maximus' equally culpable face as he sticks his hand into the designated left rear pouch he had filled with some choice Bavarian apples his steed had craved and he paid for - _most of them_ \- from the proceedings of the rope in the outdoor market he and Cass rode through earlier in the day.

The hovering, tan-gray bird's autonomous yellow eyes disturbingly blink one at a time at Eugene expectedly with one talon claw extended expectantly for the end of the rope his mistress had requested and sent him up here for. But all Eugene could do was shrug back at the Strigiformes order bird that disturbingly rotates its head around 270° looking around from tree to tree for the hypothetically attached line of rope.

"Where am I going to get a fifty foot long rope now out here in the middle of the sticks?! The last shop we passed was that feed and seed store, at least five miles back!" Eugene races his perplexed fingers through his wild brown locks with both shame and anxiety.

Shaking his head he closes his muzzy eyes. Eugene blinks up several times tight when he thought he saw, in the corner of his eye, a trail of floating bluish lights suddenly twinkle out of nowhere down the darkened opposite path.

The keen eyed man, for a second, likened the periodically pulsating lights to glistening stars in the heavens, that were every bit as tempting to follow. As Eugene squints his mist-clouded, disbelieving eyes, he suddenly could make-out a strange little building in a dugout side of the nearby hill. It featured a brightly lit door too, where it sat unnoticed before, all the way at the end of the path in this uninhabited Mala Strama forest area.

"What kind of joint you think that is, Max? Looks like the gingerbread house of Old Mother Hubbard, right? Maybe she has some rope in stock to tie up all those bad kids of hers. Not a bad idea really. Hey, I'm kidding!" The mixed nursery rhymes of little children being tempted and coaxed into strange homes in the middle of a wood stuck in young orphan boy Eugene Fitzherbert's fertile mind all these years later.

Perhaps the comparison was due to the way this building had homey, old-fashioned wood carved shutters and a detailed door knocker in the shape of a raven that had detailed eyes which seemed to bug out at him.

Throwing abandon to the wind amidst the quickly darkened night, Eugene knew the urgency of his situation had no choice but to go to that single spooky house for help.

"You stay here with Fidella, Max. I'll go see if I can finagle some length of rope to rescue our lady fair so she can give us a tongue lashing for selling her fortuitous rope earlier." In true Flynn Rider bravado style, Eugene trots up to the wooden door of the small dugout house carved into the side of the hill. He pauses at the door and straightens his black leather vest and white-collar, fully prepared to lay on his debonair, devil-may-care charm he was still in ample supply of, on this cottage's inhabitant of a sweet little lady he imagined would be on the other side of that handcarved wooden door.

 ** _KNOCK. KNOCK._**

"Hello? Is anyone home? Look, my friend's in trouble and I need some rope to pull her back up from the ravine." Eugene projects his most disarming voice as he tries to peek through the wooden carved doorknob in the shape of a open beaked crow's keyhole where he could just make out a single candle lit inside the dimmed, one room cottage.

"Do come in, dearie! Welcome to the Crafty Carver! Home of bear carvings and novelties!" Just as a growingly overconfident Eugene suspected, an elderly female voice responds invitingly from the darkness as Eugene stands and cranes his neck closer to observe. Through the small hole window, he could still see no one inside.

But as the door swings open, Eugene turns back to give Maximus a big thumbs up and a triumphant smile as he ducks to enter the short and squat dugout building's entrance.

"Ooh! Tall, extremely handsome, with a strong chin! And stubble to boot! Haven't seen the likes of you since that Roman and his gypsy needed a spel—spe-special carved cradle for their new baby! Now, what would you like to buy from my woodcarvers shop, Dearie? Lots of knickknacks, puppets, bear-shaped door stops, planters with cupholders…" An old woman with sagging cheeks, bulbous hazel and gold eyes, and a curved, prominent nose greets Eugene's staring eyes in the single dim candlelight.

 _You're creepy._ Eugene cringes, just the ugly appearance of the old bag setting his teeth on edge.

The senior citizen leaning on a cane had grizzled features, one clenched-shut eye with frazzled gray hair sticking out every which way beneath her patched black dress and darkest green woven cape/shawl. The little crooked woman appeared just like he read about in those fairytale children's stories in the past.

"Thank you, no, Madam. As I said I'm here because –" Eugene starts to say but the haggard old woman cuts him off again.

"You need a drink of water? Oh, yes, Siree! I have a special carved wooden cupful just for you, Laddie. Come, come! Have a sit down with me, my boy! I've been expecting to see you for a very, very long time! Was it just yesterday that yellow haired scarecrow walked in here asking for a glass of water…? This one's an improvement, I'd wager, Lass…" The mumbling, sidetracked old bat trails off as she plunks Eugene down into a wooden chair at the table full of carved wooden dolls and toys and animals of every kind and shape and size the man could imagine.

She returns from the cabinet with a wooden cup with intricate carvings of mermaids and fishes and nets all around its circumference that she plunks on the table in front of Eugene without spilling a single drop of the water that was already in it, though Eugene did not see her pour any out from the pitcher at the other end of the table.

"Drink up, you look thirsty, me lovely! Finest water from the Highlands' purified Fire Falls! You'll never be thirsting again, once you have a sip of it, so drink to your heart's content, Laddie!" The practically toothless grin on the heavily Scottish accented old lady who sits back down in her wooden rocking chair and starts rocking and whittling furiously again makes Eugene absolutely certain the one eyed – ahem - _beauty_ – was eccentric, if not just plain stark raving mad.

"Oo-kay. Thanks. Not exactly thirsty right now, though. Watching my daily intake of any witch's brew of eye of newt and toe of frog and such. Just to keep myself fit and trim. Everything in moderation, you know. As I was saying, my friend out there is in trouble so I better go back out to help her –" Feeling that gnawing in the back of his mind that screamed he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, Eugene puts the un-drunk cup down and starts to get up from table.

His wide eyes freak out at the bubbling cauldron he was sure he spied for a second in the far corner of the room beside a strangely moving broomstick that appeared to be stirring it with a twine attached wooden ladle.

"Then you _do_ have a **_lady_** **_friend_** out there, waiting, eh, Handsome one? A young man with your dapper good looks always keeps one jump ahead to steal a feminine heart." The one eyed Scotswoman chuckles insinuatingly up at Eugene as she scurries around the darkened room over to a dusty chest in the other corner that happened to have some weird foreign language markings upon it.

Eugene was about to sneak out the door he had slithered up to just about crack open when the gray hair woman shouts over to him startlingly: "You wouldn't happen to be a thief by profession, would you be, lad?"

"Well… Yes… Formerly. Given it up. Honest man now. So there's no need for you to worry about me absconding with anything from your humble little shop, Madam. _If there was anything worth pinching in here._ Besides, I dealt in high end jewels and crowns and shiny things and such back in the day. Nothing of your finely crafted wooden sort." Eugene admits, making small talk of his past thievery, though his eye was carefully watching the door that had strangely slammed shut tight again, though there was no one there.

"And as for Cas- ** _san_** -dra out there at the bottom of the ravine, being my ' _lady friend'_ , as you so tactfully put it – it's not like that between us. **_AT ALL._** She's just an annoying friend of my wife's, who's back home laid up in bed expecting our –" Eugene sputters, appalled at the unimaginable idea of Rapunzel's harsh, abrasive ladies' maid and himself having some kind of illicit relationship.

 _Yuck! I know I've got a thing for brunettes, but not tyrant Viper women brunettes!_

"– twins. Yes, yes. I'll include a pair of enchanted _hinoki_ cypress Edo Period Maneki Neko good luck cat charms – _you're going to need them with twins, later on, believe me_! – I just carved a complimentary pair of them especially for you, when I heard you were coming, free with your purchase." The bent over old whittler woman mutters her generous offer as she shakes a quick pointing finger to the matching pair of left pawed and right pawed wooden felines that were twin-like lifting their opposing paws at one another with Siamese grins on their smiling kitty faces.

"Thanks. I'm sure the kids'll love those unnerving Cheshire kittens – what little tyke wouldn't love some inanimate objects smiling maniacally down at them in their cribs?" Eugene cringes at the thought of bringing the sadistic looking wooden cats home to his unborn babies, but he was gracious enough to show gratitude for the old lady's kindness of the handcarved lucky Oriental wonders she plunks in his hands as he shoves them in his vest inside pockets. "But wait. Seriously. How did you know we were going to have twins?" After a few seconds, Eugene realizes that he didn't say a thing about his pregnant Rapunzel expecting twins, per se.

"Oh! We old Celtic women have insight into these things. Just looking at your face screams _'twins_!' all over." The old bag pauses to pat Eugene's cheek then touch her own shriveled finger to her shriveled face's shriveled nose before returning to rummaging about in that old trunk with the Middle Eastern markings. "If you can just give me a few moments, Dearie, I'll find what you need. So why don't you have a look around at the wall tapestries. I pride myself on the quality of the royal workmanship some dear friends left as their legacy to me, their humble wood carver."

"Ouch!" As he leans in closer with the candle holder in hand to examine the interesting wall tapestry, Eugene stubs his big toe on one of the table legs and begins to skid on some decapitated bear head carving. But he doesn't fall over, grateful for the stability of the thick Persian rug on the floor he catches himself on.

"Ah. I see you are drawn to that Celtic tapestry in particular, Dearie. Shows your bond with your Celtic brethren is strong. Guess it would have to be! That's the only reason I'm here and you're here in the first place! To help an old, old, old friend keep her connection and her love for her family alive through the ages." The wise old whittler speaks gibberish to Eugene until he gazes deep into the vibrant green eyes of the long curly redheaded girl in the tapestry the strange little old lady kept referring to.

"Brethren? Look, Grandma, I don't think I've got one drop of Celtic blood in me. Gypsy, I hear. Danish maybe but – hey! She looks just like… That portrait of my Lillebror's Mom hanging in the old man's bedroom in Egeskov. That's right! The Scots used to be known as 'Celtic,' a long time ago, weren't they? Hans' mother was a Scottish Princess before she married my… the Danish King. Picture looks like her enough, but the clothes are way outdated for the Regency era. So, this must be some distant relation of the past. Her great, great, great, great, great _really great_ ancestor, perhaps. So…how did you know her…again? Because I'd wager the girl in this tapestry's a little bit before even your time. Like a few hundred years…" Muttering to himself, Eugene has that skin crawling, enlightened moment that he was involuntarily messing with some fantastic mystical forces again as the ancient-eyed old woman claps her wrinkled hands together and giggles in delight.

"Oh! He's the one! Glorious day! Glorious redheaded day, m'lassie, Merida Dingwall of the Clan Dun Broch!" The old whittler sings out with a salute to the gal in the tapestry merrily, not answering Eugene's direct question as she dances a little decrepit jig on the colorful rug behind her carving desk.

"Look, Lady, this has been a riot. And I realize you don't get many visitors. But as a happily married man – I don't d-da-an—nc-ce with strange women! And you are **_positively_** the strangest woman I've ever met! So I've gotta be going now." The amazingly spry old lady pulls an unwitting Eugene close to her as she grabs his dexterous hands and spins the incredulous, dizzied man around until they both were standing in the center of the room.

"So now that you've taken me for a spin, as for that rope to help Cassandra out there you said you had…" Eugene pants, hands down to his knees, remembering the original reason he was here in this nuthouse when she finally lets his hands go. "You don't happen to have one in your endless box of goodies I could borrow? Just a quick loan – then I'll bring it right back, I promise. I'll leave it right on your front doorstep, scout's honor." Though he was weirded out by this whole ordeal, Eugene's natural senses didn't pick up any _real_ danger from the bizarre, yet harmless old woman who obviously imagined herself a witch out here in the forgotten woods of Austro-Hungary.

After all, he's met some good-looking dames before who posed more of a threat to a man than this decrepit old pile of bones.

 _At least this one only seems to have wood-carving knives._ Eugene automatically places a hand over that fatal wound in his lower abdomen where an ageless witch named 'Mother Gothel' gutted him, once upon a fairytale time.

"Oh, Dearie, I never let people borrow on principle. No exchanges, no refunds at the Crafty Carver. We only accept the bartering system around here. What have you to trade me for the means to get that girl out of the ravine, Thief? Anything of interest _stolen_ recently? " The one-eyed whittler tugs at Eugene's vest and sticks her bony hands down his front and back pants pockets – "Hey! _Nothing_ down there is _for sale,_ Lady! It's _all_ the property of the Crown Princess of Corona! And she's got a mean frying pan!" Eugene squeaks out as the old woman's digits roam around for several seconds down there in his pants' nether regions until she finds what she was looking for.

"There you are, my pretty! This will do nicely! I'll take it in trade for your lady friend's means of rescue!" She happily acquires the ivory handled knife that Eugene had just traded Cassandra's rope for - along with Maximus' sack of apples - that got him in this trouble in the first place. She looks at the gleaming knife blade and runs her bloodless finger along its sharpened tip before squirreling the pocket knife into one of her drab green woolen shawl's overfilled pockets full of doodads and gadgets the peculiar packrat had collected over the years.

"For the record, I did not steal that knife. I traded it myself, _ergh_ , sort of, fair and square, with some crazy, fast talking, big barrel chested, black ponytailed and swirly bearded Arabian sailor who asked if I had a rope to give him, for: ' _Phenomenal cosmic powers! Itty bitty living space._ ' Don't ask. It didn't make any sense to me either at the time. Just chalked it down to too much salt air. But as long as he was willing to pay me in cash for the superfluous rope, I got Max a whole bushel of apples with the money he paid, plus a little extra to line my pocket. Then, just before Cass got back from sending my wife one of those fascinating Sömmerring electrolysis telegrams to pass along back to Prussia to say where we were, and doing well on our journey, the sailor – I think he said his name was _Gene_ \- gave me this nifty ivory handled folding knife. Then he hugged me before he hit the road again. I thought nothing more than that he was just a weird guy with that gold hoop in his right ear. You know, sailors can be some strange cats, hmph. Gotta warn my little bro all at sea about them types. But he probably already knows." Rolling his eyes with the salacious intimation that curled a smile on his titillated lips, a talkative when nervous, flabbergasted Eugene watches the old bag return to that same old trunk and pull out a fancy Arabian decorated box.

In the flickering candlelight, Eugene was sure he spotted a keyhole on the gold decorated box in which she flips the ivory-handled blade around and sticks the knife's golden key shaped hilt in, and turns.

 ** _CLICK!_**

"Ah! Finally! After all these years! _He_ wanted _you_ to find this." She abruptly cries out in glee as a curious Eugene moves closer to look around with interested eyes in the woodworker's treasure trove.

There was a heap of gems and centuries-old gold coins and priceless treasures that caught Eugene's impressed eyes. And one more item buried beneath them as she parts the silver and gold coins and gemstones that totally blew him away.

"Is that what I think it is?!" Eugene's amber gold eyes bulge out when the small, bent over old woman half his size stoops down into the old chest to pull out a tarnished, antique gold Middle Eastern lamp that heralded from ancient days.

"Aladdin's magic lamp?!" With sparkling eyes at the fond memory of one of his childhood literary friends, the little boy who avidly read of swashbuckling Flynnigan Rider's daring exploits and gallant discoveries around the world always reveled in this mystic tale in particular. Perhaps because it was one of his fictional hero's greatest triumphs to find and recover the legendary all-powerful Genie in the lost magic lamp.

Or perhaps because the story integrally involved a _thief_ as its lucky star and daring hero, whom the boy with nothing could find connection with, and maybe a little hope in diamonds in the rough finding their reward in the end, too.

"You're giving this to me? Really? Thank you. Truly. Thank you." Were those tears behind Flynn Rider's nostalgic eyes? The grown man shakes off the wistful memories of youthful days where his only joy was spent engulfed in the precious few books he'd 'borrowed' from the strict schoolmaster's orphanage library.

"Does it work? Is there still a Genie inside with three wishes of my own?! After all these years of dreaming and plotting and wishing!" Amidst his heartfelt soliloquy was an orphan's boyish fantasy yet as Flynn excitedly grabs the gold lamp from the old woman's gnarled hands, greedy gold coined and green dollar signs popping up in his head.

"Who's to say? I felt it was unusual, so I picked the whole box up at the Sorcerer's Convention Wickerman's Festival in Stoneleigh almost six hundred - or was it sixty? – years ago. It's been collecting dust ever since, just waiting to be unlocked by a special person with a special key. Let's see what it says on this crate here in ancient Arabic –I do _do_ paid translations on the side of my witchcra- whittling!" The funny old Gaelic accented _witch_ catches herself before she revealed her mystical powers. Not that the wrapped-up-in-the-moment, self focused male was listening to her wild-eyed ravings much anymore.

"But I'll do it on the house for you, since you're part of my favorite redhaired lass' extended family. And so good-looking. Finally got some attractive genes mixed in the brew somewhere along the way!" The gray-haired woman uses a strange magnification glass to enlarge both the Arabic scrawl on the wooden crate and her bulging eyeball for the centuries old translation to be readable.

 _"'From one thief to another. Please give my friend a good home with a loving family.'"_

"Wow. A message through the ages from the legendary Prince of Thieves, himself." Eugene says in awe of his renowned thieving predecessor.

"Oh, I will take very good care of your Genie, Al. I promise!" The stubbly man says with a solemn hand over his heart. "Come home to Eugene, Genie! Get it? Eu _gene, Genie_. Our names are like rhythmic onomatopoeia. Like we always were meant to be, Big Guy!" But soon, a deliriously happy Eugene, by now had totally forgotten about ropes, or bartering, or Cassandra where she had fallen down a ravine, or even Hans for that matter, with the tantalizing thought he had been granted three delicious wishes from the Big Blue fella himself. He anxiously rubs the side of the lamp between his itching palms, just like in the storybooks he ardently read as a boy suggested –

But nothing happens.

"You've got to be kidding me! Where's the smoke, where's the light show, where's the magic glitter and _poof_ stuff ?! No whammies, please, Genie! I've got children on the way with an education to pay for! And I've been a good boy over the years. Mostly." By now, the tall, dark and handsome man was reduced to a simpering pile of emotion as he rubs and agitates the lamp so hard his hands were red and raw and the tarnished gold metal was now buffed and shiny – and bronze?

But still no magical wish granting Genie was sighted.

"Is this some kind of sick joke that nasty woman out there Cassandra put you up to, Lady? Because if it is, she's gonna get it –!" Experienced in fine precious metals enough over the years to smell a fraud, Flynn was just about at his wits end in total unabated disappointment. "Or is something going on more dastardly to suck me in…"

That's when his skeptically animated, pouty face vascillates from the tiny window at the door to the old woman and back again to decry his inauspicious fate. His inattentive actions cause the ancient, decidedly _bronze_ lamp's lid to pop off and clatter to the ground, followed by a note that falls out.

"What's it say? What's it say?!" Back to his naive fervor, Eugene demands of the elderly woman, shaking her spindly shoulders, as enthusiastic as a little child.

"Ngh. Ngh. Ngh. What're the magic words, young man?" The old Scottish whittler woman playfully holds back, enjoying having a gorgeous man salivating at her feet, for once in a millennia.

"Huh? Oh, right! Abracadabra! Open sesame! Rapunzel, let down your hair?!" A desperate Flynn Rider grasps at straws for a secret password to unlock the mysterious Genie's lamp – _perhaps a clue to the real one_ \- and whatever magic power could be left in it.

"That'll do. The note translates: ' _If they have unlocked this foretoken lamp, their connection is strong, to the chosen one whom the final wish of the Genie belongs. Travel to our mysterious land in search of the treasure, in order to embrace the true worth of a heart beyond measure_.' The wood-carver reads the arcane oracle memorandum that, in Arabic, was previously indecipherable to Eugene, and kind of still was, as his mind was tabulating what she was saying in the third person that made little sense to him.

"Then there's an addendum on the back:" The old whittler woman flips the yellowed with age papyrus in her withered old hands. " _'This is only a replica of the magic lamp_. _To be used for communication messages only. Not intended for wish making._ '" She finishes translating the note in her Arabic translation service to point the sparse, disappointing clause disclaimer out to a devastated Eugene, who grabs the page and shakes it in anguish, along with the faulty magic lamp.

"What?! You must've translated wrong, Lady! _I'm_ supposed to get _three wishes_ , not some layaway program for some other _special_ jerk! _Three luscious_ _wishes, starting with an island all my own with enormous piles of money surrounding me…_ _"_ The greed in the man squeaks out, eyes wild with disillusionment's torment as his spirits are flattened to the floor in his realization that wasn't happening.

"Oh, please! A replica?! **Someone else** gets the **last wish** _and_ the **big treasure**?! You've got to be kidding me! Should've figured when it went all bronze like that! I have multiple kids on the way! You've got me on the carpet! Help me out here!" Something in the choice of Eugene's frustrated, plaintive, lamenting words as he falls to his knees, rubbing the un-magic lamp fruitlessly hopeful, yet in disillusionment, causes the woodcarver's table to tremble and shake.

 ** _R-RUMMM-BBLLE!_**

In a sudden rush of confusion, the decorated Persian rug that the wood carving display table had been sitting upon abruptly comes to life. Its four tassels quaver and shake just before its indigo and gold with reds and purples and vivid yellows in panther and swirled scimitar embroidered carpet starts to move. In one swift motion, the rug pulls out from under the full knick-knack table so quick and smooth that not a single piece of stacked wooden figurine falls.

 ** _SWISSHH!_**

Before Eugene Fitzherbert could fully comprehend what was going on, he finds himself on his knees airlifted around the ceiling of the woodcarver's sanctum that was actually metaphysically bigger on the inside than the outside little shack belied.

After taking several turns around the room, the five foot tall when standing on end animated golden tassel magic carpet presents itself to the astonished thief with a grateful, respectful bow and a hearty tassel handshake to the staggered man.

"Looks like there's no Genie in that message lamp for you, Laddie. But he and some of his friends seem to have left you a gift of something far better than a simple rope, with this handy dandy Flying Carpet! Look how soft and luxurious is his pile! Fine Persian rug beats hemp any day! No rope burns! And he gets over five-hundred sky miles per hour on a clear day." The old woman gives her best sales pitch to the somewhat disappointed, totally astounded Eugene.

"Sounds like a good solid family with an adventurer thief and his Princess back home with little ones on the way for you, my dear centuries-old companion, Carpet! Another perfect match! Far better than just having my old bunions as your _sole_ company this past millennia! Get it, 'sole' company?! Ha ha heh! I'm a riot! But I will miss your company, Dearie." With a farewell loving pat to Aladdin's Carpet's loyal high pile head, the old Scottish witch pushes Eugene and the sentient Carpet together out the door.

"Another satisfied customer of the traveling Crafty Carver! He he he he hee hee hee he he he! Happy flying to save your damsel in distress down in that ravine, Good-looking Boyo! Easy as a flying carpet ride now!" The old woman says with a toothy grin at the jaw dropped Eugene as she slams the door in his about to argue face.

"She's not _my_ damsel. Thank God for that." Eugene mutters under his breath, that unerring fact springing to his dour mind as he is left in the stark silence at the dugout's front door. He then turns to stare down his new magic carpet who was staring back up at him in an uncanny anthropomorphic way. The, at times, pragmatic man found it both disturbing and intriguing to be talking to a being with no eyes, nor ears, nor mouth, nor face, for that matter, but still was looking up at him in an emotive way.

Then, just as abruptly, the door swings open again and the ancient old woodcarver sticks her garish, none-to-comely face out of the door.

"I've almost forgotten something, again! Getting a little senile in my old age. _Give or take a few hundred years_. You will be needing this where you're going to help bring my redheaded lass' boy to safety! After all, I still owe her awkward mate this." She announces, shoving the carved wooden cup of water she had served to Eugene earlier at the table into his other hand.

"Hey, watch! You'll spill…it…? Huh?" Eugene looks down at the wooden goblet that the old woman had just stashed recklessly in his hand. The cup was nearly upside down for several seconds and yet, the water inside it remained a constant three-quarter level full. Staring down at the inconceivable law of physics broken, Eugene dips his finger in the water and invites Carpet to do the same. Both find that it was actually wet, but constantly refilled itself back to the mostly full level in some mystic capacity, though Carpet's golden tassel was still soaked with magic moisture.

"Only these replenishing waters will quench the throat that's been dried by a deceitful wench." With her prophetic eerie rhyme, the centuries-old whittler entrusts the rogue thief Eugene Fitzherbert with two of her most prized treasures that she had kept safeguarded for many centuries, even a millennia. The mystical wise old Scottish woman looks from Carpet to Eugene with what could be called a smile, as she reaches her hand out to them.

"Uh-oh. Here comes the bill. A magic carpet wagging its tail at me like a friendly dog, a busted, uninhabited Genie's lamp, a nifty poem about an endless cup of water – How much do I owe you, Grandma?" Though it pained him to ever ask for the receipt, just sensing Maximus' law-enforcing eyes and snorting nostrils glaring at him down the path to do the right thing, was enough for Eugene to prove he was an honest broker now.

"This debt was paid in full over eight centuries ago, by a lass who was brave enough to dare to touch the sky." The bent over old witch answers all wispy and philosophically profound. "Now it's **your** chance to change fate's design. Go, rally round your kin and kind." Going all rhymy again, the whittler woman simply pats Eugene's stiffened cheek with her bony old digits.

Humming an old Scottish tune, her form starts to go all ghostly bluish white and sparkling when the old lady finally closes the door, transforming with a smile back into a shimmering in infinite beauty will-'o-the-wisp herself. She disappears, along with her woodcarver's cottage, all of its intricate contents and the rest of the dugout, leaving behind only age-old trees in its place beside the gravel path of Mala Strama as the timeless good spirits the Celts named the 'will-o'-the-wisps' quietly fade back to their homeland in eternity…

"Change fate with a wooden mug of all-you-can-drink water and a dud counterfeit, discarded, un-magic Genie's lamp? Gee, why not?" Unaware of all that ancient Celtic magic going on behind the closed door as he grips the fraud magic lamp in one hand and that non-spillable cup in the other, Flynn Rider felt as armed and dangerous as a fairy housekeeper.

He sticks the substandard message lamp and then the potable - but not over eight ounces– other numinous object in his hand into the satchel slung across his chest. Eugene looks down at this newest addition to the team who was about five feet tall, three feet wide and two inches thick.

And disturbingly walking erect on gold tasseled feet as Carpet salutes his new friend and designated driver.

"I hope you don't mind the muddy boots my mother-in-law's always at me about, but we've got a distressing damsel to save! Are you up to it, Rugman?"

As the man before him alters the familiar phrase to his own liking, something about Flynn Rider's irreverent pattern of speech and his fraternal address of the animated floor covering that he had not heard in a very long time causes Carpet to reach out and hug the man within his magical wool, silk and cottony embrace.

"Oo-kay. My Magic Carpet is user friendly. But can he fly?" After the not-so-awkward-as-he'd-imagined embrace breaks up, with a glowing glint in his amber-gold eyes, Eugene Fitzherbert poses the query aloud as more of a challenge than an actual question. Born fearless of heights from years of scaling castle tiers and high towers to break in from the top down to steal their treasures within and even before he remembered since he was a babe sure would pay dividends to Eugene de Cavalier now.

Enthused to be useful and viable again, with tassels wiping his nonexistent 'eyes', a tearful Carpet recalls his glorious heydays of adventure with his dearest friends.

Visions of Aladdin, Jasmine, Abu, Iago, Sultan, and of course, his oldest buddy, the unforgettable Genie of the magic lamp all flash through his woven memory.

In a windswept whoosh, Aladdin's magic carpet, a thousand years since he had been ridden upon, floats laterally beside Flynn Rider, patiently awaiting this modern-day 19th century thief to board him now.

"I guess having a good equilibrium sense of balance will be a learning curve with you, said as I talk to an animated Persian rug I am stepping upon beneath my feet. But just let me start by saying – _whoa-oh_! – This is _now_ the **strangest thing** I have **_ever_** done!" Sure-footed Flynn Rider had been dreaming of this thrill all his life since he was a young boy soaking up so many adventure yarns in books, as the nimble cat burglar lightly takes his first step upon the welcoming Magic Carpet.

Now he was about to get the chance to be just like the ' _daring adventurer, smartest and richest man alive, who wasn't too bad with the ladies'_ , his hero, Flynnigan Rider, at long last.

"To infinity and beyond!" And this Flynn too was never the type to take a safety ride through life as he lets out a low whistle and a shrill battle cry. The adept, dexterous man keeps on his well-balanced feet as he rides the Magic flying Carpet up! up! Up! Through the darkened Austrian sky, and Eugene experiences a feeling of freedom as never quite before.

As he and his new flight companion zing by, Eugene gives a shocked, jaw dropped Maximus that arrogant two fingered salute when his magic flying carpet zips by the flummoxed horse's head. Faster than a speeding carpet, the sky riders cause the owl still awaiting his rope end to spin his head almost past that 280 degree limit, his yellow expanded eyes sent loosely circulating in their sockets.

 ** _WHOOSH!_**

Like an old pro at this sky-sailing already, Flynn Rider defies gravity to stand almost vertically on carpet down the steep embankment at record speeds. Carpet recalls another agile young man who stood with the same confident pride upon him from over a millennia ago as he feels the wind whistle through every fiber of his magical being once again.

In mere moments, Eugene and Carpet were whizzing alongside where industrious Cassandra was already halfway scaling up the ravine hill with her paired dagger and sword to heft herself up the steep cliff.

The independent guardswoman was not waiting for some slipshod loser of a man to come and rescue her. She could handle this herself just fine without his aid.

 ** _WHEESH!_**

But in his element now in super hero mode, Flynn Rider was not taking 'no' for an answer, even from this obstinate 'victim' of a pigheaded woman.

"Care for a lift, Dragon lady?"

"Whoa!" The disorienting sight of Eugene FItzherbert on the back of a colorful flying…rug?...throws the tough gal off-balance as she plunges from the twenty-five foot rise she had already capably scaled under her own determined power.

"Gotcha!" Falling from her sharp weapon handholds, Lady Cassandra drops right into Flynn's arms, the air knocked out of her for several seconds before she could speak.

She had some choice words to say, but her whisked lungs prevented it until Carpet hovers up to the ground to land topside on the path road, levitating as soft as a pillow.

Feeling quite the storybook hero, Flynnigan Rider holds the young female's lithe body held to his warm one in what could – to the casual onlooker – be called a romantic, intimate embrace.

 _A whole new world! A new fantastic point of view! No one to tell us no, or where to go, or say we're only dreaming!_

But before they touch the ground, Cassandra wrenches herself bodily from Eugene who seemed to be on cloud nine hearing music in his head. And way too caught up in the exhilaration of the dreamy moment to recall how much this particular lady despised him.

"Let go of me!" Regaining her breath, Cassandra elbows him hard in the chest, waking the quixotic man up completely to reality again.

"Gee. You're welcome, Cas- _san_ -dra. How's that for gratitude, Carpet? We go out of our way to save a girl and she doesn't even say 'thank you'. That's fine manners in front of my new friend, Viper Lady. Ignore, her Carpet, my REAL Princess, back home, will certainly be more congenial and sweet to you than her alleged best girlfriend is." Eugene complains immediately, mutually finding little pleasure in holding the ungrateful, abrasive creature in his arms, as well.

"Where'd you find this crazy contraption, anyway, Fitzherbert?" Cassandra certainly wasn't known for her affable hospitality as she jumps away from Carpet defensively in evident distrust, her dagger still drawn at it.

"That's no way to talk to my friend who just saved your bacon, Woman. You'd still be hanging off the side of that cliff, if not for us. I'd like to see you have done better." Eugene folds his arms with the challenge as he pets an accommodating Carpet on his approximate head.

"This little super guy? This Magic Carpet's an old friend of mine, Cass, who at the moment is in between housing opportunities. So that means we'll be taking him home. Rapunzel won't mind. She's a sucker for taking in strays. So how about it, Rugman? You coming home with me after this pickup of my little bro and delivering him up to his ladylove of a Queenie in Norway?"

Was it this arrogant Flynn Rider's brash and flamboyant style? Or just the fact that Carpet, collecting dust in the woodcarver whittler's shop after hundreds of years in the loneliness spent in the basement of Sultan's palace library, outliving his all-too-mortal dearest ones, had been longing for someone to be a loyal friend to again.

No longer would he just gather dust and swat mothballs over the long empty centuries of waiting for a new master, a new partner to adventure alongside for another chance to take someone other than sweet memories along on one more magic carpet ride.

"A magician's trickery _cloth_ is your old friend? Since when? Where's it been all this time? Where is this magical thing originally from? Do you even know, Fitzherbert? This ruse could be a tool of enemy spies, for all you know!" Trained soldier Cassandra Schmidt points out her vicious sword - _That I had managed to hold onto, even after being so rudely interrupted in my gritty ravine-climb, that I could've scaled myself without these bozos!_ \- at the mystical newcomer suspiciously.

"Ignore Miss Sourpuss, Rugman. She never puts out the welcome mat for any of our new friends." Eugene cajoles his newfound buddy with an empathetic pat, at the same time hitting his old nemesis with stinging remarks.

"Look. There were tiny blinking blue lights, a little bent over, wild grey haired, one-eyed old woman in the dugout over there – there where? Hey! Where'd the door with that wooden Raven knocker go?! Come on! You saw it too, Max! Tell her!" Fast talking Eugene spazzes out as Cassandra looks at him dubiously with accusing hands placed on her jut out hips as she re-sheathes her sword and dagger, if not her catty eyes.

Maximus may not have been Flynn Rider's number one fan, but the Palace horse was as honest as the day was long. Maximus moves his elongated head and front hoof in a 50-50 call, because, though he did witness a view of the trail of sparkling blue lights that had spooked Fidella and had led Eugene to the dugout aforementioned, Max did not see clearly the old woman he attributed.

"Anyways, why do you find it so difficult to believe that I have befriended a sentient flying object at my beck and call, Cass?" Eugene turns to Cassandra with his hands held out before him innocently.

"Because it's ridiculous. This must be just some kind of sleight of hand trick." The down-to-earth young woman looking around for the invisible strings or knobs and levers running this 'magic carpet' still had a hard time abiding with enchantment being at the root cause of many of her friends' adventures.

"Then, I have three letters for you." Eugene's lips purse right back at her as he places his hands on his own tight hips with a self-satisfied expression on his good-looking mug.

"O.W.L." He then dramatically lifts his finger to point at the creature of feathered brownish gray that flutters down to Cassandra's incredulous shoulder.

The young woman has no come back for her obvious double standard. So she clams up and merely rolls her eyes at her patronizing companion on the subject and decides to just roll with it.

"Whatever. But we're in trouble. Looks like Fidella not only threw her shoe, but her leg's too bashed up to keep going at our previous fast-paced level. So that's that. What are we gonna do now?" Cassandra was not usually the type of woman to give up, nor share decision-making. But even the tough female was at a loss to keep up their hasty itinerary with the goal of making the week long journey to Italy's southern port, wait for and somehow rendezvous with that questionable Prince Hans guy, then back up to Prussia again in time for Rapunzel's due date, also known as Christmas time.

And both the reason for this sudden excursion and his promise to return to see the birth of their children put the ball squarely in Prince Consort Eugene Fitzherbert's court.

"Okay. Let's think this out." The logical wheels rarely used in Rapunzel's husband's brain had started turning, much to Cassandra's surprise. The well-formed man paces up and down the gravelly path with his finger to his chin and elbow cupped beneath the other appendage.

Carpet mimicked his new _master's_ thought-provoking moves best as he could as Cassandra and Maximus watch and wait for Eugene with expectant eyes.

"I got it!" Eugene shouts out, smacking his fist in his palm, causing his bullet-ridden shoulder/bicep area to wince at the sudden action.

"You bring Maximus and Fidella back to the stable in the town center we stopped at for fresh water and get that irritable Feed and Seed shop owner to take the horses in for the week – maybe ten days, for Fidella to get healed up properly. They'll take good care of our injured filly to make her right as rain again, so there'll be no permanent injury or too much pain and discomfort for the lovely lady, right, Max?" Eugene senses the big white stallion's displeasure at being ditched here, only halfway to their Mediterranean port destination.

But Eugene knew how to play on the large equine's extensive sense of protection and disproportionate call of duty and caring for the mare that he knew Max harbored secret feelings for.

"Don't think I don't see all those passive–aggressive glances you've been sending that ebony-maned mare's way in the Palace stables, Mister High-and-Mighty. I see how you watch her golden rump shimmy across the stalls for your benefit as you sow your wild oats, you saucy stallion you." Eugene teases Maximus with a whisper in his perturbed, pricked up ear.

But even stubborn Maximus finally concedes with one look over at Fidella's exhausted, pain-filled features that cause his hard ones to soften.

"And how am I supposed to get that grumpy old man to do what you ask? He wasn't exactly Mr. Personable Stable Master after you were done rankling him with your cheapskate _charms_." It was Cassandra's turn to dig at Eugene for the way the ex-con thief could always rub people the wrong way until nobody liked him, especially when money was involved.

"You're seriously asking me _how_? And you're supposed to be the _woman_?!" Eugene scoffs at her. "Just bat your eyelashes here and there and sway your hips a little. Every fool man eventually buys it, even if the woman's inadequate at selling. Carpet and I will meet you on the road back and pick you up in, say, an hour, so we can be on our merry way. That is, unless you decide to stay here and babysit Fidella with Max. _Hey, not a bad idea...Hmm…_ But that might ruin the romantic atmosphere for the horsy couple. You have that effect. Believe me, I know." Condescendingly popping out his handy dandy fob watch, again Eugene never failed to rub folks the wrong way as he quite humorously – _if it wasn't so degradingly below her dignity level_ – flutters his own practically nonexistent eyelashes and sets his equally nonexistent hips to sway in demonstration of his persuasive feminine flirtatious skills.

"Ooh, men! You are so disgustingly sexist. Just leave it to me to get it done _my_ way. Come on, Maximus, let's leave the male chauvinist alone with his floor cover for a while, so I can cool down. I'll find you a place to rest up until we get back in a few days while Fidella's sprain heals." Cassandra's vexed tone goes from angry to frustrated to determined, with a degree of compassion mixed in for Rapunzel's equine friend she had been borrowing as her ride thus far.

All of this wrapped in an amazingly sassy and undeniably beautiful package – _without the extemporaneous eyelash, nor hip stimulation necessary_ – named 'woman'.

"Just think of it as a romantic getaway vacation break for you two extremely hard-working horses after all that grueling travel between Corona and this scenic Austro-Hungarian kingdom, Max, while Cass and I go fetch my crazy little bro on my slick new ride." Eugene calls out to a snorting Maximus with his usual over-the-top arrogant charisma. The smirking thief throws these idiosyncratic barbs at his equine sparring partner with a familiar shrug of his shoulder.

"Maybe he won't give me so much _ajita_ (trouble) about slouching in the saddle, eat all the apples, have multiple bathroom breaks, nor generally require so damn much constant upkeep." Just to be irksome to the grunting, ruffled steed, Eugene loudly whispers to the magical woven cloth rug he was now going to rely on to take himself and Cassandra the rest of the way down the continent that this jewel thief was rather familiar with from his illustrious criminal past across Europe.

Not to mention notorious.

So skipping scenic, historical, nice-things-to-steal Italy made Flynn Rider secretly glad that his handsome mug would be journeying above the clouds for the majority of the trip through _Senttentrione_ (North) and _Italia Centro (_ central Italy). He had already been formulating excuses to nosy Cassandra why he would be donning a mask for the remainder of the trip down to _Mezzogiorno_ (Southern Italy) had they still been traveling by land over horse.

"So, while we wait for Cass to return, let me tell you about the amazing guy we're going to pick up, Carpet. You'll like him, everybody does…eventually. Because my Lillebror, Hans, is a charming, debonair, handsome devil, just like me…"

So by the time Cassandra gets to the town's Feed and Seed store, her negotiating sword brandished more than her demanded femininity, Eugene and his new traveling companion, the flying Magic Carpet, were completely simpatico. Eugene and Carpet had a (one-sided) long talk as they practiced flying over sideways and under, having the time of their lives on a magic carpet ride through the evening skies.

But as Cassandra and her owl were impatiently waiting for their ride, an exhilarated Mr. Fitzherbert and his new magic friend were entering a whole new world of adventure and fun that the timeless carpet had been, for unused, flat and fat and lazy centuries, yearning for again with his modern thief of hearts as they wheel through the limitless starry Austrian skyline, unbounded.

Shaking her head at the childish waste of time and energy spectacle in the sky as she stalks back down the dark night trail after arranging for the horses in the stables, responsible Cassandra could've sworn she saw an old woman on the road as well.

The elderly lady was bent over with wild hair and one eye, just like Eugene previously described, looking up to the fascinating view as well. She was laughing mirthfully while humming an old Gaelic tune with a trail of little bluish flickering lights surrounding her ghostly form.

 _'A naoidhean bhig, cluinn mo ghuth (O little baby, hear my voice)  
_ _Mise ri d' thaobh, Ó mhaighdean bhàn (I'm by your side, o maiden fair)  
_ _Ar rìbhinn òg, fàs a's faic (Our young maiden, mature to see)  
_ _Do thìr, dìleas fhéin (Your land, your own faithful land)_

 _A ghrian a's a ghealach, stiùir sinn (The sun and the moon guide us)  
Gu uair ar cliù 's ar glòir (To the time of our honor and glory)  
Naoidhean bhig, ar rìbhinn òg (Little baby, our young maiden)  
Mhaighdean uasal bhàn. (Noble maiden fair)'_

And the old whittler woman witch transforms into just another one of those spirits called will-o'-the-wisps, her foretold task here done as she, too, begins to fade and dissipate into eerie nothingness before Cassandra's astonished eyes…

So as cautious Cassandra is finally deemed ready to be picked up by the daring, flighty pair, the cynical young woman, who was starting to have some faith in magic, steps her uncertain feet on an indescribable new world of high flying adventure.

The fog lifts in the darkness as those pulsating blue lights on the ground flicker and sparkle one more time before they die out completely once and for all.

The path and the precipice and even the ravine all fluctuate into a mystical hallucination, leaving nothing but a still, empty field full of flowers and trees on the other side of the covered bridge that Eugene Fitzherbert had taken the right/wrong turn upon, guided beneath his guardian angel's brilliant star.

* * *

Miles and miles away, just at that moment of full darkness of evening, Princess Rapunzel lights the second candle of Advent, the purple Bethlehem candle that represented preparation and peace for the Christmas miracle to take place in three short weeks to come.

The cocoa brown haired Princess of Corona pauses to listen to her wobbly stomach and those inside doing flips and spins and somersaults as she tries to remember that tranquility of the one moment 1841 years ago, when there truly was Peace on earth, while she hears the church choir sing the inspirational Christmas Carol 'Angels from the Realms of Glory'.

 _'Angels from the realms of glory,  
Wing your flight o'er all the earth;  
Ye who sang creation's story,  
Now proclaim Messiah's birth:_

 _Come and worship,  
Come and worship,  
Worship Christ, the newborn King!'_

"Please Lord, grant my Eugene Your light to travel by so he can help bring Hans home to my dear cousin Elsa …" Rapunzel whispers a prayer for her husband to be safe and successful before he returns home to her. Selflessly, before asking for her own anxious concerns, Rapunzel wishes with all her heart for Eugene to bring their dear little brother to come back to his pining love in Arendelle as well, if just for Christmas.

 _'Shepherds, in the field abiding,  
Watching o'er your flocks by night,  
God with us is now residing;  
Yonder shines the infant light:_

 _Come and worship,  
Come and worship,  
Worship Christ, the newborn King!'_

* * *

 _"Angels from the realms of glory"_ – Christmas carol written by James Montgomery in 1816

"Noble Maiden Fair (A Mhaighdean Bhan Uasal" – Gaelic song from 'Brave' written by Patrick Neil Doyle

* * *

 _ajita_ \- trouble in Italian

* * *

Hello, Frozen friends,

This chapter was written and typed out in the darkness with no power under the threat of hurricane forces here in Florida! So I'm glad to finally get it all proofed and finished for you to read at last. :)

Though our house survived here well enough, my family sustained some physical injuries, so it's been a bit rough around here. I'll try to keep writing when I get time.

Please continue, as I do, to pray for the victims of these terrible storms in both Texas and Florida, and the islands of the Caribbean too, far worse than we fared. I believe God hears our supplication and gives us strength to surpass the tough times together.

It'll put a smile on my face to hear your reviews as we put on a Brave face :) and clean up in the hurricane Irma aftermath.

God bless you and keep you safe in His endless warm arms.

I hope you liked this chapter and all the high flying magic and sighting cameos of old Disney friends!See you soon!

Love,  
HarukaKou


	16. Chapter 15 - Shadow of Things to Come

_We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

 **"Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act VII**

 **Chapter 15**

 **"Shadow of Things to Come"**

It had been a very long time since Gerda Roservalen had embarked upon such a venture to the north of Arendelle. In fact, almost fifty years had passed since the bright and optimistic little girl first set out on her incredible journey of endless belief in undying friendship for the sake of her dearest Kai in the realm of the Snow Queen.

Gerda's precious Heaven-taught goodness and selfless love for her friend, Kai, had impressed the Snow Queen enough to melt the timeless lonely heart long enough to make her long to reach out for some of that tender warmth herself. Together with the depth of that love, they all saved the region from the Evil One before he escaped through the Mirror of Reason.

After they had discovered the answer to Kai's problem was the promise of the word 'Eternity' they found in the Snow Palace all those years ago, Gerda and Kai had, through faith in God and love for one another, found many decades of joy and happiness. Gerda never lost sight of her childlike innocence, despite being bereft of having children themselves.

But never ceasing to be positive-thinking, Gerda was always grateful to the Lord for directing the Snow Queen to give her and Kai, soon after they were married, the calling to be caretakers of a very special, gifted little baby Prince in the kingdom of Arendelle who would someday be King of that land—as well as their dearest friend—named Agdar.

Through the Norwegian Crown Prince's hermit-like youth, his intellectual tutor, Kai, with new wife Gerda as able cook and housekeeper, had recommended his sister Johanne to be the royal nursery maid. All three remained steadfast, through the tough days of his isolated childhood and difficult puberty where his cryokinetic energies were most challenging to temper, and had stood by the lonely young man's side as confidantes, companions, and true friends.

So when the Snow Queen herself came for secret projected visits from time to time to Arendelle Castle, instructive Kai was there to advise his young student of all the mystical woman's enigmatic ways he himself learned as a child in her care and had made a study of ever since. Doting Gerda was continually around singing a hymn and eagerly watching and listening as the friendly young woman exchanged smiles and memories and catch up stories with the Snow Queen as if they were old friends who had never parted.

That cordiality with the Mistress of the Winter made young Agdar less fearful and more curious of the frosty breath'd, alabaster pale skinned Monarch of the Snow even as a small boy, whereas he might have been had the child gifted/cursed with ice magic encountered the awesome Snow Queen on his own.

It did help ease the mind of the often overruled Gerda immensely when the ginger haired Prince displayed his heart had been listening to her quiet teaching of the mysteries of love and family as God intended. Prince Agdar, who yet restrained his own ice powers, ceased clinging in solitude to his naval intellectual books and maps and ancient tomes when the thought-provoked boy had become a handsome, tall and strapping lad—and brought a pretty Swedish young Princess home.

Idun of Drottningham wasn't just any starry-eyed princess their lucky Prince Agdar had discovered and swept off her feet and wooed and wed all in a whirlwind romance on his first royal visiting trip to the continent in Corona, Prussia. She was the love of his life and a warm lighthouse anchor to his listless ship's cold heart that Gerda and the Snow Queen had been praying for the concealing private teenage Prince to find a shared stability with.

But when the miracle of their firstborn daughter, Elsa, came, inherited of the same uncanny cryokinetic abilities as her Papa, and the joy of their bouncing second little girl was dampened by that terrible night's accident that left tiny four-year-old Anna injured, everything changed.

Despite Gerda's gentle warnings and young mother Idun's quiet bewilderment, neither stubborn King Agdar nor obstinate Minister Kai heeded either female's input on the tense subject anymore.

Gerda did her best to inform them all the hiding and shutting away of the girl's magic frozen gifts behind closed doors and separating the two close sisters at such a delicate time in their lives was not the right way.

But the two men – _as per usual_ – doggedly returned to the original attitude and plan of their previous King—Agdar's father King Carl—to 'conceal it and not feel it' until the older girl was physically and mentally mature enough to handle her ice magic on her own terms.

Of course, that meant to extremist Agdar and his stuffy best friend Kai, that Elsa must grow up in a quiet, dignified environment in virtual seclusion from the world until she would be ready to control her ice magic. Then would she be fully able to uphold her royal status as future Queen and sole sovereign of Norway someday, albeit alone.

But that doomed poor, impressionable, forlorn Elsa to be safely tucked away from her only bosom buddy Anna for far too many lonesome years.

Through it all, Gerda was glad for Queen Idun's tender healing songs and soulful teaching of God's love that the young mother was still able to influence on both daughters' hearts, even in those lonely days.

Even now, Queen Idun sensed her dear friend Gerda's grateful thoughts tending towards her and her children, causing the troubled brow on the Queen Mother's lovely face to soften. It was due to her immense love for her attractive, gifted King and her similarly enchanted beautiful daughter out in the uncertain cold of this unpredictable bitter ice storm that had the calm and collected woman on edge.

Idun knew she could not stop her stubborn Agdar from traveling to the far North to consult with the Snow Queen to decipher this unseasonable blizzard, as he felt was his duty as leader this nation. She was glad that their plucky younger daughter, Anna, and her able young husband, Kristoff, were good sense company for her rash man on his long journey North.

But as a mother, Queen Idun was feeling pangs of culpability for sending Elsa out into the harsh snow storm. All simply with the intent to scare off that suitor her scheming husband had called in, Prince Alonso. Idun believed Elsa would feel _freer_ in her North Mountain Ice Palace to dissuade the eager rascal in a more comfortable setting for the uptight younger Queen to run his unwanted attentions out of town on an icy rail.

So when Eliana's forwarded message of danger in the North had the opposite effect on both rebellious Queens, Idun had traveled with Kai and Gerda to the Ice Palace to fetch her special child, only to find Elsa gone.

To terrify the Queen Mother even further, there were signs of some battle damage where scorched spots of fire appeared to have been involved near the freshly collapsed, thick ice coated cavern opening near the back side of the Ice Palace.

"We must continue North until we find Elsa. Perhaps she is already en route to the Snow Queen where her sister and father are heading for answers." The petite Queen was trying to be a strong and decisive tower of strength as her husband would be in such situation, even as her maternal warm heart was aching inside.

Especially when Elsa's monstrous bodyguard Marshmallow sadly related in expressive gestures his Lady Mistress' hasty departure and explicit orders to remain inside the palace to keep control and safeguard of the Snowgies from any further attacks. Marshmallow did not require much sentence structure to convey all that to Elsa and Anna's Mama through the front door he cracked open, ever so slightly, when he heard her gentle voice addressing him by name.

"Why bother? With her newly expanded powers of ice travel, we'll never catch up to Queen Elsa in our limited transportation, particularly if we are to endure another harsh night's journey. Besides, the horses are far too tired and worn to even pull our carriage forward many more miles, never mind travel through this inclement weather at our comparatively weak rate of speed. It's all for naught. Queen Elsa will just have to fend for herself. We should just go back home and wait there unless you plan for us all to die out here freezing."

Now, the almost whining, divisive words of pure negativity coming from Minister Kai's lips were not in his normal even tones. Nor were they full of the dutiful loyalty he continually pledged to his adopted royal family without need of thanks or recognition for decades.

No, there was simply an icy layer of cold hard logic that denied any mention of the warmth of friendship and hope that the heavyset older man was generally only too ready to offer to his best friend's dearest ones.

For over four decades now, Kai Roservalen had selflessly devoted most of his life where he had stood by King Agdar and his Queen as stable advisor and chief counselor, as well as being fastidious instructor and steady concierge of their children and the kingdom the conscientious man had become guardian of for so many years—even in the difficult days where the faithful servant had to stand in as both temporary regent and steady father figure in King Agdar's untimely absence.

"Kai! Bite your tongue! Queen Idun needs our support! Apologize for being so rude!" Plump Gerda was shocked, appalled and embarrassed by her lifelong partner's chilly sentiment to the younger woman, who needed encouragement, not disloyal negativity.

The middle-aged woman, tightly bound up in cold weather cap and coat herself goes to adjust Idun's winter wear. The caring Gerda made it her business to keep the frail, small Swedish lady bundled up against the harsh winds and bitter snows as they had all exited the carriage to be standing at the Ice Palace's closed front door.

But as Kai merely stares down at his wife without answering, Gerda realizes that she had seen that distant, cold look in his eye before. She moves in closer to face her patch-eyed husband, who did not seem the least bit remorseful for being so boorish and terse with his Queen.

"Gerda, even you do not comprehend? The path ahead is cold and slippery, full of fallen brambles and vicious bears and wolves. It will be nearly unassailable once the dark, moonless night overtakes the road that this all day blizzard has made indistinguishable. So it is futile to continue to try to traverse it with this simple palace carriage and overtired steeds. More than that, it is worthless, fruitless and hopeless." With a profound sense of unpleasant, condescending finality, Minister Kai complains in a demoralized, depressing way as he had removed the patch over his bothered eye and placed it to cover over his not diminished orb instead.

That revealed that his usually clear and scrutinizing eye had a dark shade of dullness beset over it until he saw all the world through it as tainted, ugly and bad.

"No, Kai. We are never without hope as long as we keep the light of our Lord Jesus Christ right beside us in her hearts, with the knowledge He is close as our constant friend." The sweetly indomitable spirit that believed with a great faith the same as when she was a child with her unquestionable love for God inside of Gerda Roservalen had never dimmed over the years from an unsullied child to matronly wife that gave her enduring insight and strength.

She tenderly places the black patch back over Kai's tainted right eye and embraces him tightly.

Idun watches with pride as her housekeeper and friend speaks softly with the power that resounded with a wisdom that went beyond understanding.

"See with the eyes of our childhood once again, my dearest. Please remember how beautiful our spring will be when the roses bloom in the vale again. We will find that special place where you can see all is right with the world soon when it is warm and sunny again, Kai. Just hold onto our dream 'til then, Beloved, when the first rosebuds are in bloom. You do remember it, right?" The rosy cheeked heroine of another fairytale long ago asks her hero in a sing-songy voice as she hugs her 'boy' tightly to her now ample chest.

The memories of the two youngsters rushing up every morning to eagerly view their rose plants in their adjacent dormer windowsills reverberates in his mind's eye. That reminiscence is eclipsed by a beautiful sunshiny vale where Kai and his lover finally planted those roses they had nurtured from seeds and buds to now become a garden bowery of white and red roses for all Arendelle to visit.

Gerda once again sees her Kai as that dashing young man of eighteen again when he proposed to her there amid their dazzling bed of roses in full bloom. As she looks deeply in his one good eye, Gerda squeezes Kai's hands as the memory pervades both their hearts in this everlasting moment shared.

"I… remember…" Sustained from retreating into himself by Gerda's generous, unshakable love, the now in later years, large-girthed older man also returns to that happy era where their love was in full bloom as well in the vale. Kai looks down to his Gerda, her face full of youthful beauty. Feeling as that young man again for these few precious, ephemeral seconds, Kai envisions her as graceful and youthful as her eyes dance that merry jig among the flowers now, just as she did then to delight him.

Feeling like a third wheel in this tender past reminiscing, Idun leaves the couple for some private time. She walks to the stable section behind Elsa's Ice Palace that her artistic daughter had erected for one special horse whom she had incriminatingly named 'Prince Hansome'.

Idun was glad that she had thought to bring that selfsame stallion now known as 'Sitron' up to the Ice Palace. Because, though the other three equines that had also pulled the carriage up to Elsa's North mountain were now cowering together for warmth in their exhaustion at the rear of the stable where they had flocked around a warming stove Kristoff put in the stable for Sven when he and Anna would visit with Elsa up here in her palace, the golden-dun Danish fjord horse was still boundlessly indomitable.

Determined to stand by her side and continue to find Elsa and help her family, energetic Sitron nuzzles his long noble nose under Idun's dismayed chin to tickle her cheek for an encouraged smile.

"Oh, Sitron. Who am I fooling? Kai is right. The other horses are so tired and skittish and unaccustomed to the frigid temperatures such a fierce storm. How can I ask them to continue to go even further North into the bitter cold of the unknown when I'm not sure myself it is a wise decision? After all, my King instructed us to stay at home in Arendelle Castle. But with my little girls out there in the blizzard as well, how can their Mama remain safe and warm at home? But you can't do it all on your own, pretty boy." A frustrated Queen Idun pauses in her futile attempts to break the thick verglas ice in the water trough with a pick axe the petite royal lady found in the stable's tool shed nearby.

After wiping his feet neatly on the clean hay, Sitron signals with his lifted leg for Idun to take a step back. He waits until the wide-eyed Queen steps back a bit before the sturdy horse plows his charcoal feathered fetlock coated hoof into the thickly frozen water trough, breaking it up to be drinkable for the other thirsty steeds.

"Thank you, Sitron. You're quite the ingenious, resourceful, helpful stallion. Just like your master." Idun manages a small wry smile, visions of young Prince Hans Westergaard gallantly doing the same had he been here flashing through her previously defeated mind.

But just the thought that courageous and intelligent, handsome young Prince of her daughter's who would not let past circumstances or present opposition discourage his redemption, nor his implausible love affair with his Ice Queen as some more fainthearted may have, causes Idun's own inspired heart to begin to sing a hopeful hymn.

 _"'Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah,  
Pilgrim through this barren land;  
I am weak, but Thou art mighty,  
Hold me with Thy pow'rful hand_

 _Open now the crystal fountain,  
Whence the healing stream doth flow;  
Let the fire and cloudy pillar  
Lead me all my journey through._

 _Strong Deliv'rer, strong Deliv'rer,_  
 _Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah,_  
 _Be Thou still my Strength and Shield.'"_

By the time the woman had finished the second verse of the song with her silent supplication that echoed through even the cacophony of bitter frosted winds, the tenderhearted Queen's prayer was about to be answered.

 _That's right. I can do this because you are my Strength and my Deliverer, dear God. The family You blessed me with needs me at their side, I can feel it in my very being_.

"So, how are we going to catch up to them, Sitron? I do wish we had some flying reindeer power of our own… Or perhaps, you can grow a pair of wings…" Idun humorously muses aloud the outlandish pipedreams intermingled with her sincere desire to join her loved ones during their time of strife. She strokes the horse's striking black and white mane where she was perched upon the bales of hay that were stacked in the stable shelter.

Suddenly, out of the blue, the snow storm's dark clouds part to let in a small ray of light that shines a spotlight from the heavens down to the valley immediately below.

Following the pointed beam, Idun squints her keen indigo violet eyes to see a strangely transparent and glistening reindeer quickly moving up the North Mountain side from the west through the deep snows.

The reindeer bull's antlers were an incredible nearly five foot tall – which displayed both venerable age and stature for reindeer males – and his fur mantle was thick and graying. There was something decidedly important and indescribably profound about his expressive demeanor as four long, strong legs brought the ghostly reindeer up the North Mountain with unbelievably unbridled speed and amazing, almost unearthly stamina.

"Oh dear! That reindeer is much bigger than even Sven! And I thought _he_ was mammoth!" Eliana the snow woman comments as she waddles over to Idun from where she was trying to persuade the horses to eat some toasted oats the industrious and helpful snowgirl had gathered up and was baking on the plate she had placed on the hearth stove Idun had lit.

"I think he's coming to meet us…" Idun murmurs to Eliana, swaying under her personal snow flurry. Sitron's ears prick up and eyes follow in similar fearless fascination the massive reindeer moving towards them as if in a flowing dream.

The nearer the magnificent creature came bounding up the snow deluged mountain as if on surreal Angel's wings, the more certain Idun was that he must've been Heaven-sent.

"And what's your name, you beautiful, splendid thing? Have you been sent to help me find my little girl?" The small framed Queen with the melodious voice was not one bit frightened of the large reindeer with the tall imposing antlers that waved high over her as she fearlessly reached out to touch his aged muzzle.

{" _Yes. I have been called from my resting place to escort my children up to the far northern Kingdom of Snow where they once freed the chilled heart of another wayward soul desperately in need. My name is Bae, Idun."}_ The rangifer bull's deep throated voice rumbles as clear as a bell in Idun's mind, but she was surprisingly not startled by it at all.

After all, Idun had experienced mental projection a little bit before when her body had been inhibited by Kristoff's birth mother, the Snow Queen. Even now, remnants of that magical woman's presence remained in Idun's soul still. She was sometimes yet perceptive to the Wind Whisperer's innate abilities to channel the thoughts of even beasts she once believed were silent and speechless dumb, until Idun listened to them in the quiet part of her heart.

"Your children? You refer to Gerda and Kai, don't you? I've heard them tell stories of your friendship and aid from almost half a century ago, dear Bae. It is so nice to actually meet you." Idun had listened over many a year to Gerda's stirring account of her childhood adventure that took her to the realm of the Snow Queen at the end of the last century.

The large reindeer nods magnanimously with what could be called a sentimental smile etched on his majestic features.

"Then I thank God for His ever present aid in our hour of need. I pray you will find some way to help us travel to the Snow Queen's Palace to join my husband and child on their way there. But first, I hope you can help me locate my elder daughter on her own journey North already. I worry for my entirely on her own, Elsa, most of all." Idun bows her head reverently with a thankful prayer to God above who looked after His children, epitomized in the almost ethereal appearance of the huge, somewhat ethereal, gray reindeer.

"Who are you speaking to, Majesty? Please allow me to care for the horses." The Arendelle Minister of the Cabinet's posh, snobbish voice calls out as he and Gerda approach the side heated stable area. The large-set man glances around, his blurred vision giving him the sense that someone important was present, but he could not fully make out the very old reindeer standing directly in front of Queen Idun.

"Bae?! Is that you, Bae?! It's been so long! I've missed you so much!" Gerda, on the other hand, could clearly distinguish the tall figure instantly. With unclouded eyes the short, plump Arendelle housekeeper recognized one of her oldest friends in all the world as the older woman races like that of a girl of eleven again to tearfully throw her arms around the huge reindeer's neck.

"Kai! Come say hello to Bae!" Gerda enthusiastically beckons her husband to join in the dear reunion with the special rangifer who helped Gerda on her incredible journey to see the Snow Queen before, over four decades ago.

"Doesn't seeing Bae again warm your heart, Kai?" The rosy cheeked woman turns to her life's partner from where she was hanging on the large reindeer's furry nape, all smiles.

"No, Gerda. My heart is not warm. Why are you acting so strange? We're too old to indulge in fantasies and talk to your imaginary friends again." Kissed by a cool bracing wind, Kai again starts to sink back behind that dark mirror shard scar that shaded his mind of all things good and right so that he only saw them as bad and foolish and wrong, like boiled spinach.

"What?! Don't you see Bae, Kai? He's right here! Just feel his soft for!" A frustrated Gerda takes her best friend/husband's hand and places it atop the reindeer's fur chest. But after a few moments of silence, Kai pulls back his hand away, dismissively.

"What are you saying? There's nothing there to feel but empty air, foolish woman." He responds coldly again with a harsh chuckle.

"But Kai!" After exchanging a long, distressed look with Idun, Gerda shakes her head, unable to realize why her usually intelligent, sharp and understanding partner was obstinately in denial of reality.

{"Gerda. Do not force him to see me. Kai will acknowledge my presence when his heart is ready to open and see the unseen with Faith. Much like your roses lower their heads in rest during the night with trust in their Creator, the sun will rise again in the morning for them to look up and bloom again."} The wise old reindeer says with kind eyes on this dear girl who never lost her shine even after all these years in between. Perhaps it was because of her zest for life and her innocent true Faith that the Lord would always guide her steps that kept Gerda Roservalen's loving heart pure.

"Idun, your love for your family and your similar sincere prayer to God for them has summoned me from my peaceful slumber so I can bring you across the frozen miles to them. But beware. He warned me of the difficult road ahead for all three Queens of this land in that cold world of loneliness. There when you meet will your entreaties be answered, if the human heart resists from shrinking into the tempting shadows that ages-old fire cast."} The spirit of the sagacious reindeer named Bae speaks directly into the minds of the two women with his ominous forewarning. But his gentle eyes seemed to take the edge off their pensive fear of the unknown that undoubtedly lay ahead of them all.

 _{"But have no fear._ _Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. And He shall direct your paths."}_ Proverbs 3:5

Idun and Gerda squeeze one another's hands, holding back tears with the Biblical inspired courage as they hear the old reindeer quote the Scriptures straight into their weary consciousnesses.

 _{"Idun, Gerda. You may hitch me to this carriage beside this valiant steed_. _"}_ The pair of women comply to the reindeer's unspoken aloud words, much to Kai's mystification. The astonished man watches the pair of ladies go through the motions of maneuvering the sleigh carriage and attaching its empty rigging around some invisible livestock on the other side of Sitron that he found wholly inexplicable.

 _{"Fueled by a true heart concerned for his lady mistress outweighing his fears, this noble steed will have the strength of ten horses and never tire with my endurance at his side. I would be honored to join you on your valiant mission to aid your Queen, Sitron."}_ Bae the ghostly reindeer canters up to where Hans' golden horse was eagerly pawing at the snow. Sitron had been waiting for the carriage to be readied so he could run to his mistress, for he sensed Queen Elsa in some sort of danger in a way that only a dear animal could know, his bond with Hans, and Elsa through him, giving the horse a sight beyond sight.

Brilliant by way of the mind he may not have been, but Sitron made up for that in heart and spirit. For the fjord horse would give his life to protect his adored Hans' greatest treasure.

Sitron gratefully nods to the reindeer spirit standing beside him unreservedly, willing to take any risk for both their sakes, as he remembers his pledge to Hans to watch over Elsa while the Prince was away at sea.

"Now that that's settled! While Gerda catches up with her old friend for a few moments, come Kai, Eliana! Let us gather some supplies from the Ice Palace's stores before we begin on this next leg of our journey North. There's also a little something Elsa may need later on that I must now fetch. Please indulge a _foolish_ _woman_ this, Minister Kai." Idun says with a winsome tease up at the Arendelle head of household and royal regent who was shaking his head dubiously at his Royal ruler's wife's foolish decision to continue in this foolhardy endeavor.

"Perhaps we could look for some supplies, but there will not be anything fit enough to eat or drink left with those rapscallion snowgie creatures running rampant in there, Your Majesty. Your daughter has not yet correctly mastered the proper management of a royal castle residence. Those distasteful creations of hers only prove to make the job harder for the best of men." As negative Kai was chastising Elsa's suspect household leadership to where the small inmates ran the asylum every time he was unfortunate to visit the madhouse known as the 'North Mountain Ice Palace', Idun rolls her eyes with a side smirk of forbearance to Gerda. Then she follows the man into the back entrance that led to the small room Kristoff built where snowgies still had not yet discovered the egress of.

 _Maybe all our Elsa needs is the tender, yet firm, hand of a doting husband to steer those little fellows to do her bidding more. It would take a decisive man with as much charm and daring cunning along with unbridled intellect in that quarter, with ingenuity to spare…_

Her mind's eye sees Agdar puff up with pride at her words, even the imagined king thought was meant for him.

 _No, my love, I was thinking more in the terms of cunning Prince Hans, than you. You may be able to handle those unruly snowgies for a while, but you and I both know you can't outmaneuver my pawns in chess for very long, never mind trump my white knight._

Trying to keep her center of calm by way of imaging her handsome mate in happier past days spent in this very Ice Palace playing at chess _and_ _other_ more diverting games, Idun mentally alludes to her favorite cerebral competition of draughts where she had always run circles around her husband, no matter how hard he tried to outwit her moves.

 _You can't order me to stay out of this, Agdar. My little girl needs me and I won't sit back and let her down this time. You and Anna take care of each other way up there with the Snow Queen for now. I'm going to find our big girl. And together we will join you there soon to tackle this as a family, thanks to Gerda's old friend. It's my move now, min alskare._

 _… Black Queen to White Queen…_

With a chuckle at herself as she remembers the woman who epitomized all things wintry and snowy, Queen Idun tucks her dark sepia brown hair into her dark charcoal black hood of the cape she secures around her shoulders.

But all the humor falls away as Idun's eyes pause to gaze up behind her at the stark blank bleakness of the winter blizzard encapsulating the usually peaceful North Mountain outside the frosted glass door balcony of Elsa's upper story bedroom.

"Oh, Elsa. Mama is coming." Idun muses as she deftly sneaks past a pile of dozing snowgies snoring with frosty zzz's puffing from their cute mouths at the foot of Elsa's master bedroom door. Queen Idun tiptoes in it out of the master bedroom like a stealthy cat burglar, with that certain something secured in the small satchel in her hands as she glides down the stairs and waves to a head-cocked, curious Marshmallow a silent farewell…

* * *

 ** _In the Nord-Trondelag township of Grong, near the Namdalen region of the country…_**

The other Queen of Arendelle daintily tiptoes her own elegant feet along the River Namsen's trickling frosted over tributary which led to a marble limestone cave that had some disturbing deep chasms.

It wasn't strange that the reformed Nibelung Fire Troll girl had sensed this entry fissure that others of her kind could use to emerge from their dark underground lair below.

What was odd, though, was that Elsa seemed to also have a magnetic urge to be drawn to this cavern herself, driving the carriage in its direction before the Troll girl pointed it out.

"Why is it we have to stop at every single crack and crevice and godforsaken cave to plug it up, Elsa? If you're so powerful, why don't you just hit it with frost freeze from far away without having to walk down to inspect each smelly, unsightly, damp space? Besides, can't you just zap the Fire Troll creatures with your magic ice and bring them ' _back into the Light '_ as you say when we catch them? So who cares if a few of them slip out? You'll eventually catch them all. They're pretty dumb creatures, if you ask me." Idly watching the platinum blonde woman in this stunning blue velvet gown shimmy around the wet cavern's sidings – _which was quite an attention-grabbing entertaining in itself_ \- Alonso couldn't help but give his own opinion of matters.

Grateful to Elsa for allowing her to be free in the bright, wide-open, aboveground world for the first time in her young life, 'Boninite', the now _invaluable_ and self proclaimed named Fire Troll, had agreed, when asked by her liberator Queen, to help locate any potential means of escape of her other more vicious Nibelungs into this pristine Land of the Midnight Sun.

The small reddish Troll knew little of kindness and gratitude and the joy of selflessly giving after growing up surrounded by clutching and grasping nasty Nibelungs and their magmaite lackey pets who all thrived on the seven deadly sins of hatred, greed, sloth, envy, anger, wrath and pride.

But Boninite felt it was the least she could do in repayment for the gentle kindness and forgiving faith in her through a Greater Power that the Norwegian Regina (Queen) had tried to instill during their fast-paced, ice enhanced chariot drive down the leeward side of the mountain where the Rock Trolls had taken refuge.

"It is _because_ they may appear ' _godforsaken'_ that we must be wary and investigate, Alonso." Elsa saucily tosses over her pale shoulder as she was just about to enter the latest cavern egress to peruse it for any unexplained dark openings that connected a cavern network from deep in the earth.

"It may not be as easy as you make it out for me to stop them once they have escaped from the bowels of the earth. It's starting here in Norway, but their infiltration could extend to anywhere in the world. There may be a dark force at work here that we cannot allow to fester–"

 _{'…ELSA.… You're too bright to be lost again. Are you lost?"}_

"Who said that?!" In a unsettled, fierce whisper, Elsa nearly jumps out of her proverbial skin as she hears that eerie permeate every one of her senses.

 _{"…ELSA… It's not fair that you can't have what you want…You're Queen, after all…"}_

The peculiar intonation continues.

The Ice Queen frantically looks to where Olaf and Alonso were arguing over the naval compass Hans had taught the eager frosty midshipman of a snowman to decipher months ago that Olaf never went anywhere without ever since.

With the noisy, irascible pair of them eliminated from blame, Elsa turns her attention to the former Nibelung girl who seemed to be struck with the same terrorized fear. As if petrified, the trembling Fire Troll refused to follow the tall blonde much farther away from the chariot.

" _Non…desiro…_ (No… stop…)" The frightened Troll, speaking in her ancient Latin tongue, backs away from Elsa. But her warning words fall on Elsa's deaf ears in the howling winds, with neither Alonso nor Olaf, in heated conversation, listening either.

Shaking that apprehensive feeling off with a brush back of her defiant long braid, the Ice Queen continues to step almost involuntarily further into the golden marble-limestone cave.

 _{"ELSA… You're so alone out there… Come to me…"}_

In a brown study, the wispy young Queen obeys the unspoken command, moving quickly down the darkened cavern towards the shadowy voice calling out to her, on a silent ice sled formed beneath her high heels.

{"Touch the light at the end of the tunnel and all your pain and loneliness will go away. Touch it, I say!"} Growing more demanding with each slithery word, the all-encompassing tonality was luring Elsa into the darkness with an insatiable curiosity. The temptation to reach her extended hand out to touch that strangely glowing aura which accompanied the bass voice from the chasm's depths somewhere inside was almost tangible…

" _Diablo lin maledictum!_ (The Devil's curse!)" In a frustrated cry, as she was the only one following Elsa's descent into the dark cavern opening, Boninite the Fire Troll, though in abject fear herself from the persuasive evil timbre she too had heard before, had the pluck and foresight enough to garner Alonso and Olaf's attention by picking up in her now controlled fiery hands, two wads of snow that she slings at either ignorant male.

By the time the snow had reached them, it was now of a slushy sleet form that slapped hard in the backs of their displeased heads.

"Ow! What'd'ya do that for, dummy?!" Vain Alonso was still sore for the way Elsa was allowing that ugly little Fire Troll girl to walk around unshackled after it had attacked him earlier. He sure did not appreciate having his long length of hair sopped by wet snowballs in the back of his unaware skull where he was still perched on his chariot, ready to go.

"That's not how you play snowball fight, Bonnie! Wet snow is no good. Brrr! Just makes the target unhappy." With a calm tutorial of the method rules of snowball engagement, Olaf shivers off the pelted wetness dripping down his now odd shaped noggin. "Or look funny. Heh heh heh. Hey! That's a pretty bad hairdo for you, Prince Alonso. He he he hee. Not slick like Hans' cool red look. Don't you think so, Elsa? Huh? Where'd she go?" At first, Olaf chuckles at how the supposedly stylish Prince Charming had his blizzard-windswept hair strands now frozen over in a radically horizontal spray of brown icicles due to the instantly frozen moisture Boninite had thrown at his head.

But that moment of frivolity is soon washed away when Alonso and Olaf simultaneously note how their new Fire Troll companion was insistently pointing, with hands and feet and flame-tipped tale, at the dark cavern opening. Her head was shaking in terror by fear for her new champion, the Ice Queen, as they follow Boninite's gaze to where Elsa appeared to be in a trance following deeper into the cavern a single red flickering light they did not see.

Neither could they hear the mesmerizing voice beckoning her deeper into the chasm hole as Elsa floated on her ice above the cold trickling stream lining the cavern floor.

"Elsa?! Where are you going'? It's too dark and dirty in there! You'll mess up your dress! Ooh! _(groan)_ Isn't she just supposed to be just sealing these horrible caves up in case they have cracks or something? You can do that from out here!" Alonso had seen enough of the Queen of Norway's ice magic powers to be familiar enough to know she could blast the entrance of this cave from a fair distance outside.

"What's that weird red light she's following anyway?" The bored Prince of Córdoba pauses in his grumblings and coif readjustment in the ever present mirror he pulls out of his pocket that allowed them to see the wraithlike pulsating light in its reflection that the Arendelle Queen's long fingered digits were reaching out towards to touch.

And the moment she does, her pale arm is immersed in that bizarre crimson luminescence. The entire Grong cavern starts to shake with an underground eruption seismic proportions, as if something below was in agitated excitement.

"Whoa! Terremoto!? ( _earthquake_ ) I don't think that's a good sign!" Deftly trying to keep his feet on the ground, Alonso yells out to a head-tumbled off Olaf above the din of not only the noisy picked-up wind blizzard conditions outside, but also the tremulous, thunderous rock shaking beneath them. The snowy landscape moves from the raw roiling magma heat index disquieting the Teutonic plates of the earth far down below.

"ELSA! Alonso! Get her out of there!" Scared out of his addled wits to watch helplessly his dear girl moving closer down to that dark chasm while being entranced by some mystical red light, Olaf screams at the top of his snowy lungs. He is literally ripped apart by this suddenly violent blizzard store before the fearless snowman had the chance to rush in to pull her back himself.

Now, normally Crown Prince Alonso of Córdoba was more the self-preservational type ever tp entertain the idea of rushing in madly to save the damsel in distress – even one as delectably eligible as Queen Elsa was. But listening to that wise old Troll's story of the past of this nation and hearing nuggets of wisdom that touched on spiritual subjects to a man whose Christian nation's traditional faith in God deep down inside was stirred the first time since he was a boy. Along with witnessing this brave young woman's loyalties to those she loved and determination to preserve her nation and even redeem this lost soul Fire Troll despite opposition, Elsa reminded Alonso of another young and beautiful Crown Princess who would be Queen who taught him another lesson of life in his youth which he was long in realizing the true worth of.

"I hate caves…" Forcing himself to be a good man and not just a Prince by name this day, Prince Alonso braves the storm like a true hero. Using his quickwitted ingenuity to have his fast and powerful Criollo steeds run straight towards the dangerously collapsing cavern entrance, Alonso leaps and then bodily rolls in. He ignores his already mussed hair and now drenched spiffy black and gold decorated suit for once in his vainglorious existence.

 _{"ELSA. Come down here and I'll certainly bring your love directly to you. The Prince of the Southern Isles will not be able to resist me again for much longer if I have the prize of you here with me… You'll be able to be with each other for all time down here… "}_

"Elsa! Don't go down there! OWW!" Hit on the foot by some plummeting large stalactites that had been dislodged from the cave ceiling, Alonso screams out loudly as he falls down to the cavern floor until he was splashing in its melted central stream.

"QUEEN ELSA! STOP!"

But Elsa either did not hear him, or she did not care to acknowledge Alonso as she continues to steadily march toward that deep endless hole at the rear of the chilly cavern.

"Fine! Don't listen to me!" A miffed Alonso gathers himself up, shaking off his thick and encumbering mud smeared poncho. Surprising himself to not have turned back, he ignores the pain in his foot and slides down the water path with abandon further along the earth quaking tunnel to chase her willowy figure.

It was growing warmer the deeper and closer he approached the chasm that an entranced Elsa was slowly moving towards.

"What about Hans! I know he wouldn't want you to go down there!" Whether Alonso was being sincere or his enticement using the Danish Prince's name was just a clever ruse to get the preoccupied Queen to glance away from that bewitching red light which had her mesmerized, he succeeded.

Proving himself to be a man few would believe for his own rampant self-esteem and vanity, Prince Alonso dives across the stream winding path of the cavern, at just a certain angle towards the entrance. Quick thinking and fast-moving as a bird in flight, Alonso utilizes that split-second of Elsa's distraction from that damnable crimson glowing to whip out his handy dandy mirror again and flash it for a second at just the right position to catch some of the sunlight providentially glancing in from the outside's morning sun.

The spellbound blonde, at the mention of her lover's name, looks in Alonso's mirror wielding direction. Her eyes are blinded for that split second as the mirror, just at the right angle catches some of the sunlight from outside to masterfully blind the girl before she followed the red light to her doom below.

Elsa shakes her woozy head and shelters her eyes, rubbing them as she comes to consciousness at the same moment Alonso runs up to the small chasm where he saw the red light in the mirror and throws his soaked with cold moisture fur coat poncho over it.

That swift action dampens the penetrating light momentarily to break its course of magnetic glow from calling Elsa into the abyss where smoke and fire brimstone fumes were boiling up from beneath.

It was just enough time for the Ice Queen to come to her senses as she pelts a thick seal over the dark fissure, the magma directly below stopped dead in its violent tracks by her cooling, along with fierce seismic tremors.

"Come on! Let's get out of here before the whole cave falls on our pretty heads!" A limping Alonso boldly grabs Elsa's hand and begins to instinctively run. But he was forced to halt with the wind knocked out of him by his injured foot that was smashed in by that heavy fallen boulder before.

"Alonso! You're hurt! Here, lean on me! I'll get you out of here, I promise." Elsa supports the South American ambassador from Argentina upon her fur mantle shoulder. Though expended of her cryokinetic energy from the intensity of the thick cap over the fissure she just provided, Elsa was still able to create a thin layer ice slide beneath them to deftly maneuver through the now fragile cavern without causing further tremors.

But by the time the swiftly moving ice slide was just about to exit the cave opening where the bottom half two thirds of Olaf's lower body parts were anxiously bobbing up and down, silently waving a pantomime for Elsa and Alonso to hurry beside the Fire Troll girl whose hands were clasped together praying for their safety, their frantic speed wasn't enough and the snow cover above the cave mouth suddenly comes spilling down like a small avalanche.

"What the –?! You're the ICE Queen for heaven's sake! Can't you just push the snow away or something so we can get back out again in the light of day?!" Secretly claustrophobic, Prince Alonso begins whining beside Elsa on her ice slide, never liking the sensation of being a bird in a cage. Especially a dark one with all the lights off so a good-looking person didn't have the advantage of seeing oneself in his exquisite reflection.

"Yes… I can… No doubt… But I'm afraid that a blast of that magnitude from within this already compromised cavern may cause it to collapse entirely. With a solidification of ice around its hardened superstructure, perhaps I could pinpoint a small area …" Elsa says, rubbing her pulsating head she was trying desperately to clear.

"Just get us out of here!" Alonso's hidden claustrophobia was starting to set in as he shivers and hugs himself to himself.

"I could project enough fresh snow to push out the avalanched cover in a small section and simultaneously strengthen with my ice the tunnel of the cavern opening to keep it from collapsing on our heads at the moment we ready to depart. But I think it would be wise I recuperate for a few moments before I make any attempt at that complex set of variables." Elsa reasons aloud, her spinning brain still little bit muzzy. The splitting headache that still lingered in her brimming mind gave her pause before she acted unduly.

"By all means, take your time, Ice Queen." Trying to contain his own fears, Alonso had expended more than his share of heroics this day, he wanting now only to live to tell the tale of his daring do.

So he steps gingerly off Elsa's suspended ice slide with his bad foot dragging in tow to a dry siding of the cavern that appeared stable to ease her one less burden.

"Come rest here with me a few minutes." After staring at Elsa's tightly closed eyed and shivering form floating there trying to rejuvenate for several moments, Alonso soon invites her to kneel down to rest beside him with a helping hand down that pats the dry ground near the cave entrance.

"Hey. Aren't you grateful now that I never travel anywhere without a mirror, Elsa?" With a little small talk conversation to help unravel her uptight mind, Alonso chuckles at his own ingenious rescue as Elsa's weak eyes were still blinking back from the temporary blindness that brought her to consciousness again.

"I'm grateful for the man behind the mirror, Prince Alonso. Thank you." Elsa amiably graces the Córdoba Prince with a winning smile that glimmered at him even in the still dark cave.

"It was so mesmerizing, I couldn't tear my eyes away. I don't know what would've happened if you didn't get me to snap out of it, Prince Alonso." The tall blonde reflectively tries to explain her inexplicable drive to follow and drown herself in that tempting bright light and dark chasm at the end of it as the pair of crown royals sit on the ground side-by-side near the cavern exit.

"Well… Tell you the truth, I couldn't have done it without old Hans' help." Alonso admits with a sardonic smile curling his mouth in the clammy dampness.

"My Hans?" At the mere mention of her man's moniker, confused and doubtful Elsa's interest picks up, as well as her spirit and energy and drive renewed, though the growing headache was relentless behind her temples she had been massaging.

"Yep. _Your_ Hans. Though it pains me as a potential suitor to have to admit it, you probably would not have given me or my mirror the time of day had I not called out that Dane by name. He certainly has got you wrapped up and tied with a bow on it. Lucky devil." Alonso explains as he hugs his knees to himself where he was crouched beside Elsa on the dark cavern floor.

"I miss him so much." Elsa found it very strange that in this solitary darkness of the closed in cave with this virtual stranger of a prince who was not exactly her ideal friend, that she, a shy, reticent, reclusive girl, was willing to open up about the man she loved so much.

Maybe just to hold onto him a little while more, as the migraine pounding in her head was pulsating like the drumbeat of a rhythmic countdown making Elsa feel like her mind was slipping away…

"I envy him that, you know." Alonso honestly says with a flippant smile that Elsa could feel even in the dark from where she was huddled close beside him in the stifling dearth.

"It's a new thing for me. Ever since I was a good-looking kid, I pretty much loved myself so completely, it never mattered much if anyone else did. But now that I've come here to Arendelle and met you, Elsa, I feel –" Just as Alonso was about confess something earth-shattering to his conceited self that he never thought he would say to another human being, the massive avalanched snow before them begins to change demeanor and shifts coloring to an orangey glowing.

It begins to slowly melt in a small precise circle that left the majority of the packed strong ice and snow intact.

 ** _…SSSZZTTT..._**

Manning the pain to his badly bruised left foot, Alonso shields Elsa as the pair jump to their feet when finally the snow cover blocking their exit is penetrated with the precision of an expert welding tool.

Also known as the adept flame-lit index finger of an Igneous Fire Troll of ages gone by.

"Boninite?!" Elsa exclaims in her pleasantly shocked soprano to the recent convert and their unforeseen rescuer.

 _"'My Bonnie lies over the ocean, my Bonnie lies over the sea. My Bonnie lies over the ocean...'"_ Olaf's crooning voice sings the maritime sailor tune as he was soon on the flammable heels of the newest addition to the team.

" _'Oh, bring back my Bonnie to me!_ ' Hi, Elsa! Hi, Alonso! Wasn't Bonnie grand?! She definitely deserves an extra warm hug, don't you think for having this amazing ability to cut through five foot thick snow?!" Smiling from carrot nose to charcoal buttons, Olaf exuded sappiness in his inimitable way. The unprejudiced snowman had not a single reservation about embracing the emotionally detached small Troll creature with an open tail flame like she wasn't born a wielder of fire and flame that was so detrimental to his meltable snow created frame.

But as long as nobody ' _had to tell him',_ ignorance was bliss for naïve Olaf.

"You thought to free us all on your own, Bonnie? Thank you." Elsa fights the urge to clap her hands together, pleased that her faith in God's redemptive forgiveness once again worked overtime on even this lost Troll being, as it pays dividends now.

" _Liberter_ , _Regina_ (you're welcome, Queen)." Serious Boninite responds in Latin with a nod and what could be described as a smile.

"' _And we know all things work together for the good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.'"_ (Romans 8:28)

Closing her eyes tightly, Elsa recites the dear Bible verse, a part of her clinging to fight for its stability and bolstering truth, despite the sown seeds of doubt and fecundated fear. They had begun to penetrate the holes in her uncertain heart through that infinitesimal crevasse that loneliness left wide open for the Accuser's divisive control…

"So, Elsa," Alonso was feeling a bit emboldened as he lets Elsa help him and his injured foot back into his ice enhanced chariot.

"Shouldn't the reward for my phenomenal heroism earlier and the painful injury that ensued, give me precedence to wear Oaken's magic warmer for a while? At least until my poor chilled to the bone wounded body, which _I put on the line for you_ , has a chance to heal in comfort?" Back to his egocentric vanity, Prince Alonso tries to cajole Elsa in the driver's seat.

Putting up his badly bruised foot on the chariot's dashboard, Prince Alonso sits back to take it easy on the ride with a charming, self-satisfied grin on his face as he shoots Boninite the Fire Troll a look of triumph.

But the grin is instantly wiped off by the cool Ice Queen's detached response.

"This magic warming scarf?" The pale woman seemed to find some gratification in cryokinetically using her ice to remove the warmer from the Fire Troll's sheltered cage and have it levitate for a while in the air of the moving carriage before all greedy eyes.

"I think, as Queen of this land, I'm the one who deserves to wear it most." And with that surprising statement before the open mouthed Alonso and deadpan Boninite, who both believed either of them would be the recipient of Oaken's hot crystal warming muffler, Elsa uses her ice magic to wrap the gauche, uncoordinated scarf around her bare neck and shoulders above her more regal attire and fur mantle.

"Looks like the heat never bothered me anyway, too." In her cattiest voice, Elsa flippantly tosses the statement, along with a flick of her filmy Navy blue cape, over her alabaster covered shoulders as the hot crystal swathed within the scarf pulsates over time with a soft red glow against the juxtaposition of the Queen of Ice's innate chill in infused contradiction.

"Let us hope that there are not many more deep fissures like this one along the route to the far North. It's slowing us down and it's getting far too dark to go face any more ugly caves. I prefer to rule in brilliant bright Snow Palaces." Elsa announces to the blizzard winds that were growing fiercer by the second.

Watching the beautiful woman's sudden mood shifts with interest, Alonso, steadfastly denies himself the luxury of whining over Oaken's claimed muffler as a sign of self-control and respect to the fascinating Queen. So he simply lays a heavy blanket over his legs and injured foot instead. Prince Alonso watches with aroused eyes how Queen Elsa signals to his chariot steeds to move recklessly quick, just as the young man always liked to roll.

"Whoa!" Olaf cries out as he holds on for dear life to Boninite's tail - " _Ooh! Don't touch the flame at the end!"_ \- as he is thrown back in Elsa's suddenly rampaging forward ice chariot.

"Hold on, boys! This is going to be a bumpy ride! I like to go fast!" Elsa easily reels Olaf in with a none-too-gentle ice lasso, throwing her head back and laughing disturbingly as she races the Criollo horses recklessly.

The hot crystal around the Queen's feverish head and neck and the ice palpitating in the woman's veins to her lonely heart were at war with one another, with the little girl aching for love caught somewhere in between.

 _It was almost as if I could have passed through that dark portal to come out to the other side easily had that flash of light not halted me. Everyone is always trying to stop me from achieving what I want…what I need…_

Not paying attention to any of the passengers in her car, Elsa peevishly presses a cool hand to her feverishly hot forehead that was envisioning that dark cavern's opening and the intoxicating red light that had been calling her down into its numinous depths.

Forgetting everything else, the confused Ice Queen glances back towards that cave they were departing from with something like a smirk on her haughty face that was dreaming dark dreams of controlling her own life for once.

That is, until her out-of-control, troubled azure blue eyes glance by chance down at that snowflake ring glimmering upon her finger that gave her a feeling of peace and calm again, if just for a little while to slow down…

* * *

 ** _On board of fast moving passenger steam packet paddler named the Berenice…_**

 _…Elsa, min elsking…_

 _Are you all right?_

Tossing and turning all the sleepless night, Prince Hans wakes up in a cold sweat in his bunk in the state room of the British steamship call the ** _'_** Berenice' as it had barreled through the Gulf of Aden and was now moving up through canals towards the Red Sea.

Perspiring inexplicably in the cool of morning, the handsome Danish Prince lifts himself from a rather posh mattress that was far more comfortable than he was accustomed to. These past few weeks saw many rougher a sleeping arrangement on this hard, tumultuous journey between where his ship was docked in southern India after being called back by an urgent message from his commanding Admiral to return home back in Norway.

Having a terrible heavy feeling in his heart that no mere nightmare could have rousted in him, for several minutes with his eyes stark open, the sane young officer stares blankly up at the dark ceiling of the state room of the Berenice that the good sailors of the mail ship had brought he and his companion from the Gulf of Aden to.

His slim slender hands grasp at the tiny ice sculpture of the woman over his bare chest, pressing her to his heart for reassurance and comfort from the bad dream that had awoken him to this sorry state. But he felt something so urgent concerning the love of his life—so very far away, his heart ached to run to her right now.

Hans would do anything, give everything to be with his—yes, **_his_** —beautiful Elsa of Arendelle right now, but he knew in reality, that was not to be for another three more weeks, even if he and Egalité continued to move at this accelerated rate through the Mid-East section of this passage for the remaining twenty-five day projected itinerary of their journey.

But all he could do to bring himself closer to her - beyond his daily devotions to the Lord for her continued welfare and well-being - was what he had been faithfully executing for the past two and a half months, just as his lady love requested.

Hans Westergaard moves his sleek, shirtless form across the room in the middle of the night and picks up his pen and naval diary as he begins to write his beloved Elsa a love letter, if just to calm his anxieties down with some semblance of normalcy that had been escaping him for the past night.

 _"My dearest Elsa,_

 _We have transferred from the Hugh Lindsay mail packet service and have been traveling for the past two days on board the East India Company's top-of-the-line, steam propelled paddler named the 'Berenice'._

 _I am grateful for the eager intervention of the Captain of our former vessel and the Aden authorities, after our minor altercation with that infamous gentlemen pirate Apas - who I must say, I found less than 'gentlemanly' – for delivering Egalité and I to this swift steam paddler craft in record time._

 _The Berenice has been specially designed to operate along the 1200 mile long_ _Red Sea_ _'s narrowing treacherous shoals along its eastern shore and through the beautiful coral reefs and seamounts to its west. Whereas the prevailing winds that blow in opposing directions of the northern section of the salty_ _Red Sea_ _made it virtually implausible for ship under sail to traverse previously._

 _But I bore you with my technical jargon of ship and sail and the rigors of sea life we sailors find both fulfilling and challenging. You must forgive my wandering mariner's sea record scribblings, but as Kommander of my own vessel, the Nidaros, I had been dutiful in updating my daily log. So it's routine for me, and I miss it, in a way._

Hans pauses to look out through the porthole window into the purplish dark dawn beyond the sea rolls before returning to his heartfelt missive, turning to a second page.

 _…Perhaps what these dull naval meanderings are shielding is what I really wish to convey to you, my darling fiancée. I seem to be overcome with a sudden sense of urgency and uneasiness as this voyage takes us through these ancient civilizations on either side of the canals._

 _Is it merely that this isolated cleft of inexpressibly blue water is known for its shipwreck count and loss of sailor lives over the centuries? The deep walled_ _Red Sea_ _is replete in unusual Indo-Pacific marine life with many colorful twists we are heading towards._

 _Beyond that, I have little to no justification for concern, as I have conversed with the Captain and the Chief Engineering Officer of this steam paddler below deck as well. We are set to make good time. The wind is fair. The sea is calm due to fine weather ahead. The rip currents are swift and in our favor. And yet… I cannot shake this foreboding feeling that some ill wind blowing no good is awaiting, just beyond the horizon._

 _It's as if my unsettled fear is that some unseen force beyond my control is calling me._

 _But I vow to resist the charm and lure with every fiber of my being, to keep myself deserving of you, min kaereste._

 _What is it I fear more? The unknown? Or myself ? Inexplicable chills run up and down my spine with the question. Perhaps it is simply the thrill of being able to sail past these Biblically historical areas the_ _Red Sea_ _signifies for our faith that has my mind in high agitation._

 _Either way, I am merely venting my apprehensions here to you, my constant hidden moon. For there is no one out I can share my innermost conscience with but you. Not the good Captain, nor attentive crew, while extremely accommodating and kind, they will repetitively waylay my factually unfounded concerns._

 _Nor even Égalite, though I would like to think we have become good friends and companions on this journey that has thrown us together so acutely._

 _I know he would simply laugh at me if I told him my unsubstantiated wariness and say: 'You are a fool to borrow trouble, mon _frère_. Like a worried old miser hoarding his gold rather than enjoying his liberty to breathe in the day.'_

 _In the end, I know he is right. The Lord did not create us for anxiety. The gnashing of teeth is the devil's manner. We are to glorify God's goodness day by day._

 _Hence, in circumspect of perusing its tenuous content, I cannot by conscience, intend to include this latter section of my letter with the rest. It may cause you to doubt my courage and even my sanity, and be troubled, my precious _min ædle_ Elsa. I will not subject you to my divided mental disturbances._

 _So I will share the discontented portion of the message and all my doubts and fear to rest on the One whom I rely on in times of soulful recrimination._

With reverential hands folded in prayer, Hans kneels by his cabin bedside and closes his eyes.

 _Please Lord God in Heaven, give me strength to face my fears, whether based on a foolish man's false anxieties, or founded on presentiment facts of events to come. But more than myself, I pray for you to watch over my earthly angel and her good family, during_ _Norway_ _'s blizzard weather snowstorms I read about in the maritime report back in_ _Aden_ _Port._ _But I trust it to You that the cold never bothered my icy maiden anyway, yes? So, I will keep an eye on the prize and with Your blessing, return home to her in time to bring her a warm smile I feel she may need by her birthday._

The resolute man then carefully tears out the latest incoherent second half of the letter from his diary and quickly adds his normal closing to the amended letter's margin in small letterings.

 _'Until that blessed day we meet again, you have ever and all my love._

 _Your devoted Hans Westergaard, 26th November 1841'_

It may have been a record of his current heart's status, but he was self-consciously ashamed to allow himself to wallow in such doubt and misgivings that he was certain were mere distractions. So the dapper redhead crumples up the torn out page and places it in his inner jacket pocket, carefully folded, rather than remain with the rest of his letters to home.

 _And yet…_

As Hans places his hand again against the comforting coolness of the ice pendant Elsa had bestowed upon him, what he did not see in the darkness of his ship's cabin was how its icy blue-white translucence was slowly shifting. His Ice Queen's statuesque sculpture that was originally iridescent and pristine in its glowing pulse aura had turned a slight shade of darker blue…

Unbeknowst of this small, minute change, at the last moment as he was dressing himself and mulling it over, the honest man in Hans retrieves and unfolds to replace the second page to fit back into the diary.

After all, it was a daily record of his heart's emotion that he felt compelled to share with the woman who would always remain the love of his life. She deserved to see every part of him, even in the worried moments he was most ashamed to call himself a man.

 _I beg for Your infinite benevolence and fortitude to erase my reservations, Lord. I pray for good judgment to face whatever storm lies ahead, and to own a heart that is worthy of being the champion of her love. In Jesus' all forgiving name. Amen._

Hans closes the cover on his now complete diary account, wondering what the day crossing the Red Sea had in store, even as those mysterious voices flung to the far depth of his scattered mind were still chanting an indefinable song beyond the deep blue glistening tides…

 _…We'll fill your sails with friendly winds  
And point the way with shining fins  
So you can bid your cares farewell_…

* * *

 _min alskare -_ my lover in Swedish

 _min kaereste –_ _my darling in Danish_

 _min ædle -_ my precious in Danish

 _Mon ami –_ my friend in French

 _Mon frère_ – my brother in French

* * *

 _"Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah_ " - hymn written by William Williams 1749

 _"Bring Back My Bonnie to Me"_ – Scottish folk song written around 1745 for missing heroes in battle

"Where Mermaids Dwell" – Mermaid Sisters from the 'Tales from the Little Mermaid' 1998

* * *

Hello Frozen Again friends!

How was that for some spooky October foreboding themes? Elsa is being called to the dark side by an ancient evil force, while Hans is being lured by –could it be?! – mermaids?! As he enters the Red Sea! How's that for forbidden fruit temptation while they're separated from one another?!

On a less frightening note, Queen Idun has encountered an old friend in Bae, the kind reindeer that her companions, Gerda and Kai, from the original 'Snow Queen' Hans Christian Anderson story, had met over 45 years ago during their own fairy tale! Hans' beloved horse Sitron will be grateful for some extra reindeer/horsepower to get them closer to Elsa and the Snow Queen's palace in the far north!

I thought the prophetic Colossians Biblical verse said it all for a title foreshadowing things to come for this new adventure for our beleaguered Frozen cast. But knowing them and their courage and bravery, I know they can surpass anything together, with God's helping Hand.

Just like us down here in hurricane stricken lands! Thank you all, my dear friends, for your prayers and words of support and caring love you poured out for us all here in storm ravaged lands! Your thoughts are much appreciated!

God bless you all!

All my love and gratitude for your friendship in our tough days that brought us smiles, my FanFiction friends!

Have a wonderful Columbus Day weekend for those of you Italian and Spanish Americans who helped discover the New World through that intrepid adventurer with the banner of Christianity flying high!

Happy Día de las Américas ( _Day of the Americas_ )!

Festa Nazionale di Cristoforo Colombo! _(Christopher Columbus National Day!_ )

Love, HarukaKou :)

P.S. I'd love to hear your reviews on this significant turning point chapter in our lonely enchanted Ice Queen Elsa's life, as she's missing Hans and turning wild & wicked as we march into Act VII! ^o*

* * *

 _'These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.'_ \- The Bible, Colossians 2:17


	17. Chapter 16 - Dream Killer

_We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

 **"Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act VII**

 **Chapter 16**

 **"** **Dream Killer"**

Hundreds of kilometers to the far North of Arendelle, and hundreds of meters above sea level, King Agdar had been driving the sleigh commonly named 'Baby' through the Norway skyline for hours in silence.

At first, it irked the possessive older man to watch his little girl crawl over the bench seat to comfortably fall asleep in the arms of that young Ice Harvester, amid soft pillows for his second degree blistered and healing burnt buns.

With a simper on his still extremely handsome features, the Ice King gazes over his shoulder back at the cute couple embraced in a catnap together on the rear bench seat.

Agdar did not, in the beginning, hit it off with Anna's choice of husband. Certainly the plebian boy was coarse and rough around the edges, and not well-mannered, as he was arguably yet a simple workingman who had been prodigious enough to find favor with a Royal Princess.

Although, something about the devoted and responsible young man's attitude showed, time and time again, his protective and caring side that extended to Anna's entire family, made King Agdar relinquish a bit of his own paternal protection.

But that didn't mean he enjoyed seeing his precious baby Gingersnap practically cradled on this dirt covered boy's lap.

Even if this Kristoff Bjorgman was shown to be the offspring of the venerated Snow Queen herself. It was a good thing for him, or Anna certainly would not have been permitted to remain a bride for very long wed to a simple peasant boy, indeed.

These superior, haughty vagrant thoughts had kept the anxious Ice King's mind stabilized in a weird way. Agdar recgnized he was being lordly and outdated and unfair to his independent wildflower of a child's chosen mate, but it gave Agdar enough sense of righteous fatherly indignation and an aversion to letting go of his prized child to bring some normalcy to his otherwise topsy-turvy world of late.

Particularly as his already stressed cryokinetic senses were, for the past hour, in high alert the closer the reindeer team of Sven and Svalla moved towards the Saltfjellet mountain plateau in this northern municipality of Nordland, Norway.

There was something that both Troll Leader GranPabbie and the Saami shaman the travelers had met thus far had said that was disturbing about the Snow Queen to the ice wielder. After all, she was the mystical woman who had passed on her frozen magic to him and subsequently Elsa, so any concern of hers made the mentally uptight King even more edgy.

"'A woman's tears…'"

As Agdar urges Sven and Svala to ascend the Alpine mountain formations of the breathtaking sloping mountain plateaus this scenic region offered, the King was replaying his past encounters in his astute mind.

The respected troll and Saami elder alike had metaphorically explained to him the reason and meaning behind the sudden unpredictable blizzard with their distressing descriptions that disquieted the stoic man's chivalrous soul.

He could not put his finger on why or where exactly, but the Ice King felt as if he could actually hear the sound of feminine weeping the nearer the airborne sleigh came to the Svartisen glacier near the central part of the impressive barren mountain slope.

That was, in practical terms, impossible, as the learned Royal King of this land had well known. The glacier tongues of this Svartisen mountain plateau that was the collective for the two separate glaciers, Vestre and Ostral, were some of the largest on the mainland of Norway, and epitomized by ice that was so old, so ancient, that it was called 'black ice'.

Hence the name ' _Svartisen'_ , that literally translated to ' _black ice'_.

Never melted ages old ice sheet accumulation had built and built in the high north plateau for centuries now, so much that it was noticeably darker than any more recent fresh icing and accrued new fallen snow.

It was believed since olden days that it was here in the Saltfjellet the Snow Queen, when she was yet young in her powers of the cold that regulated this land, had visited and practiced her winter prowess. She had also made strong relationships in these mountains and the forested valley below with the ancient race of Saami who were native to this land long before the King's own Viking ancestors migrated to Norway.

There was a sense deep inside his gallant heart that never could abide standing by to let a woman cry, and Agdar felt compelled now to explore his Svartisen glacier's mysterious ice ribbon lake that still ran down to its hanging valley, even in these blizzard conditions.

It was there, Agdar was sure, on the glaciated lake where the heart wrenching sounds of weeping were emanating.

"Sven?" King Agdar breaks the early morning silence with a low timbered hushed word directed to the friendly reindeer pulling his sleigh through the high-altitude skyscape.

"Homn?" Cocking his gray furry head, Sven was surprised to hear his name addressed by Anna and Elsa's Papa, who had never actually spoken to him or Svala before verbally. The traditional, practical man treated the pair of Rangifer more like livestock than companions up to this point.

"May I request for you to diverge from our northerly course for a few moments to take us down to the lake Ranelva below in that icefield valley situated between the mountains? I do not wish to awaken Anna, for the poor girl has just drifted off to sleep, or disturb your ailing master. But you two diligent reindeer must be exhausted and deserve a bit of a respite. And I require a chance to stretch my new legs that the Lord reinvested in me." Disarming King Agdar's logical demeanor of speaking made complete sense in his low intelligent baritone whisper directed up towards Sven.

So after glancing back to where his pain stricken Kristoff was comfortably asleep in Anna's cuddle, and exchanging an antlered nod with his team mate, the reindeer bull and his doe head down towards the scenic glacial valley of the Vestre Svartisen, the second-largest glacier on the mainland.

"Huh? Sven? Why are we stopping? Where are we? It's still another two days air travel before we get anywhere near my mother's Snow Palace in Svalbard." A hazy Kristoff starts to awaken from the herbal sleep rendering stew that Bulda and Healer Eclo had cooked up to aid her burn injured adopted son's journey. The Wind Whisperer could sense, even in his subconscious sleepy state, that the sleigh he had mentally instructed his buddy Sven - and left in the charge of the reindeer's trusted hooves, even more so than Anna or her father at the controlling reins – to keep flying their sleigh on this correct air current chartered course through the thin air of the stratosphere above the harsh weather below.

"The poor beasts have been going at this for hours now and need a rest from this constant taxing endeavor, lad, and no doubt desire a touchdown for a while. So where more befitting than the Saltfjellet? We will refill our water holdings at the lake down there. You continue to rest here in the sleigh and watch over Anna in the vortex calm I'll leave for you, while I lead the reindeer to the freshwater lake for some necessary hydration and physical grounded exercise, son." King Agdar turns in his front bench driver's seat to inform Kristoff of his plans before departing from the sleigh.

They land on the terra firma of the Setergrotfa area near where the Ranfjorden met the Ranelva in the valley below.

"Yes, Sir. Sounds good to me." Kristoff stifles a yawn as he shakes his woozy head, loosely wondering what was the alcohol proof of all the medicinal herbs and brewed roots and fermented potatoes and such in that Troll punch Anna had nursed him with earlier, which had knocked the mountain man out for so long.

Attributing the strange voices, weird sounds and unsettled alerts as just extraneous noise to his gifted dizzy head from the intoxicating medicine, the Snow Prince strains to keep his brown eyes open through the blizzard icefield that was near the body of water Anna's father specified.

 _Just an ice lake._ _Although… I can't shake this weird feeling about this place…_

But seeing no real physical danger present, and not willing to argue with the edgy King, Kristoff hunkers down with a snoring Anna nestled in his arms to keep watch and rest as his father-in-law ordered.

 _You could sleep through a hurricane, Baby_! _Now if only I could get that spirit whisperer thing in me to work again! It feels like the very sky is trying to tell me something important… like a warning…_

Closing his eyes, a focused Kristoff internally searches with his nature powers the nearby frozen plains the best he could. But his gifts seem to have been dulled, almost negated, the fiercer the Arctic weather became the closer they traveled North—which frustrated him to no end.

 _It's almost like something is sheltering me from the truth… Something ancient…And powerful_ …

A bewildered Kristoff squints one eye open through the ice mists over the Svartisen plateau icefield over to where his father-in-law was leading Sven and Svala towards the ice crusted, yet still flowing lake, amid the glacial scene.

* * *

"I'm afraid the water is going to be quite chilled, my Rangifer friends. But I've heard it to be described as more refreshing and certainly more stimulating rather than any warm water to compliment your cornmeal, hehehe." Agdar tries to make some pointless small talk with the moderately skeptical reindeer after feeding Sven and Svala with a bag of corn and oats during the quick paced walk towards the lake's edge.

Usually confident, the King was uncommonly nervous as he led the pair of industrious flying reindeer on foot to the Lake Ranelva that ran parallel to the valley between the two layered glaciers that encompassed the peaks of the Saltfjellet mountain range.

On the way, his inquisitive eyes glimpsed some stone carvings in the conclave of carved rocks and painted boulders that had been cleaved in half long ago which appeared to be a Saami cultural landmark now.

As the historical student in King Agdar was soaking up the ambience of the stunning geological artwork of his nation's oldest indigenous race, he hears that eerie sound of weeping abruptly start up again.

Leaving Sven and Svala to their own machinations of eating and drinking the fresh lake water where he had led them to, the tall and svelte King moves across the blizzard-strewn icefield at the edge of the lake in search of the source of the mournful resonance in his head.

After several minutes of visual investigation led him down several twists and turns around the winding and partly frozen lake bends, Agdar pauses his hasty stride to hear the puzzling weeping intensify in his ears.

His clear blue eyes glaze over the blizzard that serendipitously lets up for a few brief moments to allow the King to suddenly see the silhouettes of two figures in the distance.

Both decidedly feminine beings were floating along the edge of the glacier Svartisen against the snow storm winds, almost as if they were dancing upon the glacier peaks. The females, restlessly moving to and fro, appeared to be lost and searching for something dear to each that had been hidden beneath the surface melt lake's reflective mirror below that was aglow now with the Northern Lights' radiance.

Even from a distance, Agdar could see the gradient colorful light beams play until they shone two disparate ethereal spotlights upon the pair of delicate as ice, pale skinned women.

Side-by-side, as if under a spell, the dancing women were like the sun and the moon that complemented one another as they each danced an endless, elegant waltz that wove sparkling precipitation of frozen ice beauty and frigid snow purity in their sobbing wakes across the glacier.

One woman was tall and stately, full of imposing wisdom and deep mystery; the second female sylph-like and slender who wore both fragile elegance and fearsome grace. Snowflakes and ice crystals followed them in trails of tears as they moved to either side of the lake's North and South, each singing their own plaintive song full of loneliness.

Caught up in the entranced hallucination with their pirouetted figures, the closer Agdar stepped across the deep lake on his brittle ice bridge in the midst of them, the louder grew the women's bitter tears that touched his heart.

Both pale, icy faced, desolate-eyed women had been weeping as each were willfully drawn to being swallowed up by the all-consuming shadows of a sneering, seething dark predator luring them to come deeper in towards the glacier's headwall mountain cliff crevasse. From its breathy, tempting whispers veiled within the intoxicating frozen winds, the Ice King distinguishes an ancient evil sprite whom Agdar instantly identified with the Devil himself.

All at once, standing in the middle of the ice flow lake between them, Agdar realized that the tall, fair-haired blonde soprano with a hint of pastel blue upon her face, was the respected Snow Queen he had met in his troubled past and again recently in Mosken island.

Staring into the reflective ice mirror of the moraine lake at her feet, the Queen of the Winter was hopelessly walking uphill, seeing past scenes of the legendary being's solitary life. The fair-haired imposing woman was ensconced in visions in that entrancing mirror of her lonely Snow Palace. But the continuously long halls and empty rooms held not a single living person to keep her company all through the vacant, blur of years.

That is, except for one windswept balcony at the far end of the Snow Palace's fathomless Hall. It intermittently displayed a momentary flickering glimpse of a man wearing a long blue coat and tall hat. He was reaching out for her with the invitation to join his warm embrace into the sun-shining, open air beyond her sealed-in castle.

But the ageless Snow Queen could never reach him before he disappeared into nothingness, leaving her disappointed and alone again for perpetuity.

"Your Majesty! Wait! We must speak!" Agdar projects his deep voice up the slope, but its timbre was lost on the frigid winds. He was about to call again when his blizzard buffeted eyes take in another unexpected sight on this distant glacier.

At the other end of the aurora borealis spectrum, awash in a lavender purple light, the reflective ice on the north side of the Svartisen's tributary glaciers were eclipsed by Agdar's own waiflike daughter.

Ice Queen Elsa was in a similar fruitless search for her own absent love, concealed beyond the wave of doors surrounding her Ice Palace's circular front entrance Great Hall that was actually the cirque basin of the Svartisen glacier.

Though, it seemed that just as she breathlessly arrived, each door always slammed closed in her pale, shocked face before the forlorn blonde mustered enough courage to dare even reach to open them.

The Ice Palace's Great Hall full of infinite doors continued to stretch longer and longer up the crystal staircase hill, to keep obscured the true entrance to that secret room from where a nameless man's angelic tenor voice was singing sweet love songs to her from above.

But the gorgeous, lilting sound grows further and further away, until the distraught girl falls to her knees, banging her ineffective fists to the icy glass floor that crumble in her despair.

In that pitiful position, Agdar could just make out who the younger girl was.

"ELSA!? How did you get here? I told you to stay safe in Arendelle with your mother! Why are you crying so fiercely, my Snow Angel? Stop moving towards the edge of that arete! Papa's coming!" The panicked man recognized his tearful eldest child, even from afar, as he first upbraids then comforts her in his fear.

The perplexed King was trying to make sense of how his cherished child and successor could have come to be out here in this far-flung northerly region of their country for him to find her in such a perilous predicament.

But neither the pale, fair-haired girl at the top of the accumulation zone, nor the older Spirit of the Winter at its end ablation moraine to the south, seemed able to hear the desperate father's pleas. So Agdar accelerates his ice path to gallantly rise up to place himself between his daughter and the unknown shadow that was relentlessly stalking her from beneath the edges of the elevated glacier with its unknown lure at the other side.

He races as fast as his ice catapulted magic could take him upon the mirror of the glaciated lake spread across the Ramsfjorden.

"Don't you dare lay a hand on my little girl!" King Agdar was huffing with great exertion and breathing heavily by the time he had arrived to save the distressed young woman weeping so she did not notice the wicked threat looming at her feet.

Agdar had a feeling there was something dark and fear-provoking that hovered near the cascading edge of the glacial plateau high above the stagnant ice firn and the arctic tarn lake that was trying to pull Queen Elsa down into the abyss below.

"Stop! I command you not to harm her, or so help me, I'll –!" The Norwegian King fearlessly demands as he sprints and flows on ice wings across the mirror of the glacier ice lake and rock face arête he deep freezes solid in his attempts to ice this unknown enemy.

Racing across the ice craggy truncated spurs to the frozen edge with reckless abandon for his own safety, Agdar rushes to his beloved child's rescue.

"Stay away from my daughter, you monster!" King Agdar screams in angry indignation at the menacing shadowy creature floating mid-air with long sepentine arms reaching out to drag the despondent young woman down to his lair.

"But it is _your_ doing that brought her to climb up this desolate road, not mine. You are the one ultimately who drove them both to this! It's your fault! You and your stubborn pride! So why not be the means to end one's despair, at the same time serve as fodder for the other's power thirst? And at last bring about the rise of my kingdom on earth!" The slithery voice hisses from the obscured edge of the mountain arête.

"Then, if it's my mistake, take me instead, if you must! She is innocent!" The caring father selflessly pleads to the faceless enemy. The King cryokinetically seizes Elsa and thrusts her away back down the hill to safety. Agdar pushes himself bodily in her place just before the disoriented Ice Queen was about to be pulled into the spiraling dark chasm below.

Though inside his heart was an instinctive, basic fear, the valiant King of Arendelle bravely looks down over the glacier mountain lip to stare down his foe on the offense.

But before the blink of an eye, the thwarted, discovered evil sprite with bat wings lifts its mischievous, devil-horned head over the edge of the arête as if in a nightmare to meet Agdar's fear-struck eyes close-up.

The deceitful creature, who had laid blame on the guilt-ridden father sowing the preliminary seeds of doubt to knock the good man off balance, rises to the surface and instantly transforms from its _Djævlen Trolden_ (Devil Troll) form that Agdar had only heard in legend.

At first, the ugly creature, who reveled in distorting reality, takes on the appearance of the wisened-eyed, square jawed and rugged face of Ragi the minstrel, whom a guarded Agdar had briefly encountered as a dear friend of the Snow Queen.

Then, much to Agdar's confusion, the dastardly creature vacillates to the sharper, celestial nosed, handsome features of young Danish Prince Hans just to disturb the King's already unsettled senses.

"Innocence full of pure dreams I most crave. If just to make fools of His angels. But you, though neither innocent, nor angel, will do for a fool now, Ice King. You and your ideals are in my way, so I must be rid of you. Because I am the Dream Killer!" Then, finally, the evil, plotting Djævlen Trolden morphs into one more familiar face with an evilly twisting moustache and laughing smirk beneath a shock of coiffed ginger hair.

The aghast King stops dead in his tracks and backs away from the arête as the emboldened evil menace crawls along the sheer glacier's headwall edge.

Like a feral animal it abruptly pounces before him on clawed feet as an utterly bizarre reflection with a human face.

A disoriented Agdar finds himself staring back at his own pair of ice blue eyes and debonair face scowling back and cackling wickedly with an inexorable vivid red glint of evil in his eye and vicious fanged teeth of a vampire.

The in-shock Norwegian ruler, immersed in that blinding flash of red light, is cruelly spun and pushed over the glacier's Bergschrund ledge. As he helplessly begins to fall, King Agdar's shaken consciousness is sucked into a crack in the icy headwall that had been disguising a mirror deliberately wedged between its crevasse Randkluft neve.

And the visions of weeping 'angels' Elsa and the Snow Queen fade into the trickery of illusionary icicles…

"Your Majesty! Don't move!" The Wind Whisperer's drowsy sixth sense finally kicked into gear just in the nick of time. Kristoff had jumped on Sven's back when the confused, alarmed reindeers had returned to the sleigh when the King went too far astray up the winding slope and out of sight.

Kristoff and Sven had zoomed to the rescue to catch the dizzy King who, as the blond mountainman had watched from a distance, seemed to be in some struggle with an invisible enemy. Kristoff saw King Agdar almost suicidally wrestle himself to fall from the glacier's tremendous height, to then lunge from the stark ice wall precipice and be crushed by gravity's impact off the steep mountain hundreds of meters beneath.

"Kristoff? Is Papa all right?! What happened to him?!" Right on the mountain man's heels was his worried little gal Anna on Svala as they come flying right up alongside Sven and the pair of men atop him with pure fear on her pretty features to have literallybseen one's father plunge off the cliff.

"Don't know." The young blond answers honestly, only having a faint sentiment of King Agdar's fear and guilt and confusion on the surface of the King's overwrought mind. The Snow Prince only dared traipse upon that intimidating, classified space when the tormented, enervated King collapsed in his capable grasp.

"Papa! Papa! Can't you hear me?" The panicked young girl could only think to do as her Mama would when one of her dearest ones were hurt or injured or frightened by a nightmare. So she begins to sing her Papa's favorite hymn to him across the blizzarding sky.

" _Amazing Grace! How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me!"_

But King Agdar could not respond to her plaintive cries or tender song. His physical body was uninjured from the deadly fall thanks to Kristoff and Sven's daring last minute save, but his consciousness had been swallowed up behind that frigid wicked mirror and teleported beyond her reach.

"Kristly! What's wrong with Papa? He's breathing, but… I can't get to him to wake up!" By now, while Kristoff carried his father-in-law to the sleigh and laid him on the back bench seat, Princess Anna was freaking out. Her dear father had recently been granted back to their family, whole and hale and healthy for just a few cherished months together.

They couldn't lose him again now!

"What am I gonna tell Mama and Elsa waiting for us back home, Papa!? I promised them I'd take good care of you! Please wake up, and call me your little flutterbudget gingersnap one more time!" A tearful Anna frantically begs her comatose parent as she breathes her warm breath into his chilled hands and rubs them with her warm ones.

When that had no reaction, Anna slaps the out-cold King's cheek several times until they were a bright crimson red before she hugs her father's limp body tight to her.

"Anna! Calm down! That's not helping! Your Dad's out like a light, even though his vital signs are good…" Placing up a hand on Anna's convulsing shoulder to get her to sit back in the sleigh, Kristoff checks Agdar's pulse and breathing as he once again was the levelheaded voice of reason to Anna's fidgeting anxiety in this moment of trouble.

 _Damn! I knew I had a bad feeling about this place! Why didn't I try harder to make him listen before?!_

"Did you see anything, Sven, Svala? Anyone attacking the King out there on the glacier's arête?" Experienced mountain climber Kristoff Bjorgman turns to his reindeer friends for some answers as the upset man hitches them rapidly to the sled for a hasty take-off.

But they both shake their heads in just as baffled, negative sorrow.

 _Well…Now it's up to me to get us out of here, ASAP, before something else happens._

"Maybe you can use your Wind Whisperer magic stuff to read Papa's mind and see what happened out there to him to make him pass out like this!" Anna hops up to her feet on the sleigh as she cavalierly overhangs from the moving vehicle to look back behind them even as Kristoff had already quickly hitched up Sven and Svala to get airborne again.

"Yeah. Be careful up there. Can't afford to have another injury in this crazy weather." Kristoff warns his haphazard wife by habit, mentally willing the wind to be still enough to keep Anna safe with his shielded Whisperer powers before continuing his explanation. 'But I still can't access it that well. It's like I'm being blocked at some level…When the Northern Lights flashed before, my Troll crystals got some extra juice to sense some vague sentiments of a really bad presence. And a lot of doubt from your father. That's how I knew he needed help, fast, when Sven came to get me."

The cool, collected Ice Harvester gives his baleful-eyed reindeer pal a grateful smirk as Kristoff concurrently tries to concentrate on driving the sleigh on the fast moving upper wind currents, even without his Father-in-law's ice propelled assistance..

"We have to get the King to the Snow Palace soon. I'm sure Ragi can help figure out what's going on. He always knows what do." Kristoff was wise enough at his young age to respect the greater wisdom of the man he had grown up asking questions about life to. The sagacious, older minstrel seemed to always have the answer.

"Only a few days journey more, Baby. Don't you worry, everything will be all right. Thank God he's not hurt. We'll get your Papa back safe and sound to your Mom and sister, I promise. We'll get through this together, Anna. Okay?" Ignoring his own now lessened pain in the butt to be the pillar in her life, the blond speaks comforting words to his trembling bride as she tearfully nods, then kisses his cheek.

Anna smiles to her stable, fuzzy bear gratefully before leaning over the open-air high-altitude trailing sleigh to tuck a warm blanket around her dearest Papa who appeared to merely be in a deep slumber. Although his brows were knit in some mental battle unbeknownst to his little girl, King Agdar's body was sedate and peaceful for the remainder of the ride to the top the Arctic Circle and their intended destination of the Snow Queen's castle.

"' _Tis grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved.  
'How precious did that grace appear, the hour I first believed."_

Shivering beneath her pastel blue velvet bonnet as she, Kristoff, Sven and Svala, all brave the unbridled cold winds now whipping at them, Anna finds solace in John Newton's passionate, soulful lyrics.

"' _Through many dangers, toils and snares I have already come;  
'Tis Grace that brought me safe thus far, and Grace will lead me home.'"_

Through the deafening snowstorm, the braided girl continues her Papa's treasured hymn as if he could hear her. She felt, on some psychic level of the spiritual bond with her gifted lover and the special family they shared by God's amazing Grace, that maybe her poor beloved Papa could.

Yes, Agdar Bernadotte's spirit indeed needed his child's sweet song to remind the shaken man that he was not alone, wherever that dark adversary had trapped his self doubting, guilt ridden mind behind the pendulum of that vile ice mirror.

Devoid of the Ice King's smooth ride vortex protection, the unsheltered sleigh fights its way up to the higher atmosphere as the wild blizzard rages below them, now unchecked…

* * *

 _ **Thousands of miles south, on the northeast coast of the Land of the Pharaohs, surrounded by the deep coral reefs of the Red Sea…**_

The still waters of the Red Sea were stirred up by the steam paddler 'Berenice' until it takes a short fueling and maintenance stop at the old Roman port of Hurghada, in the Kingdom of Egypt before re-embarking on its speedy scheduled voyage again.

The Berenice would take its hurried passengers and express mail service up the Red Sea for as far as the still being channeled out Suez Canal went. Hans and Egalité would then have to pass a stretch of land to Alexandria to catch another fast steamship across the Mediterranean and onto the European continent.

For now, on day eighteen of his implausible passage journey, Hans Westergaard stands at the ornate 15th-century built balcony of the Egyptian lodging hotel overlooking the deep sea port and adjoined beachfront.

He and Egalité had gone into the swaying palm tree seaside town during the ship's midnight refueling to freshen up at the nearby hotel for the night and stretch their legs on land during the morning before ship's departure at noon.

As morning dawns, while Hans looks across the glistening waters of the Red Sea to the land just a few kilometers on the other side of the horizon, he couldn't help but feel the weighty impact of exactly where in the wide world he had landed.

Hans was standing with a good vantage point to visualize Moses' Ten Commandments bearing at Mount Sinai that loomed in the distance of the Sinai Peninsula at this Egyptian port.

Between the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Aqaba was the central Sinai Peninsula—where Moses brought his enslaved chosen people across the Red Sea to lead the Israelites out of their bondage to the Promised Land of milk and honey, nearly 3000 years ago.

Tthey eventually established a blessed nation where Jesus Christ, the Lord of Lords and King of Kings, was miraculously born into this world, preached His Gospel of life-saving Truth, and died on the Cross on the soil thereof in order to take away the sins of this fallen world.

"Yes, the true blue waters of this calm and tranquil bit of the Red Sea are intoxicating, are they not, mon ami? It's only a shame we do not have some scenic female company to bask in the sun on the beach beside." However, all religious significance was lost on Prince Ferdinand, pacing restlessly in the hotel room behind him.

The egalitarian raised Frenchman saw only in terms of fundamental idealism mixed with remorse of the amorous chances sadly mislaid for the pair of good-looking, starved-for-womanly-attention royal princes all on their own in this romantic setting.

"I am certain my Elsa would have been thrilled to have seen with her own eyes these important Biblical sights, if just once in her lifetime… Perhaps some day I'll bring her here, when she will be freer to travel the world with me. Of course, that's after we're married, when her father will be ameliorated to leaving her in my protection…" With a distant gaze over the Red Sea in the other more northward direction, Hans answers his companion with an entirely different, wistful tone in his words full of emotional expectation.

Hans contemplatively squeezes his hand around the icy Elsa sculpture dangling around his slender neck with a half smile.

"Are you not human enough to feel the magnetic pull of other attractions under the sun beyond your single-minded, remarkably pious attachment to that one lovely lady, Westergaard? She must be something to behold… _Speaking of which_ …Ooh, la, la! You just have to open your eyes and take a gander at the beauty out there to get your male blood pumping properly!" Ferdinand almost falls off the second story balcony of their hotel to get a better glimpse of a bronze skinned and raven black haired young woman strolling all by herself along the sandy beach cliffs directly below their picturesque balcony heights.

"Is pursuit of the opposite sex the _only_ thing to preoccupy your shallow mind, Egalité?" Hans chuckles with a look down his pointy nose in disapproval at the cad-like behavior of his fellow Prince who also confessed to have a Princess of his own awaiting him back home.

"Of course not, _mon frere_! You are besmirching the character of an active, well exercised and affianced young man, Mr. Westergaard? I'm surprised at you, sir! I thought _you_ were the one with the pure white as snow heart and generous with a Christianlike benefit of the doubt. How could you imagine I meant anything else?" The Frenchman feigns hurt feelings with one dramatic hand over his heart and the other placed over Hans' own, chilled with that ice miniature. "I was simply referring to the two of us starved for healthy activity fellows would physically gain from a cool bath in those gorgeous, refreshing waters down there, considering this boiling, over 80° muggy heat stowed up here. So why don't we two uptight fellows go for a leisurely dip in that beautiful, glistening, healing waters before we are cooped up in yet another cramped ship's cabin for days on end, mon ami? You cannot deny the health benefits we would profit from, rather than going stark raving stir crazy up here just on the inside looking out at its beauty, rather than enjoying the scenery, can you?" As he was delivering his flimsily shielded sales pitch, the silver-tongued French Prince was already quickly removing his shirt and pants in exchange for a pair of blue swimming trunks that the amply tipped bellboy had included at their arrival, along with one robe and beach towel each for the lean and trim foreign visitors.

"I suppose you are correct about the rumored healing qualities of the Red Sea's pure saline water content. A cooling swim would be indisputably refreshing in this humid, hot climate… But yet I must decline your company, Ferdinand. For I have much correspondence and naval officer log entries before I curl up for the rest of the morning, reading the newspaper the bellboy just brought up – fortunately Turkish is one of the languages I mastered as a child, well done, me – in this luxurious feather bed mattress that I have not seen in weeks of travel. So I beg your forgiveness for any unfounded suspicions and wish you good – _ahem_ – health stimulating prospects." Hans could not hold back the tease as he tries not to sound prudish. Though he would not partake himself and condone the romantic French Casanova's skirt chasing, he would refrain from chiding him.

The young redhead did not wish to appear to be too old-fashioned a stuffed shirt as to his companion's frivolous flirtations. After all, the Sjoforsvaret officer was not senior to the Orleans Colonel in either age or royal station of Crown Prince versus thirteenth in-line. The Danish Prince had no right to curtail his befriended traveling companion's natural contrivances. He could only gingerly advise, lest be accused of being entirely too staid and stuck up.

"Ce'st la vie and que cera cera, Hans. (Such as life and whatever will be, will be) well, here's your towel and peignoir (swimming bathrobe) anyway, should you change your stubborn mind, you bookworm. I, for one, will be out in the fresh air, enjoying the glorious sunshine's wide-open spaces – among other tantalizing diversions, should they arise – while you stew away in here, penning letters, devouring that boring old foreign language newspaper and pining over your lady fair. Not to mention play with that well sculpted little statuette on your bare chest, following all her curves and no doubt imagining it the real thing, to toy with in her place, you sorry excuse for a man." With a ruefully condescending rub to his coiffed moustache, Ferdinand dismisses Hans as he wraps the hotel provided bath towel over his bare neck and immodestly hairy chest revealed beneath his long white bathrobe.

"Egalité! You are the limit!" That shocked Hans to glance up from his very important paperwork at the desk in their room overlooking the balcony. The beet-red cheeked young man immediately pulls his culpable hand away from where he had been mindlessly petting Elsa's frozen figure to his chest, guilty as accused.

"But it is good practice, my brother. I know you desperately need the learning tool to familiarize yourself with the female anatomy, you sheltered little boy. You do not wish to disappoint God's greatest gift to mankind of any tactile joys in your embarrassing, unproven inexperience when the real test does finally come." With the catty remarks tossed over the French Legionnaire's shoulder, Ferdinand swaggers towards the hotel door like a true wolf on the prowl.

"How dare you, you Neanderthal cretin! I _already_ _know_ all about the feminine body _without_ further hands-on education! And my _male_ blood is pumping just fine!" Intellectually and mentally offended, Hans uncharacteristically yells out in a loud upbraid.

His normally fine-tuned red temper uncommonly flares as he throws the supplied towel Ferdinand had temptingly set on his writing desk at the concurrently, swift escape slammed door.

After a seething, few moments of having his masculinity questioned and Elsa spoken of so undignified a manner, the twenty-five year old guiltily glances down at Elsa's slender shapely figurine. He attributes its unusual wetness against his hard-thumping chest to his own red-hot anger and overheated body's fault in this hot and suffocating 87° south of the equator weather.

" _Ai khedema, syd_? (Can I help you, sir?) Did you call for assistance, _Asrahi_ (your Lordship)?" An Egyptian hotel manservant with his polished translation softly knocks at Hans' door. He boldly peeks his dark head in with curiosity at the raucous noises of banging and raised voices from the early morning European guests within the impressive multi-balcony, Ottoman architecture style building.

"I… clumsily…dropped the towel you kindly provided earlier. I beg your pardon, sir." Once again apologizing for the bad temper he thought he had long ago learned to control, but now seemed inexplicably unstable, Hans stands up from his letter writing desk. He very courteously apologizes to the Egyptian man, embarrassed at the result of his uncontrolled emotional outburst being witnessed.

"Oh that is extremely unfortunate, Asrahi! I would usually very gladly replace your towels without delay. But the _Lélti_ (Royal Princess) from the Ethiopian kingdom of Axum – one of our best frequent guests - and her royal entourage have just concluded their annual weeklong stay with us at our scenic beach getaway.Lélti Tewabech has made a special request in this particularly warm weather for her entire party to go for one last swim and stroll before they departed for Tigrinya again. So I am afraid our linen amenities have been depleted and the supply of proper towels and dry dressing gowns as well. I feel terribly responsible! A thousand pardons, Syd. I hope you will not look badly on our hospitality if I simply shake out this dry robe and towel and refold them for you good as new, eh?" The overeager, short and stout framed Egyptian attendee scoots around the hotel room, cleaning here and there as he collects items to wash from Hans' tidy side of the suite to the comparatively messy adjoined bedroom where less mercurial, clothing tossing Ferdinand had taken up residence the night before.

"Thank you. That will be adequate. But you need not go to much trouble about that. I am most likely not going for a swim anyway, my friend… _Unless_ … Tigrinya's Princess of Ethiopia, eh? One wonders how my friend the Prince of Orleans will fare against an Emperor's daughter. And not just any kingdom. Princess Tewabech, if I remember correctly, is a direct descendent of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. Her father, King Rasal II of Axum is the powerful leader of the only nation in all of Africa where Judaism and Christianity are embraced as the kingdom's state religions. Their founders established the Church of our Lady Mary of Zion, a sacred shrine where the Ark of the Covenant was said to have once been placed…" Hans trails off his soliloquy, sensing that the hotel manservant was only nominally listening to his factually historic recount which, it seemed, only he found fascinating.

 _There is so much Biblical history here in the Mid East all around me, min_ _kaereste_ _. I wish you were here now to witness it with me, my love…_

Hans now was only mildly interested in surveying this gorgeous beach at the tip of the Sinai Peninsula's dual Gulf intersection of the Red Sea coastal reef. But he would be more enthused if his fiancée Elsa was at his side experiencing it with him.

The Danish prince's yearning eyes soon are called to move to beyond the beach where a comically ankle revealed robed, tall and lanky Egalité was brazenly trotting towards to chat up the Axumite royal young lady who was walking alone on the beautiful beachfront.

Back in the present time, Hans' viridescent eyed attention indeed returns to where his princely counterpart was now surrounded by a group of tough-looking, dark skinned Ethiopian men who appeared to be the beautiful teenaged Princess of Axum's bodyguard entourage.

Hans lets out a deep breath sigh before he forgoes his morning of ease with the juicy newspaper unfurled and unread on his bed waiting for him, as he instead springs into action once again.

"On the other hand… It appears I may be required, after all, to join my friend for his… _ergh_ … swim." Hans remarks with a wry smirk on his comely features as he, foreseeing trouble for his amorous comrade, accepts the robe, beach towel and swimming trunks from the smiling hotel attendant and quickly moves out.

* * *

 _ **On the Egyptian Sharm El Naga beach…**_

"I assure you, Monsieur, that I, as a Colonel in the French Expeditionary Forces 1st Regiment de Hussars, a member in good standing of the _Légion étrangère_ (Foreign Legion), and the Royal Crown Prince of Orléans, I had only the purest intentions concerning this extremely elegant and beauteous young lady. But you must see it from my point of view. How was I to know that this lovely young _femme_ (woman) all by herself on the beach all alone was the exalted Crown Princess of Axum? You must admit she looks as charmingly innocuous as any other maiden would, strolling on the shore. So when her filmy shawl wrap blew away in the breeze and she required this man's humble assistance to fetch it for her before it floated into the sea, was I to let it go?" His over-emphasized French accent was heavy as fool-hardy Prince Ferdinand was trying to explain to the Axum Royal Guard of his entirely blameless deeds concerning the well guarded Princess.

" _Lelti_ (Princess) Tewabech did not require your unwanted assistance. She is not just any maiden for you to approach – or _**touch**_ in such a crude fashion, foreigner! No matter how many fancy titles you claim!" Obviously the Captain in charge with a knowledge of different languages, was one particularly hefty bodyguard. He raises his brawny arm to grasp around the collar of Prince Ferdinand's open white robe neck.

" _Oui_ (yes), I see that…now. But surely, you cannot lay blame for me purely being obliging, honestly wishing to make the acquaintance of such a lovely figured vision of beauty. As a simple man, I must confess to be immediately transfixed when I glimpsed her glow in this morning tide as more of a magical sea nymph floating along the white sand than that of a mere woman—" Ferdinand was trying to squirm his way out of the sticky international situation with his usual, ingratiating smiles and flirtatious language.

"Are you calling the Princess a _mere woman_?! You have disgraced our royalty!" But that innate charm was not working this time on the hard-faced, and even harder fisted, royal bodyguard now in motion to converge around the sputtering Frenchman to inflict swift corporal punishment for his vulgar assault of the lone Princess of the realm.

Princess Tewabech herself was rushed away to the higher sandbank by another older female servant who came rushing down to the beach at the ruckus alongside Hans.

"Oh, thank God you're here, Hans! You can give account of my character to these men. Umm… _non_! Rather… at least tell them who I am – _Hôla_! (Whoa!) _Atten_ _dez_! (Wait!) What are they removing their belts for?! Can't we settle this like gentlemen—?!" In a high-pitched squeaking voice Ferdinand uncomfortably pleads with Hans to vouch for him as he was physically being dragged and tugged and slapped around in several directions by the rough men carrying out penalty for dishonoring their Princess.

"Gentlemen! Please wait! My dear friend Prince Ferdinand, who is affiancéd to a lovely Princess of his own back home, certainly had only the best intentions to comfort the solitary young lady – as is his duty as a prince – and invite her to join him in a purely innocent frolic in the beautiful shiny crystal clear waters of this breathtaking kingdom in this warm weather. Please forgive his forwardness, sirs. But you must make allowances. He is French." With a shrug of his shoulders at Ferdinand, who shoots him a nasty look at the nationalistic prejudicial swipe, Hans toothily smiles.

"He is a war hero, wounded in the battle of Habrah, and commanded the Vanguard Brigade as a staunch proponent of democratic aspirations for all." With the quick addendum that Ferdinand Egalite preferred, Hans was oozing with winsome smiles as he makes pleasant excuses for his brassy dear friend not to be unduly whipped, beaten or water-board tortured by the overprotective group of Eastern African guardsmen.

"The French hero just wanted an innocent frolic in our shining waters, huh?" The tall dark man holds up his big hand to halt his men as he addresses Hans, sensing a more civilized man at the other end than the other at his mercy. The Captain of the Ethiopian Guard looks to his Princess nearby on the hillside sand dune and then back down at Ferdinand's exasperated face with a cocked head.

The wide-eyed Princess exchanges a nod with the more convincingly engaging, diplomatically debonair Prince Hans. With her head held high, the dark woman silently gives a lowered hand gesture to be lenient on the captured criminal.

"I thank and deeply respect you for your benevolent generosity, Your Highness." Hans lowers his eyes and bows his head to the regal young woman who, in a way, reminded him of his majestic Queen Elsa back home in her quiet, unspoken elegance.

"Fine. Then we will gladly help the wounded Colonel of the legendary Legionnaire and Hussars to swim in these rejuvenating waters for however long he wishes for the remainder of his stay. So maybe the active _L' ul tebelaxi 'afqari_ (Prince Casanova) will receive many health benefits from his exercise swim _benyu_ \- alone - even better, without the encumbrance of harassing our Lelti." With a toothy white smile in Hans' face, the Axum Captain of the Guard then silently orders his other three guardsmen to give a 'heave-ho!' swinging toss as they ready to fling a shocked Prince Ferdinand bodily through the sun-blazing hot air by all flailing four limbs far into the Red Sea.

" _Ch#a*t_! _M%rde!_ _C'est v*aim*nt des co%ner*es!_ " (%# !*$#! &#*#!)

As he flies through the air, the affronted 29-year-old French Prince with usual honeyed speech yells out as many livid, visceral expletives as he had learned being in the Legionnaires and overseas 1st Regiment for many years since his early youth that even Hans is stunned to blush.

 _ **SPLAASSHHH!**_

"Please forgive my friend's ill manners since he first approached you, Your Highness. And every moment of this coarse language in your presence thereafter. He's simply having a bad day. I promise to keep him out of trouble and out of your way for the remainder of our stay in this country. We will be leaving shortly." Hans politely calls up to the wide-eyed Princess of Axum, gaining a curt nod and grunt from her irate Captain of the Guard as well.

The tall imposing African man than leads the royal entourage away from the beach and back towards the hotel with a final glare back at the splashing around Prince Ferdinand where the bad mouthed man had landed several tens of meters out into the morning ebb tide Red Sea.

So, after giving a truly gentlemanly bow to Princess Tewabech as her Royal carriage pulls away from the beachfront, Hans turns on the shore back to the moving out waxing morning tide ocean waves.

"You certainly made a splash in this kingdom, Egalité. You couldn't help yourself, could you? But I did try to warn you that your loose lifestyle and disrespectful flirtations with the female sex would only bring disarray." Shaking his head, Hans speaks with a condescending air, just coming short of the smug idiom _'I told you so'_ on the tip of his tongue as he approaches the sea's flowing out ebb tide shore waves.

"Egalité? You needn't hide your face in shame from me. Where did you go?" The redhead Prince's teasing joviality slowly begins to panic when he realizes that the splooshing and splashing, French curse word spewing, vexed Ferdinand, after being so unceremoniously dumped in the waters by the beefy Captain of the Axum Guard and his ilk, had suddenly gone silent.

"Ferdinand?! This is no time for playing hide and seek!" Already automatically switching into the auxiliary, take charge, responsible mode of a commanding officer, Vise Admiral Westergaard swiftly starts to yank off his boots to toss them back to the sands behind him. He begins to wade into the shoals of the Red Sea waters in search of his disappeared traveling companion.

"Fernan? Come now, man! This isn't funny!" Keen eyed Hans had already assessed from a distance that his French friend had not been too badly injured from the toss – unlike the French man's pride – by his rough handling from those musclemen. Hans had watched Ferdinand from the corner of his eye, swearing foul language as he splashed uselessly in his heavy water drenched terrycloth robe peignoir to comically attempt to get back to shore with stumbling grace.

From their past encounter in the crocodile infested Kaveri river in India, Hans was already aware that Prince Ferdinand Egalité was a capable swimmer enough to not drown himself in the shallower section of this deep coral reef section of the Red Sea.

 _Unless the undertow currents dragged him down and ensnared him somehow… Perhaps in the reeds that are rampant in this area of the sea? Grey reef sharks are solitary hunters and are not normally strong enough to incapacitate a grown man, right? Of course if one snagged him by that silly drenched robe belt…?_

After several precious seconds of visually scanning the shallows he had passed, expert swimmer Hans Westergaard mentally dredges up some inventive, heart pounding anxieties to equate that Prince Ferdinand had suffered some kind of concussive fainting fit or respiratory impairment that could render his airway passages with hypoxia.

That would be the only reason that grown men could be carried out by a not so fierce undercurrent where the Red Sea met the mouth of the southern end of the Gulf of Suez.

For a split-second, a panicking Hans was relieved to see Ferdinand's handsome brown head bob up from beneath the waves than the alarmed redhead had swam through like a madman in that general direction.

But when he arrived slight moments later, his companion was again nowhere to be found.

 _A mirage?_

Hans blinks against the bright blinding sunlight now tickling the glistening waters of the Red Sea. Then he holds his breath to plunge his head beneath the water level to check below if the French Prince had indeed sunk beneath the waves.

But instead Hans sees the tail end swish of a large fish fin moving westward at such a quick rate that it gives him a foreboding sense that something was trying not to be seen.

 _It can't be…! Focus, man!_

By now Hans was in full panic as he plunges his head beneath the currents several more times to inspect the area underwater, each time _almost_ seeing something in his peripheral vision, scurrying away. But his cool, composed mind keeps that sinking feeling in check as he methodically swims and dives and resurfaces for air his athletic slim frame in Olympic speed style around the immediate coast of the Egyptian kingdom's coral bay off the hinterland plateau.

"Egalité…? Have I failed you?" Guilt-ridden Hans felt terrible that he was not able to locate his traveling companion in time before he drowned a terrible death on this crazy expedition only taken up because of the Dane.

Especially since their last conversation was a heated, anger-filled one.

" _Come to the place where mermaids dwell…'_ "

Hans abruptly goes all woozy in an almost irresistible wave of entrancement so as he could not think of anything but finding the source of the high soprano song in chorus beckoning him deeper into this mysterious part of the Sharm El Naga Bay…

Hans involuntarily swims towards an area secreted behind the rocky crags and into a hidden lagoon. He suddenly feels every hair on his body stand up on end. Though he was feeling dizzy and in a cloudy haze, even to the point of forgetting what he had swam all the way out here for, Elsa's self preserved ice pendant, encased in a verglas ice glass bubble, comes to life.

That's when his chest starts to emanate pure, unrestrained cold to jolt him awake, giving Hans goose bumps all over his bare chest body even in the sweltering heat and warm ocean temperature.

Hans snaps wide awake, his fuzzy mind clearing up some, like someone threw a dash of cold water on his blurred facial features.

Shaking himself to full awareness, the determined, fearless prince now purposely wades into the darkly shaded coral reef lagoon within the sheltered bay to investigate this puzzle.

"Fernan? Please say you're hiding in here! I won't hold this silly farce against you—just swim out of this dark sector of the blue lagoon and say you're all right." Again, Hans was almost certain he saw the French Prince's disturbingly limp upper torso floating in this remote direction under some unknown power not his own.

Hans somehow felt the presence of many eyes upon him, though the Danish man could not see very clearly into cave for the swirling waters that were oddly glowing all around him.

" _In dreams you know the place so well…"_

But those haunting voices! Again he hears that chanting song of an otherworldly quality, ethereally growing louder and louder as he moves into deeper regions of the sun-bereft lagoon.

Hans acutely feels Elsa's ice statue beneath his loose white shirt, billowing with water pulsating insistently against his chest as he gazes down at it in the corner of his eye. It was the only thing keeping him sensible as it catches glints of enough sunbeams in the shaded underwater cavern to grant him a little light in the seductive darkness.

 _Is your miniature more opaque and dark hued, or is it just my eyes in this inadequate lighting_?

" _For if you hope and you believe  
You'll see the golden nets we weave  
You'll hear the magic in our spell!"  
_

"Huh?!" Holding his head-aching skull that had been relentlessly pounding since he entered the lagoon, Hans gasps when he hears a strange sizzling noise circulate around and in and out of his water treading legs. It was soon accompanied by the energized greenish-blue glow of some unlikely creatures swimming just beneath the surface waters of the Red Sea…

" _Where mermaids dwell…"_

"I've been watching you for a while, Handsome."

Just then, even one more, strangely seductive, pervading voice echoes across the waters to whisper breathily close in Hans' ear…

"Who's there?! Show yourself!" Hans automatically reaches beneath the surface of the water for his trusty sword at the belt he was glad now he had not left on the beach.

His broadsword drawn, the ready-for-anything Naval officer squints his eyes in the glistening waters' mystifying darkness beginning to make out two humanoid figures eerily floating towards him at a rapid rate.

"You've been a hard man to reel in, Cabin boy. Or should I be calling you _Vise Admiral_ now? Lucky you. _You_ got a promotion. Some of us are not so lucky… _as yet_. Here, hold this dead weight, while I introduce myself." A heavily eye-shadowed and face-painted woman with a long wavy shock of dark eggplant-purple hair swims up to where Hans was treading water and tosses at him Ferdinand's semi-unconscious body she had been holding to her breasts.

"Fernan! Are you alright?! Whatever you do, don't drink the salt water! You'll die!" Experienced mariner Hans instructs his friend, but only the delirious single craving word: _"Thirsty"_ expels from his dry, dehydrated lips.

"Oh, of course he's fine! I've been taking _**good**_ care of him! After all, I'm Marina Del Rey, the new governess of the seven Royal Princess daughters of Atlantica." Hans' green eyes widen and he swallows hard, bracing for anything, as the woman sporting rather risqué violet bathing shells covering her ample cleavage comes intimately closer to him.

Never wanting to raise his sword to a female again, Hans tries to hold up his blade, balance a passed out Egalite, tread water, and still draw back from the siren's seductive, pervasive fondling of his face and sideburns and chest that her long fingernails were trying to unbutton the dress shirt covering it.

But Hans is strangely constrained by something strong and tensile wrapping around his lower waist, making it all that much more difficult for the physically agile young man.

"Soon to be the Official Atlantica Chief of State Affairs, if I play my cards right." Swimming backwards away from a grateful Hans, the merwoman fluffs out her waist dorsal fin and runs a conceited hand through her long mane of flowing purple hair.

Then the enigmatic violet bikini-shelled woman abruptly swims at record pace right at Hans again. Just seconds away from smashing against him and a rambling, feverish Egalite, she gracefully accomplishes a flamboyant flip straight up in the air to come back down and cleanly knock the sword out of Hans' hands with her filmy lilac tailfin.

Yes, the long, scaly, violet tail of a real, live, unmistakable _**mermaid**_.

"Either way, you're human pirate scum whom I will eradicate and purge from the sea in retaliatory retribution for killing our beloved Queen Athena." The wild-eyed mermaid says in calm, dispassionate tones right in Hans' face with a caress of her conceitedly displayed golden diamond ringed finger down his sideburns and neck, all the way to his wet shirt's enticing cool touch.

She almost manages to unbutton the obstinate human-made fabric invention this time, but its fasteners doggedly appeared to be frozen tightly shut, as if in repellant reaction to her diamond ring encircled digit that got snagged in Hans' shirt buttonhole.

"For the glory of King Triton!" Frustrated at her chilled, strangely frost-bitten fingertips, she slaps against the human's ice-hard pectorals with her other punishing hand in aggravation when she finally can pull her finger away.

"Ouch!" Licking her injured palmar ring phalanx, then smirking at how its colossal heart-shaped diamond glimmered back at her fashionable features, vain Marina musters more emotion here before turning from a struggling away Hans to the movement of water bubbling up from behind him.

And more precisely, _beneath_ him.

"Attina, Alana, Adella, Aquata, Andrina, Arista! Sing for the man, my pretties. Poor thing looks so tense without his nasty sword raised at us poor, defenseless females. I think this stubborn one could use a good tune, up close and personal."

Orange, violet, ochre, blue, purple and red fins all suddenly swirl and dance around a disconcerted Hans in a flurry of flipper flapped choreography at Marina's roll call of names in spooky unison with the catchy, yet eerie tune they continue to sing in an unending loop.

" _Come to the place where mermaids dwell  
Where shimmering ocean waters swell  
Where laughing children of the waves  
Play hide and seek among the caves  
And ride a seahorse carousel!"_

It was the only melody their new governess encouraged them to sing on their _'therapeutic field trips'_ , despite the devastated Sea King's ban of all music that his deceased Queen and wife so adored when she was alive. The gift of song was too painful a reminder to the underwater ruler.

Not that the deep tyrian purple haired mer-woman ever liked music very much herself. The tone-deaf female could easily have lived without it. But alluring siren singing has been mermaid enchantment passed down from generation to generation from ancient merpeople of long ago.

Those more mercenary, covetous mermaids of yesteryear discovered in the past that the best way to deceive a human man's heart to your bidding and hand over all their silver and gold and jewels was through the power of enchanted music.

A decidedly disoriented Prince Hans rubs his warm, wet eyes and buzzing forehead as he fights the urge to just succumb to the mesmerizing song and the glowing streaks swirling beneath him in this sheltered section of the blue Lagoon.

"Fancy I caught me this juicy bait that caught this special guppy all on my own, girls! Tossed like chum into the sea! He was so easy fall under my influence! Just needed a little flash of flesh to entice him to join me for a swim. Simpleton human!" The rhythmically undulating of her wares mer-woman grabs Prince Ferdinand's loose body away from Hans' dizzied blurry eyes and presses the Frenchman's delirious, drooling for moisture head between her voluptuous upper body's amply offered breasts.

"But you're different, Cabin boy, aren't you? Still able to resist? What a constitution!" Cruelly throwing a stupefacient Egalite away for her circling, six pet eels to catch his lanky form in their viperous clutches and just about keep his head above water, Marina Del Rey sounded disappointed that a disoriented Hans was yet pulling away from her welcoming embrace.

"You're one of the only sailor boys to ever resist my undeniable charms _and_ my little girls' annoying singing soporifics, you know? I'm training them well on how to deal with men when they get older. Though it's a shame they won't remember a thing about subjugating humans when they wake up in the Palace of Atlantica in the morning. They'll think it all just a dream, if they ever do. Ah, the magic of hypnotism. My dearest little Benjamin is very good at it, with the girls under our care. Aren't you, Sweetie?" The long dark purple haired mermaid speaks to her quiet, forlorn eyed manatee lackey in endearing terms.

" _Where mermaids dwell…"_

The meek, grey-white rather small manatee pokes his large head above water himself to receive a tentative pat to his scarred head. The steadfast manatee would be loyal to her even though Marina's ill temper actually treated him rather poorly with her snide sarcasm and overbearing ways since she rescued him from being beached by another brutal human buccaneer ship.

But Benjamin owed her his life, so he would be faithful to her now, even if he thought what she did was wrong.

" _Where mermaids dwell…"_

"Bag him, girls! I think we'll bring this fine specimen of a young pirate home intact for our scientists to study. Just look at that mane of titian hair thickly growing at his cheekbones! I always had a thing for a man with first-rate facial hair. It makes even this _hu_ -man not too repulsive to gaze upon."

" _Where mermaids dwell!"_

Curious hands seemed to be touching and petting and feeling all around Hans' exposed legs and lower body submerged beneath the murky waters of the lagoon where a golden net was rising upward around him. The specially woven golden threaded mesh that was magically unbreakable by any sharp blade or strength of tear, was being lifted up by a sextet of six colorful little mermaids, ranging from ages six to twelve, who seemed out of it, spellbound themselves.

"Please! Stop this! I am truly sorry for your heartache and loss of any precious life. But I'm not a pirate, Madame, just a humble sailor. I was sold to be a slave on a cursed pirate ship once and was saved from its hellhole by a beautiful Queen whom I was blessed to fall in love with me, and I with her. So I've begged God ever since to forgive me for any foul depravity the vile pirate Captain accomplished when I was ignorant and unaware aboard his ship. You see, not all seamen are guilty! In fact, we in responsible navies try to sail the waves without harming nature's underwater bounty." Hans had heard of mermaids since his youth in Denmark where the tales were rampant, but he never thought his meeting with the temptingly beautiful under the sea citizens which sailors boasted of as legends for centuries would be so terribly deadly and dangerous…and real.

The long and flowing, well-coiffed wavy curled veronica purple hairdo of the glamorously earring adorned mermaid just about past her prime showed that she prided herself on the luxuriant waves she flips over her shoulder with a cackle at Hans.

"Do I look a fool? As if I can believe that humans have morality issues, cabin boy! I can still smell pirate ship all over you!" Then the ambitious mermaid clutches Prince Ferdinand's semi-unconscious, entranced form to her voluptuous upper body's ample breasts even tighter. There was an electric viper eel curling around his neck in a choke hold threatening to electrocute, or strangle, or both, threatening to kill the above-land dweller, either way.

"Please, he's not even a sailor! Let that innocent man go!" Hans pleads for his friend's life with the amused mermaid wading just a few feet in front of him about to summarily execute Prince Ferdinand.

"This man _**innocent**_?! HA! You are a liar as well as the pirate puppet, cabin boy! You do not even try to hide that you were a member of the crew of that cursed vessel! I saw you many times swabbing the decks on that evil pegleg's pirate ship that killed **poor** Queen Athena when she was foolish enough to go above the waves are an outing with her precious girls last season. I told her they would come to no good above the ocean waves. But did she listen to me, one of her dearest schoolmate friends? No! Just as headstrong as that smallest redhead girl of hers who is growing to be her spitting image! Only little, whiny Princess _Ah-ri-el_ refuses to drink my special nighty-night toddy that puts her older six sisters fast asleep and under my command properly. Benjamin has to stay with her all night—the pampered, spoiled brat. She _has_ to be put in the _daycare_ center all by her _widdle_ lonesome and not join in our educational outings. I'll have to _implement_ some strict checks and balances now that dear King Triton has asked me to be these _darling_ Princesses' governess in their dear, _dead_ mother's place." The self-admittedly scheming, cold and calculating, over-talkative, voice-mimicking mermaid gestures to the mesmerized sextet of rainbow colorfully tailed young mermaid girls that were still under her ' _nighty night'_ spiked drink's catatonic brainwash induced command.

"I'll take good care of your brood, Triton baby, as if they were my own. We will avenge their Queen Mother by bringing justice to all the dirty rotten human pirates up there on the seven seas. And after that, the King will appoint me to be the Official Atlantica Chief of State Affairs in place of that unworthy stuffed crab, Sebastian." The avaricious mermaid named Marina Del Ray confesses her true motive for wanting to impress the aforementioned Ocean King in this opportune time of greedy self promotion. She would lead the charge to exact vengeance on the despised humans now that benevolent Queen Athena's sympathetic pity for the above world creatures had ended in her own tragic demise.

And killed her dream of peace between humans and merpeople forever…

* * *

 _'And you can bid your cares farewell_

 _Where mermaids dwell...'_

* * *

"Amazing Grace" - hymn written by John Newton 1779

"Where Mermaids Dwell" - from the 'Tales from the Little Mermaid' album 1998

 _min kaereste –_ _my dearest in Danish_

 _min ædle -_ my precious in Danish

 _Mon ami –_ my friend in French

 _frère_ – brother in French

* * *

Happy Halloween weekend, Frozen friends!

The long awaited, much touted mermaid encounter for our Prince Hans on the high seas has finally happened! And future mermaid villain Marina Del Rey was up to some old tricks in this prequel to the numerous Little Mermaid prequels! Poor Queen Athena has just been killed in that tragic accident! The King is too distant in his mourning seclusion to notice that his daughters are being used by their new governess 'to get their minds off their mother's loss'. We'll see more of this selfishly insane, vainglorious, jealous and plotting governess' past motives and Hans and Egalite's fates next time in the chapter to be named 'Where Mermaids Dwell'! Will it be a trick or a treat?

This chapter's title "Dream Killer" was one of Marina's over-dramatic lines in the prequel movie I infused throughout this episode. Besides the ambitious violet mermaid trying to kill human sailors to make brownie points with King Triton, there was another killer of dreams stalking our friends in the north.

Now poor King Agdar's essence has been captured behind that mystical mirror!

The _Djævlen Trolden_ (Devil Troll) featured in the original Hans Christian Anderson tale who broke the magic mirror in the first place and started it all! Once again, the Devil is at the core of the chaotic dilemma befalling Norway in this Frozen Again story arc, too!

Wow! This is heavy stuff, Olaf!

The wicked Djævlen, evil trolls, possessed and maniacal mermaids haunting our heroes from the shadows?!

It's kinda been a fitting chapter to get us all in the mood for this upcoming spooky Halloween night, isn't it?!

BOO!

Hope you all have fun dressing up in costumes and trick or treating!

Love and God's blessings on this All Hallowed Eve's eve!

HarukaKou

Happy Halloween!


	18. Chapter 17 -Where Mermaids Dwell

_We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

 **"Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act VII**

 **Chapter 17**

 **"Where Mermaids Dwell"**

 ** _Still in the Egyptian lagoon of Sharm El Naga…_**

She fondles Egalité's hirsute bare chest one more time with a taunt of her hand to the braided seaweed bondage that kept his head bobbing just above the water like a vulnerable guppy tied to the jutting coral reef spit at the interior edge of the lagoon cove.

The ambitious mermaid named Marina Del Ray had tossed Prince Ferdinand's drooling, unconscious form to four of her six large pet eels before Hans' helpless eyes.

"If you're going to be late for this juicy French cuisine, cousins, I suppose I'll have to dispose of this one myself. My baby eelies do look a tad hungry. It's about time for their feed, eh, Benjamin?" With a caress of her long painted fingernail digits to the pale greenish gray manatee's chin, an expectant Marina looks around before she releases the palatable Frenchman to her precious baby eels circling beneath the waters surrounding his body down below.

"Umm… Now, Marina. I don't think it's a very good idea to let your eels devour a live human. That's not a very positive environment for these young mermaids to witness. Let's all play nice today."

"Nice girls don't get ahead, Benjamin!" The bad-tempered mermaid snaps at her only friend in the world with a pair of demented eyes.

"Now, Marina. Just be quiet for a minute and take several deep calming breaths to clear your head of this stifling above sea level air." _Cough, cough_ The manatee chokes on the ozone saturated, over oxygenated, not so perfectly balanced, clean air above the good H2O of the Red Sea. "Then we will take the girls and all go back home to have some nice sea biscuits and fresh coral crumpets I just made, for a treat, okay?" The mellow voiced gentle giant periodically peeks up beady eyes set in his large rounded head to becalm his easily unsettled lady mistress friend.

"Benjamin! Without being spotted, take the girls home with their net's top secret contents and dump their bagged golden, eh, treasure in my grotto cove before their nighty-night milk toddy wears off." The long, purple wavy haired merwoman who had ambitions to be the Royal Advisor to the King of the Ocean orders her trichechidae.

" But –" The young manatee raises one of his paddle-like flippers to peacefully protest, but the hundred pound softy before her soon gives in when the ill-humored female starts to seethe with bulging green eyes and clenched teeth beneath that spate of overdone orchid eyeshadow.

"Yes, Marina. Come, girls." The cowed sea cow sighs before diving down in gestured flipper lead to the six drugged and possessed, singing Mermaid Princesses.

 _"There are dolphins that we ride for pleasure, and starfish that glimmer all night long_ …'"

"Tootaloo, my dear little charges! Keep singing that human into a stupor! I'll see you for our afternoon lessons at tea!" Marina Del Rey fluctuates between her position as doting governess of the seven Royal children of Atlantica palace and newly taken on role of heartless, psychotic stalker, killer of men—quite flawlessly. She had been using the excuse of exacting vengeance on humanity for the murder of their Queen as a step ladder up the ranks all these years. Now that far-off dream may just be in her grasp, if Marina played her cards right.

 _"…strings of pearl and sunken treasure and a mermaid song…"_

One by one, the colorful young mermaids follow their manatee 'nanny' into the deeper sea below the bay at their new governess' sweetly saccharine command. The girls each had a golden net strand handhold and it starts to tighten around Prince Hans' body that was yet fighting for consciousness.

"No! Wait! Please stop! Don't hurt him! Egalité! Hold on!"

 ** _SPLASH! SPLOOSH! SPLASH!_**

Though resisting the impenetrable net that begins to drag him downward, Prince Hans was experiencing his own queasy delirium at the mesmerizing music of the young mermaids' spell still swirling in his wobbly mind.

But the determined man calls of repudiation to Marina's cruelty to feed an out-of-it, innocent Prince Ferdinand Egalité to her salivating eels were in vain. Nevermind giving the order for these exploited mermaid princesses to be unwilling murderers of himself in every sailor's nightmare of a terrible death by drowning into the fathoms of the salty sea they loved.

But even as Hans is dragged under, Queen Elsa's ice pendant protection instills a bubble shell of ice around his air passages in an instant cryogenetic stasis that trapped what little air he had left in his lungs, just enough to keep the Dane alive.

"Such a strong-willed creature! Must be the red hair. Dreadful color! I always have trouble with the annoying, rebellious ones with red hair! And that cold! Are you perhaps in some relation to that celebrated human who stopped Ursula and Morganna's uprising? I heard Triton mention to _Se-_ bas _-tian_ that they owed their lives to that man that day who had some strange, bone chilling magic that halted the rebellion, from above. But that softness towards humans is a past mistake we'll avoid repeating. Anyways…It's a dreadful color. I'm so glad my locks are a beautiful shade of deep purple." Vain Marina bitterly fluffs her lovely violet waves of hair after trying to pet Hans' cheek one more time while he was still alive, just to find it ice cold frozen, the human unresponsive to her touch.

Then she gestures for the manatee left in charge of the mermaid girls to lead them and their interesting booty away that would give her glory as a heroine of the kingdom.

"Take this one home, girls! Pity that ice barrier of his won't last for long in these warm ocean currents, and he probably won't make it to trial to plea his side. Alas." Feigning compassionate regret, Marina heralds Attina, Alana, Adella, Aquata, Arista and Andrina to bring the wretched redhead human back for rightful punishment at Atlantica, even if it meant his demise before he ever got to a court of justice beneath the waves.

Then Marina returns to attend to the other human prince left to her wiles.

"Good he'll be dead before he can talk and stand trial. I can dramatically explain his dastardly role in being a lead accomplice in the murder of Queen Athena, for which he would undoubtedly face summary execution before King Triton anyway. Then after that, his body will be a very attractive specimen to study and dissect for the kingdom's probing scientists. All those fascinating, dissimilar, mysterious body parts I've heard that human men own… And so easily exposed… Humans are so… vulgar…" The curiosity motivated purple mermaid halts her eels from electrocuting the human who remained alone with her.

The vulnerable French Prince was deliriously moaning where the dehydrated man was strapped to the rock spit at the edge of the hidden lagoon. Curiously, Marina swims up to Ferdinand to investigate for herself while she had this unique chance of having a human under her thumb of capture.

After studying his moustached face, well endowed bare torso, and foreign legs for several minutes, the brazen mermaid rather boldly reaches her curious hands to rip off his loose swimming trunks to find out what else was lurking beneath.

At this, the man stiffens, fully awake.

"I can make it far better for you, _ma belle (beautiful)_ , if you let me down from here to receive my full attention…" Not at all ashamed to be stark naked on a rack before a woman's inquisitive eyes, roguish charmer Ferdinand Egalité was always too flippant and sure of himself when it came to his irreverent address of women. Though, he never imagined himself having to offer himself to such a predicament.

 _I was born game for anything, très jolie poisson femme_ _sirène (pretty fish lady mermaid)…_

That's when the guilty, propositioned woman about to fall as this come hither-eyed, _charmant_ Casanova's latest, most nonpareil quarry, suddenly feels three pairs of dark stares upon her from all sides.

Suddenly in her midst from out of nowhere was a trio of mermaids with darker fins and scales in shades of colorless black and garish brown to dark charcoal grays surrounding the cavern shrouded cove where Marina Delray had cornered the human in the lagoon.

"Foolish human is trying to trick you with his banal seduction, Marina… _Hiss_ … But 'Men' like him are only good for one thing… _hiss…_ " One of the clan of the dark sirens that lived here in these age-old regions of this part of the antediluvian seas speaks with a thick accent as she slithers up to the sandbar. These sirens did not adhere to Triton's Atlantica kingdom rules of steering clear of humans, nor did they comply to the just Monarch of the Ocean's decree to cohabitate with other sea creatures in civility, and cast aside their primitive, carnivorous past.

Rather, they still embraced the archaic Sect of Sirenia that had sworn to keep the ancient laws between humans and mermaids sacred.

In other words, _eat or be eaten_ in the primal survival of the fittest.

And for them, that meant that every enemy human who dared step foot near the ocean would be lured prey for their flesh eating hunger.

"Well, there you ladies are! I wondered what was taking you so long, Medera, Molifa, Murana! It's been a long time, cousins." However, Marina was not too shocked to find three sirens circling around Egalité's legs and torso, touching and feeling the rare human creature.

"We heard your Atlantica children – _hiss_ \- singing, Marina, and did not want to disturb their – _hiss_ \- lesson in manhandling the – _hiss_ \- vile top worlders. But now that they're gone…" The busty, lusty, and crusty triplet mermaids melt out of the shadows of the lagoon to swarm around the tied up Ferdinand, gleefully teasing him with playful tickling and taunting in greeting.

Something like how a cat taunts a small mouse she has trapped in a corner.

"Let us - _hiss_ \- show you how to properly prepare thiss dish, Sister. _Hiss_!" The third of the dark siren trio joins the other two encircling around Egalité. The three voluptuous uncovered mermaids hover closer to his vulnerable bare body that was still strapped to the rocky inlet, seaweed tied and bound to the sea rock crag.

"See, Westergaard! Ergh! Even the merwomen find my body irresistible…Ugh!" Unaware that his companion had already been hauled away, Egalité tries to cajole himself between gritted teeth as he was relentlessly battered by the marauding female sirens.

"See, sisterss! He thinks we are attracted to him!"

"It's the fleshy taste I'm _attracted_ to! Ha ha ha!"

"His frightened aroma just makes me more hungry! Hee he he hee!"

Cattily, the three sirens converse with one another as if Ferdinand was not a sentient being. Their fluttering dorsal fins dance around the man, beating his body with their hands and fists and tails while they work up into a feeding frenzy.

"This process softens the juicy meat up to be tenderized to succulent, tasty perfection! I want the neckbone!" The three buxom, sonsy sirens of the sea transform before Ferdinand's alarmed eyes from the voluptuous beauties showering him with attention to a vicious trio of salivating, be-fanged, ravenous monsters of his imminent horrifying doom.

A more civilized Marina uncomfortably witnesses the man being assaulted, never before sticking around to actually watch what her mermaid sisters did with the sailors she offered them.

"Then I'll leave you to sort it out amongst yourselves, ladies. En- _joy_ your treat. If I catch the more juicy beefsteak, I'll be sure to send your way, cousins. Tata for now." Marina was not herself a member of the Sisterhood, but she had familial ancestry ties to the Siren hierarchy, all the way stretching back to the ancient mermaid Byzantine Empress Scantilla of Late Antiquity.

Marina knew by now that the high-pitched singing sirens were paying little attention to her, as the ravenous, mischievous mermaids were vying for power in torturing Ferdinand Egalité.

Glad she was more civilized than her feral kin, _almost_ conscience-less Marina gives a little bit of a sad look of regret in handsome Ferdinand's direction as she slinks away, hearing female hisses and little catty snipes as she went.

The large and unabashedly topless sirens were starting to argumentatively fight over who got first crack at the vulnerable man's most scrumptious heart, appetizing crunchy throat and other delectably mouthwatering parts.

Tails and scales and fins and fanged teeth were bared in rhythmic underwater samba around the dazed Frenchman whose bloody, gory demise was impending.

* * *

 _"'Come to the place where mermaids dwell…'"_

Meanwhile, beneath the waves, Hans Westergaard, after giving a valiant fight for several minutes, had to submissively admit that the golden net was woven of some substance that the sinewy strong young man could not tear apart. At least not without his fallen sword or at least the dagger that was concealed in his boot left on the beach.

As the young mermaids' spellbinding song pulls him along with them back to Atlantica, Hans was going numb from the droning sound of their chants, as well as the innate cold emanating from Elsa's pendant bobbing around his neck.

Holding his breath for as long as he could, Hans' exhausted limbs had proven useless against the magic woven net no matter how he struggled. The Danish Prince was about to give into defeat, for there was nothing else his brilliant mind could think to do, as a singular final contemplation echoes through his subconscious.

 _… Elsa… I will love you through Eternity…_

Hans focuses his last coherent thought upon his beloved so very far away, but always close to his heart, even if this was the last breath he was taking.

Soon, a distraught Hans, though he had tried his best to stay awake for Egalité's sake and alive for Elsa's, could no longer dissuade the oxygen deprived unconsciousness from overcoming his physical being.

Clinched in the underwater golden net, the passed out Danish Prince had only survived due to the ice cold bubble formed around his mouth and nose and breathing areas that preserved his life in the warm ocean undertow. But the oblivious six mermaid princesses were still chanting their song as they pulled him along.

 _'In dreams you know the way so well…"_

That's also when a streak of frost explodes from the again glowing pure white ice pendant at an unconscious Hans' chest. The frozen surge slices across the ocean currents to freeze a solid patch of ice up to the surface waters of the Red Sea to form a particular caricature at its bobbed up surface.

The silent ice SOS went out unbeknownst to the mermaid princesses, nor Marina as well as she quickly swims to catch up to her captured toy that she personally wished to deliver to King Triton as the sailor hailing from that wicked pirate ship named the Pearl Lady that had murdered his beloved Queen Athena.

 _After showing the King how **I** have single-handedly cleaned up the sea from one of the seamen who ran that predatory human vessel that killed his wife, maybe he'll give me the promotion I so richly deserve! More than that old stuffed crab, Sebastian! What did he ever do to merit being the Atlantica Chief Court Advisor?!_

"Umm… Marina? If I could point out –" The mild-mannered 'wetnurse' Benjamin starts to say when the irascible Miss Del Rey peevishly cuts him off at the pass.

"Hush, Benjamin! Must you be so noisy when I'm thinking?! The girls are singing!"

Testy Marina was far too caught up in her lofty machinations and schemes of grandeur to stop to listen to Benjamin the Manatee. But he was the only one to notice the strange trail of gleaming ice crumbs bobbing up to the surface in their unconscious bagged prisoner's wake…

* * *

 ** _Moments ago, high above the lagoon, in the morning sky over the_** ** _Red Sea_** ** _…_**

"How do you even know if we are heading in the right direction, Fitzherbert?"

It was only the ten thousandth time that _Lady_ Cassandra's saucy voice interrupted Flynn Rider's illustrious thoughts that were as high flying as the magic carpet ride the unlikely pair were flying upon.

"I mean, logistically, your baby brother could be anywhere on road or sea between India and the continent. That letter Raps received from her cousin Anna was fairly vague explaining. And that old woman back in the Mala Strauma Austro-Hungarian area who gave you all those strange voodoo magic goodies was – _and this is being kind_ – a bit eccentric. What makes you so sure your brother will be here in the middle of the Red Sea?" Now, as for Cassandra Schmidt, the tough young woman had already had it up to here with her best friend's irresponsible, irrational, irrepressible husband just going all gung ho and repeating that his ' _gut instinct'_ and ' _handy dandy magic flying carpet homing radar'_ had ' _got that_ _covered'_.

 _Whatever that meant!_

"Gut insti –" Eugene begins to respond, with a patronizing smirk just as predicted. But an irritated Cassandra interrupts before he finishes his sentiment.

"You say that again I'll kick you in _that_ annoying gut, thief!"

"Gut instinct! Gut instinct!" The immature man sometimes named 'Flynn Rider' couldn't help himself from quickly adding the smirked double dig, much to the dark-haired guard woman's aggravation.

"I'm zoning you out again, jerk. So don't bother talking. I'll be putting these on so I don't have to listen to your crass, inane excuses." Cassandra, for the umpteenth time on this journey, shoves in the beeswax earplugs she had picked up in the Himalayas and repositions herself to be another foot away from Eugene on the mid-air flying magic carpet they were sharing.

 _Whew! What I wouldn't give to stretch my legs!_

It may have been the most expedient way to fly, traveling by air cutting down the sky miles and minutes rather than hours by land, but flying carpet travel was cramping the long legged, adventurous guardswoman's freewheeling style.

She was only grateful that the five foot long Persian rug was sometimes roomy enough for her and Eugene to be sitting Indian style at a decent distance apart these two days and nights of minimally stopped air flight.

"Hey! I'm not the one who insisted we take that urgent girly bathroom break pitstop! In _Rome_ of all places! That crusty old Italian _Commissario_ still had my wanted poster plastered on the columns of the Pantheon! Guess it just shows how infamous a consummate thief I am, _ahem_ – was— to be enshrined in that way, there among history. Still, there was a nifty jewelry store and antiques museum right around the corner, with loads of nice things to steal in Italy as yet." Eugene proudly refers to his thieving past days as his greedy nimble fingers feel through his pocket full of loose lira change and other sparkly things, that is, until the critical eyes of the Captain of the guard's daughter land upon him, raising her accusatory brows.

"Girly!? I can lip read, Fitz! Better than you pretending you're counting your change in that precious 'endless water' wooden cup you kept drinking excessively all night." Exasperated Cassandra throws back the crude retort to her annoying traveling mate.

"I DID NOT PIDDLE IN MY SPECIAL MAGIC GOBLET, WOMAN! I do that right over the edge back there at Carpet's aft so as not to get splash back. Actually it feels pretty cool to get some wind velocity air drying at that tender locality, now that you mention it." Now, crass Eugene was trying to be as 'annoying' and tactless as the harsh female accused the man of from where she was seated behind Eugene boldly standing.

"Ewgh! Men are so disgusting." Now it was the sassy ladies' maid's turn to roll her eyes at her favorite sparring partner as she takes out her disdain of the entire male race on the already battered Frenchman lying on her lap with a slap away of his restless wandering fingers.

The animated Carpet, who had been listening to the entire spicy exchange, was in delight to hear any conversation of any kind after all those long empty friendless years alone in storage.

Carpet peeks up at Cassandra with an agreeing tassel. He for one was not too pleased with new master Flynn Rider's uncouth body secretions en route over his tidy, high pile edge, either.

"Call of nature." Eugene honestly shrugs in retort with a silly grin on his face at the pair of them, Carpet forgiving his gregarious new friend with the winning, lopsided smile that so reminded the rug of another thief with a heart of gold.

"Whatever. We're approaching land again, Fitzherbert. Maybe there's someone at that hotel building over there who would remember if your brother Hans has been staying there recently." Cassandra returns to her all business mode as she sits up to kneel in place on the speeding flying carpet to focus on the cream colored columned building. It was on the shoreline they were quickly approaching from where they had been racing over the Mediterranean and down the Egyptian coast to this particular beach on the Red Sea.

"Can you tell me again why you think this is where Prince Hans would be? Even if the crazy man _was_ coming North in the first place, all Rapunzel had was some vague letter from her cousin in Arendelle telling her that she sent for the man, halfway around the world on his Navy ship, mind you, to return. For what? A birthday party? Seriously. What officer would go against his commanding officer – _perhaps future father-in-law_ – **and** Admiral's orders to go on some crazy overland expedition to just say 'Happy Birthday' to his girlfriend back home?" Cassandra was down to earth, realistic and prosaically unromantic enough to incredulously put up the skeptical hypothetical to Eugene as Carpet hovers close the dazzling beachfront on Sharm El Naga's coast.

"That's my Lillebror's!" Leaping off the edge of Carpet, Eugene quickly moves across the glistening sands like lightning.

"What happened!? Where are you going? What are you doing, Fitz?!" Cassandra demands of the man's sudden agitation as she watches Eugene pick up a pair of tall black men's boots and come running hastily back to Carpet.

"These are his boots! I'd recognize the classy style anywhere! Sideburns wouldn't go anywhere without them!" Exasperated Eugene shakes the sand off Hans' leather boots in front of Cassandra's face with one hand and plucks the plugs from to her ears with a shout: "The kid must be in trouble down there somewhere in the drink to have left these behind!"

"I get it! You don't have to scream so loud in my face! Give me my earplugs back, Thief!" Acerbic Cassandra reprimands the garrulous man as she straightens herself back away from him on the flying rug that Eugene had re-boarded and ordered to take to the sky again back over the Red Sea's inlet.

"How do you know those are even his boots?" After cursorily appraising the well-worn tall black boots as typical for many well-heeled men, Cassandra squints her eyes to follow where her nutty companion was now intensely gazing towards some unknown wavering flotsam floating on the waves.

"Just maybe because it's got his initials stamped here on the inside tag. Plus, there's an arrow of unseasonable ice pointing a trail down to that lagoon!" Eugene sarcastically points out to her, feeling his protective older brother adrenaline beginning to kick into gear as he flips over the black leather top to reveal the letters ' _H.W.'_ elegantly embroidered, along with the golden anchor embossed crest of the Southern Isles.

"Your brother probably just went for a swim in this beautiful weather. I couldn't blame him, if he's even here. You don't have to freak out. I'll go in and inquire if his name's in the roster. You just wait here on the beach in case he gets back before that." Cassandra says logically, simply thinking Fitzherbert was being over reactive about something so simple as a pair of boots tossed to the beach that could have any number of rational reasons.

"Then how do you explain the baffling ice cubes bobbing up on the sea out there, Grey?! It's a sign – a call for help - telling us where my little brother is! I can just feel it in—" Eugene answers her, excitedly pointing at the multitude of ice blocks continually replenishing in a trail across the Red Sea.

"—your gut. I know, I know. Fine, let's check it out." Cassandra simpers as she gives in to Eugene's instinct, at least for this worthy cause.

"Hang tight to your bladder, Cass!" The normally sardonic, irresponsible fool could transform into a decisive man of action when it was necessary.

"Carpet! Let's go!" Eugene needn't have even spoke, for Aladdin's magic carpet was no stranger to danger and tight spots and even tighter daring rescues as he takes his two passengers to fly straight towards the Red Sea shoal and around its hidden cove into the dark unknown…

When Carpet swoops down into the coral reef lagoon around the Sharm El Naga Bay's bend, a tense Eugene spots a figure of a man strapped to the edge of a rock at the end of a small sand bar spit being hit and run ravaged by a trio of… _topless women?!_

 _Wow, Sideburns gets all the luck with the chicks!_

The busty women were all too busy hissing and fighting and bickering with one another to even notice the silent carpet and its two riders sneaking 'in like Flynn' into the darkness above the moat lagoon's rocky crag rise.

Now Eugene and Cassandra had their share of infighting, but right now the pair could not be more attuned to one another. The thief quietly lifts the lid of his large leather hip bag as the blade woman silently unsheathes her sword with one hand, the other holding up her fingers that meant at the count of three they would strike as one.

Eugene draws a deep breath and produces something Rapunzel made him never leave home without from his growing fuller satchel at every exotic souvenir stop.

Namely a frying pan.

While Carpet slunk deeper into the dark dank lagoon cavern, Eugene, gliding astride it could just make out that the brown haired, moustached man being fought over like a side of beef and strapped to the stone was not his redhaired Lillebror.

 _Who the hell is **he**?! _

_Damn, I dropped my goblet!_

 ** _SPLURT!_**

Very clumsily unlike himself in his surprise to not see the expected redhead there, the taken off-guard rogue thief fumbles. As he was extracting the iron skillet from his pouch, the never spilling carved wooden goblet falls out of Eugene's bag and rolls off the edge of the stealthily moving rug. The cup slowly rolls down into the lagoon's muddy silt until it ends up at the edge of the land rise in the middle of lagoon where the stranger was being attacked by the three angry women at the opposite end of.

As Carpet dips to let him down within arm's reach of the cup just about to roll into the water, Eugene reaches down to retrieve the fallen wooden goblet—

-only to find himself staring in the green glowing eyes of a startlingly swift eel wrapping around the suddenly constricted thief's hand plunged into the lagoon to save his magic goblet.

"Snake!" Eugene squeaks out the barely audibly yelp as his hand around his dropped goblet is suddenly encircled by the incredibly large eel's dark bluish-black body.

 ** _SIZZLE!_**

Eugene shivers with the raw electricity, his nerve endings glowing in shades of greenish blue. But fortunately for the lucky/ unlucky man the eel he encountered was only half-charged, just enough to give Flynn Rider a nasty jolt.

"Eugene!" Cassandra whispers from aboard Carpet, her sword ready to slice and dice the eel into unagi, but it was wrapping around the man's arm too tight to get a sure swing in the pensive darkness.

The second time the other eel, more electrified, tries to discharge on Eugene, like an expert iron chef, Eugene uses some neat wrist action to give first one and then the other eel a solid whack on its head with his iron skillet frying pan.

"I've got this one, Cass! Me and snakes go way back! No electrified belly slider worm is going to best me this time! You take the women. I can't believe I'm saying that! Probably better off, since I'm a happily married man nowadays!" Running off an irreverent whisper, Eugene wrestles with the rest of the eels all congregating in the water's edge, until his sheer upper body muscle strength was able to pull each of the over fifty pound Conger Anguilliformes out of their element in the shallow water eel pit and onto the lagoon's land rise behind where the other victimized man was strapped to the rock and being beaten.

"HISS!" Though they were feral in their quarreling with one another like the base animals they were, in the next second the dark sirens all turn their sneering fanged faces at the unexpected intruders being noisy at the other side of the sandy inlet.

"So much for the all-important element of surprise!" Angrily Cassandra spits out in exasperation of her slipshod partner as she readies her sword for attack. She directs Carpet to fly her straight up and then back down to confuse the three female attackers. Then the quick thinking swordswoman grabs a handful of sandy silt to throw into the eyes of the gazing up women before she takes point with a slashing sword down at the half submerged, bare chested female who had taken the initiative in the melee to claim the disputed right to tear out the throat of their dazed male victim.

"SCREECHHH!" Fortunately her ears were plugged up before the sound of the siren's piercing scream explodes her female synapses, rather than the seductive lure that deceived a male's auditory system so easily. Amid the dreadful cacophony, Cassandra nearly lops off the lower arm of the siren named Motifa before the wicked mermaid could sink her fangs into Ferdinand's exposed neck.

The clinging mermaid finally lets go where she was clinging around Ferdinand's upper torso to fall back into the lagoon, flopping her tail in pain, green blood dripping everywhere, filling the water.

The pensive warrior woman spots the flutter of dorsal fins and black scales to realize just who – or what – it was that they really were dealing with here.

Cassandra's gray eyes watch the injured _mermaid_ retreat to the corner of the cove to lick her bloody wounds as the second self-preserving siren dives into the water to furrow away quickly from the danger.

"They're sirens! Eugene! Beware! These are not normal women! Don't get too close! And whatever you do, just don't listen to their song or you'll fall under their spell!" The Corona guardswoman spied the mermaid's scaly tail and fins as she takes a defensive stance in front of Egalité's already deeply mesmerized, but still alive and breathing form.

Cassandra uses her sharp blade to reach up and slice off his binds. The abused, debilitated man unexpectedly collapses his entire deadweight down upon her slim form.

"Just peachy." Cassandra lets out a sigh of disdain, trapped beneath a nearly unconscious, muttering strange man.

"Ha! What song are you and _your_ immodest new friend dancing to, Gray? And you were worried about _me_ falling for the partially clothed women? Wonder who he is? Looks just your type, Cass! Is this some exotic Egyptian nudist colony or what? Where the hell is Hans?!" Talking off his anxieties as he was in mid-action, Eugene had just managed to subdue all three eels with a frying pan clunk to each of their frazzled noggins.

Fortunately for him, Cassandra's ear plugs prevented her from hearing his biting innuendo-laden remarks as he stands on the grotto's small island laughing at her pinned flat to the ground situation.

 _"La, la, la, la. Handsome man, won't you come for a swim with me? I'm a jewel in the sea; please steal away with me…"_

The second dark finned, ebony haired merwoman gazes deep into Eugene's wide eyes and sees his life of thievery reflecting back in the wealth of his amber-gold pupils.

"Eugene! Don't listen to her! Or her voice will mesmerize and turn you like him, too!" Cassandra yells out even as she was re-engaging with the arm injured mermaid who now had returned to splash and hiss against the small coral reef with spiteful revenge on this human female who dared injure her flawless body form. Even if the meat of human girls did not taste as good as men, Medira would have to force the meal down.

The siren's piercing screech of excruciatingly paralyzing shock luckily still couldn't fully render Cassandra brain dead due to her ear plugs.

But savvy Cassandra had read that a mermaid's song had a different effect on a man. Conceited, annoying, ingratiating, pigheaded Eugene Fitzherbert certainly fit the high bill as one of those.

"Close your eyes and hear Rapunzel's voice in your head! If you love Raps, ignore the siren by listening to Rapunzel's song!" The Princess of Corona's loyal handmaiden speaks up for her friend, even as she was in the fight of her life with the vengeful mermaid.

Cassandra just had to count on Eugene's great love for his wife, who was waiting patiently for him back home with the promise of their love soon to be born, could surpass and be able to save him from the siren's attack of her seductive feminine wiles.

 _Rapunzel?_

 _"Come with me into the sea. Taste the milk flowing through, sweeter than luscious honey…"_

Medeira the siren was fully turning her cunning spell over a growingly heavy lidded Eugene as she had already lured him to join her in the lagoon. Her enticing, excessive undulations were tempting an already semi-possessed Eugene as she was dragging the wasted man down the rest of the way below to his doom…

 _"At last I see the light! And it's like the fog has lifted! And at last I see the light! And it's like the sky is new_!" But before he totally succumbed, a precious sweet girl's song of first, true, real love is reverberated through the ephemerally tempted man's soul.

He closes his intoxicated eyes that were soaking up the siren's proposition off to focus on the warm sound rather than the hollow cold voice beckoning him.

Eugene befuddles the mermaid as the lips of a man _who doesn't sing_ start to croon, not with her enticing song, but along with the sweet simple love song he dueted with his distant lover long ago.

The amazing gal who was still the light of his life and the sunshine of his soul was able to shine through even this seamy darkness.

 _"And it's warm and real and bright. And the world just somehow shifted. All at once everything is different, now that I've seen you_."

The memory of Rapunzel's emotional strains full of love for him break through to triumph over the siren's persuasive inducement to the rest of Eugene's tempted body.

His talented hands that were just itching to drop everything he held dear, abruptly reaches back to grasp the iron metal handle now resting on the wet silt of the shore where the seductive siren convinced him to leave it.

 ** _CL-LAA-ANG!_**

Eugene does his Rapunzel proud as he whacks the aggressive seductress on the head with their infamous frying pan, sending the songful banshee to sink to the bottom of the lagoon.

"Ha ha! Take that, fish breath! I'm not buying whatever you're selling! I've got a treasure trove of love and so much more with a real woman back home! Taste cold iron skillet, siren!" Eugene, as per usual, snaps back to his normal blustery self with a victorious gloat until he sees Cassandra, protecting that naked man – _who the hell is he anyway!?_ – in real trouble with the ugly fanged vampire of a siren that wouldn't go down without attempting to take a blood-sucking, killing bite out of her juicy neck.

But just as a panicked Eugene was gradually climbing back with the extra weight of his soaked trousers through the dark lagoon, two more of those wretched, fifty pound eels grab hold of his ankles below.

"Damn snakes!" He swears at the slithering eel starting to glow with a charge enough for a murderous sizzling finish to the land-lubber this time.

Despite his own impending peril, Flynn Rider had learned the lesson long ago from his cherished little gal in her high tower, that life wasn't always about yourself. That selfless, honorable moral changed him from a mere sneak thief into a gallant hero.

"Cass! Duck!" He cries out the warning from where he sees that the indignantly wounded, wicked mermaid had pinned a kicking Cassandra fighting for her life down to the muddy sandbar beneath the weight of her fully exposed and menacingly swishing massive black scaly tail coming in for the kill.

Even tough trained soldier Cassandra was having a difficult time holding her own against the ferociously strong, much larger bodied siren trying to scratch her eyes out, doggedly yanking the Corona guardswoman's face up by her painful hair roots.

"Not – _ugh!_ \- exactly – _urgh!_ \- able to tear myself – _grr!_ \- away, right now, Fitz!"

But losing the battle Cassandra was soon pleasantly surprised to be aided by the obliging arms of the only semi-conscious, deliriously murmuring in a foreign language man she had just cut free, as Egalite somehow crawled his aching body to the edge of the lagoon spit to her side.

With his added muscle to her plight against the rancorous siren, Colonel Egalite intercedes to help pull Cassandra back to the relative safety beside him, higher on the sandy reef spit.

That was just the chance Eugene was waiting for as he proceeds to vex and perplex her undeterred, fanged attacker to gain the siren's attention before it slithered further up the sandy bank.

"Look at me, you ugly freak show!" With all insulting venom in his dripping voice projected, Eugene tempts the temptress to turn her curious fanged head to him.

And when the siren does so, the dextrous sneak thief uses all his upper body strength and precision and to throw his frying pan flying through the air at such speed and vigor, that the impact not only knocks the screaming siren out cold, but several of her cracked teeth and incisor fangs would never dig into human flesh ever again, even if she survived the blow.

"Well done, not falling for her song, Eugene. I didn't know you had it in you." An impressed Cassandra breathes a sigh of relief from where she sits up on the edge of the lagoon's rocks on the landmass beside the momentarily heroic, once again passed out unknown and naked man that the pair of them had just rescued from vicious mermaids.

"I know! Guess I've got a refined ear for good music. That thing couldn't sing her way out of a paper bag." Eugene tries to shrug off the hopeless romantic angle in him, but Cassandra knew the man's overwhelming attachment to her best friend Rapunzel was what really kept him going.

"But instead of cooling your heels wading in the water, do you think you get up here and help me figure out – _whew, men are heavier when they're out cold_ – how to get this – _ergh_ – man to wake up. Then maybe he can tell us what happened to your brother before the third siren who got away comes back with reinforcements." Droll Cassandra was struggling to untie Ferdinand's seaweed bound wrists and ankles as she finally was able to balance him against the rock, getting more than an eyeful of male anatomy up close and personal than she ever imagined in her career oriented lifetime.

"Hmph… no, can do, just yet, Cass. While you're having fun up there with Mr. X, there's a pair of eelskin shackles hugging each of my ankles and another two constricted around my legs. Currently still working on figuring out how to get rid of this decorative bunch of eely captivity, without getting juiced." As Carpet was keeping Eugene's head above water level with full tugged tassel power, Flynn Rider rather calmly relates his dire situation to the young woman as his fingers were frantically rummaging through his overfilled satchel for some fresh ideas on how to safely extract nearly two hundred pounds of fresh eel he was wrapped up in this Red Sea inlet's saltwater, before his now quartet of electrifying captors that had finished charging up to man-killing standard.

"Electric eels have got a hold of you?! Why didn't you tell me, Fitzherbert?! Why do men think they're so damn invincible!?" Cassandra unceremoniously dumps the French Prince facedown to the sloshy sand to pluck up her sword and make a daring dive underwater slash and splash of sneaky snake before they electrocuted Rapunzel's at times remarkable, the rest of the time annoying, troublesome guy.

"But we know for a fact they're not, don't we, sweetie? Can it be helped if sailor men wish to follow me down into the sea when they glimpse my beauty?" A condescending voice comes from behind the anxious pair. "Just one word from me, and my cuddly wuddly little eels will turn this arrogant male into a piece of shriveled up sea bacon kelp. So put down your big, scary sword, kneel down to the ground beside that pile of drooling, witless humanity and put your pretty face to the stone so I can tie you up. Resist and I will give the order to fry his delectably tight buns. Another fine specimen of manhood, though he doesn't look like a mariner. But at least this handsome man is not redheaded like the one I sent on his way to the dissecting laboratory."

Marina Del Rey was summoned back by the third siren who was slinking around the shadows to regroup with her sisters, seething and hissing at Eugene and Cassandra all the while.

"Did the nasty man hurt you before, my babies? Are you all fully charged up now to get even with him?" A sulky voiced Marina displays the potential power of her deadly eels, now increased to all six, with a flounce of her long voluminous purple hair. The waves jiggle in the surface waters with giggles when her chortling eels respond with glowing affirmation of their electroplaque-stacked discharge-ready organs ready to be dispatched into this human trash.

"All right. I'm dropping my sword and kneeling down." With a sigh at her playing it safe decision, Cassandra finally concedes after a long staring contest stand off with the crazed, wild-eyed mermaid.

The daughter of the Captain of Corona's guard was not willing to gamble with the Prince Consort's life, so Cassandra backs towards the stone and kneels at it, praying that Eugene was having some luck wriggling out of this electrified predicament on his own.

"Good. A land dweller with some sense. Female, of course." Feminist merwoman Marina smirks as she lassos a chain of seaweed cord around Cassandra's waist and a panting with dehydration Prince Ferdinand's until the two humans were squeezed rather intimately together.

"Ugh! Can't we be back to back?!" The tough as nails the young female squirms to be pressed against the unarguably attractive stranger. But Marina seemed to enjoy watching the human girl be uncomfortable.

"What's wrong, honey? I bet you have trouble being awkward with men on land. Maybe you should adjust that forbidding tomboyish glare to be more attractive to males. And you must do something with that awful mop of unsightly charcoal gray hair if you are ever to attract a man on your own! Not that any of you will be around for much longer, eh, Metita?" The purple mermaid who had an unhealthy pride in her long mane, was far too busy giving friendly feminine advice to Cassandra on the art of catching a man to notice one of the hated and hunted other sex doing some sly maneuvering of his own, despite the dark siren slinking up to stroke the enlarged Adam's apple at his throat that was about to be her favorite chew toy.

"Hey, mermaid lady with the beautiful violet purple hair! I've always been at Cass there to fix up that sad sleestack mess of what she calls a coif. If only she used this handy dandy instant detangling dinglehopper I picked up at that famous hairdresser's museum in Milan. And believe me, I know what tangled hair looks like! You should've seen my wife when I first met her. Yeesh, she had knots in her knots! Her seventy foot long bad hair days were cured instantly with this magic comb! Good thing I brought it in my satchel full jewelry and shiny goodies to fix that rat's nest up, Gray. Even if it's the last thing I'll do on earth…At least you'll go down without tress distress…" Wily Eugene dangles the carrot out in the vain merwoman's curious hearing as he gulps at how hot the siren's breath was, too much in approximation to his targeted throat.

"Where is this valuable dinglehopper item?! Give it to me!" And the crafty thief was rewarded when Marina's glamorous overshadowed eyes light up at the thought of having tangle free hair days, outweighing her power-hunger for a few moments.

The cornered man was confined by the eels in the lagoon as Marina reaches for the satchel in question at his side in covetous greed.

"Oh, right! Silly me, I almost forgot in this good company! It's not in there. I keep my most precious possession in my leather tunic's secret pocket, close to my heart. Here, I'll get it for you, if you get Toothy here to back off for a tic." Graciously accepting the satchel, a simpering Eugene pivots in his most convincing shyster tone that takes Marina Del Ray for a ride.

"Then get it from there!" She forcefully shoves her hissing cousin of the Siren Sisterhood away from where the slithering up dark siren was salivating at Eugene's exposed, hard swallowing throat, and nods to allow his hands to slide into his chest pocket for the prize.

"Voila! Here you go ladies. A real, genuine, one-of-a-kind, metal conducting dinglehopper to set all your tangle hairstyling needs right!" Eugene shoves one hand into his chest pocket to claim the lucky pure silver comb he had first filched when he was a wee lad that had started off his life of thievery at the same moment his other unobserved hand plunges into his overlooked rucksack.

"Guaranteed to smooth the most persistent tangles and enhance luxuriant shining volume. Just ask my wife. She's had 'bad hair days' for years. Beats breakable, chalky coral anyday." Eugene's silver tongue keeps rolling with the cunning artfulness as he verbally dangles the tempting lure to the covetous mermaids.

What neither of the greedy pair saw next was that the squirrelly human's magic fingers had let go of the rocky edge of the spit to fully rely on Carpet tugged taut at his shoulders to keep the man from being dragged under totally by the increased six eels wrapped dangerously around his lower body. Eugene had reached into the disputed bag's side pocket the moment the purple mermaid foolishly bought it close to his arms' reach and withdrew that gleaming golden platinum dagger the sailor named Genie had traded him, for the price of a rope…

 ** _SPLURT! SPLURT! SLASH! SPLURT! SPLURT! SLASH!_**

With quick precision, Eugene sinks the pure platinum and ivory handled ancient knife blade into the many slimy, long cylindrical muscular abdomen bodies of the eels wrapped around his waist, leg, ankles, and groin area.

The eels scream under the water in pain, each alerting the other five to back away from the blade armed prey.

But the already agitated, excited electrocyte action causes the shocked, fully charged Electrophorus Gymnotiformes to quiver with voltage, even as they instinctively unwrap from Eugene's lower torso.

The undersea creatures, whose organs were made of stacks of electroplaques that conducted currents of ions and saline, had already added the potential difference required to open up the sodium channels that reversed the pulsating polarity they could no longer suppress...

"What have you done to my poor babies, you piece of topworld scum?!" Marina cries out in agitated dismay, unaware of the electrical discharge about to be released as she was luxuriously running that silver dinglehopper comb until it was hopelessly entangled in her long curled hair.

She throws the bait rucksack down to the rocky inlet in a fit of anger at being so duped by a mere human man, as a freed Eugene on Carpet zings by over her head.

Marina's first instinct was to cuddle her endangered eel 'babies'. But doing so while still holding the most conductive element known to man—a _silver_ metal comb in her hand, was to be the merwoman's downfall.

 ** _SZZSTTSZZLLEZZZTT!_**

As she embraces her injured pets, the entire purple mermaid from tailfin to dorsal to torso quivers and shakes all unnatural ghostly greenish-blue as the electricity is accidentally sent coursing through her body in Eugene's place.

"AAHH-AHHH-AHHHHH!" Immediately getting her comeuppance for both her haughty vanity and manipulative cruelty, Marina Del Ray's entire purple tailfin body quakes with the massive surge of the electric eel's out of control, involuntarily released discharge of high-voltage that she had ordered them to use on their human prey intensified to be channeled directly to her head – more explicitly, her _hair_ – through that pretty silver comb Eugene tricked her into grabbing.

The 30,000 electric plaques of the eel bodies' delivered a current of over 1200 Volts of chemically imbalanced electricity that instantly fries Marina Del Rey's cherished waves of violet purple hair through the metal comb conductor, as Eugene intended.

" **NOOO!**! My hair! My beautiful, wonderful, glorious hair! What have **YOU** done to me?!" Screaming in terror at the core of her loss, Marina's trembling, electrocuted body was more shocked by her balded head that had but a few scraggly toasted short hairs frizzled out in place of where her waves of prized long voluminous hair once existed.

"Ouch. Looks like I've got a knack for ridding women of their overgrown locks, don't I? Maybe I went into the wrong profession…" As Carpet swoops down to pick up Cassandra and the naked man attached to her from the edge of the spit, Eugene's unrepentant nimble digits grab up his chucked down satchel, sand filled frying pan, stylish naval sword that just had to have belonged to Hans, and his magic wondrous goblet.

The latter of which the adroit thief intelligently pours into the open and hissing fanged mouth of the one remaining siren clinging to the spit who tries to grasp up with clawed hands one of Egalite's legs dangling from the flying rug.

The magic freshwater was as much poison to her system as her native salt water was to humans' and causes the dark mermaid to cough and choke and sputter in agony before she slinks to crawl away back into the far depths of the sea floor where a few remnants of the mermaid sisterhood resided, safe away from wicked, pernicious humans.

"Okay, Rug Man, get ready to burn thread! Hold on to your friend, Cass – _somewhere discreetly in public, please_ – because the Kid's somewhere down under the sea on his way to a man-eating mermaid dissecting lab, according to Miss-Fry-a-Cracked-Egg-on-Her-Bald-Head! We've got a find him and bring him home to his lady love in one dry piece! A waterlogged man dredged up from Davy Jones locker will be no fun on their honeymoon!" With determination and more than a fair share of stress relieving, tense teases in every direction, Eugene boldly leads Carpet to race out of the cove where agonized female screams and weeping and wailing were left in the sneak thief's chaotic wake.

"You won't be needing this now, Baldie!" Eugene rubs it in as his intuitive flying rug makes a swift pass over a crazy in anger Marina who was still in shock, to grab up one more object.

Eugene gives a theatrical lip-smacking kiss to the fortuitous metal dinglehopper comb that conducted the electrified discharge of that treacherous merwoman's most punishing hair-do tease, along with something else on her finger that didn't belong there either.

 _Always told you I wasn't bad with the ladies, Liebling…_

Eugene smiles with the stabilizing thought of this girl patiently waiting for him back home as the flying Carpet zooms out into the bright blinding sunlight of Sharm El Naga's Red Sea cove near the Hurghada port of northeast Egypt.

Eugene shields his eyes and points to where, thankfully, that trail of ice was still bobbing to the surface in a steady stream, like a trail of crumbs his little brother had left for them to follow.

And that meant to Eugene's optimistic mind, that Hans was yet alive.

 _Guess it pays to have a powerful Ice Queen in your back pocket, Sideburns!_

"Follow that ice trail, Rug Man! My kid brother's still kicking at the flip side of it, I'd bet my life on it!" With hope against hope, Flynn Rider is once again caught up in all the adventure of a lifetime with a gorgeous young lady - and a naked stranger— on this intense magic carpet ride across Arabian nights.

 _Sure didn't see that one coming!_

"But first, that's freaking my delicate sensibilities out too much! Here put this on your 'boyfriend', Cass." Eugene abruptly stands with exquisite balance on the speeding carpet and quickly extracts his way out of his shirt to display his ripped set of abs. He passes the white sleeved shirt and his long tunic to Cassandra.

The sighing, exasperated woman had just managed to cut herself free from all the seaweed strapping her to the mesmerized Frenchman still murmuring intoxicated flirtations in her appalled ear.

 _"… J'ai soif…(_ I'm so thirsty)…. _Mon cherie amour_ (my darling love)… _Helena_ …"

"The name's Cassandra, pal! Ewgh, get off me! And he's not my boyfriend, Fitzherbert!" With a smack to the over-romantic Romeo cooing on her lap, Cassandra hisses up argumentatively to the hairy bare-chested and tanned man on the other side teasing her.

Eugene ditches his white button up shirt and black leather vest tunic onto her fed-up-with-men lap with a shrug.

"Ole Varian will be glad to hear that when we get back home, Cass. Here let me borrow those. I don't feel like singing again to ward off any roving sirens who are all after my highly desirable body when I go down to save Hans." Eugene smirks at how the mere mention of the boy genius inventor's name adds a blush to the pallid woman's otherwise staid features.

"And for your chastity's sake, maybe give the poor sap a long draft of my water goblet to keep him sober while I'm gone." Eugene plucks the bees wax earplugs from Cassandra's ears and irreverently pops them into his as a precaution against more mermaids' mesmerizing songs.

Then Eugene Fitzherbert's handsome face goes stark serious, in conjunction with his generally droll voice.

"Watch the waves and be ready to pick us up, quick."

"What?! Where are you going?" With the snapped query, Cassandra's dark eyebrows knit in confusion as she was struggling with trying to tuck Eugene's donated shirt down over the unabashedly exposed, Prince Ferdinand's midsection.

"Down there to find my kid brother. I'll be right back." Deadpan Flynn Rider says with such a degree of conviction and determination that normally unimpressed by men—and Eugene in particular—Cassandra found herself again surprisingly admiring the self absorbed former thief.

Eugene takes off his boots and sits them beside where Hans' were lying in the midst of Carpet as he clenches the platinum handle dagger between his teeth.

After an offhanded salute, shared look and nod with the thought of Rapunzel which spoke volumes between them, without another word, Eugene Fitzherbert dives from Carpet's lowered height into the salty Red Sea.

 ** _SPLASH!_**

"You had better come back, Fitzherbert. Or Raps will kill me for feeding you to the sirens." The dark-haired warrior woman speaks under her un-admitting anxious breath as she nurses the partially clothed Ferdinand Egalité with that cup of healing water on Carpet's hovering back.

Cassandra watches her best friend's husband heroically reenter the stretch of the deep of the Mid-East's Red Sea. She'd met firsthand now the deadly and mysterious underwater creatures who roamed in these swirling waters where always capriciously curious, often fecklessly fickle, and on occasion deceptively dangerous mermaids dwelled…

* * *

With plugs firmly in place in his protected ears, platinum knife at the ready in tense hand, and a body full of adrenaline to save his closest brotherly relative and crazy-in-love friend, like an expert, Flynn Rider completes a nearly flawless descent.

He intrepidly dives into the thankfully warm waters of this Hurghada Egyptian cove between where inexplicable chunks of ice had bobbed up to the surface from some source down beneath the waves.

Following the _Hans_ -sel and Gretel-like crumb trail of ice, it didn't take Eugene long to spy through the crystal clear waters the half-dozen little mermaids, led by a grey white manatee, hauling a golden net through the ocean currents. Especially since an encasement of constantly replenishing verglas ice was surrounding the head and breathing apparatus of the red haired Prince captured between the mystically woven golden nets.

Swimming a quick paced breaststroke to conquer the distance, unaffected by the mermaid's song mentally, due to Cass' earplugs – _gotta give that resourceful gal a raise when I get back to the castle, AS IF_! - the sneak thief reaches for his platinum handled dagger that the sailor named 'Genie' traded with him.

 _Hey! No way am I gonna let Sideburns become a museum piece for the mermaid circus kiddie playground! He's got a Queen and a Palace of his own awaiting him in_ _Norway_ _! Besides, Handsome is way too good-looking to waste on any medical experimentations or some freak show exhibition._

 _Though he'd probably bring in a lot of dough…_

Eugene thinks of the monetary angle to keep his mind off the lack of breath he was holding for this long stretch of time and the instant death by drowning that would soon ensue beneath this deep crush of waves.

 _Oh, that helped, Rider. Keep it up and you'll have the kelp rolling in the aisles._

Flynn calms himself with a humorous rebuke as he stealthily arrives, unseen by the sextet of entranced mermaids, nor the large sea cow leading them.

 _They're just children themselves!_

Appalled at the heartless usage of child labor for any evil deeds especially, Flynn Rider adeptly uses the sharp knife at his disposal to try to silently cut through the weave of the golden net bottom that Hans had been dragged along within, being careful not the harm his lillebror as he doggedly sliced.

However, the magic mermaid golden net's weave was too tough to slice through, even for a sharp magic dagger.

 _I'm going to have to get them to let go from the top! But how?! These colorful young gals seem so out of it, like they're possessed! That damn purple mermaid witch, exploiting kids! I'm double glad I sizzled her hair off now!_

Eugene, running out of air stored in his lungs, as well as ideas, was beginning to panic as his mind wanders forlornly at the dire situation.

 _I can't hurt them… They're just kids. Okay! That's it! They're still kids, on land, or under the se! So what do little girls like best at this age?_

Though he was still far from being a perfect gentleman that a Royal Prince Consort of Prussia ought to be, and he had a lot to learn about being a father himself soon, Eugene Fitzherbert had a soft spot for used and abused, forgotten children. Perhaps that empathy stemmed from his own unhappy, neglected childhood in the orphanage.

 _I know! All things bright and shiny!_

Deftly keeping out of the eyesight of the big manatee's limited vision, Eugene reaches for the pouch at his side. His greedy fingers dig through the glorious feeling of the rounded metallic surfaces of the golden silver coinage clinking, as well as a few sparkly items his sticky fingers had picked up here and there along the way at the jewelry emporium in Rome where they stopped for Cass' overactive bladder bathroom break.

 _Hey! These are secret presents for my expectant wife laid up in bed and security for my children's costly future education, of course!_

Eugene smirks, with a guilty glance up through the net he was swimming below up to Hans, who, _thank God_ , seemed in some strange unconscious stasis within that bubble of ice.

He has to quickly hide as best as he could behind Hans in the golden net and the swishing mermaid tails when the manatee at the front of the pack moves forward to speak with some guardsmen at the Kingdom of Atlantica's gates.

Eugene almost couldn't subdue the whistle he wanted to let out in awe as the impressed thief takes in the scenery where the mermaid princesses were entering their underwater kingdom where an impressive, tall spiraling aqua glowing Ocean Palace stood in the distance.

So, thinking out-of-the-box, Eugene had to do something he thought he would never do.

He fights his natural instincts and releases all the coins and jewels he collected and brought into the sea to toss above the net and the rainbow heads of the mermaid children.

All the shiny coins and gemstones catch the subdued light drizzling down from the water's distant surface.

But to Eugene's dismay, the mesmerized mermaid princesses don't even seem to notice.

 _What?! What little girl refuses cold hard cash from her sugar daddy?! What do I do now, Lillebror?! We gotta get you out of here, but time's running out for both of us_! Eugene was about out of breath and also out of time as he notes that the ice bubble around Hans' nose and mouth was shrinking as it melted in the warm water. It was as if the ice itself seemed to turn a darker shade of translucent darkish blue, losing its attentive, caring efficacy in reflection of the sculpture of Her Legginess adorning Hans' neck.

A panicking Eugene desperately tugs at the net, but the strong weave would not give one iota.

But that's when the pair of wooden maneki neko cats, that the eccentric whittler woman had gifted the well-intentioned future family man, slips from his inner vest pocket that he had unintentionally released in search of more sparkling loose jewels and coinage.

The mer-princesses are all at last intrigued to loosen their grip around the net and each reach out for the carved lucky kittens. The wooden beckoning cats hold up their paws invitingly to Attina, Aquata, Adella, Alana, Arista and Andriana for the curious mermaid children to be enamored enough to reach out and pet the rhythmically dancing, adorable kittens that seem to have the power to hypnotize the already entranced mermaids…

Their collectively distracted, loosened grip on the golden net was enough for Eugene to sneak up and use his ample muscles to tug open the woven strings from the top opening to scoop out a sedated Hans Westergaard.

Straight up through the surf Eugene's legs kick like mad, hauling a barely still alive Hans upwards along with him and away from hypnotized gaggle of mesmerized mermaid princesses.

 _"Where laughing children the waves play hide and seek among the caves and ride a seahorse carousel! Where mermaids dwell…"_

The mermaid girls' eyes were indeed dazzled by the coins and jewels swirling around the waters as if in a dream. But they were still singing their tune, unaware their net had been opened or even what interesting human item had been in it or what had transpired to get him there as the effects of the nighty-night milk sedation effects were wearing off, leaving the mermaid princesses dazed and dizzy.

However, each child would not remember much of this unpleasant affair as Benjamin the manatee swims around to corral the growingly confused, wandering princesses in his charge and return them to their beds as quickly as possible.

"Oh dear, oh dear. Marina will be very mad at me for letting her prize trophy go. But secretly, I'm glad. He had a good face and seemed very nice. This is for the best, because he did not belong in the sea as much as we ocean dwellers won't be welcomed above land. Not until maybe someday, if some special little mermaid from our kingdom will be bold enough to go up to that great big wondrous place and dare to be part of that world. Then will our worlds be still far apart?"

The manatee with a degree in psychiatry murmurs his hypothetical theorem to the warm waves as he gathers up the scattered six mermaid princesses while they deliriously continue to look up towards the glowing surface, almost longingly, though none of these had the courage to drift beyond their dreams.

That audacity was reserved for the seventh mermaid princess of Atlantica, one with untamed red hair.

"Let's go home, girls. And I'll put you to bed after this long, long dream that we won't be doing any more. We'll wait for Marina there. And we'll stay in Atlantica, where we belong from now on. I think Marina has learned that we're not ready to mix with those who spend all day in the sun just yet." Benjamin's beady black eyes watch the two pairs of human legs pumping away from the deep sea he and these dear girls called 'home'.

"Off to bed for you at home, princesses. That's where you should have been in the first place. Not on these resentful expeditions. Nothing good ever comes from vengeance. I'll advise Marina not do this to you anymore. Maybe she'll listen this time. That man with the red hair had such honor and determination to help his friend. And then another above-worlder out there just risked his life to come down under the waves to bring him home. Perhaps Marina will be touched. Maybe people above aren't as bad as we've been told, really." Benjamin philosophically sighs, not liking this whole idea of vengeance and capture when the docile manatee would rather be a calm and peaceful live and let live force for good who advocated that violence was never the answer.

"If only we could all play nice, both on human beaches and down here under the sea where mermaids dwell."

The good-natured manatee thinks to himself as he leads the six mermaid princesses into the palace's rear entrance, unseen by all.

Save for a tiny little mermaid with bright red hair and big beautiful aqua-blue eyes whose curiosity as to where her older sisters had been so early in the morning outweighed her fear of being chastised by her elders.

The precocious four year old toddler wandered her aqua fins into the Princess' palace bedroom from where she peeked into the hall from her closed door nursery on the opposite side.

As the manatee nursery maid had shut the bedroom door behind him with a relieved sigh after tucking in the elder six mermaid girls, the curious youngest mermaid princess who overheard his soliloquy runs to thrust open the window she wasn't allowed to even look out.

The red-headed little mermaid princess of four years of age who had been crying all night, praying for her lost Mommy to come home, rubs her eyes to catch glimpse of the pair of beautiful departing humans just disappearing from the ocean up into a mist of rising sea foam.

"Take me up there with you, please! Closer to Mommy, up there in the stars of Heaven!"

Then, as if in answer to the child's hopes and prayers, an adorable thing-a-ma-bob with a whiskered muzzle like a catfish, pointy ears and a paw raised in greeting, floats down through her open window to land in her lonely seabed.

It gazes up at Ariel as if beckoning to be the small, forlorn girl's friend from the mysterious world above amid a cascade of sparkling gems floating through the ocean currents. They catch the light fantastic to her twinkling eyes of wondrous magic aglow outside the window of the tiny little mermaid's imaginative, yearning heart longing for the outside to look in and be part of that brave new world above someday…

 _"…Where mermaids dwell…"_

* * *

'Where Mermaids Dwell' - Sung by the mermaid princesses from 'The Tales from The Little Mermaid' album

* * *

Happy November greetings, friends!

SO here was the big mermaid episode! I mixed Disney's Little Mermaid with some ancient Greek mythological tales like Homer's Odysseus encountered in the 'Odyssey' where mermaids were called 'sirens' and were none too friendly to human sailors!

The secret Sect of the Sirenia Sisterhood sounds so ancient and frightening, doesn't it? Whoo, sends chills up my spine how some mermaids could be carnivorous to humans, when others are so friendly with sweet happy songs sung to crabs and baby whales and such.

But Marina Del Rey is a distant relative of those blood thirsty sirens, so she's got some cold blood in her veins full of ambition and vengeance during this period of mourning for their lost Queen Athena in the Mermaid Kingdom of Atlantica!

And poor, gallant Hans was unwittingly dragged into another perilous adventure, care of that dread pirate pegleg Houtebeen and his cursed ship, the Pearl Lady! But luckily big brother Eugene arrived on Aladdin's Magic Carpet just on time to pull his little brother's fat out of the fire (of course it was the ocean water, and lean Hans is built of raw sinew and muscle - fat not ever included in the mention of our heroic stud ;)

This chapter gave an explain as to why Marina Del Rey was bald as a coot in the prequel! And it's all Eugene's fault again! The man really should have been a barber! I try to tie the whole Disney universe interwoven into my story! ^_^

Even tiny toddler Ariel herself made a cameo appearance here at the finish!

Well, my dearest big sister's b'day is at the end of the month! So hopefully I'll get some more solid romantic chapters out for her beloved Helsa soon! Stay tuned for some major romance plot twists!

I'd love to hear your reviews of this desperately dangerous, siren seductive chapter when our heroes traveled the depths below to _Where Mermaids Dwell!_

God bless you as we enter the holiday season together!

Love,

HarukaKou


	19. Chapter 18 -The Green-Eyed Monster

_We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

 **"Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act VII**

 **Chapter 18**

 **"The Green-Eyed Monster"**

 _ **Back down in the**_ ** _Sharm El Naga_** _ **Bay near the Egyptian**_ _ **Red Sea**_ _ **…**_

"Tell me again why we had to make a pitstop in your ritzy hotel room instead of just booking it on my amazing new flying carpet up the coast across the Mediterranean, my overly romantic Lillebror?" Wearing nothing but the long white robe the hotel man had provided Hans with earlier, Eugene Fitzherbert lazily peruses his sticky fingers through the pages of past written letters and a half read newspaper unfolded over the mussed bed of the room.

"…Yes, I'm pretty…Mmm-mmm… Did you say something, Storbror?" The shirtless chest and drying bare legged Hans Westergaard glances over contentedly from where he was cleaning himself up in the Hurghada Hotel's small bathroom.

Pleased with himself for having survived and, in fact, triumphed over manipulative, vicious ancient sirens of the sea to remain true in his constancy for his dearest love waiting for him back home, Hans glances over his shoulder. He had been endlessly adjusting his red hair back to his perfect slicked back coif after the coral reef's saltwater and all those undersea mermaids had fiddled with its flawless style.

"Was that shaving brush so darn valuable we couldn't just pick up our hygienic necessities and bits and bobs of clothing to keep us handsome rogues en vogue along our travel route? Look, Rapunzel made sure I brought enough of Corona's treasury to buy myself some _very_ comfortable travel paraphernalia…And you missed a spot." The amused elder brother Eugene conversationally projects his voice across from the bed. He, in the luxuriant, plush robe, had draped himself quite comfortably, with hirsute tanned legs proudly spread in full display.

The mopped toweled dampness of Eugene's askew hair sticking up wildly on his careless head was in stark contrast to the fastidious Dane fawning over himself in the bathroom mirror after their underwater stint in the mermaid-ridden lagoon.

"Very funny, Eugene. I assure you I did not insist we stop by this hotel for some mere frivolous items." Toweling off his own long legged trim and limber form, the Danish Prince lays his hair gel and sharpened razor down on the hotel sink washcloth with a counter snigger at his sparring partner.

Hans had almost forgotten how much fun it was to have this particular sibling around. A brother with whom one could speak freely, tease and be teased back - even in an indecorous state of undress – without a shred of competitive animosity that Hans experienced a dozen times over growing up in so prim and proper Egeskov.

Of course, thanks to a certain breathtaking blond angel named Elsa, that unpleasant atmosphere of his strained relationships with many, if not most, of those big brothers who once cruelly resented this thirteenth unlucky child had been alleviated. Owing almost entirely to her refreshingly frank, benevolent intervention, discarded son Hans Westergaard even had come to an amiable understanding with the father who had ignored and written off the redhaired boy for the loss of his wife, Hans' mother Queen Louise, for over twenty-five years.

"There are some things that are irreplaceable and can never be retrieved, once lost." The hand placed over his bare chest's heaving full heart touches the cool ice pendant that felt so much at home there. With a sentimental simper on his comely face, the dashing young man finishes his ablutions and wraps up his equipment at the washbasin and moves to the bedside dresser. He covers a dry hand over the precious pile of love letters to that special young woman he had already gathered from his bed to place back into their watertight satchel he had carried thousands of miles all the way on this Overland route from India.

"Right… your letters to ' _my darling, beloved Elsa,'_ whom _'I impatiently count the days until we can be together again.'_ Whoa-oh! Does anybody really talk all sappy like that anymore? Haha, Kid, you're a regular Shakespeare with a pen!" Unable to ever take the irreverent thief fully out of the man, an incredulous, mocking Flynn Rider had a blatant disregard for other people's private property – tangible, intellectual or metaphysical.

That's how his keen eyes had read some passages on the previously scanned, most recent epistle that his kid brother had left remaining at the end table to complete before their departure.

"Storbror! I am shocked at you! That is a _private_ letter meant for Queen Elsa's eyes alone!" Prince Hans cries out in an indignant whisper at the invasion of his most private affairs of the heart, in the only outlet he could find release of his pent-up emotions.

In the form of unsent love letters to the woman he cherished so very far away, that she could not even read.

"So are lots of other private things belonging to you, Handsome. But it doesn't mean ole married big brother Flynn hasn't got the right to make sure the whole package you're offering to the auspicious lady is top shelf quality. After all we've been through together, I've had a sneak peek here and there. So, you don't have to get so hot under the collar, Sideburns!" Somehow Flynn Rider's words had the amazing ability to turn Hans Westergaard's red with annoyance, freshly shaven face a shade redder with a blush to match his slicked coif of red hair and primped perfect sideburns.

"… And…?" But the timid little boy who had groomed himself over the years of maturity to be the perfect gentleman, stellar athlete, fine artiste and personable statesman all for the express purpose of impressing in order to woo a perspective Queen, could not refrain from asking. Dashing, half-dressed Hans turns from where he had been sorting his naval paperwork from the nightstand to sheepishly ask his admittedly more worldly brother.

"Flying colors, Lillebror. Flying colors." Eugene assures any doubts Hans may have had with a wry, quirky smile. In his peripheral vision the older man had seen the dapper Dane slide up over his tight backside those gold trimmed white trousers while a fancy buttoned, jeweled tunic jacket was pulled around his lean and muscular arms, abs and chest. It was obvious that the young man had worked hard to be the young royal stud male fashion plate that he groomed himself to be.

With a vain pat to his own self-appreciating ripped and stubbly good-looking features, a confident Eugene returns to reading the Turkish newspaper that Hans had spread out over the bed before this morning's adventures took him far from his leisurely start of the day.

W _hy couldn't_ _the blasted thing be in Italian? I learned to translate_ _the Romance lingua_ _Italiana_ _back in my thieving days in_ _Venice_ _. Ah,_ _Venice_ _…They sure got buona (good) stuff to steal there_.

The industrious, driven Danish Prince was too busy now in preparation to leave on this blessedly more expedient flight by air rather than by sea and land, and had left the abandoned the publication to sit unread in the hotel room for the next occupant to peruse.

Hans secretly bristles with male pride and a stolen glance back in the full-length cheval mirror in the corner of the hotel bedroom. The safari type of travelling outfit he had been sporting for the past several weeks by day was now proudly replaced by his stately, well-fitted dark blue Sjoforsvaret naval uniform in all its golden epaulet glory.

"Besides… beyond ourselves getting dried and cleaned up before any of us fall to pneumonia traveling through the air in drenched clothing, Egalité needed some rest and medical attention after his harrowing ordeal before we set out again." Hans seemed to be justifying his decision to relegate some valuable time at the hotel, showing to Eugene that the responsible Admiral officer's uniform he was donning was not just a stuffed shirt false front.

"Yeah… Cass is taking care of that fascinating Egalité guy you picked up somewhere along the way. Or maybe it was the other way round. Whew! That flirty Ferdie is a worse womanizer / Don Juan with the ladies than you, Good-looking! " Eugene lets out a low whistle, recalling Hans' new companion, Prince Ferdinand and his partly unconscious, still dextrous hands and mouth for more than just the old whittler woman's water goblet contents upon Cassandra's cozy lap on the magic carpet ride back here.

"Womanizer?! Storbror, my past criminal misdeeds may have been extensive, as per power-hungry deceit and lies – _which I have continuously begged forgiveness for_ – but never would I have allowed myself to have degraded or abuse anyone of the feminine persuasion –" An insulted Hans retaliates against his garrulous brethren. Hans' nature was too gentlemanly to ever think that low as to exact his dominant strength over the physically weaker – often mentally superior – sex he held now in high esteem.

 _Especially not one as delicate and lovely as my Elsa…_

The appalled redhead indignantly ruffles at the accusation from where he had perched on the bottom of the bedside to put some polish on his favorite tall black boots he had carelessly tossed to the beach in the baking morning sun in order to make them shine again.

"Hey hey hey! Speak of the attractive leggy angel herself! Isn't this stunning likeness in the newspaper a depiction of your gal, Els –" Eugene's mouth beats his thinking brain and certainly his discretion once again to get him in knee deep trouble.

He was about to point out the picture to Hans an article in the rumor section of the Egyptian Daily Press. But the over-talkative thief has to try in vain to quickly backtrack his vocal enthusiasm at spotting an obvious depiction of the side braided, unmistakably curvaceous elegant, trend setting platinum blonde Queen of Norway keeping company with a certain dashing young Prince of some South American kingdom called Córdoba, as eye witness transcribed by some intrepid reporter.

"My Elsa in the publication?! Let me see!" As excited as a little kid in a candy shop, a beaming Hans drops his black boots to the ground with a loud thud in his eagerness to view any news of his beloved betrothed who was supposedly patiently waiting for him back home to finish his naval tour of duty in one and three-quarter years when they'd be permitted to wed.

"Please, if you could hold it open so I could read and not get the paper soiled, Storbror!" Before he grabbed the newspaper pages as he was so eager to do, conscientious Hans realized he had black shoe polish yet on his hands. So the exhilarated younger man prompts his older brother to hold it out open for him to glimpse his girl's beauty and soak up every last word that was said about her in the Turkish tongue the intelligent genius boy had learned to translate years ago.

"… Whoops, my bad to get you so worked up, Kid. It's definitely **not** your Elsa. Just some loose artwork of another dame winning first place in a baking contest in those parts. I just jumped the gun, seeing the word ' _Norway_ _'_ and spotting a dilapidated melting snowman in the background while we were chatting about your impressively _unmistakable_ lady love fiancée. But, on second glance, it's not her at all! I should've spotted right off! That chick's spindly crooked nose in no way could be her Legginess' cute little one that they got all wrong! Sorry! False alarm! Go back to polishing your boots, Sideburns, so we can get going up to Norway, ASAP! Time is a-wasting!" The fast talking thief gives a long spiel to a thoroughly confused Hans as the older and, at odd times, wiser man then yanks the newspaper article back away from Hans' eagerly prying eyes and rapidly flips to the sports section of the publication instead.

"Wow! The Corona Chameleons just wiped the floor with the Wesleton Weasels in a 9 to 0 game!" The squeaky voice, tense man tries his noisy darndest to seamlessly switch subjects, but a suspicious Hans would not be deterred so easily.

"Let me see who this woman you have mistaken for my beauteous Elsa looks like, Eugene. I will be the judge." With a dark and dangerous, punishing stare, Hans threateningly spits out the words that were more befitting an executioner. Hans – filthy black boot polish or no – forcefully grabs the Egyptian press newspaper. He purposely turns back several pages with his dirty fingers to the now stained rumor mill section Eugene had unwittingly alerted him to in that inadequate elongated cover up.

Hans' chary eyes translate the article as he grows livid with the obvious picture and names ' _Queen_ Elsa' and ' _Arendelle'_ plainly written in bold print amid the Turkish wordings.

 _ **'Is there a blessed union in the future for the Arendelle Queen and her newest, more welcome well-heeled suitor—the handsome and eligible Prince Alonso from the agriculturally product rich nation of Córdoba?'**_

The Dane's green eyes flash at the titled headline in bold letters before he continues to read, fighting off Eugene's squirrelly digits trying to grab back the newspaper from him.

"Look, Sideburns. It's just a rumor column! Those things are never based on facts! Just salacious garbage to drum up more readers! Fake news! Just ignore their silly claptrap designed to lure in new readers!" With a ridiculing chuckle, Eugene starts playing down the incriminating illustration and its damning editorial with shrugged off hands and a toothy grin.

He didn't need to have any knowledge of the Turkish language Hans was unfortunately fluent in to get the drift of the liaison between the desirable Queen of Norway and that upstart Prince and prospective beau, as seen in the picture together feeding one another with Norwegian bakery delights.

 _Who is this jerk trying to edge my Lillebror out of the picture? Most likely at my Onkel (Uncle) King Agdar's – Elsa's way beyond chilly, strict father – bequest. That is_ ** _not_** _playing fair, Onk! You sending my kid bro out to sea and dangling any number of eligible princes before Queenie! You play dirty ice hockey, Ice King!_

"Probably just another humdrum state visit with some boring loser dignitary." But aloud, Eugene tries to play it down, even if Hans' tight grip of the stained newspaper wouldn't let go. He continues to read the scandalous report of the Arendelle Gazette's on-site reporter who spotted the pair of well-matched Royals shopping together in the local sweetshop, supposedly fawning over one another.

 _'Is this a true love match for the most eligible young Queen in all of_ _Europe_ _now that_ _Victoria_ _'s wed Albert? A union between Queen Elsa with this handsome Córdoban Crown Prince will certainly be advantageous to_ _Norway_ _'s beleaguered trade with the economy rich South American influx of agriculture, oil and textiles. This news is sure to be part of a new and more well-received romantic entanglement for our beloved Queen Elsa of Arendelle. It looks like she's finally gotten that criminal Dane out of her sympathetic system! After all, weren't we all shocked to hear the news of her betrothal to Prince Hans? He may have tried to make a comeback and prove himself a hero against that sea monster attack some months ago, according to all those present to witness it, but what royal bride wouldn't rather embrace the New World's promising future rather than an Old World husband who made an attempt on her life in the past? Expect real wedding bells soon in Arendelle, readers!'_

"Come on, Kid! The girl's crazy about you! She's wearing your ring! Believe me, women are **not** that fickle – or foolish to pass up an able-bodied, good-looking in-or-out-of-a-suit fella like you, Handsome." Eugene punches a big brotherly encouraging little fist bump to a traumatized Hans' seemingly in shock sideburned cheek and chin.

But it was too late to unread what was read.

"Then perhaps she would be better off to play the fool." Hans murmurs in a self-defeating downtrodden mood. He did not even have to look down at the ice sculpture of the Ice Queen hanging down with her frosted cold weight over his stunned heavy heart to feel the distant chill emanating from it.

Maybe that's why this miniature of your love for me has turned so dark and cold of late…

Because you have found another man to replace me.

Seeing red, Hans growls, tearing out the page of the newspaper and crunching it in his fist, violently shoving it into his inner jacket pocket, no longer caring at all what became stained and soiled from the shoe polish on his fingers along the way.

Grabbing back up his left boot and polishing it madly with a vengeance and flashing eyes in front of his lip-biting, concerned big brother, Hans involuntarily squeezes his palm against some fairly large piece of sharp glass mounted on a broken portion of a fancy golden metal that had been wedged in the secret stash interior pouch of the dagger he had already safely removed from the boot.

" _For pokker_ (damn _)_!" An already perturbed Hans grunts and uncommonly swears under his breath at many things in Danish when he went back to polishing with fearful ferocity, only to be sliced in his carelessness fairly deep across his instantly bleeding palm by some prismatic glass shard.

"Eugene! Are you boys decent in there? Can you _please_ talk some sense into that man – whoa there, Stallion! There's a piece of glass jutting out of your hand! You're bleeding!" Just then Cassandra, without waiting for a reply, boldly pushes her way into the men's' hotel room from the outer sitting room of the suite where she had been entertaining an obscenely flirtatious Prince Ferdinand in his _restful_ recovery.

Just as she was coming in, Cassandra witnessed the younger man's accidental injury. Without missing a beat, the capable woman immediately pulls out the extra length of bandage she had leftover from applying—and reapplying to the lower hip and abdomen area at Ferdinand's flirtatious insistence – to the his thrashed cut and bruised rib cage and injury sustained even lower.

The physician that the able swordswoman had called in for ' _her friend who survived a small shark attack after swimming out too far into the sea'_ wondered as to the extent of those personal injuries that rather pointed to a beating more than any shark attack.

But with Eugene and Hans vociferously backing her up as siblings, they left it up to their 'sister Cassandra's' girlish pretty face to convince the Egyptian doctor that it was so.

Though he savored the idea being hailed as the victim of a mythical mermaid massacre, Prince Ferdinand understood that if they were to leave the area without further delay and inquiries, the story of a shark attack would be certainly more expedient and plausible than an underwater siren assault.

Nonetheless, Egalité embellished the little white lie Cassandra had alluded to by claiming he was injured only trying to save the beautiful damsel in distress from the vicious shark when he had found her lost and swimming in the seaside looking for her brother, Prince Hans.

 _So if I'm supposed to be this red-headed guy's sister, doesn't that make_ _Eugene_ _my brother too?! Ewgh!_ Cassandra fights the urge to stick out her disgusted tonsils to ever be accused of having any biological relation to that irksome Fitzherbert.

"How the hell did you do that to yourself, Lillebror?! And where did that weird shaped bit of glass come from anyway?!" As Eugene spazzes out at the sight of blood, the more got-it-together Cassandra collects herself as a good sister ought to.

The dark-haired lass swiftly moves across the room to bandage up Hans' lacerated hand more like an experienced battlefield medic than a mere handmaiden.

"Now hold still while I staunch the bleeding before I remove that glass. I don't know how on earth you got it so cleanly stuck in at that angle without feeling it going in. It must be so painful. I'll go get some of the ma yao pain numbing medicine I picked up in China, invented by the brilliant 13th-century doctor Wei Yilin, before I work on it." Soldier trained Cass goes to fetch some ancient Chinese medicinal anesthesia from her satchel's medical kit in the other room but is halted when her disillusioned patient holds up the other hand.

"Don't bother." Spoken in such quiet, detached tones, Hans Westergaard manfully pulls the part rounded, sharp glass jutting out from where it had dug several layers deep of skin into his hand without a single flinching look, nor further utterance of pain. As if in detached mode, he wraps the broken glass calmly in the bandages in Cassandra's astonished hand and places it in his leather chest pouch along with his broken hearted unsent letters.

To Hans, no physical injury could ever compare to the uncertain torment, pain and derision his heart had just been plunged into.

"Hans, maybe you should take a bre– " Eugene begins to advise in all seriousness, but he is brusquely interrupted by the obviously upset younger man. Cassandra just manages to apply the bandages around the cut up palm of his hand with a tight tourniquet, lest couldn't-care-less Prince Hans drip his blueblood all over the hotel floor.

"Please inform Colonel Egalité that I deeply thank him for his exemplary aid on my journey thus far, but due to his injuries and a recovery more assured and gainful here on land, we must be parting ways. Eugene, Ms. Schmidt, we leave within the hour." A dejected Hans declares resolutely his intentions as he strides from the bedroom to take a long brisk walk down the shoreline alone with his all-consuming, green-eyed jealous thoughts.

For several minutes as he moves by rote blindly to the scenic Egyptian seashore, the confused, angry, and sad young man was feeling betrayed, inadequate and sorry for himself all at once. The well-dressed in naval uniform young red-head paces along the sand dunes down to the beachfront as he runs his one uninjured appendage over his disenchanted eyes to shelter them and the sweat on his worked-up brow from the blinding glare of the noonday sun.

At least that's what his pride was telling him the hot moisture was which was biting behind his eyes. He reaches for another pocket handkerchief with his one functional hand to rub at their burning sting.

But along with the white cloth tumbles out that damnable Egyptian press publication he had none too carefully stashed in his jacket earlier. Possessively looking at the picture of his elegant bride-to-be in the newspaper caricature being fed a piece of cake by some dark-haired _fjols_ (fool) made the thirteenth-in-line Danish prince feel both incensed and beaten.

Once again faced with insuperable odds to be loved _never_ in his favor, Hans sinks to his knees on the empty foreshore's berms.

"Many a broken-hearted man has meandered the shores with more incriminating evidence than you have, Westergaard." After a few minutes in solitude, the deeply French accented prince's voice intercepts Hans from somewhere above the hotel's connecting shoreline beach scarp.

"Egalité! The doctor prescribed you should be resting and in bed after that dreadful incident!" Glancing up to where Prince Ferdinand was quite comfortably astride an eagerly flying Carpet, Hans covers up his own troubled heart's sorrow with words of concern for his fellow man.

" _Oui (yes)_. but the good _le doctor_ did not realize that no womanly wiles could keep a Frenchman down for long, mon ami. The feminine disposition is as changeable as the capricious sea out there. Fair weather days full of calm beauty, as well as stormy nights bursting with tempestuous upheaval to withstand, lest we men go down with the ship." With a wink to the magic flying Carpet whom the disarming Legionnaire had persuaded to sneak him out through the open balcony window to the beach, Ferdinand gives some veteran advice on the heady subject of 'women' which he has been an avid student of for the majority of his life.

The French Prince, forgoing his own bodily discomforts as he dismounts the magic rug floating several feet above ground, stares at his friend in obvious soulful suffering, whose quietly fuming torment appeared far more detrimental.

Down on his knees, Hans' hands were in fists so tight they were shaking with the now blood-soaked bandage Cassandra applied to his sliced palm. Smacking a jagged shell buried in the sands on the shore and ignoring the pain again caused, Hans' inner bull appeared to be seeing red anger at the depiction of that cursed South American prince with _**his**_ fiancée when the newspaper fell from his pocket.

With silently steaming green-eyed jealousy, Hans shoves the newspaper article back in his inner jacket lining. But the livid anger he felt was more a rage borne of fury at himself and his past mistakes, fueled by his deep fear that his unequaled Elsa of Arendelle had finally come to her senses, grown tired of waiting and thrown him over for another, perhaps more deserving man.

"So…I was surprised to hear from a pretty little bird in there that you intend to leave me behind, without even saying a proper farewell to your dear friend. Do I not have a say in the matter? I know those onerous mermaids left me in less than a presentable state. But even a beaten man likes to feel wanted every now and then, eh?" Ferdinand Egalité speaks with both a pained wince and a self-deprecating smile etched on his dashing features as he disembarks his new, inexplicably floating, sentient friend, Carpet.

 _What a fairytale world full of mystical Ice_ _Queens_ _, mythical little mermaids and magical flying carpets you live in, Prince Hans._

"Especially after how close we've become on this _incrédible_ journey, _partenaire_ (partner). I must now see this through, no matter what. After all, as Dupont stated so eloquently, _'Any man aspires to liberty, to equality, but he can not achieve it without the assistance of other men, without fraternity._ ' So, I wish to be there to bring you home to that beautiful destiny with your Queen Elsa whom you so purely adore, my brother." Romantic Revolutionaire Ferdinand Egalité espouses his nation's mottos quite expressively himself.

"…Home…A beautiful destiny…for me? Hmph!" With an incredulous smirk, Hans whispers with a mocking scoff to the cool ocean breeze beckoning him to gaze out upon its unending blue vastness that seemed to taunt him with sumptuous visions of splendor and majesty, always just beyond his reach. But the cool touch of his ice pendant brings Hans out from the angry doldrums he was wallowing in with a stimulating chill up his spine, as if to chastise him for doubting her constancy.

"It is in our God-given human condition that we must fight for the things we believe in the most, _mon freré_." Bolstering that unspoken resolve, the Crown Prince of France understood, if nothing else, those precious treasures of _liberté, égalité and fraternité_ (liberty, equality and fraternity) were held most dear when they had to be hard fought for.

Hans looks up at his friend who was at times frivolous, at times heroic, and now was able to convey a deep wisdom that gave the Danish Prince pause to consider.

"Thank you for that, Fernan." Hans genuinely smiles as he stands to his full six foot two inch height again in the afternoon sun. "I welcome your companionship for the remainder of this voyage, however long or far or difficult the road back to the home of my heart takes me." The articulate redhead answers his companion with due respect as he dusts off his sandy trousers and smiles.

"Now _that_ sounds more like my intrepid Lillebror!" Flynn Rider's gregarious voice cuts through the late afternoon sky as he and Cassandra, along with Ferdinand and Hans' meager traveling bags and belongings packed and secured onboard, swoop down on Carpet. The sagacious millennia-old rug had taken Ferdinand's signal to fetch the rest of their peripatetic party.

With a deep breath and much honed agility, the Southern Isles Prince takes a leapt step up to the tassel gesture offered seat on the Magic Carpet to perch neatly beside his equally slim-hip brother in the front row.

Now as for Carpet's back seat…

"We had better get that bloody thing re-bandaged by this strikingly dark-eyed _petite amie_ of your gallant big brother's as we leave for the continent, mon ami. I have already told them to have our bags packed and ready to go, so we can be on our way to save your girl from that Argentinian rascal _coquin_ , _tout de suite_ (right away)." Ferdinand gives Cassandra a sweeping bow in leading her to attend to Hans' crimson-soaked bandage.

"I know I got a ' _gallant'_ out of that, but what did he just call Cass—in layman's terms? It better be nice or the Frenchy will not be a happy camper with Miss Un-congeniality on this long haul of our ride." With a warning whisper to Hans, Eugene was having a tough time sifting through Prince Ferdinand's thick French language. But he was reveling that his favorite sparring partner/dragon lady of Rapunzel's handmaiden was about to get up close and personal with her new seating companion.

"Umm…your 'girlfriend.'" Hans responds with the French translation that had Eugene and Cassandra both practically puking up at the thought.

"Now that's just—" Flynn begins to have some saucy retort. But the charcoal-grey haired woman, just finishing re-bandaging Hans' thankfully coagulated palm, interjects rather forcefully.

"Just Shut It Up, Fitzherbert, unless you want to be another one of my bloody ' _patients'_." Cassandra hisses, in total disbelief at her misfortune of being sandwiched this intimately between wall to wall men.

 _Okay, rug to rug._

"Hey, you lost the toss, not me!"

 _Hee, hee, my lucky coin never fails the master conman's sleight of hand._

Eugene shrugs as, due to the space occupied by the condensed baggage of clothing, food, supplies, weapons and – _don't forget! -_ Hans' precious letter sack, the slender but athletically built blade woman has to practically sit on Ferdinand Egalite's lap for there to be room for all four passengers on this cozy flight.

 _"Enchante, mademoiselle."_ Egalité eagerly flirts with an eye-rolling Cass as he had ascended Carpet's accommodating 'steps' to the cramped rear seat.

"Don't even think of using those hands." Cass threateningly pre-warns the worldly man who gives her an innocent 'hands' up shrug. Although, the notorious ladies' man was quite looking forward in breathless anticipation to take pleasure in having this lovely lissome lady on his lap for countless hours of high-flying permissible, hold-on-tight-to-something fondling enjoyme—

"Ugh!" But his eager body that had sustained some serious beating injuries down in that mermaid's lagoon could not live up to his male testosterone driven fantasies as he gasps in pain.

Cassandra immediately leaps off the Frenchman's lap back to the sandy beach, as agile as a sleek panther while Ferdinand waves to her apologetically.

" _Pardone_. Not in tiptop shape enough to keep you entertained just yet, mon petit." Sometimes Egalité said over-the-top spicy things to extract himself from an embarrassing situation. And sometimes he did it to take the edge off so nobody knew his real motives.

But, either way, tough guy Cassandra was not biting.

"There's simply not enough room onboard for us all. So, I guess one of us has to be magnanimous and offer to stay." Cassandra remarks pointedly, not rattled as the sophisticated man had intended by his overt flirtation, secretly glad not having to be man-handled by the Frenchman's loose fingers.

"Miss Schmidt, if I may suggest?" Hans, despite his own whirling emotions and time-sensitive mission at hand, still was chivalrous enough to come to Cassandra's aid.

And for that, the young woman's ears perk up, glad to jump at the chance to be at least in close accommodation with the only true, well-mannered gentleman on board this madcap ride. Although, his slim, lean frame made the brothers the logical choice for a compatible fit snugly in the front 'seat' of the five foot long Carpet where Eugene insisted he pilot.

"Just that, if we four each take charge of holding some of the baggage you had strapped - _quite expertly, I must commend you for your diligence_ – to the Carpetl, there will be ample room for your slender form and Colonel Egalité's svelte frame to sit adjacent, side-saddle, as it were. And that way, in a beneficial advantage, one of us will always be positioned as the rear lookout for what the others may not have vantage point to glimpse. Would that be an amicable practical approach for you?" Chameleon Hans had a disarming way to observe a person's outlook and put others in the driver's seat which charmed the down-to-earth, rational Cassandra to no end.

"I'll accept that, Vice Admiral." Giving military respect where it was due, Cassandra submits to Hans' leadership by untying the straps she had strategically placed around Carpet for the satchels and luggage earlier.

She passes the soft clothing and winter coat bag carefully to Ferdinand who nods to her a winning smile. The satchel full of towels, razors and other toiletries is plunked on Eugene's lap with a slapdash thud.

 _Gee, thanks, Cass. All I wanted for Christmas was a bar of soap_.

The food and water basket is relegated to Hans, because from the look of his slim body, he never over-ate like pig Eugene, while the leather wrapped gathering of swords and rifles and metal weapons were taken to Cassandra's own personal account.

Then the in-charge female mounts a patient Carpet comfortably in her aft facing seat fronting a more restfully companionable smiling Ferdinand before she turns to Hans.

"Ready to go now, Sir?" The daughter of the meticulous Captain of the Guard of Corona had a good deal of inherent respect for an intelligent, assiduous officer who took his responsibilities seriously.

Her question earlier to Eugene about his kid brother traveling all these long miles on this crazy trip - just to attend his girlfriend's birthday party - suddenly all made sense now that she could see the determination in Hans' green eyes. It took a lot of smarts and grit and guts and a boatload of devotion to overcome greedy pirates, hungry crocodiles, stalking tigers, deadly spiders, foul sea weather and vicious, tempting mermaids thus far on their Overland Route expedition, according to the tales Prince Ferdinand related to her when dressing his wounds.

Even the prosaic female in Cassandra had to be impressed by all that he accomplished for the love of his fiancée back home as she turns to stare at the back of Hans Westergaard's redhead that seemed to be prayerfully bent in reverent supplication after he gives a nod to Eugene.

"At your command, Storbror." The disheartened Vise Admiral of the Sjoforsvaret gives the disembarking order to the dark haired stubbly man who sat Indian-style on the carpet beside him, then claps his hands together with enthusiasm.

"Okay! If the passengers have settled into their seating, everybody buckle up on Flynnagan Rider's Carpet Express!" Eugene had been uncommonly quiet as he sat in anticipation upon his ride's new set of magic tassels. He too had been watching Hans from the side, pondering if the kid was in emotional turmoil, now wondering if all this ten thousand mile plus travel trouble had been worth it, if, when he gets to the end of the rainbow, some other man may have beat him to the proverbial lustrous royal pot of gold…

"Okay! To the wild blue yonder and beyond at warp speed, Carpet! Let's chew up some sky miles between the sunny beaches of the Mediterranean and the snow-capped mountains of Arendelle, my fine tassled friend! We've got to bring this best present of all home to the birthday girl, ASAP! And then it's baby time for me!" But Flynn Rider would not let this exhilarating moment he'd always dreamed of go to waste as he orders his Magic Flying Carpet to take off and fulfill his little brother's wish.

 _Here's hoping Queenie hasn't found some other guy to already blow out the birthday candles on that flame…I don't know what poor, lovesick Sideburns will do then…Maybe that's when this Genie's lamp wish for 'the chosen one whom the final wish of the Genie belongs' to find the 'true worth of a heart beyond measure_ ' _, will come into play…_

Eugene lightly feels the contents of his own personal hipbag rucksack, recalling when an old whittler woman and a strange sailor named 'Gene' shared with him some ancient stuff of legends meant for the 'chosen one to use in his greatest time of need…

As Carpet really begins to soar with his party of four adventurers at breakneck speed above the clouds, the thief glances in his peripheral vision at the handsome young man lost in thought, with an aura of a jealous, heavy heart hanging over him, all due to an accidental picture of an unfamiliar stranger with a woman so dear, that could never again be unseen.

 _I pray when I do finally arrive you will desire to see me again, min ædle…Or I will have nothing to live for, strive for, yearn for…Not even my oldest dream to spend my first Christmas in the arms of a single person who truly loves me, wrapped in the dazzling pristine white velvet of snow …_

* * *

 _Snow, snow, snow! How I hate the cold and the colorless, stark white of snow!_

Now, Prince Alonso of Córdoba never imagined he would be romancing one of his hopeful royal conquests in his daring chariot and not being in his usual driver's seat.

And never in such foul weather that was too damn cold to even think, never mind flirt, appropriately in this dull drabness that lacks any excitement of bright color!

The Crown Prince of Argentina, with chattering teeth, looks to the pale beauty at the command of his chestnut horses racing like a mad woman for the past day or so on some haphazard path northward.

But the un-companionable silence that Alonso had endured from the cold as ice Queen of Arendelle was fine with him.

The self absorbed Córdoban was not wholly interested in acquiring a lively young thing who would be all talkative and clingy—just someone to be decorative on his arm when they went out to parties or entertained guests in his expensive golden palace back home.

So this gorgeously magnificent female ruler of another kingdom had - _by the way_ \- invited _him_ to come visit from halfway around the world by special invitation.

At least that was what her father King Agdar had written in his letter.

 _Ha! Trade negotiations indeed! Your male heir deprived kingdom was obviously in the market for a royal stud to get some red blood flowing in this chilly royal line's veins again! So course my famous name came up in conversation, I'd wager._

But Alonso, for all his vanity and bluster, had arrived to clearly see, and had been expressly told by the daughter herself that some other Prince – _a thirteenth in-line Dane of all people! –_ had secured that auspicious place in the Norwegian Queen's heart before Alonso even arrived as competitor.

It wasn't that Alonso was a completely gallant and overtly respectful type to be a total gentleman and stop pursuing the highly attractive, advantageous female.

 _That personalized engagement ring on her finger is by no means a wedding band._

But he did get the strange sense that Queen Elsa of Arendelle was, _alas_ , actually in love with that low-ranked, dishonored Prince of the Southern Isles. Love was not normally a prerequisite for members of royalty—rather royal unions were full of nation-connecting entanglements and mutually profitable arranged marriages.

 _A marriage of two royals out of true love for one another? Unheard of!_

Having time to ponder such profound subjects ensconced in this bitter cold, yet bearably temperate, bubble the Ice Queen had magically encased around his speeding chariot and its pair of Criollo horses, Prince Alonso was beginning to wonder if he had been looking at love and affection for the opposite sex the wrong way all these years of being taught by court advisers to secure a royal bride of high enough caliber to unite their nations in view of trade negotiations and peace.

But most of all, a royal female would be required to sit beside his Kingship as his Queen in preparation for when Alonso would fully ascend to power.

When his winning personality exhausted the options for such an marital match back in South America, the Prince of Córdoba's eager chief of staff was only too glad to accept Queen Elsa of Arendelle's enticing hand thrown in the ring by her newly reinstituted kingly parent.

Even if Norway was a faraway distant kingdom full of cold mystery, its proper age, highly eligible, preferable Queen Elsa fit the bill to a 'T'.

Prince Alonso glances down to where that tamed Fire Troll girl named 'Boninite' was calmly sitting between where he and the platinum blonde monarch of this land had been quietly seated in the fast chariot as it sped towards some unknown destination amid the cold blizzard conditions without.

Though neither of them had been rewarded to wear that warming crystal muffler the Ice Queen herself had claimed, Alonso was, in a way, grateful to have the supernatural igneous rock creature's natural heat-emanating properties sitting beside him in the chilly chariot.

"Isn't it about time you gave the team a break, Elsa? We've been going for hours up and down mountains and valleys, and my Criollos must be exhausted, thirsty and hungry—in any given order." After a deep breath, Alonso dares to break the reigning silence of Elsa's icy cold shoulder.

But the Queen of Ice seemed to be in a world all her own, almost obsessed with some insatiable urge to go faster, at any cost. She ignores her passenger's tentative input with a sidelong glance.

"They're just dumb beasts that benefit from being driven hard. No different from this cart on wheels." That cruel, cold streak which was not part of Elsa Bernadotte's normal persona speaks the harsh words as if they were being playacted from another's heartless mouth.

Yet it was in her voice's stringent tones as she puts the whip to the pair of overworked steeds without a second thought's regret.

"You're kidding, right? These equines are of the finest quality, _**champion**_ breeding and are, in no way, ' _dumb beasts'_! And this state of the art transport is **no** ' _cart on wheels'_! I can't believe you would say such a thing of my well honed vehicle!" The Prince of Córdoba legitimately answers with an indignant glare at the Scandinavian Queen's insulting prejudice against his prized horses and adored chariot in the same breath as he forcefully grabs the reins away from Elsa's crazy hands.

Elsa's now darkened purplish-red, possessed eyes flash at him with raw anger. For a terrifying second, her one powerful hand free of the reins he had seized was still clutching the punishing whip. She pulls the horse whip back as if prepared to send a volley of ice shards flogged directly at him at point-blank range.

"Whoa, there! Just giving you some friendly advice, Your Majesty! High strung, high performance bred, champion steeds require a little breather in between epic sprints in these astounding sights which your breathtaking country has to offer." With a haughty, yet winning voice full of airs and graces, Prince Alonso tries to diplomatically tone down his irritation as well as her annoyance as he speaks in such a way that Elsa was not entirely sure if he was speaking about the pair of chestnut horses or of himself in pure vanity by his hand gestures and inward pointing.

After a few seconds of holding back her ice and the charged whip in her hands ready to strike, Elsa throws back her head.

She begins to laugh at the entire overbearing, pigheaded sex as a whole.

"Males are so full of themselves!" Either calmed by his shallow compliments or bored by his inane boastful chatter of man and steed, the once inhibited young woman felt more free and liberated than ever before to cackle right in his face.

Feeling intensely hot, Elsa symbolically tosses that gauche scarf of Oaken's off to reveal her tempting, now plunging, pale neckline accented by the white fur and red jewel berries mixed in. Then she mentally removes with her ice sharp cutting magic the red hot crystal from the scarf to instead be embedded in a thick layer of black ice that forms a verglas dome around the crystal over her bosom.

But with her new perspective on life, it did not matter one bit to Elsa of Arendelle if the arrogant, conceited man was still after her.

After all, she did a mood 180° turn from the shy, modest and retiring young woman of the morning, as Elsa decides she could dish it out as good as he can take it.

A feverish, not-herself Elsa surprises Alonso by suddenly pulling the reins in his hands tight to stop the horses mid-stride in their quick paced forward momentum that comes to a gut wrenching halt.

"So prove to me you've got what it takes to be _my_ champion." Then the provocative young woman turns quite aggressive to face the surprised Argentine with the challenge, her extremely dark shadowed orbs lowered at him expectantly beneath her long lashes.

Then the female flutters her frosty fingertips to feel around the Cordoba man's jaw line, neck and Adam's apple luxuriously, as if inviting him in for a tempting kiss.

"Right here? Now?" Alonso swallows, trying to pull back from her abruptly overt advances. He was not quite the innocent to be uncertain of what the suddenly frisky female was asking for.

But he was much too cautious a prince to take the bait hook, line and sinker for any woman.

"Why not?" Elsa huskily whispers in his ear with a blown cool breath and unfamiliar grin. It was as if all of her introverted fears and propriety inhibitions had been cast aside and turned upside down by the red-hot dark crystal glowing in the embedded ice hovering over her heart.

But Elsa's vixen smile soon turns into a disillusioned frown as if she was rather displeased to find there were no certain attractive trails of side facial hair on this face that she had the vague remembrance she found so acutely attractive on someone else's countenance.

Though right now, in her hazy mind, a dark cloud hung over any sentient thought that pertained to that most cherished feeling of her innermost heart.

Lashing out at that warm feeling that was haunting her to distraction, a vexed Elsa uses her cryokinetics to offhandedly eject Boninite the Fire Troll - whom the Ice Queen was instrumental in saving the life of just days ago - from the cramped bench seat carelessly into the harsh blizzard's snow. Boni sinks deep into the snowfall, as it instantly smokes around her outside the clement vortex.

The fickle blonde with no compunction as to what she just did then wraps her other hand to fondle through a shocked Alonso's mane of shoulder-length brown hair. Her eyes afire, Elsa almost ferociously yanks his face close to hers where they sat now intimately close, their lips only mere millimeters apart…

With dry lips just itching to at last encapsulate Elsa's gleaming, moistened ones, Prince Alonso gives in to her temptation, and instinctively starts to draw her teasing, willing smile closer to his mouth…

 _ **SLLAPP!**_

Whether it was not finding the attractive sideburns there she yearned for – even though in her fervid, unmitigated miasma, the girl could barely remember the face of the man she recalled with fondness who sported them – or a spiteful element of her possessed state unleashed now that deliberately sought to punish, Elsa's seductive smile alters as she gives Alonso's nearing face a hearty slap.

In an un-romanticized response, capricious Queen Elsa pulls her sultry petting hand back from Alonso's startled, practically-drooling-with-renewed-hope face and strikes it with her icy palm, hard.

Alonso reaches up to touch his marred face with an incredulous look at the pale skinned Queen of Norway who viciously slapped the visiting Prince's cheek so rigidly she caused it to immediately have a flushed and deeply reddened imprint of her frigid ice palm.

Before the confused Alonso has a chance to respond to the lunatic Norwegian woman giving him radically mixed-signals, the labile, emotionally unstable Ice Queen slips off the edge of the chariot onto a path of ice.

Then the inexplicable female floats quickly from the vortex bubble left surrounding the vehicle as she fluidly moves in her dusky royal blue body hugging gown across the icy skies of the Saltfjellet mountain range.

A jaw dropped, painfully crimson cheeked, mouth hanging open Alonso of Córdoba licks his bleeding from the cold broken lips at the formerly shy and retiring, upright moral young woman who had morphed on this journey before his eyes into an exciting, tempestuous and brassy vixen.

The worst part of it was that Alonso wasn't all that sure which version of her he liked better.

Before the curious young Prince takes up the reins of his prized, champion horse drawn chariot in pursuit of the fractious female, he has the foresight and compassion he too had been transformed by on this expedition, to use that special insulated sealskin scarf Elsa had eviscerated and discarded after she had extracted its mystical warming crystal, to brave the cold himself and step from the chariot's relative safety.

Once down in the storm-thrashed snow of the glacier mountain river pass that the mad Ice Queen had seemed to purposely drive the chariot up to, Alonso uses Oaken's shredded sealskin fabric to pick up in his gloved hands the Fire Troll girl Elsa had thoughtlessly discarded into the snow that was detrimentally fatal to the heat sensitive being.

She wasn't hard to find, for Boninite's natural body which was knocked out by the sudden surge of the Ice Queen's unanticipated frigid grasp, had melted straight down several layers to hit charred black ground. The quivering wretch of a troll was lying in a hole of four foot wide melted snow in the deep bank some meters away from the chariot at the edge of the glacial river.

Alonso goes way beyond his comfort zone that the snobbish young Crown Prince generally didn't bother to ever depart – and dares to be bold. He heroically wraps up in that bundled sealskin shredded fabric the shivering Nibelung, who was mere seconds away from unconsciously penetrating the glacier's ice surface and be lost to the depths of the Svartisen fjord forever. He carries the semi-unconscious three foot solid reddish creature shivering back to the blizzard-sheltered safety of its horse-drawn chariot like he would a lost child.

Alonso secures Boni onto the still magic ice enhanced chariot in the selfless charitable offer of his own now fairly singed fur poncho. Then the Argentinean Prince grabs the pan of leftover cake crumbs that the Arendelle kitchens had provided for yesterday's supposedly tranquil outdoor luncheon, to fill with water from the thin ice punctured Lake Ranelva.

As he does, Alonso spies lithe Queen Elsa rhythmically moving away in the distance as he fills the pan with freshly broken ice, chilled water.

He brings it back to his thirsty steeds, using seared fingerless gloves that never saw as much work as this in his life – _except for that time I had to dig a hole for Elena_ – to scrape up the cake crumbs now moistened to feed to his hungry pair of neglected and tired Criollo chestnuts.

"You boys want to follow that beautiful, mysterious Ice Queen?" Alonso poses the question to his matched team fittingly named _Rápido_ and _Fuerte_ (Swift and Strong). His curiosity was more than piqued, though his self preservation and sanity were screaming for him to simply turn his chariot around and return down this mountainside as quick as possible to find the nearest civilization away from this nutty northern royal ruler.

"I was afraid of that." Alonso's own conscience, as much as he tried to ignore it, was reiterated by the two valued chestnut Criollo horses who positively whinny and nod their heads with much noble animation to go to the ad of any damsel in distress.

Alonso jumps back onto the chariot's driver's stance in hot pursuit of the wayward Arendelle monarch's inexplicable foot traffic exodus across the frozen glacier lake. The brave horses race across the ice as quickly as they dared towards where the singular sylphlike figure of Queen Elsa was standing in all her snowflake décored cape and fur mantle glory before an ancient looking carved rock face at the other end.

"Let's go pick up the lady, _Rápido_ , _Fuerte_!" In full action mode now, Prince Alonso hops into the bench beside a swaddled, but dizzily breathing Boninite and gives a shake to his chariot reins to direct his team over the black ice center glacier.

Fearlessly, the unaccustomed to such ice South American horses speed across the invigorating thickly frozen waters at full throttle. They soon arrive at the edge of the glacier where the platinum blonde appeared to be preoccupied with ciphering some pictoral encryption carved into the ancient stone rock face.

"Queen Elsa! Won't you please come back into the chariot? I promise to behave from now on!" Swallowing his big chunk of male pride, Prince Alonso tries to gently cajole to gain audience with the erratically ill tempered blonde beauty as he alights from the chariot to again face the cold blizzard conditions outside its shell.

The closer Alonso treads across the slippery ice crevasses at the tributary where two glaciers meet, he could see the historic landmark where a distracted Elsa was absorbed in reading the rock face. It rested adjacent to the glacial runoff where a supernaturally cleaved in half stone gleamed in the light of the day.

It was like staring at a polished piece of dark mirrored glass that peculiarly stood in the stark stillness at this far edge of the mountaintop.

There, within the reflective stone's radius shadow, the harsh, biting cold weather seemed to be abated, as if they were standing in the proverbial eye of the storm where they stood at the fissure between the East and West Svartisen conjoined glaciers.

"Wow. This place would make a cool spot for picnics. You've got a keen eye for location, Elsa. What are you checking out here now? Some ancient Scandinavian native art? Looks like a bird flying straight down the two glaciers into the…frozen water?" The thoroughly baffled, not-a-history-buff-whatsoever Prince Alonso tentatively tries to make pleasant apologetic conversation as he tentatively approaches the high bergschrund accumulation zone.

Elsa had her hands almost reverently pressed against the countless millennia-old engraved stone that was a rune marker of some sort. It had been so cleanly sliced in exactly half that it must've been caused by some cosmic phenomena.

Or act of God.

"This wasn't created in honor of an ancient fictional bird, but for an old Queen of legend, many, many years ago…" Elsa trails off in a low rasping voice when she finally responds after several seconds of silence.

"Oh, good. I wouldn't want to be standing next to some weird suicidal bird gravesite. Because I always felt a strange affinity for the feathered variety – Hey! Don't you be thinking of doing anything crazy, Woman! That's solid rock beneath that glacier down there you're messing with!" Alonso is alarmed when Elsa takes a dainty step dangerously towards the precarious ledge of the rock precipice she was standing only a few feet from.

She begins to murmur in Saami or some other foreign language that stymied the South American man, as if she were ingeniously translating the incomprehensible character words depicted on the flat side of the obelisk rock face.

Ice Queen Elsa spins around in her tall stiletto icy high heels and looks down at Prince Alonso like he was no more than an annoying bug. Then she stands tall and regal and throws her long dark cape over her defiant shoulder as she smoothly climbs the cirque basin's icy firn.

"I will be the _**new**_ Queen of the Winter, as is my birthright to replace her on her antiquated throne." And all at once, the deadly sins of envy and greed drive Elsa, the Ice Queen, to summon her gifted powers of ice and snow to activate each point on the arête obelisk in a rudimentary skaldic pattern.

Suddenly, before Alonso's astonished eyes, they begin to glow like a constellation against the dark stone face.

Next, Elsa uses her frost empowered digits to touch the edge of the waterfall and consolidate the Arctic water and slushy snow to such a frozen degree of cold that it turns to black ice below the arête one more step towards pure reflective glass, just at her whim.

But before Alonso could reach his arms out to grab hold of the indomitable pale woman, Elsa lets her physical body go to freefall. Down she falls towards the hard glass frozen black ice she just created in the glistening Lake Ranelva at the base of the two-part glacial Svartisen's waterfall edge.

"ELSA!" The perplexed Prince screams out with more fear and compassion and care than he ever mustered in his spoiled rotten life as he rushes up to the bergschrund crevasse ledge. With baited breath caught in his throat, Prince Alonso watches the Ice Queen's intrepid skydiving fall sheathed in her translucent silvery blue ice cape to streak straight down in the direction between the cleaved rock glaciers down to the mirrored surface she created that he watched her make a suicidal leap towards.

Only to see Queen Elsa, just moments before she crashed, levitate down and land on the frozen water's surface. She walks straight through the dual glacier crevasse's glassy waterfall reflective stream in an amazing holographic display of magically energized ice at the Svartisen Valley base.

"What just happened?! Did my eyes deceive me? Or did she just walk right through and disappear into that frozen waterfall down there?! Where did she go!?" Blinking and rubbing his eyes, Crown Prince Alonso of Córdoba wonders aloud to Rápido and Fuerte as if this bitter cold land had frozen his brain, too.

"I guess we have to go look for her. It won't look too good on my romance record if I come back alone." But the visiting royal was fairly certain of what he had witnessed—enough for the young man to swiftly mount his chariot beside a quizzical, unsettled Boninite. He leads the horses to find their difficult way down the treacherous blizzard snowbound mountain to investigate where the beautiful Queen of Arendelle had literally abandoned them and melted into the valley of the shadows below amid this frozen cold torrent of drifting snow…

* * *

 _….'No rights, no wrongs, no rules for me'…_

* * *

 _min ædle -_ my precious in Danish

 _Mon ami –_ my friend in French

 _mon freré_ – brother in French

* * *

November Birthday, Thanksgiving and 'Olaf's Frozen Adventure' greetings rolled into one big holiday celebration, Frozen friends!

I hope you were enthralled by all the emotional drama going on in this chapter!

Poor disillusioned Hans! He was at first so pleased and full of himself confident assured to soon be onboard the express Magic Carpet ride to surely arrive in Arendelle soon in time for Elsa's birthday. But now has been shocked into balloon-burst, shattered dejection by some (fake) news reports from home about his fiancee's infidelity with 'the Other Man', Prince Alonso!

And maybe it's not so hard to believe now with the Djævlen Trolden possessed Ice Queen turning to the dark, selfish side of her personality! Whew, boy, El~sa! That red-hot dark crystal around Elsa's neck now stylishly encased in ice on her bosom has certainly made a change in our quiet, retiring Arendellian Queen!

With that old foe Devil Troll's evil, sinful intent and revenge permeating through her soul through the cracks of loneliness and uncertainty, Black Ice Queen Elsa's now on the rampage to takeover the legendary palace of the original Snow Queen! Alonso doesn't know what to make of her sullen to seductive to livid mood swings!

I wonder who can save our Elsa and her Eternal Winter threatened nation this time?

Stay tuned as I try to churn out another chapter in this adventure romance soon!

I hope you and yours had a blessed and Happy Thanksgiving, as we are grateful to the Creator for not only the bounty of the feast, but also our wonderful country and families joined together in the blessed liberty of God's generous Love!

God bless you all!

Love,

HarukaKou


	20. Chapter 19 - Sister Time?

_We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

 **"Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act VII**

 **Chapter 19**

 **"Sister Time?"**

"Wow… So this is Svalbard… That's where you were born, right, Sven? Winter here is amazing… So much snow…" The snowman named Olaf's jaw was dropped in amazement as the reindeer-drawn flying sleigh crosses the frosty sky to glimpse the northernmost region of Norway – for that matter, the world – in all its frozen, untouched wonderment.

Giving Olaf a sideways glance, Kristoff Bjorgman was never the type of man to be astonished by much in this life.

Yeah, he was mildly surprised when the Queen of Norway ended up having ice magic. After all, he had witnessed when Elsa's ice powers were first overmanifesting, on her way with her family to see GranPabbie. Sure, he was shocked to find her love for her little sister could create a living, animated creature named 'Olaf.' And yes, he was floored that Princess Anna of Arendelle had fallen in love with him on their incredible journey together.

After he and Sven and Svala fought to stay above the bitter cold winds and torrential sleet crushing snow all night and all day for the past two days at top flying reindeer speed, suddenly all became clear. Beneath the heavy cloud cover, the filtered aurora borealis' dazzling Northern Lights reflected just enough of an otherworldly magic into Kristoff and Anna's troll crystal necklaces to stave off the harsh weather conditions for a short time.

And the sleigh fondly named ' _Baby'_ dares to dip down through the blizzardy sky at this opportune moment of clear conditions.

There, in the distance, an Ice Castle lay in the heart of the permafrost-coated tundra frontier. It was crafted of glistening snow and shimmery ice much like Elsa's Ice Palace in the North Mountain. Yet it permeated such a different, ancient air of legend in its soft, rounded roofs and rambling architecture as compared to the Ice Queen's sharp tiers and artistically shaped steeples in stylized frigid fractal ice.

A spectacular, huge Snow Castle stretched clear across the snowdrift upon drift of the entire plane of the remote archipelago island. There, the sprawling structure made of solidified snow and crystallized ice gleamed in the reflective wispy swirling purples and greens and blues and pinks roiling around polar night sky above it.

Kristoff had to rub his eyes to make certain this wasn't just some grand hallucination that he, his reindeer team, his wife and his unconscious father-in-law had flown into. They had been plowing straight through the most vicious snowstorm Kristoff had ever seen in his life, spent in cold Norway's Arctic mountains, and he was glad he had built his new fast sleigh to be sturdy enough to take a blizzard's wear and tear.

But they had traversed it at incredible speed, maintaining that high altitude course up in the atmosphere, even without the aid of the insensate Ice King, with only Kristoff's will and experienced know-how to navigate through the knife-edged polar winds like a pro.

It may have helped that this special boy was born the Wind Whisperer's son with extrasensory perception inherited gifts of nature. Or perhaps it was that he was the Snow Prince with some deep connection to the land under the rule of his powerful mother's kingdom that was welcoming him home in a way.

For the closer the flying reindeer sleigh approached the stunning crystalline vista, the clearer the sky became in the relentless blizzard that had stalked the little racing sleigh all the way up here to the farthest North Norway Island.

Like the calm in the eye of the storm.

"Wow! Your Mom's home is so big!" Banging her hands together for friction's heat, Princess Anna gazes up in wonder at the iridescently breathtaking Snow Castle. From November to January it glistened, awash in the mesmerizing Northern Lights that were visible during the daytime only here in Svalbard.

"Home? Could this huge, empty place ever feel like home to anyone? I don't mind the cold, but it's way too quiet down there." Ice harvesting since he was a kid had made Kristoff morev numb to arctic climates than most people.

Or was it that the Snow Queen's blood ran through his veins?

Either way, the special young man steers Sven and Svala towards the wide sprawling Castle in the heart of Svalbard's arctic frontier, surrounded by unsettled wilderness and snow-drowned peaks with cold glaciers amidst ice fields and forbidding icebergs just beyond its rigid cliff runoff.

"It's not that bad, Kristly! C'mon, this place really beautiful… All white… And big…Really big…Wow, it must have like eight hundred rooms… _that's a lot of dusting_ … And at least this sky's awake… Sort of." Trying to see the optimistic, sunny side up, Anna feels her partner in life's troubled senses deep in her own soul, but she would try her best to uplift him through his worry.

She cranes her neck to look at the sparse, yet still stunningly breathtaking, Northern Lightshow display as the little sleigh exits the blizzard. Anna never lost that sweet childlike innocence to see the inexplicable colorful streaks raining from the sky, despite this Aurora Borealis being more muted and vague than she remembered her last visit to a northern location with Elsa and Kristoff and Sven and Olaf and Little Rock to see the amazing wintertime exhibit.

Maybe it was her worry and anxiety for her dear Papa to whom she had been attending to bundle up tight the backseat of the flying sleigh in the cold wind chill weather that had Anna's spirit a little dampened.

 _Oh, Papa. I remember when you took Mama and Elsa and I, when we were real little, out to watch the Northern Lights outside in the snowy mountains outside of Arendelle. We_ ** _have_** _to get you feeling better, so we can all go and do it again together soon, just like I always dreamed, growing up!_

A hopeful Anna rubs her father's cold cheek with her teal mittens, then she plants a sweet kiss on her passed out father's cold cheek for the inextinguishable memory of she and Elsa, ages four and six, climbing the tall hill, laughing together to touch the awakened sky while Papa and Mama watched from down below.

Across the bleak sky over Svalbard, the meager spatter of Northern Lights that were normally uniquely charged at this time of year to flourish, even in the daytime hours, were not as vivid as the ginger haired girl hoped they would be to invoke some change in her poor Papa's unconscious state.

The troll crystal necklace around her own neck was slightly palpitating, but it was not as motivated as she would have expected being so close to the Northern Lights on this polar night's continual darkness.

"Yeah. I noticed how dim the Aurora seemed myself. Hmph…Probably just an off day." Kristoff responds with a shrug, trying to exude calmness for his little wife's sake that he did not feel at all inside.

 _Is this all happening because of the weird, freak weather patterns? Or is it something more to do with the King's collapse and that bad aura I felt at the Saltfjellet? And why hasn't Ragi answered any of my mental messages? I really hope the Snow Queen knows how fix this mess…_

Kristoff thinks, forgetting that his bride could hear his very thoughts through love's special link.

"She has to know, Kristly!" Petulantly Anna cries out, throwing her arms out in exasperated animation. But she just looked adorable to Kristoff, wearing her husband's thick dark blue coat she picked out for his winter wear last year that was way oversized, especially in the thick masculine cut arms covering her skinny ones.

Her jerky actions result in knocking Olaf's unsuspecting head right off the high flying sleigh as it zoomed full speed through the sky.

"Olaf!" Anna grips her husband's muscular arm where he was sitting beside her in the bench seat of the sleigh so tightly in desperation it almost hurt.

 _Almost._

But a got-it-together, competent Kristoff reaches out his long, strong arm to grab the snowman's disconnected head to plunk it back on his discombobulated headless body without skipping a beat.

"Calm down. We'll get through this, Baby. All together we will figure this out, I promise." Talking, driving, rescuing and encouraging all at the same time, cool collected Kristoff's own uncertainty is superseded by his protective devotion to his adored Anna as he gives her smiling assurances bolstered by his own determination to figure this all out.

Anna lets out a pent-up sigh as she releases her squeezed palm clutched around her studly Kristoff's arm, the other to her Papa's comatose one.

"Thanks for being you, my big cuddly yellow bear." She whispers, tears and fears biting behind her eyes subsiding in his soft reassuring brown orbs and mellow voice as she nuzzles her pale blue velvet capped head to his strong shoulder.

"Take us down to the Snow Castle's front door as close as you can, Sven." Kristoff calls up to his furry Rangifer friend as Sven leads Svala to leave the upper stratosphere and fly down towards the palatial huge double door frontage that led into the Snow Palace of the legendary Snow Queen...

It wasn't long before Sven and Svala had the specially modified fast sleigh coming in for a soft landing in the deep snows on the other side of the endless surging Arctic flow that separated the Snow Queen's majestic palace from the glacial icefield. The stunning palatial spread in the center of the vast wintry nothingness was only offset by the impressive 5600 foot plus Newtontoppin peak that shadowed it on the horizon.

 _ **HOWWLLL!**_

"Looks like the wind's picking up. Let's get your Dad inside the Snow Palace." Having had taken off his long coat to gentlemanly donate to Anna, a chilled Kristoff folds up the collar of his flannel shirt to cover his bare neck. He was glad he wore his maroon and indigo striped woolen sweater vest over his thermally insulated gray fur-trimmed tunic in this bitter cold onset.

When the sleigh lands, Kristoff hustles around from the driver's-side to lift the still passed out King from the sleigh to bring into the legendary Snow Palace where his mother hopefully had some healing answers.

"Olaf. Can you knock on the door to tell them we're here?" Anna asks her snowy friend as she helps prop up her Papa from the bench seat of the sleigh to be carried in by Kristoff.

Olaf looks the Snow Palace up and down from his perch on the sleigh, jumping off to do as requested with a merry nod.

"You got it, Anna! I'm an expert at knocking on doors!" Olaf blithely sings as he skips across the snow dusted icy path leading up to the wide steps of the Snow Palace's extra wide double doors.

After several unanswered knocks on one of the frosted doors, the snowman reaches his branchy hand up to the doorknob. But he is knocked down in several spinning pieces of snow mounds by a flash of furry tail racing out from inside the pushed open castle door.

 _ **G-G-RROWW-WLL!**_

A large silvery white wolf with bared fangs comes growling and barreling down the snowy outdoor staircase towards where a vulnerable Anna and Kristoff were struggling to carry the full dead weight of King Agdar from the sleigh up the steps.

"Wolf!" Anna squeaks, pointing over Kristoff's shoulder.

But short of dropping his father-in-law in his arms crashing down adversely to the hard ice path below, there was nothing Kristoff could do but crane his neck to glance back helplessly.

 _ **RR-OARR-RR!**_

Before anyone had a chance to react, another bestial sound emanates from behind the young married couple, more ferally vicious and threatening than the first.

Anna and Kristoff turn from just taking in the sight of the old silvery wolf zooming past them to where the wild canis had run straight towards an angry long clawed polar bear three times his already large male wolf size.

"Holger!" In the melee, Kristoff recognizes his father, Ragi's, companion furry friend in a life or death struggle with a gargantuan over ten foot tall massive six hundred pound polar bear-with demon possessed red eyes.

"Holger! Hold on! Svala! Sven!" The blond mountain man moves decisively in full command mode, utilizing all his resources to the fullest as his reindeer friends come to his barked request for assistance.

Luckily, Anna had already unhitched the pair of reindeer from the sled to take a break, so they were both ready and rearing to respond to Kristoff's aid immediately.

Mentally connected and concise as to his game plan, Kristoff spins around to release Agdar's limp body, much to Anna's shock, for Svala to speedily, just in time, catch the unconscious older man's fall on the reindeer doe's sturdy back.

As for Kristoff, Sven races like quicksilver to mount his best friend to lift with agile antlers over his lowered head. Then Kristoff lunges down in midflight to retrieve his Saami bow and arrow quiver set from the rear of the parked sleigh to fling over his brawny back.

The young man had his bow and arrow drawn and ready in record time as his flying reindeer brings the Wind Whisperer within range to take down the monstrous polar bear that Holger the wolf was valiantly fighting off to protect them.

 _ **T'CCHII!**_

With natural precision and aim, the man of nature releases an arrow, midair from his quiver. It becomes lodged in the throat area of the massive, crazed white polar bear that had its forty-two razor-sharp teeth prepared to angrily tear off Kristoff's nearest appendage as the reindeer and man approached.

Though not a killing blow, the big weighty beast is halted in taking another murderous swipe at the brave wolf with four sharp rows of unforgiving claws.

Sven lands as Kristoff aggressively urges him to charge the polar bear with all the force of the Wind Whisperer behind them as reinforcement to the injured arctic wolf.

"GET BACK!" In an authoritative voice replacing his generally mellow one, the Snow Prince yells out with ferocity as he brandishes his armed bow and arrow directly to aim between the eyes of the choking polar bear.

In painful confusion that led to submission, the polar bear, wearing the six pointed ice star crest of the Snow Queen's kingdom on a decorative collar, finally retreats into the Nordhauslandet's snow engulfed tundra Nordcapp (North Cape) area of the unpopulated northwestern-most tip of Europe.

Kristoff squints his eyes to see if there were any more violent, wild creatures in the barren, desolate island in this far north isolated section of the country. With no trees nor vegetation nor life habitats of any visible sort in the almost -10°C temperature of the snow covered white, otherwise uninhabited land, it was fairly easy to spot any further attacks.

 _I can't believe I didn't sense that coming! What good is this intuition stuff if it doesn't protect Anna?! Argh!_

Fortunately, reliable old Holger was there to bail them out this time, but Kristoff was shocked and angry at himself and his highly aware senses for not 'seeing' that strange and deadly polar bear attack coming.

But it was almost like the crazed, red-eyed carnivorous creature was deliberately sent to stop them from entering the Snow Palace, like some demonic sentinel standing guard just waiting to keep unwanted visitors out.

"Good old Holger. You okay, boy?" From dominant confrontational dynamo to sensitive and tender sweetie, Kristoff Bjorgman bends down to pat his father's dearest companion who had remained loyal and true to the original Wind Whisperer all these countless years that Kristoff didn't dare to add up.

The ghostly silver wolf had sustained a few minor scratches from the strangely attacking polar bear that was part of the Snow Queen's Royal Guard, including a badly sprained foreleg. But the heroic canis would never back down from protecting those under his care.

"What happened to make that polar bear guard go all attack crazy? What's going on here, Holger?" Kristoff's Wind Whisperer sensibility suddenly felt an overwhelming atmosphere of melancholy sorrow and pain with each heavy step he took towards the open door Snow Palace.

 _{Something's wrong, isn't it?_ } Kristoff mentally projects, looking deep into the soulful black eyes of the wizened old Wolf/best friend partner of his paternal parent who indeed raised Kristoff in his own distant way. Kristoff grew up with the mysterious minstrel wandering into his young life from time to time when immature young Kristoff needed guidance the most.

 _{'He knew you would come.'}_ The Arctic wolf's husky voice answers Kristoff on the psychic plane for the first time since the younger Wind Whisperer could understand the language of what all of God's creatures had to say.

Kristoff Bjorgman gazes up to stare into the vast frozen halls of the Snow Palace's open-door, never feeling such a dearth of woeful emotion as he did right in this moment spilling out from its cold interior.

He was lost in these foreboding thoughts, while his legs moved mechanically back to where a huffing and puffing Anna had already loaded her passed out Papa onto the female reindeer's back and strapped him onboard with Svala's reins.

"Scared that mean old bear off easy, huh? You okay, Kristly?" Anna asks, noticing her mate's sudden distress even though her own face was red with exertion beneath that scarf muffler she had secured around her chuffed cheeks for warmth. When he doesn't answer, she smacks the reindeer's rump to move forward to hover up the snowy steps towards the door that a reinvigorated, arm waving Olaf was holding open for them.

"Huh? Yeah. Ready?" Doing his best to hide his perplexed anxiety, Kristoff responds distractedly as he and Sven had started to walk past where Anna was leaning against the sleigh to catch her breath and set to rights her flouncy pale blue velvet skirt.

"I was born ready! Just feel this rock hard muscle! I got this, no problem. Just leave the heavy lifting to me, big fella." Though physically drained from the effort, but never worn in spirit, Anna Bjorgman was puffed proud of herself for being able to secure her cumbersome Papa onto Svala's back– with no help from anyone - and show off her flexed muscles. Then she launches forward to pull herself onto Sven's back behind her fazed husband.

"I don't have muscles. Or bones." As the reindeer bull flies past through the wide Snow Palace doorway where he was being the doorman, Olaf once again laments his lack of some human physiological features as he pauses in his shuffling forward to blink up at the trio.

"Good thing for you, Olaf! By the rate that you fall down, you'd always be in stitches! And not the funny kind!" Even in the midst of uncertainty and unknown danger, Kristoff marvels at how his Feistypants still could manage to make him smile with her bad jokes.

 _How does she know I needed her sunshine right now?_ Kristoff returns the smile as Anna peeked around his shoulder with an offered arm and a smirk at Olaf. So Kristoff squeezes her 'rock hard' little muscle, never mentioning that his own substantial hefty sinew was probably toned to more than five times the size of her thew.

But his Anna was strong because she _believed_ she was. Kristoff had a feeling he would need all his plucky girl's faith and strength too, and soon, as he helps Anna dismount from Sven. The three follow a limping Holger into the front entry where Svala had already gone in.

Adding to his edginess, the minute Kristoff enters as the last one to walk into the Snow Palace, its voluminous massive doors magically close shut behind him, sealing them into the magnificent vestibule at the Snow Castle front entrance. That shining frosty foyer soon split under several columns into hundreds of icy doors down long, winding hallways.

Holger the arctic wolf gives a tug to Kristoff's pant leg to follow him down one of the multiple halls. But the canis begins to involuntarily whimper when his sprained foreleg that the polar bear injured causes him too much pain to walk down the protracted hall so briskly.

"Oh, poor boy. Let me try to help." Anna, without a shred of fear, kneels down to pet the white Arctic wolf and quickly begins to sing a hymn as she tenderly bandages his injured muscle-sprained paw with her handkerchief and favorite yellow hair ribbon tie.

 _"'Come, ye disconsolate, where'er ye languish,_ _  
 _Come to the mercy seat, fervently kneel._  
 _Here bring your wounded hearts, here tell your anguish;_  
 _Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal.'"__

In tune with her healing melody that does Holger a holy blessed world of good, every door of the rows of rooms down that particular endlessly long hall opens, as if the Snow Palace itself sensed they were inside and welcomed her heavenly song not to leave.

"Okay. That's different." A pleasantly surprised Anna recalls her childhood in another palace where the doors always stayed closed, in spite of her finest singing.

Weirded out, but undeterred, she continues to speak. "Come on! This house is so totally amazing! Let's go find your mom and dad! Maybe they just like to play hide and seek with their guests up here..." Bright-eyed Anna attempts to ease Kristoff's creased brow with a simplistically optimistic idea.

"After all, we were invited, remember?" The vibrant girl jumps up and down to warm her chilly appendages in the more temperate, but still cold Snow Palace vestibule. "Boy, am I glad Mama made sure I wore my thick pantalettes!" Anna literally glows with the Troll crystals around her neck that seemed to react to her song as the talkative, bubbly gal boldly waltzes right through the imposing, jaw-dropping hallway of the impressive Snow Palace like she owned the place.

But that was who genuine, unpretentious Anna of Arendelle was. She wore her heart on her sleeve and she would share the warmth of which with anyone—pet, prince, pauper – or frozen queen.

"Hello! Your Majesty? Mr. Ragi? We're here! Just like I promised! I mean, we don't have the babies yet…I think…hee hee…but we've come to visit you! Well, not exactly a visit… You see, Papa needs your help!" Uninhibited Anna would have totally embarrassed her young husband with her brassy phrasing bouncing off the empty corridor walls as they walked the vast endless hallways of the Snow Palace. However, Kristoff had been so engrossed in all the varied noises – _or rather, lack thereof -_ on the psychic plane that he wasn't versed with well enough in his quest, to comprehend her loaded words to his parents fully.

So they all blindly continue to follow Holger the wolf's lead into the confusing maze of the ancient snowy Castle for several bewildered, bedazzled minutes.

It seemed that the deeper they went into the long winding hall's maze, the more they would follow the sound of the wind until it culminated into a faint, ethereal soprano. Coming from everywhere and nowhere all at once, the resonance sounded like it was crying a plaintive melody that echoed off every elegant surface of the icy interior of the Snow Castle.

"Haven't we been by this door before?" Olaf interrupts the silence in a hushed whisper as he points out where his branchy fingers had 'accidentally' grazed the closed lower door panel when he tried to turn the frost coated doorknob after knocking relentlessly and slipped when it wouldn't open.

"Oh, oh! Let's go back up to the roof and find a chimney and shimmy down it like that Father Christmas chubby man townspeople were telling me about! He's a very agile, popular fellow that _everyone_ wants to see this time of year! The Snow Queen might even know him as a neighbor or something! He lives somewhere around here in the north, I think."

The ice brain snowman has one of his 'brilliant' moments as he recalls his first Christmas celebration seeking out traditions for Anna and Elsa.

"I don't think there are many chimneys in this frozen Snow Palace, Olaf. Do you, Kristly?" Friendly Anna tries to be conversational as she responds with an apologetic smirk down to the little snowman. Then she looks to her quiet Kristoff who was contemplatively leading Svala to steady the torpid Arendelle King on her back down the long, empty and frigid hallway that seemed to stretch for miles.

"Don't think so, Anna." Kristoff murmurs noncommittally, exchanging a deep glance with the ebony eyed Arctic wolf as a feeling of dread begins permeate his sixth sense that had been mentally reaching out to both Ragi and the Snow Queen with no hint of response from either thus far.

That virtual radio silence worried the young Wind Whisperer more than anything as he glances down upon his wife's unconscious father powerlessly.

If the timeless Spirit of the Winter and the perceptive man of nature who stood at her side all these years as stable partner and warm conscience weren't here to guide them to figure out what was going on, from fierce blizzard storms to attacking Fire Trolls from the core of the earth, how could a simple mountain boy like him save Anna's family and their country?

"Ugh…" With a grunt, Kristoff places his hand over his eyes as he tries desperately hard to sense something just beyond his reach with his extrasensory perceptive mental abilities as Holger races down the hallway to disappear.

Just then, multihued lights radiating from one palace room in particular stream flashes of vibrancy from the aperture of one of the open doors at the end of the hall. The iridescent beams seemed to coincide with the indistinguishable supernatural melody palpitating with music to the ear pricked up listeners.

"Hey, Anna! Kristoff! I think Holger found someone sleeping in here! And, ooh! Lots of pretty mirrors and candles! Don't touch, Sven. I think that one's real, not just a mirror reflection." Olaf, in search for his missing chimney, had wandered on the accommodating reindeer's back to explore fairly far down the hall to scout out each of the rooms in curiosity and turned into the one the silver wolf had ducked into.

The pleasant snowman always had a fascination to play with fire, even though it was detrimental to him personally. So that strange allure gave the eager frozen creature insight as to where flame might be alight, especially in this otherwise starkly frigid environ.

Kristoff, Anna and an incognizant King Agdar tied to Svala's back, swiftly follow to where Olaf and Sven were beckoning several doors down the icy hall full of translucent ice columns they had been walking around in circles for an hour or so.

What the inquisitive couple finds inside the frosted Great Hall was rather eerily disturbing.

At the side of a magnificent throne made of pure ice, in the center of the multiple mirror piece collected, candlelit lake was a bowery of fresh Norway spruce fir tree boughs amid soft fluffy snow flowers that formed in a bed of downy soft snow. The lights of the aurora borealis were reflected in each mirrored glass surface to intensify light upon an icy coffin made of pure, sub-zero transparent glass. Upon this comfortable bedding, encased in the crystal clear verglas shell encasement that had been set out with obvious loving care and tender emotion, was the limpid body of a very familiar man to one of the visitors.

"Oh no! Ragi!" Kristoff sucks in a devastated racked breath when he recognized the rugged older man's face in still, quiet repose as his friend, mentor, and father figure, Ragi the minstrel.

"Oh, Kristly. Is he…?" Afraid to hear the answer, Anna bites her lower lip, wrapping her arms warmly around her hubby/best friend's back with all her compassionate warmth as Kristoff leaned down to rest his head on the icy glass mirrored surface case preserving Ragi's seemingly lifeless form where Holger was faithfully trying to nudge the coffin glass covering.

"Can't tell for sure beneath this cryo-barrier. He could be just out cold, like your Dad." Kristoff says in even tones, trying to stay calm. But his eyes were wild with hope against hope for the man he had known forever and only recently discovered was his birth father.

"I'm going to get him out of there to see. Here, help me try to chip this off, Anna, without breaking it." Kristoff makes the decision to remove the delicately sculpted transparent rectangular glass lid of the icy coffin that covered wise old minstrel Ragi that was on display in the middle of the Great Hall of the Snow Queen's Palace.

But just as Kristoff, with his sharp, special honed Saami arrowhead and Anna with her silver hairpin were about to figure out how to unseal the ice glass covering yet another unconscious man in the room, a feminine, yet deep voice penetrates the Great Hall in abruptly disconcerting, yet still melodic tones.

"Stop, my children! Ragi is safest in there! After he risked his life to spare me from my greatest foe's return, and lost himself to be trapped in the process, I sealed your father's lifeforce with my Mirror of Reason and the last of my snow magic to keep him safe from the Devil that marauds about us, even now, even here in the sanctity of my Snow Palace." The urgency in a high soprano startles Kristoff and Anna to halt midstream, just in time before they had unwittingly broken the Queen of the Winter's purposeful icy seal.

"Mother?" Kristoff was overjoyed to see his mother at last. But her raggedly worn, unusually unkempt appearance that had not seen sleep for days on end and dulled eyes that had obviously been crying night after night gave the mountain man anxiety anew.

"The Devil Troll is back!? What's happened to you up here?! To Ragi? Why didn't you call me, _Muthir_?!" The only momentarily relieved young man stands to his full tall height in sheer terror to glimpse the Snow Queen's once regal, pristine white visage marred with blackened scars all along her burnt up arms and scorched chest.

"Kristoff, my son. I praise God you are here to keep fighting the good fight in our place." The pallid woman's platinum blonde hair was not in its usual neat up-do that now hung in a disheveled, cascading mess around her slumping shoulders. But her smile gleamed with all the tenderness she could muster for her beloved little boy come home to see her.

The Snow Queen reaches out her trembling hand, but stops herself just before she was able to caress her scratched and blistered palm to touch her only child's cheek. She stands back in the Great Hall full of lit candles and glowing mirrors that reflected their luminosity and magnified that of the Northern Lights streaming in from outside the plethora of long full-length windows.

"The wicked Djævelen Troll we defeated many years ago, well before you were even born crept up into the Snow Palace one night through a small fissure in a frozen heart that now rules the Winter. My ancient enemy has returned to seek vengeance upon this beautiful land placed in my care long ago." She states what has occurred with clinical accuracy in a cold frigid voice before continuing.

"You see, my son, Ragi is dying." The virtually powerless Snow Queen says with more emotion than either Kristoff or Anna had ever imagined the cool and collected Queen of the Winter could demonstrate as she places a cool hand on the mirrored glass coffin.

The extraordinary, mysterious hero named Ragi had nursed the Snow Queen back to health once before, over two decades ago in her struggle to not be absorbed by that all-consuming volcanic fire and the bitter cold threatening to govern her spirit to vanquish it.

All just with his gentle tenderness and warmth of heart that had showed her God's merciful Love did not forsake even a time forgotten woman who hid herself away in her icy sanctum for so many millennia in loneliness.

"And, God forgive me, I was not prepared. I was not strong enough to fight the darkness invading the Snow Palace without my Ragi. Now I fear all the warmth left in my heart is dying with him… And I have not the energy to fight on without him…" But as the ancient Spirit of the Snow, now again alone in her cold, self-doubt, breaks down in unmitigated weeping tears for the first time in her life over the impending loss of her chosen human mate.

Before Kristoff and Anna's eyes, the Snow Queen begins to phase in and out of a stable physical form.

From transparent to solid and flickering back again, the Snow Queen's material form begins to fall out of synch with this world. She becomes trapped in a breathtaking frieze wall painting fresco of sorts, a prisoner in her own frozen lake's Mirror of Reason that she poured all her blessed elemental magic into since this emotional storm began, in order to save the life of the man she loved…

 _It's now up to you, my Kristoff...my Christ-bearer…to bring His Light back to the world…_

And Kristoff hugs Anna closer to him as both realize this frozen Snow Palace was no longer a refuge here in this uninhabited, untouchable top the world…

It was a battlefield.

* * *

Meanwhile, a quizzical Olaf had unknowingly ambled down the long winding hallway that led to the Snow Palace's Great Hall. The door there was strangely the only one still tightly closed, making him all the more curious as to what was inside.

"You guys are really cool. Wondering what the inscrutable looks on your faces mean makes entering this place so inviting! Like that fun new parlor game of Charades! Ooh! Ooh! I bet you're 'Shiver', and you're 'Shake. So the answer is 'Shiver and Shake!' Am I right, or what? Do I win entry?" The perpetually happy-go-lucky, forever optimistic snowman tickles under the chin of one of the pair of 'miming' small, frozen-in-fear-stricken-ice, troll-like sprite statues adorning either side of the Great Hall's massive doorway with his supposed charades response.

And the frozen shut double door latch clicks to turn open welcomingly.

"Whee! I'm a winner!" After humming a pleasant elevator tune to fill the stark, crisp silence while he waited, without a second thought, Olaf wanders in through the large important-looking double doors that were strangely blackened and charred.

But his pleasant humming ceases when he steps through the entrance to gaze up through squinted eyes at the center of the Snow Palace's darkened, seemingly abandoned Throne Room.

"Hello! Is anybody there?" Undaunted Olaf calls out as he putters forward, trying to make out what he was seeing as he blithely sways inside.

As he moves across the slippery, crackly floor to get a closer view, a curious Olaf could just make out the back side of a throne where an imposing woman was seated in the middle of the expansive Great Hall.

She appeared to be wearing a white fractal edged, pointy mantle over a plunging neckline icy blue empire waisted gown, with sheer purple sleeves and a long dramatic cape, embedded with icy 'jewels' completing the imposing female's prim and proper high collared majestic attire.

And that mind-altering hot glowing crystal was affixed to a giant ice snowflake necklace dangling at her throat.

There was no physical clasp or hold over her long flowing cape formed of thin and filmy dark navy ice floating about her shoulders that spoke of the regal woman's dangerous power and wild authority.

The platinum icy highlights frosting her natural pale blonde hair stood up on chilled gel, spiked end to coiffed end that Olaf did not recognize at all.

Blithe Olaf ignores all of the caution warning signs going up in his snowpea brain, as, with the innocent face of a child, he putters around and deeper into the charred room and across the chaotic battle torn Great Hall up to the Queen serenely seated on her throne.

"I'm Olaf and I like –" With his introductory message, the affable snowman squints his eyes to smile across the messy, charred and mirror strewn dark ice lake up to where a statuesque woman was seated in the center of the frozen lake on her throne, all alone.

"– Warm hugs. I know, Olaf. After all, I created you when I was but an immature child. But I can do so much better now that I've grown. I think it's about time for an upgrade. Come to me, my creation."

Olaf's big blank eyes widen with a gasp when he at last realizes to whom the coloratura soprano on its deeper end melodic contour of its chromatic tessitura voice belonged to.

Queen Elsa of Arendelle – no, _Black Ice Queen Elsa of the Winter,_ with her frozen ice tipped spiked hair, stiflingly stately and tall, with deep shirred neckline, and high regal neckdress – steps her tall stiletto ice heels to crackle across the broken shards of the now deposed Snow Queen's Mirror of Reason towards him.

Naïve, unknowing, unsuspecting Olaf the snowman finds himself startlingly drawn into an unyielding cold embrace of blistering sub-zero black ice by one of the two people he trusted and loved the most in the world.

And the palace door slams closed mystically behind the innocent snow creature in a red flared glow…

* * *

"Huh? Did something just happen? Where did Olaf go?" When that flash of fire flickers across her confused mind Anna grips her suddenly ice cold heart.

The younger Princess of Arendelle looks up from her preoccupation with caring for her wounded and exhausted mother-in-law, the Snow Queen, with the definite intuition that something had just gone terribly wrong for her dear little snow friend.

She stumbles with the awful premonition that Olaf is in dreadful danger somewhere nearby, making the emotional young girl almost break down inexplicably in instant tears.

"Anna, wait!" As he had been conversing for the past few minutes with the recuperating Snow Queen in his Wind Whisperer silent psychic communication, Kristoff 's own mental extrasensory abilities had just informed him as to the _who_ had precisely heralded a complete coup d'état of the Queen of the Winter's throne.

Kristoff knew it would be way too painful for Anna to discover the truth before he could figure how to sort the whole mess out.

 _ **If**_ – and that was a very, very big IF – the Wind Whisperer _could_ sort the whole mess out.

"Come on, Sven! Take me to Olaf!" Foregoing her husband's cautious warning he was picking up way to many chaotic signals in this battle ravaged Snow Palace to count, Anna impetuously jumps on the back of the anxious reindeer bull in concern for the welfare of her frosty pal.

Her own bond with the snowman crafted out of the love between herself and her sister since their early youth gave the ginger Princess instinctive insight as to which turn down the long and winding halls of the maze of the Snow Palace to take.

At full reindeer speed, Anna of Arendelle had never felt as fearful and pensive of the near future than she did at this moment of frozen cold fear gripping her heart.

The feisty, impetuous girl urges Sven to race down the growingly scorched and charred, blackened hallway until they were at an auspicious double door. Anna was positive that behind this particular set of entry doors she would find her friendly snowman in imminent peril.

"Hold on Sven, I've got this. Who knows what's behind this door. We've got to be stealthy." Impatient Sven was just about to plow through the closed tight doors, until a calm, cool and collected secret agent Anna raises her hand to halt the bullish Rangifer bull who was also anxious for his friendly frozen associate.

Anna leans over his furry neck to give a quick peek into the frozen castle Throne Room door through its keyhole, when to both her and Sven's surprise, it mystically opens before them the moment she touched it.

"Okay. That happened. Looks pretty quiet and empty in there now. Maybe the bad guys left already. I don't see Olaf. But something still gives me goosebumps about this place. I'll check it out. You go get Kristly." In a decisive team leader whisper, adventurous Anna takes a deep breath and boldly strides inside the dimmed lighting of what looked and smelled like a scorched, tempest tossed Throne Room of the Snow Queen.

As he weighs leaving Anna here alone to fetch his Buddy, Sven pauses halfway in the doorway.

He gazes in curiosity at the strange pair of frozen solid, more elf-like trolls than they normally where acquainted with. The statues of the pale blue and pale red ice sculptures were in odd animated poses that looked like they were in terrified mid-run rather than simply being gothic decorative on either side of the wide double doors.

With a determined face, Sven protectively moves his slippery hooves forward quickly to stick with Anna. But before the reindeer could fully enter behind her, the swishing closed door pushes an anxious Sven out and silently shuts an unaware Anna in.

 _ **HOMN! HO—**_

"Wow. Yeah, Sven, I think they do look so real…almost alive…" In a hushed awestruck whisper at the wintry artwork to her reindeer companion she didn't realize was no longer present, Anna enters the darkened voluminous amphitheater of the Snow Queen's Throne Room. The curious Princess pauses to touch the pointed head of each of the frozen troll-like beings on either side of the doorway interior.

"That's because they once were."

Anna glances up in startled surprise at the deep soprano voice echoing off the ice walls that glisten in the darkness of the Royal Great Hall. She stares into the thick chilly blackness at the source of the voice to where a tall, slender female with a stunningly unique and modern, spiked coif of sticky-uppy hair of pale blonde with white platinum highlights mixed in, along with a large snowflake ice necklace at her throat. She was wearing an icy tall decorated white-neck collar over her empire silhouette blue dress as the majestic woman slinks into visibility.

"… Elsa? Is that you? You look so different…again…" Anna asks in breathless awe, totally not understanding how her dearest big sister – funny new hairdo and outfit or not – could even be here, way up at the top of the world in the Snow Queen's Palace when she thought they left Elsa back home in Arendelle Castle with Mama.

"Welcome to _my_ kingdom, little Princess." The remarkably beautiful young queen, beneath some extra-heavy eye shadow of sparkling blues and violets, glances haughtily down at the new occupant of the room.

" _ **Your**_ kingdom?! Elsa, what are you talking about?! Are you all right? Why are you even here? You don't belong in this place! It's not _your_ home, it's the Snow Queen's! Come back to Arendelle with us!" The ginger girl gulps petrified shock to be gazing into the dark blue, somewhat _demented_ eyes of her beloved sibling, whom she recognized instantly, despite Elsa's drastic change of hairstyle and expression, as well as her starkly blinding wardrobe adjustment.

The loving little sister would know her beloved big 'sisty' anywhere, playing dress-up hair salon that the flawless beauty could get away with in any style, or wearing any chic dress with sophisticate fashion.

But that cool, distant look behind her icy eyes that Anna did not recognize was what frightened her most.

"Home?" The Black Ice Queen merely flutters dispassionately her thickly mascara-laden lashes beneath the deep violet eyeshadow to the young girl on the other side of her throne sitting amid the shattered Mirror of Reason strewn across the Frozen Lake.

" _ **This**_ is my new home." With pursed red lips and swaying hips, this startling dark version of the Ice Queen rises from her throne and points an elegantly extended long nailed finger at a struck-shivering with fear Anna.

" _ **I AM THE QUEEN OF WINTER NOW!**_ " The Black Ice Queen Elsa in her modulated soprano voice, now had a cruelly lowered detached tone that was almost tormenting to hear for human ears. She roars in mighty defiance as her raised arm and hand seemed to have a shadowy evil presence lifting it up from behind.

With ice shards cascading all around her, the new Queen of the Winter begins to manipulate something buried in a three foot high pile of snowdrift. Before Anna's terrified eyes, she forms a swirled being, who likewise had been corrupted by the darkness infused in nearly every frozen fractal of his frigid form as it rises at her ice stiletto heel feet.

"And it is _**you**_ who does not belong here, not I. Whoever you are, little Princess. The world is my kingdom now and will soon be under my frozen rule. All under the cold hard clinical law of the ice and snow under my control, numb with no more pain." Coldly with a cutting voice, Black Ice Queen Elsa turns her arrogant back to lift an invisible verglas veil with her icy sleet winds that batter around Anna and writhe in her wake, to reveal a shady figure in three grayish, garish, dark blue parts.

The snow creature rising from a snow drift pile at her command was perhaps more spiky intricately angular than the rounded triple snow mounds of before, but certainly bigger and broader, and more threateningly abysmal.

"Olaf! Not you, too!" A petrified Anna rushes to her loving snowfriend with a warm embrace, hoping to bring him back to normal amid this day of crazy madness.

"Go away. I don't like hugs." In a lifeless, droning voice, the dark version of Olaf the big snowman shoves her warm cuddle away. He now sported flame-tipped hair branches on his head and fingertips, as well as a wilted carrot on his insanely beady eye-spinning face.

To Anna's horror, the little snowman had been transmuted from the sweet and curious innocent to a ten foot tall, zombielike, indifferent and cruel creature. He rushes a flabbergasted Anna with a lit torch of flaming fire he picks up and lights, swinging it recklessly at the surprised girl, whose gets out-of-the-way just in the nick of time.

"Careful! You'll hurt yourself! That's fire you're playing with, Olaf! What's she's done to you?!" Desperately beside herself with tears at this terrible reality that was more like a nightmare, Anna cries out, backing away from the one creature in the universe she never imagined would be attacking her.

 _And with fire no less! That_ ** _doesn't_** _sound safe!_

But unafraid Anna was trying her best to get around an aggressively dark Olaf and make her way back to persuade a possessed Elsa that she may be somehow mixed up, but was not ever alone—with a loving sister always willing and ready to stand by her, no matter what.

"Elsa! I don't understand what's happened! But we can get through it together! Please! Stop this!" Anna pleads with her sister, undeterred even as a mesmerized Olaf nearly singes her pale blue velvet skirt and flames her white puffball dangling trims with his swishing torch fire.

"Olaf! It's me! Anna! Elsa! I'm your little sister! Don't you guys know me?!" A crying on the inside, but tough on the outside Anna jumps back, now forced to the center of the broken Mirror of Reason by the unresponsive snowman as Elsa looks coldly on.

At Anna's horrified feet was a dark clawed shadowy hand protruding up from the dark abyss beneath the shattered mirror that once covered the frozen lake surface, reaching out for the girl…

"Who? I have no sister. Anna died when we were little. I killed her." The dark Ice Queen dismissively waves her hand for her minion dark snowman, doubled in size, to drag this upstart noisy human girl towards the endless chasm in the midst of the enchanted Mirror of Reason.

There, in the rear of the Throne Room, a possessed Ice Queen, by dark instruction, had invaded the Snow Queen's Castle to personally pierce the enchanted Mirror of Reason. Then the Djævelen Troll Master made his way back from his snow forged seal into this corruptible world once again, through the black hole Dark Olaf was now aiming to force Anna down.

Either that, or burn the ginger Princess alive with the dark snowman's dangerous fascination with fire first, which nimble Anna continually must avoid.

"Elsa!? What?! Don't you remember me?! Elsa!? You didn't kill me! I survived! **I'm** your little sister, Anna! I know you didn't mean to hurt me back then! It was just an acciden–" Pointing emphatically to herself in ultimate bewilderment, the peppery young girl was trying to sift through traumatic experiences in memory and the self-loathing trickery the wicked one had begun to indoctrinate into Elsa Bernadotte's fragile psyche.

But just as Black Ice Queen Elsa's clouded eyes begin to clear, almost hearing the small tinkling bell of her younger sister's sweet voice pleading, there was a loud, distracting boom.

That's when the Great Deceiver's shadowy claws plunge upwards through the already shattered mirror's weak point to grab around Princess Anna's ankle as she was crossing the mirror, and starts to drag her shining light down into the black pit below.

"Anna!" Just then, Kristoff, upon Sven, who had raced back to fetch his best friend with this new emergency, comes plowing through the Snow Queen's throne room doors with a loud crash of cracked ice verglas being smashed asunder by reindeer power might, knocking a stunned ten foot tall Olaf thoroughly apart by the sheer impact of the flying open doors.

The blond Ice Harvester and his reindeer fly across the vast Royal headquarters at top speed to hover over where Princess Anna was being sucked down by some inexorable dark source.

" **Let – Her – Go**! I've got you, Baby!" Kristoff puts all his brawn and strength to pry the deathly black shadow's claws from around his little wife's skinny legs.

But when he was just about to make some headway with sheer force and Wind Whisperer will against the evil menace from the depth below, Black Ice Queen Elsa decides to peddle her influential mystic powers against him from the surface.

The spiky haired young woman launches a volley of ice bullets to take the reindeer down to the shattered mirror nearby in a dark curtain of heavy torrential sleet that cascades right over where hovering Sven was attempting to remain airloft. But the soaked heavy weight of her ice pervaded his saddle bags and drenched rider Kristoff, causing the mountain man's wet palm holding tight to Anna's hand to slip…

And, in shock within Kristoff's devastated eyes, without a single scream for herself, Princess Anna of Arendelle is pulled down beneath the Mirror of Reason into the ebony of dark shadows below it.

"NOOOO!" Kristoff gutterally screams for both of them as he helplessly watches his true love plunge to the depths of nothingness.

With only a momentary glance up into Black Ice Queen Elsa's dispassionate, uncaring eyes, Kristoff Bjorgman does would any sane, logical, coolheaded young man with a brand new young wife would do in such a situation.

He dives headfirst into the cracked mirror's abyss with no lifeline, rope or tether whatsoever to stop his descending fall into the dank smoking, stenchy brimstone abyss below.

In another selfless heroic action, his reindeer buddy, Sven, copies him with some powerful leg thrusts to break at the already cracked mirror with his hind legs that Elsa had cleverly iced to the frozen lake with her ice spikes to ensure the flying beast could not attempt a daring rescue.

But an indomitable Sven falls down into the same endless chasm by his own accord just seconds after Anna and Kristoff had dropped into the smoky pit below.

"Ha ha ha ha hah! Well, that was entertaining, wasn't it, Olaf? Now, let us get to the real work of freezing the entire world to beautiful ice age snow and frost without further interruption or delay. I _**will**_ prove what I can do, test all my limits, to everyone—all by myself." Cruelly, the Dark Ice Queen cackles in the light of witnessing others in pain and anguish that her broken heart remembered so acutely, but now transferred into vengeance to all she once loved and held dear.

With this world in her powerful hands, Queen Elsa categorically refurbishes the Snow Queen's chilled Snow Palace, creating an icy three dimensional topographical map of the world her intelligent mind reconstructs over top the shattered pieces of the Mirrored Lake of Reason.

As she surveys the enlarged map of the world that spread across oceans and continents her ice artfully represented, the new Queen of Winter, under the Djævelen's scheming design, smiles. Her plans to soon encase every part of the globe wholly in bitter cold ice that similarly filled her lonely heart would come into play.

A discontented, forlorn and loveless Ice Queen would purposely this time make an Eternal Winter befall the entire planet now that she ruled in the stead of the original Snow Queen who justly governed the wintry world which a Higher Power granted into her care, to ensure that the seasons come and go peacefully.

 _As long as I have my beautiful ice surrounding me, I have no need for seasons, sisters, or…lovers denied me anymore…_

As the entire section of Scandinavia on her frozen raised map and all the oceans and seas continent around it start to fall to stark white ice, Queen Elsa's eyes narrow in confusion, seemingly trying to recall something important, while her fingers idly dabble at the opposite end of the world, tracing as far as the Indian Ocean in southeastern Asia where just the vaguest memory of a large chunk of her bitterly broken heart was once believed to reside…

* * *

 _ **Hundreds of miles South of the**_ _ **Snow**_ _**Palace**_ _ **, a short hop to a continent away…**_

For the past week or so, Princess Rapunzel was finding it more and more difficult to raise her eight and a half months pregnant body up from her Corona palace bed.

Even though her doting father advised against it, particularly in this snap frost snowstorm that had befallen Corona and all of neighboring countries from a harsh wind chill blowing from the North, his free-spirited daughter would not miss the lighting of the third candle of Advent on this thoroughly chilly early December morn.

Thankfully, Rapunzel had an ally in her Aunt Willow, who had come for a visit at last minute just yesterday. Ever since the vibrant thirty-something woman with the rich brown hair in a ponytail arrived, Rapunzel's globe-hopping, world-traveling Aunt had been trying to convince the expectant girl's wavering mother, Queen Arianna, that the exercise would be good for the precious peaked Princess after being sick and laid up in bed for days on end.

And not only would it be good for the pregnant young woman's growingly plump, languid, sluggish body, but also beneficial for her lonesome heart to seek solace in fellowship and venture her spirit within out to walk abroad among mankind.

"After all, Ari, weren't you the one who taught me and Idun growing up to this Gaudete Sunday in Latin meant 'a Sunday to rejoice'? Isn't the purpose of changing the purple candles to pink is to represent the transition from the preparation season of repentance into a season of a joyful celebration?" Princess Wilhelmina of Sweden had arrived from her expeditions in the Yukon on this first day of December, just in time to see her physically and emotionally weak niece Rapunzel in confinement.

"Yes, little sister, I did. I'm glad to see you remember your Sunday school learning after all these years." Queen Arianna gives her least likely to be listening to classes littlest sibling a wry smirk. "And indeed it is the time for rejoicing. But…are you sure you're feeling up to it, my girl? You've been in a bad way of late, where no reading entertainment, herbal drink supplement, painting diversion, nor dietary changes have done any value to your health. The temperature outside has dropped significantly, and your father has ordered all furnaces and fireplaces in the castle at full blast just to keep your room at peak warmth. The poor man's terror-stricken for you catching cold in a reckless jaunt to that downtown Prussian church in your delicate condition… And with our family history of pregnancy, he may be right…" Rapunzel 's mother, Queen Arianna had barely survived her own childbearing time herself, and had just endured a long session with her overanxious husband over their daughter so terribly ill in bed with a complicated double pregnancy expressing his over-concern for any heedless outing.

"You think this is cold, Ari? Ha! Up in the Yukon camp we had freezing conditions so bad one week that none of the boys or I could wear any of our undies lest they froze stuck to our—" Saucy Willow begins to recount her thrilling tale of rugged survival in all its salacious detail when her more stuffy older sister interrupts with an exasperated choking cough of embarrassment in front of her daughter.

"That will be quite enough of your undignified manner of living with unsavory company in those far-flung locations of yours, Ms. Wilhelmina!" The older sister recalled her rebellious littlest sister's uncouth practices and simple way of talking up her traveling exploits as Arianna gently scolds her baby sibling with a punishing smack to her about to be crudely described rump.

"Ouch! You Priggy! That's the name Idun should have called you all those years ago, not just 'Primmy'!" In angered complaint Willow murmurs, knowing how their middle sister's nickname vexed her prim and proper elder sister so.

"Wilhelmina Drottningham! I am going to give your hide the real tanning it deserves! You've been asking for it for a very long time!" Queen Arianna leans down and picks up one of Eugene's soft velveteen slippers at the foot of Rapunzel's king-sized bed and begins to come at her youngest sister as a reprimanding mother would an obdurate child.

"Hee hee hee!" Rapunzel breaks the high tension with a chuckle of glee at the pair of sisters still at each other's throat like youngsters again.

"Oh, Mom, Aunt Willow! Watching you two interacting is the best medicine of all! I feel completely fine, now! Isn't it wonderful to have a sister?! I wish I had one to argue with!" Rapunzel giggles with a contagious joy she feels in her heart that causes the pair of bickering sisters to break out in smiles, too. "Please help me get dressed all warm and cozy, so my snuggly pair of sisterly shepherds can escort me to light the joyful shepherd candle on the Advent wreath I almost missed out on yesterday in my doldrum gloom." Rapunzel gives a grateful hug around the astonished necks of Willow and Arianna both, pulling them together as all three women laugh in their part of the season of celebration's rejoicing.

And so, some minutes later in St. Katrina's church in Kuldiga downtown, a determined and dauntless Princess Rapunzel of Corona lights the third Advent candle with her Mother and Aunt supporting her fragile with child – two of them – form up to the church's altar. The holy shrine was beautifully decorated by the townspeople she loved for the upcoming Christmas celebration of what would come in three short weeks ahead.

 _"'Rejoice in the Lord always: again I will say, Rejoice. Let your forbearance be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.'"_ Philippians 4:4-7

"Dear Lord, thank you for bringing laughter to me this morning. And I know, if you could lead shepherds by night with your radiant shine, You can bring my Eugene and his brother, Hans, up to Norway and then back home to me for Christmas." Rapunzel fondly says the silent prayer to the lovely baby boy in the hay covered manger in the holy scene.

She recalls how touching it was for her younger cousin, Anna, to be going all out to bring Prince Hans back to his fiancée Elsa for her birthday at the winter solstice start.

 _Especially knowing how Anna feels about your little brother, Eugene. Now, that's true sisterly devotion to forgo her own dislike and doubt because she knows how her big sister feels about the Danish Prince. I hope all you guys are all ready for Hans to arrive with_ _Eugene_ _soon! I wish I could be there to see the smiles on all your faces! Except maybe Uncle Agdar…_

"But it's Elsa's birthday and Christmas week combined! I'm sure her Papa'll come around in those happy occasions too, once he sees how much Elsa missed Hans, and how faithful he was to her! And then, maybe for New Year's, all together we can celebrate and rejoice in the miracle of birth as a family with our two brand new little girls. Because as I am finding out, sisters are the best kind of magic." Intently listening to a blonde little child's soft voice reading of the Word, a moved from anxiety to hope Rapunzel whispers her heartfelt prayer.

"You hear that, my girls?" Massaging her full with children stomach with an inward whisper, the young mother-to-be acutely sensed her time was drawing near to deliver her twins. But for one shining moment, the unsure Princess of Corona, soon to be a mama, was not too fearful or overcome with fretful concern. After all, her Eugene gave these treasures growing in her womb to her as a forever Christmas present to a lonely girl who would never be alone again.

The new parents would raise these twin sisters to be the greatest Christmas presents to one another – and hopefully love one another as the closest of best friends like their Aunts Elsa and Anna always showed as exemplar models– in the gift of sisterhood that keeps giving back to the rest of their blessed days.

As the choir sings the 15th century ' _Gaudete'_ carol low and reverent in Latin in the background, Princess Rapunzel sincerely feels that Christmas magic as she bravely stands and approaches the sacred Nativity scene with her Advent wreath, smiling at the precious Baby Jesus wrapped in swaddling clothes there with contentment.

There, with the aid of her dear Mother and visiting Aunt, she lights the pink rose candle affixed upon her Advent wreath in honor of this holy season full of hopeful joy amidst penitent suffering.

A tenderly smiling Pascal, ever faithful on her shoulder, turns a shade of rose to match her lit candle on this Gaudete Sunday of Advent, with the love for her dear ones and family, near and far, close to Princess Rapunzel's encouraged heart.

 _'Gaudete, gaudete!_ _  
 _Christus est natus_  
 _Ex Maria virgine,_  
 _gaudete!__

 _(Rejoice, rejoice!_ _  
 _Christ has born_  
 _(Out) Of the Virgin Mary –_  
 _Rejoice!)__

 _Tempus adest gratiæ_ _  
 _Hoc quod optabamus,_  
 _Carmina lætitiæ_  
 _Devote reddamus.__

 _(The time of grace has come—_ _  
 _what we have wished for,_  
 _songs of joy_  
 _Let us give back faithfully.)__

 _Deus homo factus est_ _  
 _Natura mirante,_  
 _Mundus renovatus est_  
 _A Christo regnante.__

 _(God has become man,_ _  
 _With nature marvelling,_  
 _The world has been renewed_  
 _By Christ who is reigning.)'__

* * *

' _Gaudete'_ \- 15th century carol sung by monks at Christmastime that means 'Rejoice!'

 _'Come, ye disconsolate' – Hymn written by Thomas Moore & Thomas Hastings 1816_

* * *

Merry Christmastime, Frozen friends!

Is it Sister Time or what?! (I keep hearing Elena and Isabel singing the catchy Spanish tune:)

Wow! Sister Alert! Sisters are magic, but the Arendelle girls are having an emotional rollercoaster time, where Elsa and Anna have run into a rough patch in their relationship this episode, haven't they?! Even sweet Olaf has turned to the dark side, where a possessed Elsa doesn't even remember her beloved sister correctly anymore! That bad ole Devil Troll has manipulated poor Elsie's memories of her little sister, making her believe she actually killed Anna when they were young, turning her lonely, distraught heart bitter and cold.

Lonely, possessed, exploited Elsa broke the Great Deceiver out of his prison beneath the Snow Queen's Mirror of Reason and now has usurped the title of 'Queen of the Winter'!

Who can save her now that she's forgotten her beloved little sister and doomed her down into the pit of fire? I think her cologne-fragrant Magic Carpet King is on his way to the heroic rescue of her broken heart!

Maybe a little help in the form of a handsome Red elf is on his way…(And I don't mean Santa on a magic flying Carpet ride! *0^)

The ' _Greatest present of all was given to me long ago'_ in my big sister, too! My Setsuna is my Inspiration, my best friend, my heart, and my Elsa that God blessed me with! :)

I know it's been a while but it's a busy time of year for us all, decorating the house with pretty lights and Christmas tree hanging ornaments, and getting presents ready for our friends and family!

But amid all the tumult and hectic-ness, let's never forget the true Reason for the season! Christmas is the holy blessed day when God became man to save this world from the darkness of sin with his Light and Warmth that we should rejoice all year 'round for!

 _'Hark the herald, angels sing! Glory to the newborn King! Peace on Earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!'_

Let's hope our manipulated Elsa and confused Anna can soon be reconciled to recapture the memory of their favorite time of year as we watched in dear Olaf's search to find the loving sisters' true Christmas tradition!

I'd love to hear your reviews of this shocking, dramatically transformative chapter where the Black Ice Queen is on the move to freeze the entire world under the Devil Troll's cruel manipulation!

Love, and Christmas greetings! 9 days 'til Christmas countdown!

God bless us everyone!

Ho,ho,ho,

HarukaKou


	21. Chapter 20 - A Girl Worth Fighting For

_We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

 **"Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act VII**

 **Chapter 20**

 **"A Girl Worth Fighting For"**

As a dashing man of good breeding and graceful airs dismounts his noble steed, he realizes that everything at last was going his way when he stops to gaze at the panorama waiting before him.

Arendelle Castle was decorated to the teeth, from its queenly silhouetted flag front entrance road, to the ribbon draped courtyard walk, to the brightly lit steps leading up to the silver and blue garland accented balcony rafters and every colorfully festive pavilion spot in between its vivid red holly berry and violet Arendelle crocus symbol leafed mistletoe décor.

The castle was not only decked out for the upcoming Christmas holiday celebration in less than a week, but also the birthday celebration of their Queen. Footmen and handmaidens of the realm were all attired for the celebratory evening in immoderate fancy dress of servants from a bygone era of French Royal courtiers.

As those domestics, men and women alike in Rococo white face makeup and tights with silvery spit curl wigs, busy themselves with last minute setting up of the exquisitely ornate Great Hall, the handsome youngest Prince of the Southern Isles strides in past them with his own regal head held high.

The palatial doors of the ballroom are whisked open by Arendelle's Chief of Staff Royal Minister himself, Minister Kai, who, with a reverential bow, smiles. He welcomes the comely young Dane into the orchestral filled room replete with couples dancing in magnificent ball dresses and fancy tailcoat suits in measured time to Bach's Christmas Oratorio and Handel's Messiah inspired holiday music.

In perfect rhythm with the flowing Mozart waltz quadrille that starts, Hans Westergaard smoothly squeezes through the massive swirling skirts, agile legs and motioning arms gracefully intertwining with one another in an assemblage reel.

Looking quite dapper himself in his finest brocade cream suede dinner jacket with tails and gold rope aiguillette, attractive Hans Westergaard was intent to scan through the noisily thick and broadly smiling festive faces in the crowd in search of a certain pair of beguiling eyes.

"Welcome home, Prince Hans!" The small and thin Queen Mother of Arendelle was in full masquerade, wearing a Valkyrie armored helmet and cape as she rushes forward to warmly grasp the gloved hands of the Danish Royal to bring him into her family circle.

"Vise Admiral! I perceive you received my orders to return for my daughter's birthday bash. See, Anna? I told you my second-in-command of the Navy would bend over backwards to arrive promptly in time, in true seafaring style." King Agdar, wearing a long bearskin fur mantle, metal plated armor and tall boots of the thunder god, Odin of ancient Scandinavian lore, was pleasantly nodding to an astonished Hans as his wife Idun leads the redheaded young man into their intimate family fold.

"Yep. That Red is punctual, if anything. And he knows how to make a splashy entrance, for sure, even _if_ he forgot to wear a costume to Elsa's birthday _Masquerade_ Ball I _told_ him about in my letter." Princess Anna of Arendelle adds her saucy two cents, breaking into her father and mother's congenial smile at the young man as the girl beams up at him from ginger braided ear-to-ear, wearing a funny homemade Viking hat and patched together sorcerer's cape outfit as her birthday masquerade attempt.

"Glad you got here in one piece, Hans. You sure played it close. But better a miss than a mile, right? Anna's been driving us crazy with her constant ' _Is he here yet?_ ' surprise of you coming for Elsa's birthday party, every morning for the past month like clockwork. Here's your nonalcoholic eggnog refill, Feistypants." Kristoff smirks down at his thirsty bride from where he was game to be wearing his festive 'Jolly Ole Flemmingrad' inspired, grass hat and collared moss cape and green lichen beard over his blue striped vest and stockings as he joins his wife's side. She downs the glass of the sweet spiced eggnog she adored that always gave the greedy gal a thick milk moustache.

"Of course my Vise Admiral would not shirk his responsibility to respond to my summons. Especially not with the added incentive return for our Elsa's celebration, would he, Idun? Do please join in the festivity, Prince Hans! The egg nog is excellent this year! In fact, here, have mine, son. I've already had seconds and my wife wants to keep my blood pressure in moderation. So drink up, my boy. Then feel free to meet with your girl, we'll talk Naval business afterwards. My future son-in-law shouldn't disappoint his fiancée with tardiness on her birthday of all days after making such a protracted passage home to arrive just in time." Commandingly overbearing King Agdar speaks in his deep baritone with unexpected pride and warm reception at a puffed up Hans with an almost fatherly pat to the boy's shoulder's epaulette, making Hans feel almost giddy to abide by his wishes.

After all, if Elsa's oft moody parent wanted him to partake of the festive tradition, as the older man's inviting eyes compelled him to down the rest of the rum mixed cocktail holiday drink, Hans must dutifully obey, if just to maintain good relations with the normally unyieldingly cool moustached Ice King.

"A proper gentlemen is always prompt to attend to his lady. As you were always attentive to me, my love. Elsa has been pining away for her man these past months. It's her birthday night. Don't keep her waiting much longer, Hans dear." It was almost funny to converse with the amiable older Queen whispering melodically in his ear in her full Valkyrie armor and breastplate costume, pointing her broadsword in the direction of the ballroom that was swiveling around his swimming head.

 _Elsa! My love, it's been too long!_

There, a wide-eyed Hans almost jumps with glee to spot his beautiful Ice Queen, who appeared out of nowhere on the dance floor of the ball room when he wasn't looking.

The pale blonde Queen royal in mask and displaying a startlingly different style of pointed spiked hair for her masquerade, was just finishing artistically swirling her filmy cape and skirts in a long legged waltz with a merry satisfied laugh to the young man in a dark cloak she had been partnered with in the dance.

The dark hooded man makes a sweeping bow dramatically up at her as the entire room explodes in applause for the birthday girl, who curtsies to them with a flourishing wave that strangely seemed to enjoy the adulation for once rather than her usual shyness.

"Please excuse me, your Majesties." The slightly inebriated, red in the face young Danish Prince quickly moves across the room to catch up and cut into the dance to where he immediately recognized his Elsa sporting a masquerade costume of a high collared, prim and stifled Snow Queen rather than her own sleek, freeing fashion he preferred.

But nonetheless, she was breathtaking in Hans' eyes.

"Excuse me, may I…" But just as he arrives, the young Queen coiffed in a decidedly attention-grabbing spiked hairdo, and her dance partner Hans instantly envied were exiting the ballroom out through the glass balcony door.

"… cut in?…"

Hans words were apparently swept away by the chilled winds, not heard at all. Before an invisible Hans could make a move to tap her icy shoulder to turn her straight, slender back to him, Elsa and the young man wearing the dark hooded holocaust cloak swiftly leave out the balcony door that is silently swept open for the reigning Queen.

It didn't take long for a even a blurry-eyed redhead to adeptly maneuver through the five pairs of various costumed guests dancing a quadrille as he makes a beeline for his target who seemed to purposely sneak outside to avoid him.

The suspicious Prince, feeling hot under the collar with jealousy as well as the alcoholic rum, abruptly throws the glass balcony door open in resentment and brashly walks out to confront the pair apparently trying to ignore him.

His white gloved hands were in fists by the time Hans approached the giggling, conspiring couple at the ledge of the balcony, where they were totally engrossed with one another, whispering sweet nothings under the moonlight at close proximity.

"Elsa? Are you not glad to see me? I'm sorry I may be a bit late, and not in proper costume garb, but I hurried the best I could all the way from where my ship was docked in south India to arrive here for your special day. So here I am. And may I say, you look amazing in your masquerade costume, _min elskede_ (my beloved)." Calming his ire, Hans begins explaining in a gentle, tender tone as he tries to beseechingly capture her distracted eye with his natural charm.

"Better _never_ than late. I'm surprised they even let you in without fancy dress." A young and raspy voice comes out from beneath the cloak's hood with a nasty retort.

"What business have you here, sir? **_I_** am Hans Westergaard. Elsa is **_my_** fiancée. I _**will**_ be her dance partner for the rest of the evening." In a darkly accusatory voice he rarely wielded in public, Hans possessively moves his svelte body in between Elsa and the dark robed man, pushing him backwards. "Please move aside."

"Hey! First come, first served, _Tonto_ (Fool!)!" The overconfident, snobbish Spanish accented voice does not submit so easily, with a aggressive push back using his long bladed scythe staff for leverage against the taller man and pointing its sharp end at Hans.

 _Your error._

In full confrontational mode, the Dane whips out his naval sword, always at his side and simultaneously grasps his rival's unfriendly shoulder to spin him round. Slitting the hood's ties at the man's neck with his sabre's razor sharp end, Hans adeptly flips back the hood to reveal that expected tawny brown haired head he'd seen illustrated in the newspaper. "Aha! So it's true!" Hans staggers back woozily at the disturbing revelation that the rag paper was not spreading falsehoods of the Queen of Arendelle's new suitor.

"You should just see yourself! Drunken sailor attacking a royal guest of honor in the palace!" Prince Alonso, wearing a black mask, chuckles at the headlines as he takes a step back to the balcony ledge where he left his wine glass earlier. The Argentinean continues to chortle as he swills a half-empty, tall wine glass self-assuredly at Hans.

But by now, the angered, jealous Danish Prince did not care one bit that nearly every eye, even the musicians in the royal Ballroom behind him suddenly stop and stare, as aghast gasps of startled, distressed ladies' sensibilities ensue.

His green eyes slit in the full twilight at the masked Córdoban whose lip curled into a sneer at this unmitigated envious newcomer's raw jealousy.

"I, as a wholly eligible suitor and suitable Crown Prince of an essential ally country's foreign kingdom, was personally invited by _Queen_ Elsa at her father the King's request, to enjoy her birthday party with her. You, on the other hand, aren't even properly dressed to attend her birthday Masquerade ball, never mind behave civilly at it. **You're** the one who doesn't belong here." Prince Alonso, like all the others save for Hans, was in full costume gear in the getup of a dark cloaked shadow reaper. "Elsa, my dear, do you even know who this ill mannered scoundrel is? He is ruining the effect of our well matched silhouettes in the moonlight, _Bonita_. (Beautiful lady)." The Hispanic young man brushes Hans off with a dismissive backhand then returns to blatantly tickling his gold tipped mini death scythe underneath Elsa's smiling, silky throat.

"This boy? Let me see. He looks vaguely familiar, Alonsy…" Hans is gratified to at last have his inattentive woman's unconcerned attention finally fall to him as Elsa had been treating Hans rather more like a stranger thus far than her returning lover. But perhaps the excitement of the evening in her honor, as well as that iridescent jeweled mask covering her exquisite blue eyes, had gotten in the way of her recognition of her own fiancé.

The Ice Queen whose skin was paler than the moon, with eyes that shine like stars at him, uses the end of her golden queenly sceptre to upturn Hans' long chin for further study.

"It is like I have seen his face somewhere before…" Elsa dangles the phrase, Hans ready to forgive anything as he hangs on her every word and batting eyelash up at him. She considers his handsome features with the seductive finger now running along his strong chin, noble cheek and up his well honed sideburns until her azure blue eyes lock with his viridescent green ones.

"Elsa, darling? Of course you must remember your own Hans." He speaks in gentle tones, caressing her cool fingertips against his lips with the tender plea.

"Oh, yes, I recall now." The Ice Queen smiles softly, giving Hans an inkling of indication that his beloved had been simply teasing him with all this chilled coolness as he had heard every cultured female tried to exert over her man from time to time.

 _I think I can get used to that…_

Still on a relationship learning curve, Hans drowns helplessly in the deep sea of Elsa Bernadotte's bewitching eyes and artistic frosted fingertips playing snakes and ladders up and down the warm tender skin of his neck and face region.

"These are the eyes of the man who once tried to execute me." In a sudden fluctuated monotone voice lacking any emotion other than aloofness, the Ice Queen answers at last as the palm of her hand freezes against his sideburns in a punishing flash frost.

"Get rid of him for me, Alonsy. I tire of these sad, puppy dog eyes so greedily possessive looking at me when he knows I can do so much better than him." With words that were more cutting than the harsh slap across Hans' wide-eyed and crackled ice sideburns face, disgusted Black Ice Queen Elsa carelessly pushes the Danish Prince's vulnerable body into the dark cloaked man's direction.

"My pleasure." Prince Alonso of Córdoba's scratchy voice dripped with an evil sneer beneath that bejeweled black mask still covering his eyes as he turns to face Hans and slash that costume prop death scythe towards the despondent redhead threateningly.

Hans leaps away nimbly, but the throng crowding inquisitively from the ballroom inside was now full of critically jeering familiar voices behind a sea of masks that Kristoff and Anna were now leading the pack of, forcing him back out onto the uninviting balcony.

"Looks like that trip was for nothing, pal." The big blonde mountain man shrugs as he adds his own mellow voice with the cruel taunt behind his own throbbing jewel decorative eye covering.

"You didn't get here fast enough, Red! You're such a loser!" Even little Anna was now sporting a fancy Yule goat decorated masquerade mask emanating heat as she and her big husband were looming towards Hans, too.

"We knew it was too good to be true. He's still just a worthless boy."

"Unwanted little Squirrel. Why would you ever think a powerful Queen would want to keep you?"

"They should've left him shipped off to the Navy. That's all he's good for. Swabbing decks! Ha ha!"

Several of Hans' older brothers, Mattias, Didrik, Jürgen and even Lars appeared to be attending Elsa's birthday party as well. And they were all once again ready and eager to look down their long noses on him again in disdain—just as when he was a boy.

"Give back what belongs to him, and wash your hands of this regretful episode before it's too late for you, just as I advised, my snow Angel." In Odin's intimidating costume furs, the King of Arendelle joins in the disparagement under another mask, making demands to his daughter, Elsa, over Hans' shoulder.

Hans' frightened eyes look to Elsa for moral support amid these grumbles of mockery and derision and contempt, but the spiked-hair blonde doesn't give a second thought to him as she flippantly removes the engagement ring of the exquisite blue and diamond snowflake design. Hans had worked and saved and designed that particular ring for years to give his fantasy Queen someday, and in reality it had cemented their betrothal only a few months ago.

"He always had the weakness of needing to be loved too much—silly, sniveling child." Another chilling voice from Hans' past, his kingly father whom he had believed to have made amends with due only to his sweet Elsa's intervention, speaks disapprovingly now, giving the boy that terrible, hollow feeling inside once again.

 _Love, Father? I thought I discovered its true meaning with my Elsa. But now, without her, I don't know what love is anymore… God help me…_

Soulfully disappointed and feeling lost, Prince Hans fights back tears as Elsa carelessly tosses back in his face the engagement ring he had finally worked up enough courage to ask of her to wear the promise of for him.

A stunned Hans watches in appalled shock as the precious piece of sparkling jewelry, and all it signified to him of their bond, slips over the edge of the third story balcony of Arendelle Castle and down, down, down into the black pit of night.

He lunges out to catch it, but just falls short of managing to secure the discarded ring in his disheartened gloved hands as his sword slips away into the dark chasm of the swirling and squelching Moskenstraumen whirlpool below.

"It would have been a perfect _Zornhau_ lunge catch. But you messed it up again, always changing the rules and doing it your way. And you lost your sword to boot, you fool! I knew you wouldn't be able to hold onto this ridiculous distant dream to love and be loved forever, Devil Boy." A dark, raspy voice he thought he would never hear again slithers its evil aura into the dark of night that was closing in around the redheaded Prince as Master Rügen, wearing a dark mask over his scarred features joins the fray.

"Aye! I'll work zat dirty double-crossing cabin boy of mine to the bone, ze blaggard! Just look at him in z'ose fancy clothes! Won't be needin' zem when ye cook me favorite potato lefse dish for me again on board the Pearl Lady, down here in Davy Jones locker! Argh!" Captain Houtebeen in all his pegleg glory stomps up beside Count Rügen, his mask an interesting patch-eyed version over his ugly sneering face.

As the jeering crowd urges Prince Alonso to push Prince Hans towards the ledge into the deadly Moskenstraumen, a particular ghostly face smirks beneath a devilish mask at Hans, making all the others cease their noise.

But was this one a mask at all?

A disoriented Hans reaches up with flailing disoriented hands to yank off the hot red jeweled masquerade mask of that horned and devil tailed costumed individual, only to find that beneath that mask was yet another hideous face. And another, and another, until Hans realized each new one the same laughing, deprecatory, sneering, cackling face of the Devil Troll who had set his sights on tormenting Hans' soul.

Tossed over the balcony to his death with not a single soul caring to help him, Hans' last conscious thought was full of disappointment that his darling Elsa, more than any of the others laughing at his failure, regretted him. He watches her helplessly, cast in a subservient mode within the cloaked darkness of the devil in the darkness…

As his jealousy and confusion spins out of control, Elsa, her parents, Alonso, Anna, Kristoff, his multitude of brothers, his father King Herbert, Captain Houtebeen, Count Rügen and finally that ugly Devil Troll's face flickers behind the endless masks in his spinning nightmarish mind as a miserable Prince Hans plummets downward into the forbidding maelstrom…

* * *

"Kid! Whoa! Come on! You gotta snap out of it!" Eugene's voice finally makes it through the dearth of his subconscious, calling Hans to wake up from his tortured REM state.

"Huh? Hmm? …Storbror…?" After a few disturbing seconds of silence that Eugene found utterly terrifying, the Danish young man weakly responds to where his older brother had reached his ambidextrous arms back to clutch his slumped shoulders and roughly slap him awake.

"What happened?" Hans groggily inquires when the look on Eugene's handsome face was riddled with anxiety and worry lines over him.

"What happened? **What** happened?! You almost waltzed yourself right off this magic flying Carpet of mine at ten thousand meters above sea level. That's what happened, you crazy Dane!" In true frantically quick Flynn Rider speak, the emotive thief shakes his kid brother's shoulders wildly after almost witnessing the redheaded Prince go for a nearly deadly sleepwalk over the edge into the shark infested drink far below.

"… I… I…did?" Hans closes his eyes and shivers himself awake with an almost relieved glance over to the racing past skyscape down to the swirling foam beneath the distant crashing waves' descent.

"Your brother is not exaggerating, mon ami. May I say, it is fortunate for you that this lovely _fille_ has sharp eyes to observe your slumbered stumble in time for his intervention." Prince Ferdinand assures Hans as he flirtatiously complements Cassandra's eagle eye from where she was dutifully attending her lookout vigil in true soldier fashion on the high flying magic carpet ride to be uneventful.

The silent, dependable woman kept watch that nothing would happen to the strange open air craft. She'd send her friendly Owl from time to time to scout out the weather patterns ahead for Carpet to avoid heavy cloud cover of precipitation while the other three passengers rested or slept best they could in their cramped seats through the wee hours of night as they crossed the ocean to the continent.

"Did that cretin just call me a horse?" Liberated Cassandra, who knew little of the flirty French language and cared never to indulge in it, surely would not put up with any man demeaning her rank and station as royal guardswoman, simply on the basis of her sex.

"Yeah. A lovely one at that. Didn't know you had vision problems at such an early age, Ferdie!" Eugene tosses the double insult at the man seated beside him and then over his shoulder at the dark-haired woman who was also growlingly livid at her usual sparring mate.

"I do not. And I would prefer you refrain from calling me by that vulgar name, Monsieur. I am Crown Prince of the French, His Serene Royal Highness Ferdinand Philippe Louis Charles Henri d'Orléans Egalité, Duke of Chartres, Colonel of the First Regiment de Hussars, Lieutenant Commander of the Legionnaire Entendr –" Snobbish Prince Ferdinand was miffed by this lowly thief's address of his estimable royal and military status, as well as exhibiting sheer rudeness to a lady. Haughtily Prince Ferdinand holds his snobbish nose up high at Eugene with his long laundry list of titles and styles he whipped out on occasion to prove his befitting regal prominence. That is, until the mere commoner he did not like very much interrupts.

"Save it, pal. I'm Eugene 'Flynn Rider' Fitzherbert, good-looking Prince of thieves, husband of Princess Rapunzel of Corona and Captain Commander of this stunningly ocular wingless vessel you've hitched a ride upon. So zip it, Frenchy, or I'll kick you off my rug at our next stop."

Eugene and Ferdinand were far too similar in overconfident, loose with words bravado and often vain demeanor to really ever hit it off. Plus seeing the way a distraught silent Hans had been depressed at his own feckless fault of speaking out of turn put Eugene in a foul mood for the last several miles of sky travel together on Carpet.

The witty tongue recovered Frenchman doing nothing but flirt with Cassandra and demean him with those pompous, arrogant airs did not help. Even though Eugene and Cass had their own combative relationship problems, he did **not** sit well with any other man messing with her.

 _Wait. That doesn't sound good. I've not been messing with her,_ _Brownie_! _I swear it! Not even_ **im-a-gin-ing** messing _with her. That would just be – ewgh! – the Viper woman?! Get a grip, man! Better, more palatable thoughts please._

"You okay, Lillebror? You haven't been looking the ticket since we left that hotel in Sharm. You didn't happen to eat any of those stale cardboard Tibetan biscuits Cass was selling earlier, did you? Because an improper lack of nutritional sustenance - not to mention food poisoning - would drive any grown man to delirium." Cassandra, overhearing Eugene's purposely pointed words, gives the thief a dirty look and rolled eyes as she feeds her owl one of the bespoken cardboard pieces – which the large bird then spins its head 180° to cough up and spit out when his grey-eyed mistress wasn't looking.

"Is it because of that damn gossip column about your girl and another man that you're so unsettled? 'Cause I'm mostly sure it's fak—" Eugene sets a dizzy Hans up straight and turns around fully to give a pep talk to the quiet man in the passenger seat of Carpet directly behind him.

"Please, don't concern yourself with me. But I'm afraid I won't be too congenial a passenger as I calculate our route and collect my thoughts as how to broach my questionably welcome homecoming in Arendelle, now that this development has arisen. I would rather prefer not to speak of it any further until I confirm my status with the Admiral and… _Queen_ _Elsa_ , Eugene."

Wishing he could lift his little brother's dour spirits, Eugene felt like he could kick himself after he was the one to point out that rumor mill article about Hans' illustrious fiancée back up in Norway entertaining another suitor in his absence.

"My only request is that you converse civilly with one another so we can arrive swiftly and uneventfully as possible, with no setbacks until this journey reaches its eventual outcome. In Arendelle, I will receive my orders from Admiral Bernadotte, whether or not he wishes for my continuance of service in his fleet, under the circumstances." An uncertain Hans tersely responds, a far-off defeated look in his gaze that equally disquieted his big brother and fellow traveling companion to share a nod that reinforced their consideration for Hans' disturbed emotions which outweighed any competitive masculine animosity for one another.

"Gotcha, Kid. You don't have to worry about me and my new friend Ferdie – _Fer-di-nand_." Eugene corrects his own misspoken address as he turns to the man seated across from him in the front with a wry smirk and proffered handshake.

"For you, _mon ami_ (my friend), I will be on my best behavior with your _frère aîné (_ older brother) to hasten our journey and make it even a little more pleasant for your hassled mind. Concerning that, I am _certainement_ you will have a positive result. After all, what clever fair lady would not utilize her beauteous wiles to cement trade deals with a visiting diplomat to fall under her persuasive sway? An intelligent female such as that would never overlook her robust, capable and - _dare I say_ \- most handsome of we three gorgeous specimens of masculinity, for that pigeon toed, gutless, conceited Córdoban Prince whose only achievement is that he is his good father's spoiled brat?" Ferdinand gives a smirking Eugene a sly, winked glance that Hans' Storbror understood to be friendship's benevolence trumping natural narcissism.

"Believe me, mon ami, I have met Prince Alonso in an expedition to South America in my youth's tour of duty, and I was not impressed by the self absorbed, insufferable _méchant_ (nasty) boy who was only concerned with himself and his vanity. So you have no cause for real concern, Westergaard. For what I have heard of your _charmant_ Elsa, she has discerning, may I suppose, far too excellent taste, to entertain such a young roué for long when she has a hero such as you on the leash." Prince Ferdinand in no uncertain terms unloads his own disregard for the unsavory Crown Prince of Argentina, an eligible royal rival around his age.

Lofty Egalité was not impressed by a recent encounter with the infamously skirt-chasing, apathetic Prince from a diplomatic meeting a few years back with spoiled rotten Alonso's father, first-class King Juan Ramón at the Paris Summit he and his disinterested son attended.

"I'm sure you would not call me a hero, if you had any idea what I did in my past, Fernan." With a sigh, Hans murmurs under his breath in a feeling-sorry-for-himself brown study in the seemingly starless night sky shooting by him.

"You would be surprised, what I know, my friend. And be assured, it is not only I who has forgiven your trespasses, as is required in the Lord's Prayer for us mere humans, _n'est-ce pas?_ (is it not so?)" Ferdinand Egalité had not yet fully explained to Hans how he had been sent by King Agdar, his old friend from their Greek Revolution Navarino war days, to be – there's no other word for it – _a spy_ \- commissioned to test and hopefully undermine the worthiness of this young man.

From which the Danish Prince, if Egalité was any judge, surpassed all expectations with the flying colors of a true noble hero.

"Hey, Kid. The past doesn't define us. Just shows us where we've been, and tells us how not to repeat our mistakes. That is, if we're smart enough to learn and listen and not wallow in self-pity. Either that, or it's the frying pan." Eugene had a weird way of disarming with his words that still shocked Cassandra every time his mouth uttered something good and coherently wise.

And then mess it up with some dumb joke, like he just did, from where he returns to 'driving' at the 'wheel' of their flying Carpet.

"They're right, you know." After minute of letting all that friendly advice settle in, Cassandra turns to Hans from where she had been making coffee with some water she had heated under her bought kerosene lamp in a metal cup. Then she poured the hot water over the coarse ground beans through a thin piece of cheese cloth, just like the adventurous woman learned up in the Yukon with the gold diggers.

"Don't let your brother hear me say that, or his head will get bigger than it already is and he won't fit through the doors in Corona. But the truth is, every now and then, even a man like that can be pretty sage." The independent young woman was not afraid to be combative with the opposite sex, as she simpers at the back of Rapunzel's annoying guy's head.

"Here's a secret. A girl doesn't fall in and out of love. She just has to be convinced the man really means it before she's willing to trust him with her everything. It's more the man's nature to be the fickle one in a relationship. You should give our sex more credit." Cassandra's dull grey eyes, despite her youth and relationship inexperience, had an honest wisdom behind them that Hans found refreshing.

"Besides. In my experience, everything good in life you have to fight for with every inch of your being. Women admire a man with a fighting spirit. Not the ones who are easily defeated. What type are you? Here, have a hot coffee to clear your head." Muttered low in conspiring whispers for only her backseat partner, Hans, to hear, Cassandra didn't know why, but something about this young Dane with the big sad eyes made her want to open up and talk when the all-business woman would normally not converse so lightly as she passes him the mug of hot black Java.

"Thank you." Hans was at last listening and not just hearing, a calm, cool collected voice that broke through his own doubt to speak gentle reason to his confused heart. Perhaps it was because she was a woman herself, the gender of which Hans respected even more than men for all their inscrutable mystery.

He accepts her well-timed advice and the offered coffee with both hands and a winning smile of genuine gratitude.

"Not a problem, Stallion. Damn, I'm out of sugar. Fitzherbert! I told _you_ to go get the sugar in that little store in that Greek village we stopped at, but there's none here in the bag!" From soft spoken wise woman to vicious angry wench, Cassandra berates her shopping partner until she remembers a little detail. "Oh, right. Where did you stash those sugar cubes you filched from that mercantile when you were schmoozing with the old lady who ran the place?" The raven–gray, blunt bob-haired female projects her monotone up to the thief in the front driver's seat of the flying rug.

"What?! Are you accusing me of having sticky fingers when it comes to sugar? Can you believe the gall of the woman, Rugman?" Turned empty hands up in the air innocently, Eugene feigns indignant to being called out as, well… the thief he was.

"Enough, Fitz. Just hand them over and I won't say anything more. But you are sending money in the mail to those nice old people you bamboozled over all this junk you picked up. Remind me not to go shopping with him again." The saucy woman, after perusing in frustration through the knapsack bag full of berries and candy and beef jerky that Flynn Rider was known to crave and not pay for, kneels forward to stick her hands around Eugene's tickled torso and rather intimately ransacks through his pants inside pockets until she comes up with a handkerchief full of the loose sugar cubes she thought she saw him swipe out of the corner of her eye.

"Ha ha! Rather looks like the lady cannot keep her hands off you, Monsieur Eugene." Ferdinand was entertained by the rowdy pair's physical antics.

"Can I help it? I'm an irresistible chick magnet. Guess it's because I like sweet things. But that's also why I never warmed up to you, bitter Cass." Egotistically mumbling criticism, Eugene practically sticks his tongue out at Cassandra's roughhouse sugar rush of the sweet nuggets stashed in his innermost pants pocket.

"Good. Keep it that way." Cassandra plunks one cube each in the two coffees she had made thus far that she had her owl balance on the wooden box she was using as her midair little kitchen table. She passes one of the black coffees in a mug up to a chuckling Ferdinand.

" _Merci beaucoup_ (Thank you very much), Mademoiselle. A hot drink from a hot lady is always preferred."

She rolls her eyes once again at the Frenchman's overblown expected flirtation as she moves back to attend to her little kitchen of the small wooden box and the food basket she and Eugene had gathered along with some clothing for the shirtless men on board at their first touchdown once Carpet had traversed the Mediterranean.

"Why am I always last in the queue when it's up to you, Cass? Don't forget, I take three lumps at least. Like I said, I've got this thing for sweet –" Eugene complains, teases and whines as the annoyed young woman tosses the last remaining sugar cube into Eugene's demanded coffee and stirs it with the end of her dagger venomously.

"I'm not here to be your scullery maid, Tiger." The tough gal angrily hisses in Eugene's ear as she viciously slaps the coffee mug into his hands and the hot liquid splashes on the gregarious man and even singed the poor Carpet below him.

"Whoa! Careful! Don't stain the rug! He's got sensitive fibers. Do I have to lodge a complaint with the management of this Magic Flying Carpet service? …But, ah, the nasty tongued stewardess does make a damn good cup of coffee." Eugene retorts with a satisfied smile on his face, trying to brighten the mood in the speeding past atmosphere like he promised Hans.

"Hey? What's this?" Cassandra, who took her coffee totally black without any sugared additives at all, examines the single lump of sugar left in the cloth napkin she was about the fold up to store in her box with the remaining coffee beans, water flask and metal cup.

"There is a massive diamond engagement ring around this last lump of sugar. And it's not Rapunzel's cheap crackerjack one you hocked your Christmas watch from the Queen in exchange for. This genuine article is in the shape of a heart and looks pretty flawless. Did you steal this from that nice old Greek couple, too, you big fat crook?" Cassandra stares up to the moonlight at the sparkling diamond ring she had lifted from Eugene's innermost pants pocket along with the sugar cubes. Looking closer at the golden circlet in her flickering lamplight, she wonders when it got there, who it was it intended for, and better yet, _who_ exactly he _stole_ it from.

"Who are you calling ' _fat'_ , Viper!? I'm in tip-top, extremely virile shape!" Eugene was more offended by the personal fitness criticism than any accusation of his honed criminal tendency.

"Although… I doubt anyone in that humble mercantile in a tiny fishing town in Porto Kagio would be passing out a rock this size, set in this quality of gold…" Cassandra inspects the piece of fine jewelry closely in the moonlight.

"How'd you get a hold of that, Woman?! C'mon! I found it fair and square! Give it back!" Eugene guiltily rechecks and finds missing deep in his pocket that precious gemstone item he had secured from that sadistic mermaid witch calling herself Marina del Rey in that deadly Sharm el Naga lagoon.

"Found it, did you?" The hard-nosed daughter of the chief prosecutor of the law in Corona holds the obviously swiped piece of jewelry between her accusing fingers.

"Look. That evil mermaid siren who was out for our blood obviously filched it from some poor drowned human she got the better of. So I just took the opportunity of her defeat to liberate this fine piece of jewelry from her treacherous finger and back to the surface it came from. If I had any idea who it really belonged to, that would be one thing. But as it is, finder's keeper's, right? Besides, it'll make a great surprise Christmas gift for my patiently waiting pregnant Missus back home, don't you think?" A spazzing Eugene was fully facing Cassandra and Hans in the rear now as he blames his tendency to claim all things sparkly and shiny with emphatic aplomb. He was feeling especially vindicated to admit he swiped it from that wicked, now hairless, eel-fried mermaid none of them had any love lost for.

"Hand it over!"

But the upstanding for justice young woman was not about to let the convicted felon keep the stolen goods, as any daughter of a law enforcement officer would never traffic in hot stolen items, despite Eugene's insistent palm out.

"May I see that ring, Miss Schmidt?" Interrupting the back-and-forth argument that a cross-armed Ferdinand sat back to watch and found totally entertaining, Hans breaks his thoughtful silence to ask the young woman the question.

"Sure."

"Ouch." Eugene's jaw drops as Cassandra rather easily hands the ring over to his little brother instead. After several seconds of studying the perfect cut diamond heart jewel in Cassandra's shared lamplight, meticulous Hans turns it over to read the inscription that careless Eugene, in his bedazzled hurry, took no notice of.

 _Song of my heart, warmed for eternity by His amazing Grace. A & I._

Hans' adept fingers delicately stroke the heartfelt inscription around the gold ring's interior circlet. In disbelief, the Danish Prince stares down at the article of jewelry, once again in awe of God's grand design for his life.

Eugene, Cassandra and Ferdinand exchange looks as they watch their young friend seemingly be entranced by the diamond ring as he feels the uncontrollable urge to press Elsa's ice pendant to his burning chest.

 _You will always be the song of_ ** _my_** _heart, Elsa Bernadotte…I can't let you go…_

"Woo hoo. He's cracked." Eugene whispers out the side of his mouth to the others in audience to see Hans' emotive face raised to the moonlight, until all their eyes were wowed by a miraculous sight.

As well versed in music Prince Hans had unconsciously begun to hum the spiritual melody, the now nearly pitch black ice miniature ice sculpture of the slender sylphlike woman resting against his chest seemed to react and glow to his hummed 'Amazing Grace' to be seen right through his shirt.

"It is unbelievable for this to have been placed in my hands at this time of my misgivings, at this moment of my self-doubt, save that it has been directed by the Hand of God, Who orders my steps. So I know now that it must be my destiny to see this through, and fight with every inch of me for what I love—a girl worth fighting for." Hans acknowledges Eugene's recommendation, Egalité's advice, and Cassandra's counsel as he takes a deep breath and smiles up at their expectant eyes with renewed conviction to at last gaze down at the once again crystal clear portrait of his love.

On the verge of giving up to the darkness urging him to forfeit all his dreams, Prince Hans had been almost ready to stop this amazing month-long passage from the Far East across the ancient seas, to this last leg of a Magic Carpet journey, where Denmark's Southern Isles would make the land of his birth his final destination.

But now, inspired anew by his immense love and great faith's hope his friends had bolstered in him, Hans' chilled and lifeless green eyes were decidedly brightened.

Amid salacious rumor, defeatist hesitation and dark nightmare intuition, Hans finds renewed hope through his faith in God. The generous Lord who gave mankind the greatest gift of all: the glorious example of his Son, Jesus Christ, born of selfless Love that Christians around the globe celebrated at this time of year when they rejoiced over the Birthday of the King of Kings.

' _Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.'_ (Proverbs 3:5-6)

"Now that sounds more like my unconquerable Lillebror!" With a big grin, Flynn Rider was proud to call the once again undaunted by life's kick-in-the-pants red-haired fellow as his closest blood relation, his brother.

"I know who this belongs to, Eugene. At the very least I must return to Arendelle and wish the 'happiest birthday' to the angel who gave me my second chance, the gift of hope unending, and express my love, unreserved, no matter what the outcome."

Hans sees a glint of pure light at the end of this dark corridor as the flawless diamond heart gleams in the moonlight upon the ice pendant he held over his heart.

For several quiet moments of devout reflection under the glistening moonlight that reminded him of her, his Elsa miniature shines brilliantly clear in ice crystal pure white snow once again in reflection back to the symbolized union of the true love that brought her into the world.

 _Just like the true love I was blessed to have discovered with you, min kaereste. Ours is a real love, worth fighting for…_

 _I will be there with you to celebrate your birthday, my darling, without any doubt of your constancy._

 _And…hopefully, you will want me to stay for that first Christmas I always have dreamt of, spent with my own love, who loves me as deeply as I love her…_

 _That will be the only Christmas gift I will ever need…_

Hans once again envisions his beautiful Elsa beside a Christmas tree waiting for him and prays that angel's wings would carry him back to her over the dark skies. Then he could prove himself worthy for her to choose to entrust her love to him on this special Christmas Eve to come, where all his hopes and fears would be answered by her love…

* * *

' _Angels, from the realms of glory,_

 _Wing your flight o'er all the earth;_

 _Ye who sang creation's story,_

 _Now proclaim Messiah's birth!'_

* * *

"A Girl Worth Fighting For" – Disney's 'Mulan' 1998

"Amazing Grace" – John Newton 1779

"Angels from the Realms of Glory" – James Montgomery & Henry Smart 1816

* * *

Merry Christmas, Frozen friends!

Joy to the world came over two thousand years ago on a Holy Night in the form of Mary's boy-child for us all!

Christmas tidings of good cheer! I hope this episode full of ups and downs and smiles and tears for our dreamy hero Hans put a smile on your faces this Christmas Eve eve!

As we celebrate the Birthday of a King, Hans dreamt of the birthday of his Queen, though he wasn't opening any happy presents, envisioning his rival Alonso and others maltreating him in a tortured nightmare! (Sword and pitchfork scene and all!)

But by the end of this chapter filled with messages and advice of hope and love from his friends, our handsome Prince is now ready to do battle and fight for his beautiful Queen! She sure needs a hero about now!

Elsa's a 'Girl worth fighting for' Hansie! (I borrowed that 'Mulan' song title and some of the fun lyrics inserted into this episode! Sing along! It's contagious! ;)) Maybe his dream to spend Christmas with his lover will help turn the tide to bring her back to the light!

Merry, Merry Christmas to you all on this blessed Christmas Eve where the Light of Love was born for us! God bless you as we celebrate the joy of the season together on this holy night!

Love, HarukaKou

* * *

' _O Holy Night, the stars are brightly shining. It is the night of our dear Savior's birth. Long lay the world in sin and error pining, 'til He appeared and the soul felt its worth…'_


	22. Chapter 21-In the Days of Auld Lang Syne

_We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

 **"Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act VII**

 **Chapter 21**

 **"In the Days of Auld Lang Syne"**

 ** _Where the high mountains blocked the sunlight which was visible for only a few hours this time of year…_**

 _"'Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never thought upon? Are the flames of Love extinguished, and fully past and gone? That thou canst never once reflect on our auld lang syne?"_ Idun Bernadotte absentmindedly hums the haunting Scottish _nytt år_ (New Year's) melody as her eyes glaze over the frosty landscape where the Svartisen's dual glaciers met over the Saltfjellet valley below.

The elder Queen of Arendelle pauses in the poignant song that was always close to her heart whenever she remembered the good times and the good husband the Good Lord gave her.

Agdar had brought her to these quiet mountains once before, a quarter-century ago on their blissful honeymoon tour of her new home country of Norway on New Year's Day.

 _I find myself singing this the closer we get to the mountains, when I yearn to feel you close, Agdar. Perhaps because it also reminds me of that second happy New Year that we first spent with Elsa, our miracle new baby girl, my beloved min älskare. Oh, Agdar. I wonder how you and Anna are doing consulting with the Snow Queen about this strange turn of weather. I hope better than I am doing in catching up to Elsa. I wonder if we'll encounter her soon. Thank goodness for Bae._

 _I'm beginning to feel a little more than guilty as a bad mother to have sent my little girl out into this unforgiving cold, just to prove a point to that silly twit of a conceited visiting Prince. Oh, Agdar. **You** never would've allowed Elsa to go traipsing around with a virtual stranger… Right? Though you were the one to invite him with the intention of undermining dear Prince Hans, weren't you?_

 _Oooh! I wish you were here for me to slap your frosty backside! It's no fun out here, shivering alone. Poor Elsa must feel even worse._

Playful Queen Idun agonizes over her well-intentioned decision to suggest Elsa should teach spoiled brat Prince Alonso a lesson about life—and more importantly take the vainglorious creature up to her North Mountain Palace for an airing with Marshmallow. That would put some fear of God into the conceited lad that her father had thrown before her in an attempt to make her forget about her fiancé, Prince Hans, in exchange for this flashy South American newcomer.

 _I hardly call that a fair trade deal, my impractical King._

 _So many things that I've seen and done and lived in this life with you. Our two beautiful girls have grown into loving young women that we both can be proud of. But I do miss you now to discuss things._

 _Beyond you having a few short stints in the Navy during the war, we have been inseparable since that day in Arendelle Chapel you exchanged that sensational diamond heart engagement ring that took my breath away, with this irreplaceable wedding band…_

 _I suppose I'm no example to my girls to be an independent, self-reliant and determinate strong woman when I'm secretly still that clingy sixteen-year-old girl who fell head over heels in love with the most mind-blowingly stunning, devastatingly gorgeous, unreasonably obstinate man who ever lived…_

 _It's silly, but I just realized that you and I have not been out of one another's sight for more than a few hours apart for almost twenty years now. Foolish needy woman! I must be suffering from some type of husband withdrawal. Perhaps that accounts for this terribly empty feeling inside my heart._

Involuntarily, the slender dark brown haired woman lifts her petite hand, recalling her husband's strong grip squeezing her hand in cold elation during his momentous proposal twenty-five years ago. At the same time, she stares at the vacant spot on her finger where her darling lover's engagement ring that he slipped on her finger was missing.

Idun wore the extravagant gemstone circlet every year at this time of their anniversary by Agdar's special request for the entire Christmas season, just as she was planning to do again this year after their five year internment in captivity when she didn't have the opportunity.

 _When else could I have the gall to display such a massive diamond in such an overdramatic display colossal uncut diamond heart? How much did you spend to have that enormous natural Norwegian diamond you found deep in the_ _Caledonides coal mines of Tromsø turned_ _into that vulgar piece of jewelry, Agdar Harald Edward Bernadotte?_

 _But alas, I cannot wear it this year… How can I ever tell my beloved husband that I lost that precious engagement ring he had particularly crafted and personally engraved for me to the bottom of the sea? I wore it to our niece Rapunzel's wedding on a dare from my little sister,_ _Willow_ _. So it was in my jewel box on board that ship you named after me, when it all went down…_

Maybe the tempest tossed memory of the shipwreck that stole five years of Idun's and her husband's lives away from their children and home was a bit of a clairvoyant premonition for the lovely Queen at this particular moment of time.

She peers out the carriage window at the Saami carved arete headwall that Idun remembered her new husband dragging her up to visit for the ' _impressive historical significance'_ on their touring honeymoon. If just as an excuse to explore his own country that he, as a virtual recluse shut in Arendelle Castle during his own youth, had yearned to explore.

 _You didn't fool me then, as excited as a kid in a candy shop, studying your beloved history of_ _Norway_ _,_ _min kärlek._

It was at that moment that the insulated royal carriage was rocked by a sudden blast of icy cold wind when the vehicle was climbing the Bergschrund terminal moraine that overlooked the rock face on the cirque of the valley glacier.

The shocked Queen of Arendelle holds her wedding ring only hand over her dizzy pounding eyes. With a shiver, Idun then glances down over the pure white glacier that their royal horse and reindeer drawn carriage had magically traversed at a rate of enhanced speed to this designated spot.

"Your Majesty! Come away from the window!" Idun hears Gerda's high-pitched voice caution her royal lady, as pudgy, mittened hands pull her thin framed mistress back from the clear, tempered glass pane of the resplendent conveyance.

But with each turn up the spiraling mountain, Queen Idun felt the chill increase, growing colder and colder within the folds of her fur hooded charcoal cloak that faithful Gerda snugs around her shivering shoulders from across the bumpy carriage seat where she and her husband Kai had been quietly sitting.

"Where has that foolish Dane horse of Queen Elsa's taken us now? This hideous, garish glacier with landscapes that look like boiled spinach are unacceptable to display before royalty. Truly, your Majesty, I must protest. We have allowed that mindless beast to contrive our course of travel until it has driven us up to a dead-end glacier peak in the midst of this endless blizzard, with no hope in sight as to pick up your lost daughter's trail. We would not be in this predicament had you listened to my warning in the first place, as I sincerely wish you would abide by them now, Queen Idun, so I can at least secure you properly back down to a civilized area in Mo i Rana. There, I will make arrangements for us to return to Arendelle, where Queen Elsa has, no doubt, more intelligence to have already abandoned the idea of going further north and proceeded to return from this foolhardy excursion—unless it is her intention to stay away, again. So be it. Either way, King Agdar is back as our nation's rightful ruler and is capable of seeing to his own affairs in the North with no troublesome women in his family required to contribute to the quandary he is already dealing with. Just face it, winter here is bitterly cold and probably will always remain cold. This is Norway, for heaven's sake. It's always winter! We can't ever expect fine weather to come again! Who needs it anyway? We all just have to get used to the cold." Minister Kai advises a blinking back Idun in his most pompous voice and droning manner until his plump wife finally intercedes.

"Kai! That's no way to speak to Queen Idun! She's overwrought with worry enough without your constant, negative tongue lashing. Our old friend, Bae, has come to help find our Elsa and bring us to the Snow Queen to help King Agdar as well. We're not going to give up so easily! Please try to remember how our roses bloomed in the vale on warm summer days, all red and white and beautiful green, Kai, after we worked so long and waited so patiently in the winter cold for them to blossom in our garden in the warmth of spring. Our roses need this winter to end, Kai." Gerda appeals to her partner, but he merely looks away.

"Bae who? You're living in that dreamworld of yours again, Gerda. I would thank you to talk sense, if you are capable as a woman." The big balding royal official mocks his stout little wife, recalling vaguely her references to silly things like interactive flowers, talking reindeer and magic mirrors from their youth.

"You must forgive him, your Majesty. My Kai has not been well." With a dampened whisper to Idun behind her palm, Gerda Roservalen's plump cherry red cheeks burn with embarrassment for her husband saying such demeaning phrases to their kind and gentle hearted Queen.

"Of course, Gerda. We have been friends a very long time and this wearisome trial has been perplexing for us all. I only wish we could find a more expedient way to the Snow Queen's Palace where King Agdar has hopefully discerned a solution to this mysterious change in our dear Kai's demeanor. Perhaps the Snow Queen can help your husband return to his normal, pleasant self again soon." Queen Idun speaks softly to the woman who had been employed as the Arendelle Royal housekeeper for over four decades, as Gerda tucks a warm blanket around the younger Queen's lap and legs.

"… Umm… If you will pardon me, your Majesty… If I may say something about that snow cap out there?" Small snowlady Eliana had been staring out the carriage window all this while at the scenery flying by with some interest, but nobody else seemed to have noticed.

"Yes. I'm sure the Snow Queen can stop this blizzard from overtaking our land, as well as figure out this trouble Kai has been experiencing in disremembering the past and distinguishing things of beauty and good as unacceptable and bad. He will see our roses bloom again in the spring as beautiful, I know it! She can do anything." Gerda speaks with the same purity of a clear mind and genuine heart as she did when she was but a child.

"The… Snow Queen…" In an uncertain whisper, Kai's condescending, haughty look suddenly softens when he overhears the revered name of the Queen of the Winter whom he had almost forgotten. She had been so influential to the course of his young life and Gerda's over a half-century ago, but his recollection of those times was brittle and hazy.

"Yes, Kai. Please try to think of our garden of roses in the spring to bring peace to your heart, even in this bitter snow, my love. ' _Where roses bloom so sweetly in the vale, there you will find the Christkind, without fail_.' Don't you remember our favorite hymn, Kai? How we used to love to sing it together when planting and harvesting our roses in summer days!" The plump housekeeper nostalgically begins to sing the poignant lines from the older couple's favorite old church hymn, bringing back memories of their adventures they realized together in search of the Snow Queen in eras gone by.

"Do you remember now?" That little girl of great faith was now in her mid 50s, but still Gerda's untainted love of God and devotion to her dearest friend and partner in life Kai was un-aged as she peeks beneath the patch of his faltering eye.

Moved by her song and faith and words, Kai was holding onto Gerda's sweet goodness with all his might, even as the scar of the mirror shard of old in his eye was palpitating its demands to let the darkness seep into his mind to see the world as ugly and mean and wrong without the hope of warm sunlight again.

"Hold on tight, and fight to remember with all your soul, my poor unfortunate boy. For old times sake, my love. _'Except ye become as little children, ye shall not enter into the_ _Kingdom_ _of_ _Heaven_ _.'"_ Gerda recites her dear Grandmother's Bible reading of their Lord in a whisper, kissing the lids of his marred, closed eye with tears to bring him back to her fully again.

"Gerda? Is that Bae out there pulling our carriage beside the fjord horse? Why couldn't I see him before?" The heavyset man's clouded vision, clears up long enough for him to lift the eyepatch and peer out the window, as her tears spill down his face, causing him to shed his own wetness.

"Queen Idun! If I may interrupt, this may be important, I think!" Eliana was tugging on a thoughtfully touched Idun's long skirt with a fretful face full of pure worry, which Idun thought ill-timed during this sentimental moment.

"Yes, Eliana, what is it?" In an exasperated whisper, the Queen gives the frightened looking snowgirl frantically bouncing at her feet attention at last. But it was too late.

For in the next second after the King's best friend and tutor and royal advisor had looked beyond the dark mirror shard scar to recognize what was really going on, the entire Svartisen black ice center glacier begins to quake, as if sensing his unsuppressed awareness.

"I'm afraid I must inform you, your Majesty, that there's an ice avalanche swiftly rolling our way down that high ice precipice. And our carriage is right in its path!" The frantic snowgirl was very descriptive with her branches about the imperative nature of the soon to be experienced disaster.

"She's right! There is little to no hope that we will logically avoid that vast amount of descending snow flowing from that tributary at that record rate! Not unless…" Yanking off the eyepatch, Kai meets Gerda and Idun's inquisitive eyes for the first time in a long time with dogged determination.

And hope, yes, the light of hope, in his own unclouded, clear gaze was there again.

"Bae! You must outrun the tributary runoff before it spills down and coats the Flatisen Valley where we're currently located. I know you can do it! And I've seen that horse at your side sprint over fjords covered with ice at incredible speeds himself. So please share with him your endurance so we can surpass this together!" Responsible Minister Kai surprisingly not only pays attention to Eliana's quiet words, but he throws open the window to stick his balding head out into the bracing windchill cold and encourage the mystical ancient reindeer he previously heretofore could not even see.

The alerted gray white reindeer acknowledges Gerda's mate's sapient warning with a low bellowed vibration to a panicked Sitron.

{"Follow my lead and lend me your speed, brave Sitron, as I share with you my strength to take us beyond this to the secret path of your icy maiden." The ghostlike Rangifer projects mentally to the open-minded horse hitched to him as the team pulls the Royal Arendelle carriage like mad.

Bae, the big reindeer directs the golden dun stallion to make a fast-stepped gallop to surpass the snow covered valley cirque where the carriage would surely be entrenched. The snow avalanche seemed to increase speed down the precipice, and would soon overtake them to bury the carriage alive in the bitter blizzard storm raging.

But Sitron was not afraid. It helped that Prince Hans' faithful fjord horse had the bravery of ten steeds when it came to risking his all for his mistress and taking a leap of faith.

For that was what Bae the reindeer spirit required of his equine partner, to trustingly follow his lead straight towards the edge of the sheer River Ranelva's glacial headwall. Just avoiding the avalanche's deadly path, the steeds continue the momentum to bound with the carriage in tow straight towards the Svartisen's two glacial North mountain plateaus…

 ** _WHOOSHH!_**

"Eeek! Ohh! Eeeee!" Idun hangs on tightly to Eliana as the snowgirl had been bouncing to and fro all over the carriage interior, spreading her already erratic magic snow flurry frost powder all over the rest of the startled passengers.

Kai, back from the darkness that polluted his now uncovered eye, as a good husband and a good friend, had managed to hang onto his squeaky, chubby wife and his Queen to anchor all three females within his large body in the chaotic cab that his own wide girth provided padding.

Determined Sitron races up the slope with abandon, seeing in his mind his beloved master and old friend, Hans, and the platinum beauty Ice Queen who had taken them both into her heart. The horse does not even think to hesitate when the all-encompassing reindeer spirit running beside him encourages the golden dun fjord horse to make that gallant leap of faith –

\- Over the ledge of the vast Svartisen peak the horse and reindeer combo fly as the Royal carriage blessedly secured and tethered to them, comes bounding down the steep cliff at a phenomenal rate to race down the peak to the secret cavern below at superlative velocity.

 _"'For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne. We'll take a cup o' kindness yet, for auld lang syne'."_ Closing her eyes and continuing her heartfelt song from before with all her might as the royal carriage flies down the bumpy road, Idun's faith was unshaken.

She believed that the Lord would guide her steps through this so she could support the dear family she loved with all her heart, and gather together within each other's bosom again for Elsa's birthday, and Christmas and the New Year.

 _Dear Lord, please let at least one of us have the strength to live, and take care of our precious girls. And Agdar, if I don't make it, bring Elsa safely back home. I beg you to amend our past mistakes and let her have happiness with the chosen mate she deserves, with a deep abiding love just as you and I have shared all these years … by His amazing Grace…_

With that last plea to her beloved on behalf of their darling love-deprived girl on her heart, Queen Idun holds tight to Eliana, grateful for the soft pillow of her fluffy cloud of snow flurries that served as a cool airbag of sorts.

 ** _SPLATT! SPLUNNKK! CRRAASSH! CRUNNCCHH!_**

But when the carriage finally comes to screeching halt, Eliana's melting snow was splattered all over the interior of the quiet and still cabin…

* * *

 _"'An auld long syne my dear, An auld lang syne,  
That thou canst never once reflect,  
On auld lang syne?'"_

"Mama?... _Mama – mama- mama_ … Huh?... _huh - huh - huh..._ Where am I?! _Where am I - Where am I - Where am I …_ Why am I echoing?! … _echoing…echoing... echoing…"_ Princess Anna of Arendelle wakes up in a total state of delirium, hearing her mother's soft soprano voice emotionally singing the New Year ode ' _Auld Long Syne'_ echoing in her ears amid the humidity stifling her every other sense.

But every note sounded so distant, so funny, as if the melody was coming up from the bottom of a waterlogged barrel.

 _Or is it me at the bottom looking up?_

It was hard to tell in this dank, dark, mineral dipped deep earth glacier cave for the girl who had the wind just knocked out of her.

Anna was so disoriented, she didn't know if she was sitting or standing, or sleepwalking on a cloud for all she could tell from her skewed senses of the silence sizzling in her ears. But the dark veil over her eyes that tried to squint in the murky stillness with the stench of sulfuric fumes rising from beneath her somewhere was intense.

"Yuck! I know I'm gassy, but this is ridiculous!" Talking to herself, the blunt, candid girl pinches her nose to block a modicum of the smell oozing from the solution of this weird cave's sulfuric gas reservoirs running alongside her feet. Her widely opening eyes glance down to at least try to recognize what was sprawled out lying in the dirty, unfamiliar rocky karst system below her.

"Is that you, Sven? Sven! Maybe you're gassy, too. So don't blame just me, Kristly!" With a teasing smirk on her indefatigable face, Anna pokes fun at her groggy, oft-flatulent reindeer friend. She had the vague recollection Sven had swooped in and halted her freefall down the seemingly bottomless chasm that opened up beneath the mirror in the Snow Palace where Elsa had –

 _Elsa? Did that really happen? Was that even really even you? Please let this just be a nightmare!_

From smiles to tears in just that many seconds, the ginger girl, with her arms dramatically flung out, flops her emotionally drained body, already weak and dizzy from the quick elevation drop, on her back down to the gray-brown reindeer's furry back.

Agonizingly remembering her dearest sister's harsh words and cold look of non-recognition, Anna varies her crying eyes in Sven's creamy soft neck, the reindeer moving his wracked in pain body sympathetically.

"Ohh! What am I going to do?! How am I going to get through to Elsa this time if I can't even talk to her because she doesn't even remember me?!" Rarely in her life was the boisterous young woman left so deflated and feeling lost. But being so abruptly confronted with the idea that her sister, her best friend, her better self, had totally expunged her little sister from her thoughts, made Princess Anna want to break down and cry in a pool of tears.

"Please don't shut the door on me again!" Anna squeaks through her weeping for the sister who was abandoning her again. "We can't be separated, Elsa! Not after we rediscovered our special bond when we're together! Sisters are supposed to be forever… ** _I_** could stay forever…" She sobs into Sven's mottled fur coat pitifully.

"But if you've forgotten me… I don't know how to be me anymore…" A forlorn Anna gazes up through the endlessly long pit that she was decidedly at the bottom of, up to that glimmer of ice flowing down from the Snow Palace Great Hall where her big sister had flung her down from to here.

"Now that doesn't sound like my tough little soldier. The Anna I know is too willful a ginger to ever let anyone forget her."

A deep voice penetrates the darkness, accompanied by warm arms enveloping Anna's small, folded up distraught back from her anguished pity party.

"Papa! You woke up! How did you get down here, too? I thought we left you up there in that sealed room with the Snow Queen…But I'm so glad you're all right!" Anna's beaming smile breaks a crack in her sadness instantly when she hears and feels her caring father's baritone voice and strong embrace.

The King pulls his little girl into an upright position from where she was scattered across a semi-unconscious Sven on the clammy, dirty cavern floor. At least she thought he did.

"I'm glad you're safe, my Gingersnap." But when Anna's eyes pop fully open, the ghostly, translucent vision of her dear Papa eerily hovering over her made the girl's joy tame down a peg.

"Papa?! You-you're see through! Why do you look like a ghost?!" Stumbling to her feet, the shocked girl squeaks out the fearful question as her grip around King Agdar's shoulder tightens. Just to shock her again that he was actually physically intangible, more like a wraith-like ghostly spirit version of himself than a real human man.

Her senses totally blown by now, Anna was about to let out a scream when a large group of flame tailed and fire hair tipped trolls with hard rocky bodies in crimson tones come unrolling around the corner of the stalagmite rift cave, as if in a coordinated march.

"Eeeek—!" The peppery gal's frightened screech is cut off by a viable hand clamping over her wide open mouth.

"Calm down, Feistypants. It's a lucky thing your dad brought us down safely with the help of these little guys, or we could've fallen into that pit of fire over there when Sven was midair knocked out by all the noxious gases filling this gorge." Kristoff speaks soothingly both in Anna's ear and mentally in her mind at the moment he enters the large cavern anteroom from behind her.

The blond Ice Harvester immediately kneels down to check on poor disoriented Sven lying limp at Anna's feet, grunting that the reindeer was still injured from the hard fall he cushioned for his two riders.

"Hey!" Anna never appreciated being muzzled by anyone, not even her hunky mountain man. And there were far too many questions on her mind for her to keep quiet for long.

"Hush, Anna. He may hear you." King Agdar has merely to caution his daughter for her to be quiet and stand to attention, as his spirit form flows away from her and towards the gaggle of Fire Trolls soon surrounding them.

{" Who is **he** that we have to keep quiet from, Kristly? What happened to Papa to make him see through? Why aren't we running way from those nasty little guys that burn your buns if you get too close? And where are we anyway?!"} Keeping her mouth physically shut, Anna's mind was wide open to pepper her soulmate with so many varied spitfire questions, his poor mind was sent whirling.

{"So many questions, Princess Anna. You remind me of another little girl from another time whose pure heart we needed the smile of to help save my precious Snow Queen then. Just as we do again now need _your_ help." An even, deep-souled male voice penetrates both the dark cave and Anna's perplexed mind with the calming tranquil composure she required at this moment.

"Ragi? You're Kristoff's dad, Ragi, right? Why are you and my Papa both all see through translucent like… _gulp_ … Ghosts?" Anna demands of her father-in-law's specter-like form with a bitten lower lip as she gazes over the sea of fiery colored trolls blinking up at the four humans and one reindeer they were surrounding in the dark catacomb their fire tipped tails and hair cast frightening shadows upon.

"Because we are, Anna." King Agdar calmly answers his curious child with a smile and invisible hand placed to her cheek that she could not feel really, she only imagined she could touch him, just because her fertile mind expected to.

"What?! You can't be ghosts! Ghosts are… Ghosts are –" From scoffing to stuttering to being on the verge of tears began, Anna cannot bring herself to say the terrible four letter word to her beloved parent – _not again_. But the lack of physical evidence was damning as she reaches for King Agdar's hands in hers just to have them slip right through her grasp.

"Dead? I cannot confess I fully understand it myself, sweet child. But the Lord is apparently not finished with either your father or myself, just yet." Ragi's own transparent ghost replies to Anna with a small chuckle at her guilelessness.

"You see, all this trouble – the fierce blizzard, the Devil Troll's escape, your dear sister's dilemma is, in great deal, my fault." Ragi begins to explain, his profoundly deep eyes meeting Anna and Kristoff's gazes meaningfully, apologetically.

"Your fault, Ragi? I can hardly believe that." Kristoff asks, never knowing a man more just and noble and upright than his old frien – his old _father_.

"You see, children, I am a very old man. You may not be able to tell from my appearance that has been rejuvenated by my deep connection with nature and by Kristoff's mother's innate powers of ice which, shall we say, has kept me frozen in time with her love and trust in me over the years. But my weary body has been at the cusp of death of late. At last having someone to pass down my responsibilities, my gifts, in you, Son, I was prepared and at peace to give my spirit to the Lord, for I felt my time had more than come." Ragi had gently led Sven, after rubbing several natural herbs in an ointment to the fur beneath his chin to roust the poorly reindeer, beside Anna and Kristoff, with Agdar float-walking at their rear, to a portion of the subterranean antechamber where there were many rocks stacked into seatings for the human variety.

"I foolishly had not foreseen my Queen's sadness that our treasured days had gone by. Though I knew her attachment to me, and I of her, after all these years together, was immeasurable, I did not expect her to be so heartily upset that she would turn her back on her duty to this world's winter season. It was amid her tears, for even just the briefest moment, her old enemy and mine, this Devil Troll we, together with Gerda and Kai, defeated decades ago, slipped unbeknownst to either of us out of his prison beneath the Snow Queen's Mirror of Reason up there." Ragi's spirit ghost points his diaphanous arm upward towards that shining Throne room up there where Black Ice Queen Elsa was now holding court.

"My soul, just on the verge of wandering Home, took the opportunity to enter the Devil troll's realm to find that the wicked Djævlen had been keeping captive the entire forgotten race of ancient Fire Trolls as warped and manic slaves to be trampled on in his demented dominion." As Ragi quietly explains, he was nursing Sven's sprained appendage that quickly healed under the original Wind Whisperer's granted powers to harness nature in goodness.

"But what does any of this have to do with Elsa turning bad and forgetting the ones she loves?!" Anna edgily demands, growing impatient with his long backstory as she was waiting for the punchline as to what happened so she could get quickly back up there to devise how to reclaim her adored sister back to normal.

"Anna, respect your elders." Ever haughty and stiff and uptight, King Agdar's disembodied spirit still observed all of the dignified proprieties his regal status commanded as he hovered over his young daughter with a reproving twisted lip look down at her beneath his ghostly moustached face.

"Yes, Papa." The chastised ginger girl hangs her head, duly upbraided, making Kristoff smile at his commanding in-law for achieving stillness in piquant Anna with just a few quick cool short words that he himself had been attempting to accomplish for a long time.

"But she is correct, Agdar. Your elder daughter regaining her senses, and thusly her freedom from the Djævlen, is the most essential part of this entire problem." Sage old Ragi had the wisdom of sight beyond sight as the man of few words imparts a vital lesson Papa Agdar Bernadotte''s overprotective jealousy has been long in needing to hear.

"Queen Elsa, driven to the breach of loneliness by being parted from her own true love, left a small window cracked open in her desperate heart for the wicked one to slip in and distort her weakened mind and unguarded soul to be used for his evil power controlling ends. As you have your Idun and Anna has Kristoff to keep you each grounded, Elsa was left set adrift at an unfortunate moment of being targeted by the Djævlen."

"You see, without true love's stability, with no one to share the burdens, to share in the day to day joys and sorrows, as partners in life, it is difficult for a soul to carry on. That is precisely why God created in the Garden of Eden man needing woman, two souls entwined as one to stand together against all of this world—in risk and reward.

 _'And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper who is just right for him._ _' (Genesis 1:18)_ For anyone to go through life alone without that chosen helpmate would take an iron will of devout service or overestimated belief in oneself. It is more than difficult for a person to withstand such immense loneliness without losing control to the Devil's constant corrosive temptation."

"The Djævlen is a wily one, and sensed you coming to stop this evil plot, your Majesty. So, I could only watch from the side lines where I was frozen in the mirror of reason, and I knew I must act when you reached the critical soulful juncture point of the Svartisen glacier where the Djævlen hold some sway. I used all the remainder of my summoned Wind Whisperer gifts, to work through your eyes, Kristoff, my son, and do what I could to help. I intercepted Anna's father's deceived, ripped out soul to join me here before the Devil Troll fully got his claws to claim him in his underworld lair."

"' _Devil. What you meant for evil, God has worked for good_.'" Ragi quietly applies Scripture as he walks through the underground catacomb, his intuitive mind had already mapped out where to proceed next.

"Together, Anna, your father and I have found here in the subterranean lair of the Devil Troll one more mission to correct for nature's sake before I finally rest with my fathers. With you and your God-given talents, King Agdar, and my boy Kristoff as one with your sweet Anna, I believe we can accomplish this great undertaking together." Ragi directs his steely gaze down to the assembly of Fire Trolls that he and Agdar, who proved be a powerful speaker and leader, had convinced to join in a rebellion against the Devil Troll who had subjugated the Fire Troll race in the darkness beneath the earth's crust for far too long.

"With you here, your Majesty, under your leadership, I believe we can free these lost Fire Trolls from their captivity. In doing so, we will siphon the Dark One's power away from his control over Queen Elsa." Ragi bows an aged head to the younger sovereign of this land who had heartily agreed, in fact, suggested, this Troll revolution.

"And they will at last be free to live again in the shining world above, beside their Troll relations and humanity, side-by-side under the bright days of the New Year to come."

Inspired by her Papa's moving speech, Anna looks on each sad, sullen Fire Troll face and the myriad of hopeful charcoal black eyes blinking up at her. Those eyes burned with the promised hope of rising to the surface, if just to see the sunrise once more—just as in the legendary days of old that only their eldest ancestor remembered.

"Anna! Allow me to introduce you. This is Andesite the Old. He is the eldest Fire Troll living and was a child in the Great Troll Wars, over a millennia ago. These are the ancient clan of the Fire Trolls who once populated our lands alongside their brethren, the Rock Trolls and Water Trolls before the Great Troll Wars ended. They had made the critical mistake of letting the evil Djævlen Devil Troll influence and corrupt them so they could destroy the other trolls in vying for ultimate supremacy." Avid national historian King Agdar gestures for a small, bent over and blind, elderly troll named 'Andesite' to speak to Anna.

"Temptation of power and raw jealousy for their brother and sister trolls stoked the fires of war in their turned hearts until the Djævlen Troll tricked them all to believe that they were the master race that would wipe the stain of humanity from their invaded land." The old troll, devoid of sight for decades, still recalled the images of war etched on his soul vividly.

"But for thousands of years, shut in this darkness, away from the world above trapped beneath the crust subterranean catacombs, the Fire Trolls had been used and corrupted by the wicked Devil Troll to be his slaves. Stealing their seven virtues of humility, kindness, chastity, patience, abstinence, diligence, and generosity in exchange for the seven deadly sins of pride, envy, lust, gluttony, sloth, greed and anger, the Djævlen had tried many times throughout history to destroy both Troll and man aboveground in the same controlling manner. He succeeded in wiping out the entire Sedimentary Water troll race, subjugating the Fire Igneous Trolls to leave only the Metamorphic Rock Trolls remaining on Earth." The ancient Fire Troll's heavy eyelids and deep wrinkled jowls speak in a deep, gravelly tone full of profound wisdom as he shares with Anna, who knelt beside him to hear his low soft voice. He then surprises her by reaching up to take her hand.

"Your father has explained that under God's merciful intervention, through the innocence of a little child and the Snow Queen's help in the conflict before, the Djævlen had been defeated and held at bay beneath that Mirror of Good and Evil we have existed all these eons beneath. You may be that little girl who can show us lost souls how to find forgiveness, Princess. Please help us." The old, aged Troll asks Anna with desperate authenticity.

"And now that the Devil has once again reared its ugly head, we, as God's people must stand on the side of right, arm in arm to assist the forgotten tribe of Fire trolls to reclaim their molten magic he has exploited for far too many eons. Will you, entitled citizens of Scandinavia, wish to stand and fight in the light of the sun's fire once again, but this time on the righteous, Godly side, and help free my innocent daughter from the Djævlen's manipulative attempt to darken the bright world above? Are you with me to convince the rest of your clan to join the revolution into the light?" King Agdar was a powerful motivational speaker indeed when he tried, his loving fatherly and patriotic heart as hotly passionate as the cold ice that ran through his veins making him strong and unbendable.

"YEAH!" A chorus of scratchy voices who had almost forgotten how to speak in the silent shadows they existed in for decades and centuries and millennia in the darkness, respond to the Ice King's moving plea for independence to walk out into the sunlight again, like in the days of Auld Lang Syne.

"Anna, I swear on my honor we will bring your sister back safe to Arendelle. I will bring you both home to Arendelle safe and sound. Thank God your mother is out of harm's way in the castle or I would go out of my mind with worry for all three of my darling girls." The righteous King of Arendelle, with all this danger posed to his cherished children to tackle head-on, at least could sigh with what little respite he could muster for his beloved bride, secured back home where he ordered her to stay, safe and warm.

* * *

But Princess Idun of Drottningholm never did well with complying to orders.

"Gerda! Kai! Are you two all right?! Sturdier then she looked, petite Queen Idun was the first to recover from the bumpity, bumpy, bump ride down the mountainside after several minutes of the wild carriage being stopped by a Providentially cushioned fall into a snow drift.

"Yes, I think so, your Majesty. Just catching our breath, right, Kai?" Gerda speaks for herself and her dizzy man, all a-jumble on the lopsided carriage seat across from Idun. Gerda was grateful that his patch eye was still bright blue and blinking awake like normal and not as clouded and opaque as it has been these past few weeks of anxiety.

"You both get yourselves together. I'm going to go see to the horses and the condition of our vehicle." The exhilarated Queen takes charge in her husband's place since his second-in-command, Minister Kai, was coughing, still a bit fuzzy after being shaken about quite a bit with his flabby body serving as the women's staunch barrier in the fall.

"I'll get the door for you, your Majesty!" Pulling her disembodied snow parts back together quickly, eager Eliana climbs ever some of the pile of luggage like they were steps to get to the carriage door. The determined little snowgirl pries the latch open against its sideways gravity with a triumphant "Oomph!" and clap of hands.

Idun lifts her lithe frame up over the cases to join the small snow woman. Hand in branch, the two go-getting females make a little leap out of the slightly lifted off the ground carriage that had been stopped by a snow mound jutting out of the riverbank below.

"Sitron? Bae? Where are you?! Eliana!" Idun cries out when the small snowgirl 's three-part form is whisked away in a frosted whirlwind leaving Idun holding only onto her branch arm. She watches in dismay as Eliana swirls away to the other side of the frozen lake in the bitter breeze at the bottom of the Svartisen glacier.

Pulling her hood tighter around her disheveled brown bun head, Idun puffs smoke in the cold air. She gingerly steps across the deep frozen lake at the glacier's base from where the crashed carriage had landed in the bone chilling temperatures.

Frantically the Queen gazes back and forth until her snow dazzled eyes spot a reconstituted Eliana once again be lifted off the ground by her fluffy pink skirts from the wind catching beneath the frilly folds of her dress.

"Oohhhh!" From somewhere behind a tall boulder, Eliana uncommonly shrieks, causing Idun to wildly race forward. The bundled up Queen Mother trips on some branches obscured beneath the snow to fall on her face quite indecorously.

When she looks up, an emanating light was right before her, warm and brilliant. It makes Idun's already snow blind eyes blink several times before she could clearly make out the small form of a troll like creature, with a flaming tail glowing at its tip, with molten hot red hair flowing from a deep mahogany skinned head, speaking some foreign words in…

…Latin?

" _Adiuvo est venior! Celiriter!"_ (Come and help! Hurry!)

And then a man's scratchy voice soon follows, lifting a disoriented Idun up beneath her armpits.

"I've got you."

"Hmm? Who? Oh, Prince Alonso! What a relief!" Queen Idun, though thoroughly embarrassed to have been found face down, clawing in the icy ground like some helpless snow angel little girl in that thick wool, hard to maneuver cloak, was overjoyed to see the Argentine boy wearing a sealskin muffler whom she had sent Elsa out into the storm with.

"Where's Elsa? Did you two find shelter? Was it so cold up there at the peak that you decided to come down to this valley? I know the cold doesn't bother my girl, but it must've been uncomfortable for you, a young man hailing from a warm clime south of the equator –" The shivering anxious mother prattles on to vent her anxiety as she fixes the hood that had covered her head.

"I've been surprisingly managing." Alonso gentlemanly helps the puffing cold Queen to her feet and dusts her snowy frame off. Quite unlike his egocentric self before, Alonso gallantly removes and wraps his own fur poncho around the older woman's quavering shoulders for extra warmth.

"Thank you. And who is this? Perhaps a relative of the Rock Trolls in the Valley of Living Rock? My family and I have good friends there." Intuitive Idun inquires politely, while reaching out to touch the red-hot Fire Troll's shoulder with a warm greeting in the frightfully cold weather.

 _"Illud bonum no est tibi agare_. (That is not good for you to do.)" Boninite the Fire Troll shrinks back from the tender woman's ungloved hand.

"Who is this, Alonso? Does she only speak in Latin?" Idun asks as the Córdoban Prince helps her regain her balance.

" _Latinam possum?_ (You speak Latin?)" Boni cocks her crackly head up at the intriguing inquisitive woman.

"Ergh… Not that well, unfortunately." Idun responds, trying to recall her Latin lessons in the ancient tongue that her older sister Arianna insisted on Willow and her learning as children while they walk back to the Royal carriage stuck in the snow bank.

"I just picked up a few phrases here and there from Primmy in days of old, so I may be a little bit rusty on it, but, here goes. _Mater sum_ _Regina_ _Elsa qui rex est._ (I am mother to Elsa, who is Queen.) _Vidisti eius?_ (Have you seen her?)" Idun stumbles through her Latin that her elder sister had books and books from the eldest Swedish Princess' archaeological and scientific studies in her own rebellious youth. Trendsetting Princess Arianna insisted her two younger sisters take up Latin rather than the normal embroidering and housekeeping that most other Royal young women were instructed on in their education before being married off to the highest Royal bidder.

" _Regina_ _Elsa… Hanc eius vidi ante hunc diem_." (Queen Elsa…I have seen her power before this day.) Boni, in turn, responds in her native tongue before she makes an attempt at the translation. "Regina Elsa… _Queen_ Elsa… has been taken… _Diablo_ … has corrupted her… _Horibillis formidulosus Diabolo (_ Devil _…_ horrible dangerous devil)." The Fire Troll trying to speak in a more modern language that Alonso had been attempting to teach her in this time spent huddled together in the cave in the blizzard. She quivers and shakes her flaming head in sheer fright at her own words.

Idun looks to Alonso with new fear of her own on her every lovely feature for her dear child.

"Taken? Corrupted? Where is she, Alonso?! What happened to my daughter?!" The instantly distressed Mama turns in anger to the Córdoban Prince who had used these past two days to make his way down between the dual Svartisen glaciers to the depths of its frozen lake and this mysterious grotto where he had glimpsed Elsa disappear into.

"Your Majesty! What's wrong?!" Kai and Gerda had finally managed to come to consciousness enough to escape from the partially sunken in the snow carriage and emerge to their Queen's distress. The older agent was not so nimbly coming out from the flung open carriage door as his wife holds tight to his coattails to try to keep the disembarking man from falling out on his face detrimentally.

"I don't know! You tell me about this nutty country! Look, I'm not sure what happened but we were having a nice time visiting her Ice Palace and touring the countryside when some bad stuff happened with these freaky 'Fire Troll' things. We saw some old mossy GranPabbie troll guy who fixed this girl troll and told us we had to go further northward to see some Snow Queen or someone. After that, we met some salesman jerk named 'Oaken' peddling a warming crystal scarf thing—which I might add that Queen Elsa greedily claimed, though she didn't need it at all." Alonso shows a bit of his selfish nature and vanity as he smoothes back his own frosted coif of hair with the irked memory.

"After that on our 'fun' road trip, Elsa started acting strange. She insisted on traveling fast and commandeered my chariot, bounding across the frozen tundra mountains like some mad woman. And then, as I tried to persuade her to stop acting crazy and saying freaky things about becoming the ' _New Queen of the Winter'_ , your daughter jumped from that two hundred foot ledge up there." Alonso points out to the sheer cliff's peak that Idun's Royal carriage had also plummeted down, as Idun, Gerda and Kai all gasp.

"Did you say she called herself the ' ** _New_** Queen of the Winter'?" In full command of his mind now, Kai questions Alonso as he and Gerda follow where the South American lad had already led a shaken Sitron into a warm cave to join his pair of chestnut Criollo horses and his chariot by an open campfire.

After Elsa had abandoned him to this forbidding, uninhabited no man's land of a black ice Mountain, Alonso had carefully driven his Criollo team down into the deep frozen Svartisen Lake Valley rather than just run away.

He could have taken the easy route back to the nearby town instead of seeing if he could follow the Queen of Norway and her mysterious departure into the mirror of this lake's ice. But he stuck it out, maybe having some hidden bone of chivalry in him yet.

Once he arrived at the base level to find no entry through the ice, Prince Alonso had even condescended to gather whatever meager wood available from the shoreline of the frozen lake like a common servant boy to keep his horses warm. He took them into the nearby cave grotto where he believed was closest to where he saw Elsa dissolve into the shadowy mirror of the glacier lake.

"Yeah. I'll show you where I think she melted through the ice, like Tennyson's fabled 'Lady of Shalott' or some outlandish fairytale. It was almost like she stepped through a mirrored door to another world, to supposedly claim her birthright as 'Queen of the Winter', whatever that means. She seemed possessed by the devil himself, if you ask me, the way she was acting. But I followed her down nonetheless. It took me almost two days' time to go the long way around the mountain—unlike how your crazy horse was fool enough to bound down the hillside on his own. That's one heck of a brave – _or one heckuva dumb_ – horsie." Complementing Sitron with a tickle to his equine chin, Alonso brings Idun, Kai and Gerda into a roaring fire warmed section of the cave where he and Boni had set up camp after exploring the area of the frozen lake surface for hours. Thus far, they had come up with no secret passageway yet to explain how Elsa melted into the frozen lake's shadows as they scouted around in between the blizzards.

"Oh my poor girl sounds so confused! I had hoped Elsa would bring us all together North so we could face the struggles of this inexplicable blizzard as a family. But now…! I know she's been so lonely and upset and missing her fiancé. I should've been more open with her in the fact that Anna and I have already sent for Hans to come home for her birthday." Idun begins to blame herself again for more secrets that had not served Elsa well yet again.

"So the illustrious Prince Hans Westergaard is coming? I'd like to meet the guy who could melt the Ice Queen's heart." A tad jealous Alonso conclusively provides the name of his rival when it came to Queen Elsa of Arendelle's hard-won affection that the South American had gleaned in his best attempts to woo Elsa himself.

"Yes. This must stem from a matter of the heart, which I, as her mother, neglected. And with Anna and my husband already far North facing these difficulties where the Snow Queen reigns, I wish Prince Hans were here already now. He's one of the only people in the world who can reach my introverted, timid and shy Elsa with just his words or a glance."

"Just as I know that my intractable, stubborn King needs me by his side in these dark moments where he can be sure of my abiding love, I will become his strength. I don't know how we even can get through this Svartisen glacier lake mirror, never mind reach her. If my darling girl has been influenced by a malignant presence, I can only pray we will arrive in time to make a difference, before it swallows up our beautiful kingdom in frigid coldness, along with her pure heart."

Arms wrap around her thin frame, feeling immersed in that chill as Idun paces the warmed grotto. Though considerately, Alonso insisted that she rest in his comfortable chariot seat like a Queen should, the frantic mother wouldn't hear about it when her loved ones were in danger and was in soulful turmoil as she peers out to the vast ice lake's blinding, iridescent surface.

Fearlessly undaunted, spirited Queen Idun goes back out onto the ice and drops to her hands and knees on the lake's ice surface, touching it, knocking on it, feeling its smoothness in search of any key as to where her dear girl entered so she could follow.

"Oh, Kai. The Devil Troll tried this takeover before, nearly half a century ago. I can't believe he's escaped again! I hope the Snow Queen's all right!" A fearful Gerda whispers to her husband, who nods back in response and squeezes her hand as they follow Queen Idun out into the bone-chilling cold outside.

"He will be defeated." The glint in his uncovered eye was full of truth and white light and no longer held that devilish red glow behind it as he speaks, loud and proud and strong for Idun to pause and smile up at her old friend in gratitude.

"And again, Gerda, if it means we must unravel the secret to the puzzle of the Mirror of Good and Evil once more, if it be God's will, we will strive to succeed, and pass these tests to see our roses bloom again in the Spring." With a gentle smile that remembered all, Kai Roservalen joins his Queen, falling to his knees to aid her frantic search to find a way to pursue her lost, corrupted daughter in the hidden mystery of this sparkling ice.

 _"When the loveliest rose is found in the vale,  
Though thorns tear down and scourge;  
The beloved of God's fruit to bear  
My Rose of heaven will never lose.'"_

A smiling, hymn singing of their unconquerable Lord and Savior, Gerda soon follows suit until the three older people were down on their hands and knees carefully inspecting the ice river frozen solid beneath them for any sign of special cracks or mirrored passageway.

"Okay. This is a weird tableau of mid-life crisis maturity." Prince Alonso snidely comments to Sitron and _Rápido_ and _Fuerte_ , his Criollo horses, about the strange older folks. He leans back on his chariot with a cup of hot mocha that a servile Boninite had heated for her overindulged companion while he just stands by, watching the old folks dither about in the wintry cold from the comfort of his made-homey grotto opening.

 _'Then the_ _garden_ _of_ _God_ _blossoms with glory,  
the sweet fruit of Jesus in the field,  
His seeds of joyful hymns multiply  
The jewel, the rose in blossom yields.'_

 _"Perhaps the most immature who does not even try to exceed and glorify will be the one left behind, all alone to freeze."_ A deep soulful voice murmurs in Alonso's spoiled brat ear, making the twenty-seven-year old jump and spill his hot coffee all over his fur poncho.

"Who said that?!" The Crown Prince looks around but sees no one save the chortling three horses.

-And a giant ghostly reindeer standing over a particular crystalline section of the frozen lake's center with Boninite the Fire Troll upon his ancient back where the spirit reindeer was pawing at a large icy quartz stone that had been placed over a prismatic layer of glimmering ice.

Bae strides over with his intimidating size and looks to Alonso with the definite antler gesture that the stone had to be lifted out, and he wouldn't be pleased if the young man from Cordoba refused.

"All right! All right! I'll move it!" A shamed and frightened into action Alonso skids and slides across the ice to that midsection of the frozen lake area, using all his heretofore untapped strength to try to shift it, but the less than muscular, pampered prince fails miserably.

"Ugh! I don't think the horses all together could budge it! No way can any man dislodge that heavy thing! You've picked the wrong spot, Rudolph. That rock must've always been there." Alonso says dismissively, with a defeated angry whack at the hard sedimentary sandstone as he stands away from it.

"Perhaps it's not a job for a big, strapping man, nor his powerful steeds. Especially not one who gives up so easily. Perhaps it'll require the feminine touch." With a pair of pursed lips, Queen Idun, with Gerda and Kai soon behind her, had arrived to see what Alonso was up to.

"What do you think, Kai?" The Queen turns to her King's chief advisor in all things intellectual, the savvy woman already having an idea of how to approach this problem, but wanting a second opinion.

"Sedimentary rock of this quartz nature consisting of more than 95% quartz clasts and below 5% matrix and low pH can implode and disintegrate, given the proper high heat index of over 589°C." The scientific mathematician in Minister Kai begins rattling off some data that goes right over Alonso's stunned head.

"Boninite? _Combures lapidem placere potes cogitare iste_? (You can think that you burn the stone, please?)" Queen Idun asks the Fire Troll girl with the sincere request. "I will…try, _Regina Mater_. (Queen Mother)" Boni answers, seriously, directing her elemental magic towards the center of the granite stone blocking the passage Elsa had slipped through days earlier amid her obsessed blonde ambition to be the new 'Queen of the Winter'. As the pinpointed hot flame of the magic Igneous Fire Troll slowly burns, Queen Idun closes her eyes and prays that, through her connection with the Snow Queen before, they would somehow be able to travel through the Winter sovereign's secret passageway here in the heart of the coldest, ancient ice mountains of Norway in quest of finding Elsa. Wherever this mystifying ice's prismatic coruscating arcade took them, she desperately hoped Elsa would be receptive to those who loved her, and remember how much she meant to each of them, even if deceptive whispers in her ear told her otherwise…

 _'Is thy sweet heart now grown so cold, that loving breast of thine?  
That thou canst never once reflect on our Auld Lang Syne?'_

* * *

Black Ice Queen Elsa stops still in her elegant tracks as she had been pacing around the shattered Mirror of Good and Evil. She almost could make out the distant, indistinguishable sound of a sweet soprano voice in her head, as if it was begging for her to remember something she had forgotten…

"Hmm? What manner of creature are you to invade my mirror…?" The spiky haired blonde's long blue fingernailed hand clutches at her tall collared neck as she glimpses, in one piece of the reflective glass scattered across the scorched Snow Palace Great Hall floor, a handsome, slender red-headed man with sideburns had her entranced with his beauty and look of stalwart determination flying through the skies upon a magic carpet with a glimmering pendant of sparkling crystalline ice in the at his neck…

When the dark shadow comes creeping up behind the spellbound young ruler whose mesmerized cold heart begins to quickly beat in three quarter time, she guiltily kicks that particular mirror shard across the Great Hall. And her raised ice map of the world shudders at the sight of the mysterious man skittering across it…

* * *

 _"Auld Lang Syne" –_ written by Scottish poet Robert Burns in 1788, set to a traditional pentatonic Scots folk melody

 _"Den yndigste Rose er funden" – 'The Loveliest Rose is Found' –_ hymn written by the Danish poet Adolph Brorson 1732, excerpts featured in Hans Christian Anderson's "The Snow Queen"

* * *

Happy New Year, Frozen friends!

I hope you enjoyed this last installment of the year 2017!

To get you in the mood, I infused that melody we hear each New Year's Eve of 'Auld Lang Syne' in this developing plot storyline to ring in the New Year for Frozen Again! The Scots poem written by poet Robert Burns, also known as the 'Bard of Ayrshire', in 1788 has been used in many countries for decades to bid farewell to the old year.

The title 'Auld Lang Syne' translates as 'For old time's sake' or 'old gone by' and the phrase 'In the Days of Auld Lang Syne has been used in retelling fairy tales in the Scottish language as 'Once upon a Time…' So I thought it fit into out Frozen/ Snow Queen fairy tale story well here where our heroine Queen Elsa has forgotten her days of auld lang syne! :)

So set to the tune of a traditional Scottish folk song, let's all sing a round of Auld Lang Syne together! Happy New Year, my dearest friends! God bless you and keep you and shower His love upon you and yours in New Year 2018!

The King and Queen of Arendelle are fully part of the adventure now on their heartfelt journey to save their children in this continuing journey of 'Frozen Again: Love Never Ends'!

Thanks for reading and sharing in the love and adventure with me on your New Year celebration night, everyone! Countdown for the ball to drop in Times Square and on 2017 forever!

Happy New Year with all God's blessings showered upon you and yours in this New Year 2018!

Love,

HarukaKou

 _'For auld lang syne, my dear,_  
 _For auld lang syne,_  
 _We'll take a cup o' kindness yet,_  
 _For auld lang syne.'_


	23. Chapter 22 - Queens of the Winter

_We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

 **"Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act VII**

 **Chapter 22**

 **"Queens of the Winter"**

 _'My dearest Elsa,_

 _With the acquisition of this new magical transport, I am well on schedule to return to Arendelle within a few short days. Much has occurred since my last entry concerning dangerous buccaneer encounters on our mail ship route—a deadly mermaid abduction of Égalite and our being joined by my Storbror, Eugene, and his friend Ms. Schmidt on an enchanted and quite sentient magic flying Carpet. They, all three, played essential roles in our ultimate rescue from the vicious sirens of the sea._

 _But never mind that entire escapade, there is something else that more speaks of the heart that has disturbed me greatly, which I discovered soon afterwards._

 _You see, just yesterday while my companions and I were at the hotel in Sharm el Naga, Egypt, awaiting our rested recovery and subsequent departure, I happened to have come across some news of happenings back home in Scandinavia._

 _News generally takes several months to circulate in foreign waters, I have found, so I was elated to hear any morsel of your country, however—'_

Here, the mid-air writer had paused and left a thought provoked great space on the bottom of this page of his naval diary he had been using for letter writing to his fiancée on this expedition. But he appeared to have flipped over to an entirely new sheet before beginning to write feverishly the rest of the correspondence with a heavy handed dip in the shaky inkwell with his trusted steel nib pen.

 _'But according to many accounts and reports of local sightings as well as from people in the know – though I am suspect of proponents of fake news and tattle concerning famed icons of royalty – Arendelle Castle has been entertaining a certain young Prince from Argentina._

 _More precisely,_ ** _you_** _have been entertaining Crown Prince Alonso of Córdoba, by name, up in your Ice_ _Palace alone, for several weeks now. it has been cause for rumor and speculation as to an impending alliance with this dashing South American, who would make a far better match than the 'thirteenth in-line, tainted youngest Prince of Denmark.'_

 _I know I am unworthy and wholly inadequate of being rewarded with the love of the much sought after Queen of Arendelle._

 _But if you have taken up with another man, I would have preferred to have heard it from you._

 _I doubt that your father King Agdar's ruling that we may not speak to one another by letter would still stand any ground if you were no longer intending to hold to your promise of betrothal to me. So I still hold out hope that this a mistake of the rumor mill, just false reporting._

 _I have not been able to rest for long or think very straight since I unfortunately happened upon this matter in a news publication._

 _Please tell me that it's all fabrication of the press misinterpretating simple diplomacy and cordiality between nations. If that is so, I ask you an advanced 'forgive me' for my insane jealousy that has blurred my thinking to despise everything about a man that I never even met._

 _I have heard of this Prince Alonso—that he is a self absorbed man and quite an unreasonable lout—whose vanity and peevishness makes him very unpopular and unsuitable for marriage to a tenderhearted woman such as you, Elsa._

 _Yet whatever happens, whatever road you choose for us both, please know you are and will forever be min ædle kæreste. Please know I will do anything, be anyone, and wait a lifetime for you, my darling Elsa…You are my eternal dream. Now knowing this, you hold the fate of my heart in your delicate hands.'_

As the magic flying Carpet zooms across the skies of Italy, Austria, and various countries between the Mediterranean and Norway over the European continent, amid snoring in the deep of night surrounding him, Prince Hans had been reviewing the last epistle of his multiple collection from his precious sealskin letter satchel that had somehow survived this, at times harrowing, voyage home to his love.

With a resigned tilt to his red brow and set straight lips and fine jaw he tears the final entry from his navel log and sits, holding it in the wind-blown silence where he was the only one awake in the predawn morn.

Hans Westergaard takes a determined breath of the painfully nippy cold breeze and lets it out with a deep sigh. He uses the flame of the compact, shielded glass lamp Cassandra had left in his watch's care to dip the paper in and set it aflame, sheltering the burning page between his hands from being put out by the racing, cool air currents.

 _No, my own darling. I refuse to let you see me in that pitiful, jealous and distrusting state. I am wholly ashamed to have sunk that low to have ever selfishly lashed out my inner demons to have scribed such a ranting epistle to the lady I adore, and would never hurt for the world._

Hans thinks to himself silently in reflection as the letter full of envy, insecurities and utmost jealousy shrivels and blackens between his fearless of fire fingertips, until he finally lets it loose over the chilled, dark sea.

 _My good friends have illustrated to me that it is a man of determination and courage to face the fear of rejection with conviction and confidence who truly deserves to win the lady's heart._

 _So that is who I will be, Elsa. Putting this aside, I will stand at your gates, knock on your castle door and be your resolute hero, who will never allow these jealous doubts and fears and suspicions to cloud my judgment, nor mar my commitment to you of undying love ever again._

Sealing the weather tight pouch with the remainder of love letters closed again tight to his chest, the Danish Prince steels his resolve. He lifts to his lips from beneath the warmth of his jacket and shirt to kiss the cool statuette of his lover, with his secret vow filled with warm affection.

But the touch of frostbiting chill starts to permeate the entire landscape of the frozen continent below they were fast navigating by air, nonetheless.

* * *

A brief touchdown a few daybreak hours later in Bavaria had Eugene and Cassandra picking up some heavy warm coats and clothing more suitable for the chilling weather the further north Carpet flew.

The concerned thief also gathered from his old friend, Lance Strongbow – who had the power of a big heart and ample muscle to boot to run the state-sponsored YMCA type place for orphan kids to seek shelter during the harsh winter months, and learn a vocational skill at the same time – that his Princess bride Rapunzel was fine back home in Corona Palace, and had not yet given birth to their expected twins.

So after asking Lance to keep an eye out for his womb-full wife, the compassionate thief decided he could continue this crazy journey northward bound for his kid brother to pay a visit to his homecoming queen.

Especially since stoic Hans' anxiety level, though unspoken, had increased exponentially in the unforgiving cold weather drop, the further up the continent they traveled.

After gleaning reports of the uncommon Arctic weather shift and well below freezing point temperature in Norway that kept ships stranded in the iced up port once again, with no hope of further maritime entrance for sea travel into the frozen fjord dock, the thought provoked Dane was afresh in taciturn silence on board the Magic Carpet.

Fortunately, intelligent Carpet knew to fly above the storm blizzard to the warmer, less turbulent temperatures high in the thin air upper stratosphere to avoid the harsh weather patterns that would have stymied many others from continuing this foolhardy expedition.

"So this is the fabled fairytale land of Arendelle in winter… I have heard much about her pristine beauty and always intended to visit her… But never had the chance… So immaculately still and _manufique_ (magnificent) in frozen brilliance… Now I can see why you have kept her all for yourself, Westergaard." Speaking of Arendelle as if she were a woman, Prince Ferdinand saucily comments to Hans as Carpet soars its four passengers down into the chilled atmosphere towards the fjords surrounding the afloat castle on the incoming horizon.

"Yes… Almost too quiet and too cold…" As the colorful Persian rug lands, Hans grips the ice pendant around his neck, glancing down in the light of day only to be startled to find a swirling maelstrom of dark and clear ice spinning within its translucent shapely sculpture.

"You got that right, Sideburns! But you're the one crazy enough to **want** to get hitched to an Ice Queen! It's too damn cold for the rest of us warm-blooded individuals who just traveled from the beautiful beaches of the Mediterranean to be frost frozen in this polar deathtrap. Cass excluded, of course." Huffing hot air between his already gloved digits, an unhappy in the cold, dreaming of someplace foreign and warm and sunny again, Flynn Rider leaps off their shared flying rug's ride. He stomps his feet on the ground vociferously complaining for any smidgen of warmth the agitated friction was supposed to bring his stiff, frozen in early arthritis stages lower limbs.

"You'll be wallowing around the big warm fire soon, you whiny baby. It's just a little… c-cold." Even blustery, frosty-tongued Cassandra Schmidt beneath her fur trimmed oversized big hood had a hard time denying the frigid plummeting temperature to make it believable when her pearly white teeth were chattering between each supercilious word.

"Oh, _mon pauvre chere_ (my poor dear)! Please allow this small gesture of friendship for the sake of mutual _chaleur_ _corporelle_ (body heat)." Alighting from Carpet _toute suite_ (right away) when the raven haired beauty left a gaping wide opening for his flirtatious gait, Ferdinand throws both arms to wrap around Cassandra and starts rubbing her arms and torso and waist rather intimately.

"I'll give you a gesture if you don't quit that… But it's nice to feel my arms are still attached to me…" Independent Cass spits out with less venom than usual that would normally send any sane man's tactful attention away immediately. But maybe she really could've used the influx of heat from her amorous companion, for she was shivering too much to care where the welcome friction was coming from, even from this frustrating perplexing Frenchman.

Ignoring them all behind him as he stood before this Scandinavian Royal residence he had only dreamed to be this close to again so soon, Hans nervously knocks on the door with the quick prayer that his inexplicable jitters were not justified. After all, this cold snap of weather was highly normal and likely at this time of year in this part of the world.

 _And_ his official orders to the Admiralty _did_ specify that he should return to confer important naval business with the King, as well as attend Queen Elsa's birthday party by special invitation of her younger sibling, Princess Anna.

So with all those factors taken into account, by Hans' estimation, there was no actual cause for his unease to be standing here in this spot, about a week early from his forty day journey timetable from the southern jungles of India to an incredible passage across the seas, made even more expedited thanks to the Providentially provided swift transport and excellent timing of one magic flying Carpet.

 _ **KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.**_

 _Perhaps I am merely suffering from the natural inclination of an unworthy young man wooing an extremely desirable ad highly eligible daughter with an entirely intimidating father of an icy King._

Hans gives his best stab at a little inward levity to make light of his weighty heart as he gives the stately Arendelle Castle's front door a decisive three-quarter time knock with baited breath.

As the door swings open, Hans' little secret hope against hope was that his sweet love would be the one to fling open the door and fall into his arms to shower him with kisses, having been overwhelmingly lonely from missing him, upon his homecoming.

But that happy dream is shattered when a gangly, large nosed youth instead peeks out over the wind swept door cautiously in answer to his knock.

"Yes, sir?" An outwardly smiling young man with a black dirt moustache peeks from behind Arendelle's cracked open front door rather than the regular as clockwork butler, Kai or faithful housekeeper Gerda, as proper protocol demanded, upon Hans' recollection.

The young man looked no more than fifteen years of age, and rather resembled a lad Hans had seen working on the ship of the Duke of Weselton over two years ago. When the ship was stuck at port, the young wanderer acrobat who had a knack to be a chimney sweep offered to unclog the plugged up fireplace flues of Arendelle which were essential to keep running during the 'eternal winter' weather then.

Since then, he had been so in demand in Arendelle, Bert never left.

"Vise Admiral Westergaard of the Sjoforsvaret to see Admiral Bernadotte on an urgent matter of naval business." Straightening his jacket best he could in the stiff long coat his big brother insisted he wore when the weather turned cold, Hans announces himself as a proper officer should to his commander first before his lover.

Particularly since it was King Agdar who was the one Hans ultimately had to answer to if he intended to keep his several months' long betrothal to Elsa intact.

"Sorry, brother. The King's not 'ere. Not been 'ere for weeks." The thick cockney accented young man of obvious British descent brashly responds with a continual smile etched on his long face that was much with chimney soot.

"Then, may I humbly make a petition to inquire of Queen Elsa, as the proper channel chain of command is currently unavailable."

 _My_ _Elsa will be so surprised to see me here!_

The Danish Prince was secretly hiding his exuberant elation, pleased to get this rare chance to speak to his fiancée first upon her strict father's absence.

She hopefully would clear up the cold cloud hanging over his heart, and perhaps explain the vacillating clarity to opaqueness amid the swirling frosted state of his constant companion, the ice pendant she had created for him to wear around his neck, that had Hans uneasy of late.

 _I'm certain now that it is the fault of my uncertainty, this is just an extraordinarily cold winter snap, and everything here is perfectly fine!_

"Well, you're out of luck again, sailor. Neither of the Queens be here either." The skinny brown haired man with the affable grin sniggers at Hans as he was doggedly rearranging his chimney sweep brush try to open it to another setting, thus without success.

"Then surely Princess Anna will see me, as I am here by her specific request as well." The flummoxed redhead was grasping at straws as he looks back to an argument of who carried what bag from the overloaded Carpet between Eugene, Cassandra and Egalité.

But that sinking feeling which Hans had been harboring starts to niggle again at the back of his raised hair nape. His green eyes desperately scan the frozen fjord, wondering just what had befallen Arendelle kingdom to have both of its newly returned rulers and its current Queen away from the castle concurrently.

"Look, Guv. Can't reckon that feisty gal wants to see anyone but her big strapping Ice Harvester fella, who is a real slave driver when it comes to work around this joint – Ooff! Achoo!" The gregarious chimney sweep's brush tool suddenly springs open, pelting black dust all over his unhappy, choking face.

"Cough – cough. Sorry, bloke. No one here's left word to see you. Gotta get back to work if I'm ever gonna make enough for passage back to merry old London! Chim chim chiminy, chim chim chari! A sweep is as lucky as lucky can be…See ya 'round!" The young teenager sings his work cares away, leaving agile Hans to just manage a clean escape from the soot cloud.

The adept redhead leaps back from both the soot and the slamming Arendelle Castle front door in his celestial nose face.

"What happened, Kid? Kicked out by the hired help? Your gal must be in a mood! Only happened to me once, when my sweet Rapunzel got so steamed at me she had the window washer lock me out of our third story bedroom when I went out for a morning stretch. Just because of a small squabble over my partiality of her – _ehem_ – warm winter thermal underclothing – or preferable lack thereof. So, there I found myself, out in a freezing cold December morning wearing nothing but my underwear. At least it's not gotten that bad for you – yet." Eugene chuckles at his nostalgic memory, bone-chilling as it may have been, despite Cassandra loading his filled arms down with used clothing sacks and smelly days-old dishes bag and parcels of their travel gear than he cared to carry.

"Is your fair lady Elsa not here to welcome you, Hans? And Admiral Bernadotte gone as well?" Ferdinand, who offered to carry the nearly depleted basket of food stuffs in an effort to look helpful, though complaining of weak muscles from his siren inflicted wounds still, limps up to where Hans was standing at the closed front door of the Castle with a perplexed look on his handsome face.

"So I've been told –" Hans starts to respond when the castle doors are pulled open for a tall, dark and handsome stranger, wearing regal clothing and a stately manner beneath his graying moustached face.

"Hello! Welcome to Arendelle! I regret the lad's rude behavior to shut the door on all of you important people, and the bustling, disorganized state of the castle as well. But the weather has grown too cold and we have opened up the doors to all in the kingdom to keep within the Castle's sturdy halls for warmth together during this terrible storm." Hearing the regal man's Spanish accented words of compassionate leadership, Hans could place himself in a similar situation over two years ago, handing out whatever blankets and soup and glogg, and tradable goods, to ward off the cold— inviting citizens into the Castle for warmth.

"I must also apologize for that boy's rude behavior, but Bert is a foreigner, and his ship has been marooned in the port again. He has kindly offered to clean Arendelle Castle's much overused fireplaces to keep them in good working order while he's still here. As we all are 'pitching in' as they say. Please do come in and let us find someplace to warm you up after your long journey, Prince Hans. My poco canora Iduna did tell me that you may arrive in her absence. And may I say, I am glad you are here." Chancellor Esteban had been called by Johanne to come down to the front entrance from the court when she peered out the long tall window to see the handsome Danish Prince she recognized instantly requesting entrance to the Castle through that dense chimney sweep boy.

"In her absence? Where has the Royal family gone, sir? Queen Elsa, too? Is she truly not here?" Hans urgently asks as Esteban elegantly sweeps the four – no five – into the castle entrance.

 _What a marvelous magical flying Carpet! Like the old days with Elena back home with the Jaquins again!_

"Alas, this is so, my young friend. All of Arendelle's Royal family members have gone to the North in order to speak with some powerful woman called the ' _Snow Queen'_ all the way in Svalbard, in the hopes she may clear up this foul weather. I pity them the bitter cold temperatures even further in this northern hemisphere, whereas the blizzard raging here has already left this kingdom of my dear friends Iduna and Agdar, incapacitated. Oh, good, Johanne, my dearest, you brought provisions and hot glogg for our visitors to warm their chilled bones." The dark skinned Avaloran ushers Hans, Eugene, Ferdinand, especially paying attention to Cassandra, into Arendelle's drawing room door he was holding open.

"Do you prefer hazelnut macaroons, _Berlinerkransers_ (German Christmas wreaths) or Christmas _serina kakers (_ butter cookies _)_ , my Persian friend? Do feel free to join us for tea." On a hesitant second thought as he was just about to leave the room, the confluent Chancellor does not forget to invite the abandoned, tassel shuffling Magic Carpet left standing in the corner of the vestibule. The older man had seen much mystical elements in his lifetime through his cousin, the Queen of the far-off South American nation of Avalor, so Esteban thought nothing of it now, as he escorts a happy to be noticed Carpet into Arendelle's sitting room and its blazing fireplace that for the chimney sweep had left his trademark soot-prints beside after giving it a proper clean and checkup.

"And you, sir, are in charge here exactly how…?" Feeling a bit defensive of anyone attempting to undermine his army comrade Admiral Bernadotte's authority, Prince Ferdinand inquires of the older diplomatic envoy's credentials. With a supercilious stroke to his own finely honed moustache, snobbish Egalité wonders just who the elder South American he had not encountered in his tour of the region in his youth was. The man held obvious royal good breeding and charm, and a knack to somehow have the monarchs of Arendelle leave him in charge of the kingdom in the entire Royal clan of Norway's absence.

"Oh, do forgive me for not properly introducing myself earlier in all the confusion at your unexpected arrival! I am Lord Chancellor Esteban Antonio Ricardo Florés of Avalor." The dashing older man responds with trilling airs and a luxuriant snap heeled bow to the inquisitive Prince of Orleans. "Queen Iduna and King Agdar are dear old friends of mine. I had just come for a visit as dignitary representing my country for trade when this unfortunate happenstance occurred, and her Majesty Queen Idun entrusted me to guard the kingdom." Esteban explains, turning his elegantly raised brow from the confrontational French Crown Prince to the more level-headed Dane.

"Svalbard? Then, there **is** trouble if Their Majesties both went to see the Snow Queen. Can you explain what has happened, sir? My poor Elsa… I must go to her immediately in this terrible blizzard. She mustn't face this new struggle alone!" Startled, Hans jumps back up to his feet at attention where Johanne had sat them near the roaring fireplace with several mugs of hot alcohol laced glogg. He knew the implications of such an arduous trip must be crucial and life-threatening to the nation for all of its royal leaders to leave unexpectedly at once to try to solve the inexplicable blizzard from there.

"Yes, the storm was so bitter. When King Agdar sent a message via a magical snowgirl blowing in the window, instructing both Queens to stay put here, for there was great danger in the far North, my poco canora – excuse me – Queen Iduna left with Minister Kai and his wife, Gerda, to inform Queen Elsa, who was… _ahem_ …still on tour of the kingdom's grazing fields with Prince Alonso. You see, it was merely part of the trade negotiations with Argentina which Queen Elsa has been ably consolidating in her father's absence." Smooth talker Chancellor Esteban slides in that last bit of information with finesse. The dapper delegate had already discovered Prince Hans' status as Queen Elsa's betrothed from Johanne, who was beside herself with joy when she spotted the Dane, capable of slaying sea monsters and winning the heart and forgiveness of such a girl as their Elsa, coming up the bridge walkway.

"Oh, Thank God you're here, Prince Hans." Clapping her hands together in relief, Johanne felt emboldened enough in this dire situation for her Royal family who she loved dearly to touch the young Dane's uniform's sleeve with a pleading look full of hope.

"King Agdar, Princess Anna and Mr. Kristoff left over one month ago to see the Snow Queen about this terrible blizzard that was suddenly upon us. We have been entertaining the South American visitors from Avalor and Córdoba when the storm hit so fiercely that it suddenly froze the fjord so no ship could come in or go out. I have been praying to God for a miracle, for I can sense how frightening the situation has become, particularly for my brother, Minister Kai. He had been badly affected by some aspect of this sudden ice storm and then Queen Elsa went missing." Johanne speaks with such emotion as her hand grips Hans' arm. The Southern Isles Prince could feel the middle-aged woman's fearful urgency for the Royal family of Norway that she had been nanny and ladies' maid and cherished friend for over forty years since she was a young woman herself.

"Prince Alonso of Córdoba…" A brooding Hans supplies the name through gritted teeth, recalling the newspaper article smashed up in his inside jacket pocket that was burning a hole there. He gives it a further jealous squeeze to hear that the reports of Elsa entertaining the young man in question, all by herself, _unchaperoned_ way up in her secluded Ice Palace, were at least partly true.

"Yes… ehhh… Queen Iduna may have mentioned something about the royal envoy going up to visit Her Majesty's Ice Palace in the North mountain, but that was over a week ago. Neither Queen Idun nor Queen Elsa have returned, nor sent word of their progress north since then. I have been beside myself with worry and was considering taking a search party to join them myself in this frigid weather, had sweet Iduna not explicitly left dear Johanne and I in charge of being caretakers for Arendelle and its people at this crucial time of unrest." With a flourished tease of his curled moustache, Esteban speaks over his hot cup of café ole with a head held high at being trusted with such authority.

The svelte older gentleman places his tanned hand warmly upon her trembling palm, looking to Johanne, whose distraught thin face nods back in gratitude for his moral support.

"I do admire you all for your pluck. And I hope you and your amazing team, capable of traveling nearly 12,000 miles to attend the younger Arendelle Queen's birthday celebration, can lend some valuable assistance to this poor inundated nation as you travel to Svalbard to see her." With his classy Spanish accented eloquent wordings, Chancellor Esteban charms Prince Hans and his companions with charismatic smiles of praise.

" _Excuse_ me, Senor?! Did you just ask _us_ to go on another nutty adventure up into the wilderness at the Arctic top of the world?!" Eugene squeakily spits out a mouthful of the extra akvavit spiked glog he was downing to warm the cockles of his heart, while he was busy stuffing every crumb of the warm apple pie Johanne could dish out for the hungry traveler rather than pay much attention to the serious discussion.

But he heard that oh-so-subtle optimistically encouraging Avaloran dragooning them, as the thief of Corona's crumb coated stubbly chin beneath his aghast mouth hangs open.

A struck dumbfounded Eugene is soon given a harsh smack by his wife's smirking handmaiden, who eyebrows give him a look that was almost a dare.

 _But you know I hate the cold!_ A plaintive Eugene mouths to a non-sympathetic Cassandra, who shrugs at him and simpers sadistically.

"Oh, hell! Why not! We've got your back, Lillebror." After rolling his eyes to the heavens and letting out a deep sigh with a slap to his own crazy forehead, Eugene joins Cassandra's sassy hands-on-hips smirk.

Ferdinand Egalité looks from them, to meet Chancellor Esteban's eyes, to look to his friend Hans' serious countenance.

"If Admiral Bernadotte is in any sort of trouble, and your beauteous Queen Elsa requires assistance to aid her nation in peril, you may count me in, mon ami." Sophisticated Prince Ferdinand adds his own dramatic flair of speaking as he lays a hand on the similarly nodding Magic Carpet.

Prince Hans was grateful for his friends' support as he scans helpful face to helpful face until his wavering viridiscent eyes land upon the portrait of his breathtaking Queen Elsa perched on the wall gazing back at him full of lovely vulnerability.

He seemed to sense those palpably trembling blue eyes beg him to steel his own with determination to be a man – _no, a Vise Admiral Prince_ – and not just fight for her love, but re-pledge his loyalty to bring her kingdom to peace again in any way he could humbly render assistance.

"Then we start our journey North immediately, to return this glorious land which our Lord has blessed with such inherent beauty, out of this frozen darkness it is again facing, no matter what the odds. For God and Queen and country, I vow to bring your loved ones and mine, dear Miss Johanne, home, safe and secure!" As the hidden pendant around his neck glows in intermittent swirling clouds of cool and warm air meeting in seeming appreciation of his soaring oath, Prince Hans reassures the fear-stricken woman with his rousing inspiring words, falling to his knees at her feet with the dramatic heartfelt pledge over his heart.

"On my honor." In that same awe-inspiring tenor, Hans repeats the words that now ring true in his heart as he looks up, glad to see that Queen Idun's reliable friend, Chancellor Esteban had his protective arm not only around the Arendelle nanny's trembling shoulders, but that of all its citizens as well in this time of trouble they all shared.

* * *

Trouble indeed was the correct word for the 'Black Ice' Queen, too. The disturbed young Monarch of the Winter awakens with a start from the one aurora borealis drenched master bedroom of that kingdom's last ruler, the Snow Queen, just one short ice pillar rise above the throne room.

The ageless Snow Queen had crafted her bedchamber long ago with the intention to clearly see within her vision at all times, her Mirror of Reason. The unblemished elegant tall blonde woman would be able to walk out to her balcony ledge and gaze over the flawless perfection of the completed Mirror's cloudless surface in the Palace throne room below.

But not only was that precious mirror now shattered in a chaos of mess, the Northern Lights themselves that gave radiance to this cold world were now shadowed by the Djævlen troll's doing. He wished to ensure that no ambient light would enter the dark Palace he was determined to rule, in dark reflection of new sovereign Black Ice Queen Elsa's distorted, dimmed heart.

In her waking hours, the devil troll surely held sway, continually hovering over Elsa's throne with whispered temptations of power and taunts of jealousy that kept her head full of warped darkness and under his wicked clawed thumb. The demon blocked her memories of everything good and sweet and righteous in her past, until till she saw the entire world against her and those she thought loved her to be despised that they had forgotten her.

However, in all his darkness, the Djævlen could not utterly stop the tiniest speck of dazzling Northern Lights under the shielded blackened skylight from still finding a way to trickle down, albeit slowly and dulled, into Elsa of Arendelle's innermost dreams.

For even the devil himself, though he could often invade by temptation those unconscious sleeping whims of imagination, he could not purge mankind's insatiable thirst to reach beyond, and in times of noble inspiration, be touched by the hand of God…

" _On my honor… On my honor..."_ Elsa wakes up in a cold sweat hearing a tender voice ring throughout her very soul from a heart that the devil had not yet fully entrenched the dark coldness to sink into.

"Who are you? Do I know you?" The Black Ice Queen tosses off the shadowy blanket the Devil Troll had covered her with to sleep in the bed he had her refashioned to be full of ice thistle thorns and frigid verglas webbed sheeting to keep his subject uncomfortable, lest Elsa fall into the true REM sleep that went beyond his cloying reach.

 _"Don't you remember me? The sky's awake, so I'm awake! So, it's time to go and play! …Then we could stay forever…because when we're together, it's my favorite time of year!"_ A sweet girlish voice tinkles high and clear as a bell in Elsa's feverish mind, causing the sweating, reinvented Ice Queen to hold a cold hand to her spiky blonde hair head that was fighting to listen to what was just beyond her reach.

For a few sprinkles of those Aurora Borealis lights had somehow pervaded the dark cover that the Wicked One had arrogantly believed he totally fortified his vulnerable Black Ice Queen from.

" _Min elsking...I have found my angel, with the dust of the stars in your eyes…'"_

But with her heart unshielded, along came the fuzzy memory of a little girl begging to come and play; and a slender man's tenor singing for her to join his duet as he holds his hand out to her invitingly.

Both were voices so dear to Elsa's heart, voices so important that her subconscious refused to forget them, voices that made her feel like…

…Crying?

 _Am I able to cry tears?_ The Black Ice Queen touches her cheek at the foreign warm wetness that dribbled down over that forgotten snowflake ring she suddenly realizes with curious eyes was strangely still stationed on her left hand ring finger glowing back up at her…

 _"{' Elsa Elsa! Awaken, my Queen of the Winter! It is time for you to fulfill your true purpose as Ice Queen… The hour is at hand for you to turn this world into a beautiful, cool pristine tundra of winter that will last for eternity…"_ } The Djævlen Troll abruptly penetrates her wandering mind and pervades the darkened bedroom until it drives the barefoot Queen to sit up in dazed confusion on the edge of her ice thorn bed, wearing nothing but a thin icy négligée as she stands up and grips her aching head.

"No! The voices…they're calling me…!" Elsa boldly announces from out of her subconscious as she rushes to look over the balcony edge of the battle ravaged cracked mirror throne room below, her eyes madly searching the chasm for any movement of life belonging to that funny little girl she had her dark snowman toss down.

 _{"What is wrong? Come to me, my child. Come to my embrace. You must've had a bad dream full of meaningless prattle of insignificant little people who never cared for you."}_ The Devil Troll was a wily one indeed as he sensed that small crack left open upon Elsa's fragile heart that he could not yet fully seal which had permitted some damnable light to stream through.

He floats over to her with a veil of thick, opaque darkness as the Djævlen wraps the unsure blonde beauty in.

"But I hear them… Voices I almost can remember…who they belong to…" She whispers, hugging her arms around her mortally cold self, not comfortable with letting anyone or anything else embrace her, even a shadow. Elsa closes her eyes, shaking off everything but her own desires.

 _{'Voices? I hear no voices, Elsa. Only you and I have voices in this world...'}_

"That's right, nevermind them! I will redecorate this drab castle first before I give the entire world a beautiful wintry coating of glorious elegant ice." Her momentarily cleared up mind is once again distorted by that demon's dark essence, the Black Ice Queen hastily gazes down over her raised geological world map in the charred Throne Room below. She dismisses her restlessness and the migraine headache with the haunting sounds still reverberating inside her pounding ice drum of a mind as she turns her back on the endless abyss.

With the curve of a cryo-powerful hand she magically covers the dark ice with a delicately intricate woven design of fleur de lis up and down the ice pillars. She creatively decorates the ornate loggia below her with dangling ice vines and frost roses with sparkling jewel designs as Ice Queen Elsa puts her own artistic style on this antiquated Great Hall.

From balcony to wall-to-wall, the spinning in a cadenced dance on her rhythmic graceful feet, the young woman embellishes the antique Snow Palace of the Snow Queen with ice stream fractals and frozen ribbons flying everywhere amidst crystalline explosions, finally coming to a crescendo with a flurry of constantly falling flourished snowflakes like in a snowglobe dream.

Under the Djævlen's influence, she particularly sends waves of fresh ice to coat over that place on her ice raised floor map of the southeast of Norway, to a small spot called Arendelle, where her eyes were sporadically entranced by an invisible allure pulsating there.

 _{"Forget about your former life, Elsa. You are the true Queen of the Winter now. You need no one else anymore, no one but me. I will never tell you to hide your power. I will never leave your side for long and let you ever be lonely. I will be your one true friend."}_ The Djævlen whispers in Elsa's ear, adding some black shadows of his own to plague each of her icy architectural creations until Elsa's pure snow white roses and decorative ice buntings, perfect crystals and tiny snowflakes alike were all blackened. Even her iridescent glimmering pillars were clouded with swirls of darkness.

"I need no one else. I will never be lonely. You will be my one friend." Her once crystal blue eyes were just as clouded as the young woman repeats his egocentric words in a monotone, lifeless voice. The Black Ice Queen's ice high heels form at her feet, her high neck collar building beneath her clenched hand as the severe dress forms around her slender body with that holographically dark navy blue cape flowing arrogantly over her shoulders once again.

"I am the one and only Queen of Winter. The landscape of the world I will create in my image." She repeats his lies, adding her own finesse as the wily Djævlen smiles in the chic shadows she cast, shutting the aurora borealis layout of the Snow Palace overhead with a high ceiling carved ice similar to Michelangelo's finger of man touching God's. But the Devil molded the Black Ice Queen's silhouette instead of the man and his hideous clawed hand and dark, hirsute visage was sacrilegiously warped in the holy Deity's place...

 _But for the flash of a second awash in the last vestiges of the Northern Lights, Elsa was sure she saw the silhouette of a man, with a beautiful face, so anxious for her…_

 _Is this the mysterious man calling in my dreams from before? But…why do I keep seeing him? Why does my heart tremble so, just to imagine he exists…?_

Suddenly the Devil Troll noticed the blonde Queen's unease and he encompasses all around the quivering young woman with his dusky aura of the sin of evil pride to wipe away thouse pesky memories still stubbornly trying to leak in and subvert his plans.

 _{'Heart? The Queen of Winter has a heart of ice, Elsa!'}_

"Yes! Yes. that's right!" Defiantly, the cool and detached of emotion Elsa levitates towards the ledge of her balcony to squint down at the map of her frozen in ice world that she was promised to soon rule as Queen of the Winter.

She didn't need to think of that puny inadequate kingdom of Arendelle or her cruel, uncaring parents who forced her to live an empty, lonely life locked up there, ever again.

The entire world that once shunned her power was now her playground, and no one else need join her. The true Queen of the Winter would turn it all into beautiful, glorious, brilliant ice of her creation, unsullied by mere mortals who never understood her, never tried to befriend her, never dared to love her after she killed her little sister and threw away any chance of being accepted by her own parents, her own kingdom, her own people.

In response to her unpleasantly cold contemplations, supercooled water droplets freeze above her already formed snowflakes as rimed graupel falls all around like laughing popcorn snow in the frozen Great Hall where the cackling Djævlen was plotting his schemes…

* * *

 _ **Thousands of leagues beneath the Snow**_ _**Palace…**_

"It's warmer down here than I thought. I think I'll take off this heavy velvet skirt, too…" Princess Anna did not like the weather temperature to be too hot, even if she always professed that she preferred a tropical climate to the cold.

 _I love the thought of the sun, and all things warm…_

Beneath it all, Princess Anna was still basically a Scandinavian snowbird who enjoyed racing in the outdoors to build a snowman in the frozen clime, just like every other Norwegian youngster. The sweltering heat that palpitated from the very rocks in this location at the deep core center of the earth did not make her very happy at all.

"You leave your clothing on, Gingersnap. Remember, you are still a Royal Princess, even down here the subterranean ecosystem beneath our country. So you must hold uphold our family name at all times, with decorum." King Agdar rejoins his daughter from where he had been rallying the troops, as it were, of Fire Trolls in the dark underground catacombs deep within the earth below where they had been on foot.

"So hot and sweaty." Anna whines to Sven. The recuperating reindeer, who Kristoff had left behind with Anna and her father after he and Ragi left to scout out further depths of the catacomb, nods to her in agreement beneath his matted wet fur coat.

"Anna. Princesses do not sweat. They perspire, if they must. And, above all, must never speak of it, either way." Her snobbish father corrects the panting girl just as the stuffy man always had done her entire free-spirited young life. So much so that Anna had almost forgotten her dear parent was no longer a solid, whole person anymore.

Luckily, before she had the chance to unhappily stew on that unpleasant fact, her intuitive young husband intercedes from behind, just as he and Ragi appear from a dark cavern shaft to meet up with Anna and King Agdar again.

"You better listen to your dad, Anna. You're gonna be pretty chillin' again when we reach the surface soon. Besides, it's cool up here compared to where _we've_ just been." Kristoff Bjorgman wipes his own truly sweaty brow, recalling with a low whistle the lava pits where the blond mountain man and his own transparent parent had been attending the past hour so.

Anna spins around to see her young husband wiping his own 'perspiring' brow in the dark cavern hallway behind her as Kristoff approaches the father-daughter pair, holding a very interesting little package.

"Here, take charge of this little fella for me, Feistypants. He's too young to walk on his own, or to have developed any fire magic yet to be dangerous. So, you can carry him for a while." Kristoff hands Anna the sleeping troll baby swaddled in his arms, whose parents were some of the most ardent leaders in the Fire Troll rebellion going on down below after Ragi had inspired them to join the cause of the revolt, and they had left their son in his care.

Kristoff knew how to keep his peppery girl's mind off her lip biting, near tearful unease at her disturbingly translucent parent's current uncertain situation, for he knew his Anna like the back of his hand.

From where the wise older minstrel had been conversing seriously with the King, Ragi need not have given his son any signal beyond some eyes raised to tell Kristoff that it was time for them to return down below, sensing the coast was clear of the evil one's aura.

"I've gotta go back with Ragi to lead the group of Fire Trolls we recruited here, undetected by that rotten Devil Troll who's been subjugating them all this time." With a quick peck on Anna's cheek, an encouraging friendly rub to Sven's muzzle, and a finger tapped to his own psychic head which Ragi had trained the young Wind Whisperer to sense the Djævlen's dark presence of evil, Kristoff takes off again to go below the depths of the earth to bring the scores of Fire Trolls who were too afraid to come even this far towards the surface for centuries.

"Ooh! Aren't you a cutie?" Her bereft attention immediately diverted to the child, just as Kristoff predicted, Anna tickles the chin of the reddish skinned troll baby who blinks awake and chortles under her playful ministrations.

That is, until the little guy realized that this curious pink-skinned ginger thing holding him was neither his Troll Mama nor the lullaby singing blond Wind Whisperer who gave him a wilted carrot to suck on.

 **"WAHHH!"**

…And maybe the demented Djævlen Troll King's pricked up devil ears that heard every tinkle of ice for miles, heard that loud baby's wailing cry too.

Black Ice Queen Elsa had been too industriously busy poring over her ice map of the world and starting to coat volcanoes and tropical islands with the first frosty coat of snow that they had seen, if ever, in decades, to even notice the Devil over her shoulder leave.

And that devilish curiosity causes the wicked Devil Troll to slither down into the wide open chasm of the Mirror of Reason's cracked open center he had escaped from…

* * *

 _ **Hundreds of miles to the south, upon the Svartisen glacier lake**_ …

 _"'He will break their hearts of stone, give them hearts for love alone…'"_

It didn't take Boninite the Fire Troll girl as long as practical Kai, nor skeptical Alonso believed it would to burn through the granite rock strategically plugging the secret mirror entrance of the Snow Castle in the far North.

In an impressive burst of exploding hot rock that scientific expert Kai, with clear eyes between Idun and Gerda's healing hymns (actually and figuratively—respectively), had intelligently warned them all to stand back, as the Snow Queen's secret portal has been exposed.

"So now what we do? Elsa used her ice magic to shimmy down through this little hole in the River, but I don't think that will work for those of you who are a little less than compact and svelte." Prince Alonso, with his usual talent for tact, interjects as he was the first to eagerly pier down and stand over the strangely rainbow colored, glistening iridescent aperture in the Svartisen's black ice river.

"Ahem. _Queen_ Elsa did, by no means, shimmy anywhere in your view, young man. She is far too much a lady, and I will have you well remember that from now on." With a wry smile, Minister Kai chastises the young Córdoban Prince with his usual snobbish airs and graces that his wife Gerda was glad to hear again. "By my recollection of the Snow Queen's transport from location to location around the globe in infinitesimal amounts of time, it's not precisely the displacement factor of the physical nature, but more of a magic-based theory indicative of inverted spatial —" as the intellectual older men was rattling off jargon premises, Queen Idun was more of the adventurous, decisive temperament to realize the urgency and necessity far outweighed any subjective hypothesis' doubts.

"In other words, Kai dear, anyone's form will fit once a hand, or foot, or hoof, enters, correct? It's more of a tele-portal. Plus, it's sure to be bigger on the inside." Queen Idun shows off a little bit of her scientific side that had a world explorer sister or two to her name. Besides, gutsy Idun was always unafraid to take risks.

"But your Majesty, I must object. If we lose _you_ –" Dutiful Kai spoke the words while shaking his balding head and placing himself between the Queen and the ominous aurora borealis drenched opening in the lake's ice.

But placing a halting hand on her husband's shoulder to draw him away, Gerda understood, as only another woman could, that a mother would have enough faith to believe in even the inconceivable for the sake of her family.

Kai sighs, wanting to protect his sovereign's wife in the King's absence, but he recognized that look on Idun's face, and Gerda's too, that there was no arguing with either of them.

"Please understand, Kai. I have two daughters and a husband on the other side of this thing who need me. So, with the most to _gain_ , with the smallest frame to try, and not very much left to lose, I'll be the one to go in first." The dark brown haired, petite woman had a quick mind of her own, and more than her share of determination as she gives Kai and Gerda her most authoritative tone.

"Hey, Lady. I'm slim enough to fit in there, too. And I've got less to lose than you, 'cause I've got only my dad at home waiting for me. I know he wouldn't mind me being a chivalrous gentleman for once in my life, so –" Alonso uncommonly offers with a guilty face that he had only begun to consider heroism and valor as decent traits for the first time in his life since he came here to Norway.

"That's very sweet of you, Prince Alonso. Your kind offer makes you a gentleman in my eyes already, so your father should be proud. But this is something _I_ have chosen to do for my family. Besides, I have this strange inner sense that someone is there on the other side waiting for me." Idun's indigo eyes smile tenderly to the young man whose cheek she pats before she boldly steps a dainty foot down into the holographic opening.

"I will send for you immediately, if who I believe is expecting me wishes it." They watch their noble, intrepid Queen's petite form begin to dissolve right through the Svartisen river below.

Brave Idun closes her eyes and begins to sing the spiritual hymn of her heart shared with her husband all these years that gave him strength in times of trouble and indecision.

 _"Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now and found, t'was blind but now I see…"_

The weird sensations that vibrated her entire body and the Northern Lights' colorful eccentricities titillated her dazzled eyes as a believing Idun's body was magically transported to a hallway in a snowy Palace in the farthest northern location of the country.

 _"'T'was grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved! How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed.'"_

A soaring dramatic sfogato contralto with sustained true operatic vocal folds overlaps Idun's tender lyrical soprano on the second line of 'Amazing Grace,' invitingly pulling the teleporting disoriented woman into a long winding hallway with the lead of her song.

"Dearest Idun, He has answered my prayer! I praise God you had the courage to come and bring me my Gerda and Kai. Your Snow Angel and my Wind Chime boy need us all, now more than ever. All those we love will need us to succeed." The Snow Queen kneels down with Idun to the floor of the hall, whispering her words urgently, and not at all with the calmness and serenity that the Mistress of the Winter once was ruled by.

"Your Majesty! What has happened to my Agdar and Elsa? All I feel is such cold fear in this lonely place." Queen Idun glances around nervously with a shiver, sensing the entire atmosphere of the Snow Palace under siege. She squeezes the hand of the timeless woman who had represented the winter and the cold for millennia, looking deep into her eyes.

"The Devil walks among us. And it is my fault, my failing of weakness that let him slip in through my mirror during my feeble moments of forlorn sadness. A cast off loneliness your Elsa too shared, and fell under the sway of the Wicked One's temptation. As that special child's mother, I beg for your pardon of all my mistakes that have brought her to this point." The tall blonde woman was disheveled and battle worn, but her eyes were full of resolve now that they were locked within this other loving mother's.

"I have been watching you, listening to your healing songs through my mirror, hoping against hope that you would not give up though the daunting trip was overwhelming. You gave me courage to believe I could try to fight back, even if I was weak and discouraged, and all on my own. I have prayed for God's amazing grace to forgive my lack of faith and trust in His guidance amid my loneliness, and give me renewed strength to struggle against my greatest foe for the sake of my little boy and this nation our Creator entrusted to my care. ' _In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: He heard my voice out of His temple, and my cry came before Him, even reaching to His ears'_." Quoting the emotionally-charged Psalm 18:6, an almost tearful Snow Queen speaks to Idun in a way that only two godly mothers could appreciate, as they squeeze one another's hands tightly.

"Because it is you, and we have had a soulful bond before, I was able to intercept before the Devil Troll King sensed your arrival in the Palace. Come into my secured sanctum, where we are sure not be overheard, where I can explain all I know. I will use my mirror to bring my beloved Gerda and Kai through our connection there, unobserved. I know what I require them to do to defeat this enemy who has returned to torment humanity again." The enigmatic original Queen of the Winter had been using what little magic she had left in her ice battered form to shield Idun's presence and her own in the hallway with her handheld mirror.

For Idun appeared through the portal just a little ways away from where the Black Ice Queen was remodeling and scheming in the Great Hall with the Djævlen King Troll.

And as the Snow Queen swiftly sneaks Queen Idun down the hall and opens and closes the vacuum shut door of her private room invisible heretofore with her scant powers, Queen Elsa's eyes slit in silent recognition. She throws opens the door from where she had been contemplating redesigning the annoying sprite statues on each side of the doorway to be re-figured in her own breathtaking dark ice image, just feeling a slight rush of wind from a door closing somewhere down the long, winding hallway.

"Olaf." The Black Ice Queen merely has to say the zombielike snowman's name to call him from where he had been maniacally leering at the pair of frozen sprites tossing malicious snowballs at them with nasty, cackling results.

"On it." Is all the crazed, spinning-eyed, now over ten foot tall snowman says as he continues to snigger psychotically. Possessed Olaf slaps each of the blue and red sprite statues with a vicious snowball flat across either face as if to blind their scared expressions as he passes and plows through the large frozen double doors.

Elsa rebelliously kicks several scattered pieces of the original broken Mirror of Reason aside with her spiked stiletto heels, angry inside at an unknown reminiscent nostalgia felt humming that tune patiently, while sitting on a piano bench beside her…

Someone who should have been there for her and not have just calmly stood by and let her be so locked up inside all those long, lonely, torturous years, trying to teach Elsa to command not only the instrument, but also her unkempt heart.

"Argh! You never stood up for me! Where were you when I needed you most?!" The Black Ice Queen disdainfully hisses when she hears several of the black keys on the clear ice grand piano at the side of the Great Hall when they are hit by the flying mirror shrapnel in just a certain _accidental_ spatter of pentatonic notes that ring true in her disturbed ears.

 _C#_ _F#_ _A#_ _A#_ _G#_ _F#_ _D#_ _C#_

 _C# F# A# A# G# C#!_

Her architectural artistic side had built the crystalline musical instrument perhaps because a small part of her soul always longed to let loose and play, though Elsa always felt too constrained and chaotic to have the peace inside to perform music to the perfection she obsessively demanded.

 _'Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me!_ '

"Just leave me alone now! I'm free at last of all those concealed boundaries!" Her coloratura voice screams defiantly to that invisible piano teacher's melodious strains.

"Hans, help me! Wait, who…? I mean… Olaf! Where have you gone, you stupid snowman?!" Confused inside the maelstrom spiraling frozen fractals in the black hole of a heart, the Ice Queen lashes out, the forbidden name of the man she loved slipping in through her startled subconscious.

In her bewilderment, a foreign yet somehow familiar name to her wiped mind instinctively replaces that of her faithful transformed snowman servant that the Djævlen facilitated the Black Ice Queen to corrupt.

But even as she tries to deny the music in her storm raged soul, Elsa still hears the amazing notes full of grace echo in the empty kingdom of isolation she now ruled, all alone.

And those silent keys brought an unnoticed tear behind her eyes, still clouded with that touch of dark frost the Devil troll had used to muddle her mind to forget all she held dear to be distorted and ugly.

But some place deep inside Elsa Bernadotte, despite the cold deception and hurtful lies, still vaguely yet recalled an irreplaceable young braided girl with pure sunshine in her smile. As well as that tall, uniformed, sideburned silhouette of a mysterious man in her dreams …

 _Through many dangers, toils and snares_ _  
_ _I have already come,_ _  
_ _'Tis grace that brought me safe thus far_ _  
_ _And grace will lead me home…_

* * *

 _poco canora_ \- little Songbird in Spanish

* * *

In 1761, sea man John Newton was not a religious man at all. But with his ship caught in a fierce storm off the coast of Ireland, Newton cried out for God to save him. The Lord worked in mysterious ways that fateful day in the life of a sinner involved in the slave trade, using cargo in the hold to plug up the hole in the sinking ship, so all on board survived the deadly storm.

John Newton was so moved by the miraculous event that he wrote these moving lyrics while hearing the African slave music, beautifully wafting up from the ship's belly to the upper deck, and he underwent a spiritual conversion. Right there and then, as a new Christian, he became a staunch advocate for the abolition of slavery, believing that we are all – no matter race, nor color, nor creed - connected as sisters and brothers by the majesty of God's Amazing Grace.

By 1773, Newton became an Anglican priest to preach his poem's words from that day for his New Year's Day sermon in his Olney, England vicarage that would become known as 'Amazing Grace' to us all. Since then, 'Amazing Grace' has become one of the most famous and beloved hymns of all time. Played on all the pentatonic black keys and accidental chords of the piano, its timeless words show the depth of God's love for humanity, with the chance to be born again through His Son's selfless sacrifice of wretched sinners who need to only sincerely ask for Grace and believe in the Lord's salvation extended to anyone who dared to have Faith to be forgiven.

 _'Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost and now am found, t'was blind but now I see!'_

I wanted to share John Newton's touching story with you because, even though he was a man from a time so different from ours in the 18th century era, over 250 years ago, I think it's still the same perfect message to start our New Year with, just the same for any of us now, with all our faults and past mistakes and failings and prejudices that will be lifted from our shoulders by the Lord, if only we dare to believe in His Grace.

And the soulful song was just as poignant to all three Queens of Norway: the Snow Queen, Queen Idun of Arendelle and even Ice Queen Elsa in this chapter, hearing 'Amazing Grace' pluck at their Queenly heartstrings in this chapter of 'Frozen Again: Love Never Ends'!

Thanks for reading this amazing frosty adventure with me and hanging in for the love soon to come for our star-crossed couple!

Hope you're having a Happy New Year 2018 so far, full of Amazing Grace as we salute Martin Luther King, Jr and honor the peaceful Christian civil rights leader by living his dream of love and fellowship together.

Love and God's blessings to all the children of God alike,

HarukaKou


	24. Chapter 23 - With the Eyes of a Child

_We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

 **"Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act VII**

 **Chapter 23**

 **"With the Eyes of a Child"**

As she is whisked into the candlelit room in a flash of cold winds, Queen Idun's large almond eyes widen upon arrival in the Snow Queen's secret chamber.

Her dazzled orbs adjust to the dim lighting that refracted multicolored sparkles in the fragments of the cracked mirror strewn around the gelid bedroom floor in a chaotic symphony of lights.

What Idun found most disturbing, at the center of the otherwise unoccupied frigid room, stood what could only be construed as a glass coffin, where inside a frosted figure of a man's body was painstakingly laid to rest.

Her terrified breath catches in her throat that it might be _her_ special ice man under that morbid glass, as Idun rushes forward to gaze down upon its content to discern the identity of just who was lying there—with relief in her soul once she recognizes the occupant.

"Idun." The deep ice tinkling harmonics of the Snow Queen's enigmatic voice was suddenly in the empty room beside the more diminutive, dark-haired Queen.

"Your Majesty? What happened to Ragi? Have you yet seen my Agdar and Anna? They came to see you about this terrible weather we have been experiencing, several weeks ago, and my husband sent word that all was not well here in the North…" Idun's anxious whisper breaks the eerie silence as she spins around to see the eternal Queen of the Winter glowing in the ambient candlelight, floating in her disembodied spirit form directly behind her.

In the silence, Idun glances from the prismatic broken ice blocks scattered across the floor to the bowery of crystallized flowers, to the glass ice coffin and finally back around to the ageless beauty who was at the very heart and soul of it all.

"Fear not, Idun. My Ragi yet lives." The Snow Queen's contralto tone softly assures the younger Queen, but something in her palest blue eyes told Idun that her sentence was still left open-ended.

"And I beg you to help me bring him back, if just one more time, to repair what my lonely weakness has wrought upon the earth, before he must depart. But that Djævlen roams even my Snow Palace's undefiled hallways and has left me powerless to help my dearest one's struggle." The surprisingly emotional Snow Queen whispers low as she warily glances at the door behind her which she had just sealed with a layer of ice magic.

"Just one more time…?" Idun repeats in puzzlement of the melancholy sentiment expressed in the Snow Queen's words looking down at Ragi's peaceful face that had only the slightest trace of life left in it.

"Yes. The Devil Troll of old. There is not much time left, Idun. You see, your Elsa has been poisoned by the Djævlen, who is planning to use her ice magic, magnified by the fragments of my mystic Mirror of Reason to freeze the entire world over in vengeful destruction and death in an eternal winter that will cease life as you know it on this planet. The Devil's hateful scheme must be stopped before he is able to accomplish it with your daughter's unwitting aid. But you and I are the only ones remaining here to find some way to reconstruct my Mirror of Reason in the Snow Palace Throne Room which currently lies in shattered pieces, to take away his manipulative power before he does. Only then will I have enough authority of the winter again to face my greatest foe." The Snow Queen's fluctuating. translucent hand points towards the door of this protected sanctuary.

"But I am only but a shadow myself without my Ragi, and the Mirror is beyond my reach. I have been recuperating in here, feeding off the small glimpses of the Northern Lights in conjunction with my strong little boy, Kristoff's Wind Whisperer vitality, Ragi provided for me with his last breath." The Snow Queen sweeps a tender hand and loving eye over her comatose partner in life beneath the encasement of ice she maintained.

"So I have fortified myself in this sanctum, sealed from the Devil Troll's awareness, praying for help. But day by day, I have gained enough aurora borealis energy to surreptitiously slip into the Throne Room every night, every moment when the new Queen of the Winter and the Djævlen were not looking, to enter unobserved to collect these vital mirror pieces." The Snow Queen gestures down to the pile of puzzling mirror pieces across the floor.

"Your Majesty, please, what has happened to my girls? Where is my husband?" The intelligent woman's subconscious begins to grow wary of the mystical woman's profoundly dramatic way of speaking—not answering where her Agdar, nor Anna, currently were in this battle-worn Snow Palace.

But just as she was speaking, Idun's bedazzled gaze blinks several times in the flickering disorienting candlelit room before her mind was willing to admit what her denying eyes were telling her.

"Agdar!"

There, at the foot of the ice coffin, the handsome King of Arendelle's body was leaning where Kristoff had hefted his passed out father-in-law to be perched on several of those stacked mirror fragments at the rear of Ragi's glowing glass coffin. There, the King could also be included in small tinkles of the aurora borealis remedial light the Snow Queen had set up in refractive mirror placement to preserve his abandoned body, too.

"Oh, min älskare ( _my love_ )! What's wrong? You must wake up! Is he all right?! ' _Amazing grace, how sweet that saved a wretch like me!'_ " The distraught Queen showers her unresponsive man with kisses and caresses but to no avail all over his eyes and lips, but her Agdar does not stir, even when she vocalizes his most preferred healing hymn.

Idun looks in distress to the Snow Queen, tears forming in her lucid eyes as she hugs Agdar's unconscious, barely breathing head to her chest.

"My Wind Chime Boy's consciousness is no longer present in this shell, dear Idun. Your mate and mine have both had their spirits stolen from their bodies in battling the Evil One. I am not certain where their consciousnesses have gone, but in my innermost heart I am certain that those heroic men still have a purpose in this world. So if it's God's will for us to meet again, I know we will. Please be my right hand in repairing the scars, Idun. It was my selfish fear of loneliness that left the hole which the Djævlen used to return in the first place. But I remember that if we embrace the Lord, not a single one of us are left alone or forgotten. Your little Princess, your precious ray of sunshine girl, reminded me of such perfect love that never gives up." The Snow Queen whispers in upset Idun's ear. "Here, allow me show you, from one mother to another." Using a small modicum of magic energy gathered from the tiny lights of the aurora borealis in her being she replays on her hand-held mirror of truth the scene where Anna arrived in the Throne Room. Idun watches as her two adored daughters meet, recorded from the scattered mirror shards of the ground in the Throne Room earlier.

On the reflective silent screen, a thoroughly strangely dressed in hair and personality Elsa was dismissively ignoring her younger sister's pleas. She sees the Black Ice Queen command the demented snowman, Olaf, to force the ginger girl towards the broken from beneath, with branches of fire, into a wide open chasm in the rear of the cracked Mirror of Reason behind the Snow Queen's throne.

Even though her older sibling appeared cruel and harsh and dismissive, in the mirrored viewscreen, Anna never gave up trying to remind Elsa of their bond. The indefatigable girl was relentlessly beseeching her seemingly possessed big sister to come back to the light, even at physical danger to herself from the uncontrolled Black Ice Queen who appeared to be manipulated by some dark ulterior force.

Shocked, concerned, fearful, devastated and proud all at once in watching her children's interaction, Queen Idun embraces King Agdar's unconscious form all the tighter as she holds in the maternal scream to watch her baby girl finally be forced to plunge into the deep dark chasm.

But thankfully, the breathless Queen also witnesses that brilliant blond boy and his trusty reindeer racing down at breakneck speed through the air to undoubtedly halt Anna's fall.

The mirror shard replay comes to a disturbing close with Elsa brushing it off, heartlessly turning around to fling her shimmery ice cape carelessly over her shoulder. It is there in that second when Idun gets a small glimpse of the evil, fearsome shadowy crimson and black presence looming in the background behind her.

"My girls are in danger! I must warn Elsa of that menace and talk some sense into her. She seems so confused. My darling girl needs her Mama now more than ever!" The desperate mother steels herself to be the strong rock in the family for her daughters in their father's absence. Queen Idun begins to rise from her kneeled position with her Agdar upon her lap, absorbing the inherent AB rays.

Before the Snow Queen's battered spirit could stop her, Idun had already yanked open the bedchamber's frost sealed door.

And immediately trips on three high piles of snow pressed against the door in the hallway.

"The Black Ice Queen doesn't want to talk to you!" Olaf the snowman was waiting impatiently directly outside the Snow Queen's door he had been peeking in through the keyhole, for someone to foolishly appear.

"Hello. I'm Dark Olaf…and I like charred hugs!"

The corrupted snowman ceases his incessant swaying to reconstruct himself to his full spiked ice, crazed eyed ten foot height to tower over the petite Queen of Arendelle.

Dark Olaf whips out his pair of flame tipped branch fingers and waves his dangerous digits at the waylaid Queen.

The still limber woman curves her stomach out of the way of the surprised attack in time to not to get scorched and instantly set aflame by the vicious snowman's advances.

"Olaf? What have they done to you?!" The brown haired Queen Mother would not have ever believed that the sugary sweet, always optimistic and buoyant little snow creation of Elsa's could possibly turn so big and cold and evil. But the insane madness in his cackling voice and spinning malicious eyes was evidence enough for her to see their resident snow friend had gone over to the dark side.

"Nothing. I'm just finally free to play with fire!" The once effervescently pleasant and smiling snow man instead sneers down from his monstrous height at the small Queen, ready swipe at her vulnerable form with his firing up branches.

"Take care of him!" The gutsy Queen gives the order behind her with wide eyes motioning at King Agdar to the Snow Queen within her sanctuary. Idun then protectively slams the door shut behind her with a lasting glance at her husband before she turns to face the leering snowman.

"Olaf! Please! It's me, Elsa and Anna's Mama!" Idun was just about able to dodge and duck under the growling large snowman's arms without being harmed as the nimble little woman quickly moves out into the hall. She makes a dash towards the large double doorway at the end of the long promenade that led into the Snow Palace Throne Room.

"Grrrr!" But her answer seems to make a deeper, lethargic voiced Olaf give an angry roar as he pitilessly rips off his set aflame left arm branch and prepares to launch its disattached form from his snow and ice armored center mound at poor Queen Idun's retreating back.

 _ **BLAASSTTT!**_

 _ **SIZZZLLEE!**_

"Good shot, Bonnie! How's that for fighting fire with fire?!" Making some Latino flamboyant dance moves as he gets into the spirit of all this magic mirror intrigue, Prince Alonso arrogantly yells his entrance battle cry as he spins down the hall into the fray.

Carrying Boninite the Fire Troll girl in his Oaken sealskin scarf encased arms, the mocha haired Prince of Córdoba holds the quiet troll girl up at just the right angle for her to expertly let loose a shot of her fire powers.

Clashing with Dark Olaf's expelled arm, the Fire Troll girl's red hot blast makes for quite a fiery explosion in the snowy hallway that instantly disintegrates Olaf's weaponized appendage with an even hotter flame.

"OUCH." The dazed, thrown back by the concussion snowman says in a calm, dissertated voice.

"ROOAARRR!" But that delayed shock turns into a fierce growl after a few seconds as Olaf bellows, causing his back and head to grow a mass of large ice spikes in pure anger.

Dark Olaf then disassembles himself to roll like a massive mace-like bowling ball down the hall to bash and slash his hardened spike ice armor at an unsuspecting Alonso. Boninite solidifies into her rock form to take the hit, but the force of the snowball knocks them both down and buries Boni and Alonso like bowling pins in an avalanche of thick ice and snow.

"Ha ha hah. Buttheads. He he heh." Dark Olaf chuckle at his own nasty little joke as he reconstitutes his huge bottom mound, leaving the Argentinian Prince and the small Troll girl knocked out in a pile in the midst of the hall. The large snow monster picks up Alonso and plucks off the frost hardened igneous rock Fire Troll to force a stare with the young man directly in the eye.

"Look deep into my eyes…" The demented snowman's circulating orbs spin around in his dislocated head, mesmerizing the dizzy Prince in swirls of black and red subliminal messages full of temptation and latent evil that the Devil Troll himself had implanted there to spread.

So when Olaf was not looking at the glowing portal at the other end of the long winding hallway, Kai and Gerda had carefully held onto one another and stepped their plus size bodies through the magical portal on the ice lake which was connected to the Snow Queen's Palace…

* * *

…And something amazing occurs.

The two well past middle-aged, large-set, older Arendelle servants had magically reverted back into children as they returned to this mystical world of the Snow Queen that they played an important role in, over four decades ago. The enchantment they shared then through tremendous faith in God and their sweet friendship which blossomed into a deep abiding love for one another seemed to be remembered by these grateful Snow Palace walls and the magic mirror they had traveled through that granted Kai and Gerda the clarity of unspoiled youth once more.

Kai was once again a blond haired, blue-eyed boy of twelve, and Gerda the sweet slip of an eleven-year-old girl with a short shock of orangey hair.

The pair in their fifties had magically transformed into their younger forms, with all the naive childlike innocence which came along with it.

 _'Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the_ _kingdom_ _of_ _God_ _like a little child will never enter it.'_ Mark 10:15

"Look, Kai! I'm skinny again! And so are you! Hee hee! Look how much hair you had! Hee hee hee!" The small child spins, so full of life with her sunshiny orange hair, giggles in glee to the stunned young companion holding her hand. "We are here to see the Queen! She's an old friend of ours, Olaf. Come on! Let's go play hide and seek until she's ready to see us!" Young Gerda's plump cheeks were once again rosy and pink as she makes this announcement with childish ingenuousness.

Her small body may have reverted to the lithe little girl in contrast to the portly woman she had become, but at any age Gerda Roservalen was still full of verve and liveliness to embrace life wherever she could, seeing the world through the untainted eyes of a child again.

"We don't play silly games around here. The Black Ice Queen doesn't like children. And neither do I! So go away!" Dark Olaf's low timbered voice throws cold water on her sparkle as he warbles at the child. He stomps right up to her and makes his ice spikes rise even higher to intimidate the little girl.

Gerda's large blue eyes well up with tears in distressed fear, just as dark Olaf intended.

"For shame, Olaf, trying to scare a little girl like Gerda! You also deserve to be deducted an appendage for the ungentlemanly crime of attempting to shoot our lady Queen in the back _and_ attacking a visiting Prince, too. I'm going to tell the King on you!" Still a snobbish stickler when it came to etiquette even at that precocious age, tattletale ' _Minister'_ Kai berates the enemy snowman who was double his short size, for the sake of his little girlfriend and his affronted Queen as he yanks Gerda back away from the angry snow and ice behemoth.

 _ **ROARR!**_

Several blinked seconds of being stymied by the annoying little blond boy's strange argument, Dark Olaf lets off a mighty roar that blows icicles into Kai's hair and tries to reenter Kai's tightly shut eyes. But the determined child embraces the little girl, protecting her from the frosty torrent and oncoming onslaught of dark Olaf's vicious ice attack.

"Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those trespass against us –" A terrified young Gerda, amid her weeping, begins to pray the Lord's prayer, just as her dear grandmother taught her to in times of trouble and doubt.

And as the devout little girl prayed, a flurry of invisible angels fly the pair of children away from the threatening dark snow monster to safety down the hall.

 _'For He will command his angels concerning you, to watch over you and your paths.'_

Even Dark Olaf had stopped still in his wicked, mind-numbed tracks to hear Gerda's heartfelt words of innocent supplication. Something inside the snowman's frozen heart begins to melt, ever so little at a time.

The Snow Queen opens her bedroom door wide and the holy heralds of invisible ice angels whisk little Kai and Gerda on their wings of a swirling snow gusts into her ice puzzle piece filled bedchamber, just as Black Ice Queen Elsa, hearing the ruckus outside her throne room door, emerges.

"Who DARES enter my kingdom unannounced?!" The coldhearted, prim and icy new Queen of the Winter demands as she cryo-mystically throws open the double doors, just seconds before Idun had her hand out to reach for the handles.

"Elsa! _Min spadbarns_ (my child), it's me, Mama. It'll be all right now, my big girl. I'm here." The slender older Queen was more startled by her daughter's angry demeanor than her odd, over-the-top appearance, but the loving mother embraces her chilly girl nonetheless.

"My mother? Your ship went down five years ago. How can she be back from the dead? Who are you, really?!" A disoriented, dispassionate, almost disappointed Elsa suspiciously answers the woman she did recall, but only with distant disdain and estrangement as Idun hugs the increasingly frosty coldly unresponsive, tall young woman.

"Elsa, please calm down. Don't you remember how you and Anna and your young men saved Papa and I from that wicked pirate? God was so good to bring us back together as a family." Queen Idun says with a compassionate smile, trying to smoothe her elder girl's confusion from her creased brow, but Elsa remained stiff and icy.

"We… did?" The blonde closes her eyes and holds a long finger-nailed hand to her suddenly pounding head, searching for the memory, but nothing was coming up more than vague shadows. That dark, shadowy veil coating her mind was way too thick to penetrate. Instead, it warps whatever minute vestige of recollection she had of her, Anna, Hans and Kristoff's incredible discovery of love amidst the battle with Captain Houtebeen that finally culminated into freeing their captured parents as being just a nightmare.

"Yes, my darling, you were quite brave in liberating Papa and I and defeating that foul beast with the help of a certain special young Danish Prince. I know you must be missing Hans so terribly much, but please be patient and find respite in his promise of love. It will come sooner than you think, and be far more beautiful than you ever imagined." Queen Idun gives tender advice and a motherly caress to Elsa's erstwhile spiked locks and wild hairdo.

Elsa appeared to be searching deep down inside to recall that emotion called 'love', but the Devil's dark spike wedges in her memory at even a glancing mention of the man she had dared to open her heart to.

"No! You're lying! This must be a trick! You're not my mother! You're just an imposter!" The Black Ice Queen in denial suddenly shrieks out defiantly instead, pushing an astonished Idun away hard with the dark suspicions aroused in her possessed heart.

"And even if you were really Queen Idun, my mother, I have no love lost for that woman who ignored her only living child's cries for help, and shunned her own daughter's presence to lock her behind closed doors in that desolate castle for nearly her entire childhood. That miserable woman tried to make herself feel better, visiting once a day to practice playing that wretched piano, drilling it into my head merely to assuage herself that she had done something. I don't want to hear anything known as music played ever again! I'm not that scared little girl anymore, and I don't need anyone now. Stay away from me!" Black Ice Queen Elsa lashes out, her animosity building more and more with each altered memory that stirred up trouble in her chaotic mind. The Devil Troll's influence over Elsa's soul was rife with anger and hurt which clouded her heart, building and building until the blonde beauty could do nothing but strike out at her poor, speechlessly distressed mother in a vicious frosting of vengeful ice.

"Maybe it's your turn to see how it feels to be locked in a cruel little cage, shut in from the rest of the world outside!" With a raised powerful hand hovering over a wide-eyed Queen Idun, the Black Ice Queen crafts an ice enclosure. Ice brick by flying ice brick it builds all around the overwhelmed older Queen, until the small dollhouse-like structure was totally sealed around a head-shaking Idun, who was crying out for her daughter to stop this misguided vengeful insanity.

" _Min spadbarns_! (My baby!) Elsa, please, don't shut me in here! I only want to help you, my darling! We can work this out together! You don't have to live in fear! _Amazing grace how sweet the sound…"_ But the small framed Queen's frantic words and tender hymn are drowned out by the crunching and crackling of ice blocks being erected around her frosted, sealed in form, until Queen Idun's fearful large indigo eyes were the last thing left to be seen before being essentially blocked off.

"Be silent if you wish to live! But my revenge will be all the sweeter if you do! So I will leave a little air passage in a little hole in the little roof of your little house to show you the small small world that I was trapped in was like. Without caring, without joy, without hope of ever getting out beyond those four walls, no thanks to my loving parents. I think I will keep you in there a while… Maybe thirteen years in solitude will be a fitting punishment for what I endured as a child at the hands of my _devoted_ guardians." The Black Ice Queen shivers at the claustrophobic, warped memory, vocalizing her pent-up scars as she throws up that final opaque crust over her new 'dollhouse'.

Peevish dark Elsa leaves just enough air holes in the little square enclosure's roof to prolong the despised older woman's punishment for as long as possible. Then her ice magic slides the artful little edifice across the cracked mirror floor of the Throne room to shove it into far corner, as if the welfare of her trapped mother was inconsequential to her busy mind.

"But the past is in the past now. I am the future and the only Queen of this land, you puny woman. I will stand tall in this world as the rightful Queen of Winter and remake the world over as my frozen palette of breathtaking ice." Black Ice Queen Elsa declares in her shrill voice through the ice dollhouse's skylight hole, overpowering her mother's insistent cries and tearful songs for Elsa to listen.

"Who is the prisoner now… ' _Mama_ '? Enjoy yourself inside of that cold lonely seclusion. I have some new subjects to bend to my will now." The Black Ice Queen carelessly flips her verglas ice cape over her unaffected shoulders as the black ice crystal affixed to her bosom glows in shadowy iridescence.

Elsa then takes to her rebellious stiletto heels and crosses the throne threshold with evil intent in her darkened blue eyes directed at a pair of prisoners that Dark Olaf brought in, the snowman wrenching the sealskin scarf away from his victims.

Elsa uses her cryokinetics to levitate the semi-unconscious Prince Alonso's limp body before her evaluating, toying eyes. Then the Black Ice Queen pauses to wonder why this creature known as a 'human male' interested her.

Her chilled digits tentatively touch his, to her eyes, unsatisfactory nose. That action stimulates Prince Alonso awake as he shakes his head and opens his lazy eyes to look up at Elsa after blinking several times.

"What the heck happened to your hair?" The vain royal could not help but let that disparaging remark be the first question on his woozy lips before the entrancement of Olaf's hypnotized eyes begins to kick in fully.

"My hairstyle is _stunning_ , you stupid man!" The catty young woman with the radically different, standing up, short spiked hair and even shorter temper slaps Alonso's cheek in pure vanity's unmitigated annoyance. "Olaf!" She demands her snow lackey to re-administer his hypnotic spell on the stubborn creature who dared question her dazzling looks.

"Your hair is stunning. I am a stupid man." Completely under Olaf's mesmerizing spell now, Prince Alonso acquiesces subserviently to the Black Ice Queen's conceited whims.

"That's better, slave." More calm, Queen Elsa says with a haughty look up in the air over him.

"Come and drag that ugly little troll thing into my Throne Room." She had a bitter taste in her disgusted mouth after uttering the word 'troll'. Her enmity for the strange mystical beings stemmed from the Black Ice Queen's tainted memory of her childhood where Troll shaman leader, GranPabbie, had attempted to scare her with his rhetoric of fear of her magnificent ice magic. He was just trying to keep her down to keep power for himself, like every other male her life.

"I may grow bored after a long day of planning my world of beautiful ice takeover, and wish to have something to torture. Perhaps these new toys will be entertaining as diversions." Her fingers tantalizingly trace a mesmerized Prince Alonso's side jawline, searching for something that was annoyingly missing there, something soft and bristly and decidedly titian red…

But disappointed, she grows impatient, giving his cheek another crimson slap in punishment.

"Follow me." The Queen of the Winter beckons the most recent possessed soul just added to her collection to be her manservant, slamming the double doors cryokinetically behind them with a resounding crystalline thud.

* * *

 _ **On a magic carpet ride, flying full speed above the**_ _ **Arctic Circle**_ _ **…**_

"What has happened to your nation, _min kæreste_ (my dearest)? So dreadfully dark and cold…" A tense hand clutches the frozen sculpture at his chest as he acutely feels the subzero darkness exuding directly from it—so much so that he didn't have to even look to see its dark color shift again.

Looking stylish in his long grey suede trenchcoat, Prince Hans, being a Scandinavian born and bred child himself, had seen many cold winters before. Though the Southern Isles always hosted a more yearly temperate climate than snowy Norway, he knew that this extra low temperature drop was unnatural this time of year even here.

In his youth, the young man had extensively studied the mysterious Kingdom of Arendelle to the immediate North, where that lovely Crown Princess Elsa resided. The erudite boy learned and memorized so many factual details of her nation, such as record temperatures and the mean amount of precipitation snowfall each winter would bring. Young Hans wanted to know everything about this kingdom and what time of year it would be best for him to come and sweep his fantasized Elsa, patiently waiting for her Prince Charming – _namely him_ – off her petite feet. And in so doing, say goodbye to all the pain of their mutually lonely pasts and give him a place of his own to belong to at last.

Of course, all those boyhood yearnings and adolescent plans went through so many convolutions as he reached maturity, full of trial and triumph and above all, a requited true love. So, in the end, by now, Hans Westergaard could only look back upon those years of loneliness with a smile at the amazing grace of the God whose wondrous mercy made it all possible for him, despite himself.

 _"'All things are possible through Christ, who strengthens me.'"_ Prince Hans hears his beloved Elsa's lilting strains repeating that poignant Philippians 4:13 verse that applied to so much in their young lives already together.

The boy turned man was intelligent enough to realize that it was only through Providence's grand design of forgiveness and grace that he, clever and sinful by nature, could ever have achieved the status of not only an officer, but the Vise Admiral of one of the greatest, most respected navies in the world, a reinstatement of all his titles and styles, as well as a superb estate of lands granted the youngest Danish Prince by his reconciled father.

And above it all, Hans had secured the promise of the loving heart of the beautiful woman to be his bride and first mate through the treacherous waters of life from now on.

It was all Prince Hans ever dreamed of, all he ever wanted. Especially since he knew he did nothing to deserve it, but instead made critical errors and heartless blunders and painful mistakes, one after another, particularly concerning that Arendelle family and their precious daughter who should have tossed him aside and never forgiven him, by this world's standards.

But it was to a higher standard that allowed such Grace to bless his soul with the gift of his Elsa of Arendelle's deep, forbearing love. Nothing on earth would stop Hans from keeping that sparkling flame of love between them bright and shining and untarnished, even through the dark days of his jealousy and uncertainty which the distance between them had opened up.

For that Prince Hans considered himself to be the luckiest of men, as he gazes at his awestruck reflection in a silver, broken half mirror that had inexplicably found its way to him somewhere when under the sea, for some purpose unknown to him thus far.

"That's because it's always this damn cold and too damn dark even midday in this damn Arctic, coldest frozen equivalent of hellhole tundra that we've gone on vacation to. Yeesh! I can't even feel my eyebrows anymore! Please tell me they haven't frozen over and fallen off! Let me see that little personal grooming, handy-dandy looking glass of yours, Lillebror! Is this frosted stubble, blue-in-the-face a good look for me, or what?" His pearly whites chattering, vainglorious Flynn Rider could not restrain himself from running off at the mouth as he leans far back and peers his head beside his younger brother to gaze at his own mug critically in the cleanly cracked in half, fancy rose and beast decorated silver mirror of obvious Royal French heritage.

 _Speaking of Royal French heritage..._

"You both look amazing in your winter ensemble, _mes amie_ (my friends)! But I believe we have circumnavigated the globe to see a far more beautiful sight in your splendid Queen Elsa, Westergaard. But could it be that the Chancellor was wrong and your magical Elise has simply enshrouded herself in this mysterious snowstorm melee, all with the urbane, refined feminine objective of bringing you back to the heart of the Arctic North, to simply play the hard to get damsel in distress? Perhaps we are all worked up over nothing? Yes?" In his thick French accent and flippant style of speech, Prince Ferdinand tries to make light of the situation that had proved to grow more dire the further North they flew as he only gains a pursed lip cool reception from his captive audience.

"If I know Admiral Bernadotte as I believe I do, the good man loves his family and his country far too much to not go down without a valiant fight." Switching to a more serious mode and honest survey of the situation, the Colonel of the First Regiment Hussars, Ferdinand Egalité's very skin was tingling with the high probability of a skirmish ahead in this bleak atmosphere of frigid, uninviting cold.

Carpet swiftly closes the distance to the Svalbard top the world archipelago's Nordaustlandet island where the unforgiving tundra, deep glaciers, deep mountains and large icecaps of the uninhabited 'no man's land' was heralded by an unwelcoming wall of an eighty foot-high sheer ice cliff above the crashing waves.

"Yes. If your cousin, Elsa, as well as her father, and that Snow Queen of legend all possess ice magic powers like Rapunzel has explained to me, then maybe this frozen weather is a result of some battle with an unknown deadly enemy going on inside that Palace down there. Then there's always the possibility of a quarrel between the powerful ice wielders, or even derision between newly found parent and coronated child about rightful rule of the Crown." Knowing what a tense standoff between father and daughter could be firsthand, the tactical woman lays out all the conflict scenarios she could imagine, awaiting their arrival.

Cassandra Schmidt was eternally calculating exit and entrance strategies, battle dynamics between strengthening bulwarks and weak point vulnerabilities. The tough woman was going through the list as the team approach the ice covered, seven tiered Snow Palace they were fast approaching across the river that separated the Snow Queen's kingdom from the rest of the Nordaustlandet island beneath the polar night encased sky.

"Now there're some real pleasant thoughts to put in your pipe and smoke it. Thank you for that, Cass. You're always such a ray of sunshine." Eugene grimaces with accusing eyes at the always blunt and straight-talking, bob haired woman beneath that gray fur hooded coat in the back seat beside Hans.

The redhead perceptively bristles at the idea of a pitched battle between either Elsa and the Snow Queen or Elsa and her father, but both of the unsavory notions had to now come under consideration in his strategic, inquisitive mind.

Just then, all of Carpet's passengers witness a wild streak of white frost surge from somewhere within the Snow Palace up yonder that causes the convulsing mountain range beyond its tundra landscape to shiver beneath the daylight-less sky.

The unnatural blizzard seemed especially stormy at the peak of the Wjdefayhon mountain's 5600 foot tall height, where a massive avalanche of the frozen mountain seemed imminent.

"Even the landscape in this area of the world appears rather bleak and uninviting, mon frere. I do not wish to cast any further dispersions, and be labeled a ' _rabat-jouie'_ (spoilsport), however, may I point out the gathering of more than a few angry polar bears, countless predatory arctic foxes and a pack of aggressive grey wolves have surrounded that Palace's immediate perimeter. If we approach the entrance _assaut frontal_ (frontal assault), we will surely be attacked by the discontented beasts wherever we land. Surrounded by those ice formations blocking a clear path entrance, if we are to attempt a _grande entreé_ (great entrance) we must be _rapide (_ fast _)_ on our feet, lest be ambushed by those vicious bloodthirsty animals." Colonel Egalité comments, showing his own knowledge as a field commander while he shares a cautious nod with the Captain of the Corona Guard. Both lean over to gaze down from their Carpet's high flying height to the forbidding tundra below filled with sharp spike ice formations surrounding their frozen, unappealing Snow Castle destination.

"Are you _certainment_ your _chére_ Elise will be well received to see you?" The French Prince inquires, less to ensure what he had already assessed of his gallant young friend than to cement his own conviction to face such treacherous odds, all for the sake of a woman.

 _Is there a finer reason?_

"Whatever awaits me within, I will face the worst for my love, and be there for her in her desperate time of need, and her nation's, which I now hold dearer than my own. I realize it is a useless endeavor for me to cajole you, my friends, not to follow, but no matter the cost, I will go on—for I am ever beholden to she who eternally owns my heart." In his thought-provoking tenor, Hans speaks these lofty chivalrous terms as he pockets the broken half of a rose decorated silver mirror which was clouding over with blackened snow over a vague feminine outline. He strokes the statuette of the ice lady pressed to his chest that had become contentedly adjusted to a constant chill against his bare skin in his yearning adoring love for his delicate Ice Queen.

"That sounds all well and good, Kid, and though I'm never one for storming the _Bastille_ myself, your hero squad is not that easy to shake." The wily thief gives Ferdinand and Cassandra a sideways inclusive glance. "Besides, I think I've got you covered on how to get us into that frozen fortress in a less flamboyant way, Lillebror. You with me, Rugman?" Squinting his eyes in the blizzard's suddenly thrashing conditions, Eugene tilts his head back to be heard. He, in the Captain's seat of the flying Carpet, so to speak, brings his 'vehicle' in for a swift landing atop the third tier tallest center roof of the Snow Palace's many elaborate verglas pointed parapets.

"Okay. Just hold on tight gang. I'll have us _in_ _like Flynn_ – no pun intended – in no time. Whoa!" The cocky man leaps from the wind battered flying Carpet, who was giving his all to stay horizontal for his passengers' sake, to the snow frosted Palace's multi-turreted ice slippery surfaces.

Nearly losing his balance and skidding down the Snow Castle tower embrasure to the machicolation of the roof's merlon and corbel several feet below, Flynn Rider just catches onto a crackling broken winged grotesque angel of a gargoyle that halted his death-defying fall.

"What are you looking at, Smiley?" The droll thief asks the ornamentation of an ice stone monstrosity simpering down in his face where he was clinging to the statue's projected roof gutter.

After everyone lets out a relieved sigh that he survived, pulling his limber self up, Eugene carefully skulks along the multi-ice gargoyle decorated palace roof top. The thief, whose trademark maneuver was to break into castles, museums, banks and cathedrals alike through their unguarded rooftops, locates the weak point hatch where a bell could have been installed in the center tower tier he instinctively knew must allow access into the palace below, if _persuaded_ to open with his ample musculature.

 _Soooo…this great big_ _Snow_ _Castle_ _made of flimsy ice will be in need of some minor roof repair. Sue me! Better yet, sue my wife._

With the crisis averted, Eugene locates the area his quick mind of thievery had already designated as an easy in to the otherwise tightly sealed ice citadel.

"Good thing we're all pretty slim and trim folks! Hey, Cass, throw me some –" In a hoarse whisper against the harsh winds at this tall tower rooftop, fearless of heights Eugene has his black and gray furry head whomped by a roll of heavy hemp rope that Cassandra had intuitively chucked over the edge of Carpet at him, even before Rapunzel's hubby was ready.

"– rope. Ouch. You're a real riot, Grey! I'll have you well know that it's no easy task to walk this vertically steep, precipitously slippery ice roof in fifty mile an hour blizzard gale force winds, without the additional hindrance of being walloped in the noggin by your supposed friends." Eugene mutters under his irritated breath as he rubs his head and stands up from his kneeling position to defiantly prove his impeccable sense of balance, despite the best efforts of that viper woman to knock him down.

" _Aspetta un minuto (wait a minute!)! Achoo!"_ Eugene shows off his linguistic knowledge of Italian, originating from when he used to find 'nice things to steal' in numerous Italian museums and shrines and such in his thieving heyday, followed by a hearty sneeze.

 _"Gesundheit! Freta! Freta! Sbrigato!"_ (Hurry, hurry! Get a move on!)

"Grazie—!…Huh? Danke, Thanks? Who said that?! Am I losing it up here at this high altitude, or did that gargoyle just talk to me?!" Eugene gulps, staring hard at the grotesque monstrous ice decoration, distressed at the thought of the Gothic winged creature being sentient enough to speak to him.

 _And in Italian, no less. Hmph. Interesting…_

"Quit stalling, Fitzherbert, and feed that rope down the hatch before we're spotted up here!" All business Cassandra hisses back as she passes her end of the climbing rope to Ferdinand and Hans for her to fearlessly start shimmying down it, straight through the opened tower's ice dormer Eugene had already pried open.

" _Quelle femme_! (What a woman!) Do you not admire a woman who knows her own mind? Your lady Cassandra reminds me of my Helena in that respect. Only this one has a tighter ass." The insatiable flirt gives a reminiscent aside in the roguish comment of women in general to Hans while greedily watching the capable, curvaceous woman slide down the rope deftly.

Though amused inside, Hans simply answers with a raised brow and gesturing for the recently recovered romantic Frenchman to be the next one to slide down the rope and enter the Snow Palace they were infiltrating from the top down, as Prince Ferdinand acquiesces with gallant aplomb.

"And he's still planning to marry a gal like _**that**_?! Better you than me, pal. I'll stick to my more appealing, sweet as sunshine and soft as butter Brownie girl who rarely knows her mind, Lord love her. Geronimo, Lillebror!" Eugene irreverently retorts with a short salute to Hans, before he too slips down the rope that the experienced thief had secured as support to the certainly unmoving – _Nah!_ _Trick_ _of these old snow blind eyes!_ \- gargoyle statue leering over the corner of the roof at the opposite edge.

"I believe you'll need to deposit the remainder of our gear and follow us down this shaft thereafter, if you believe you can contort your weave to a more slender, cylindrical shape once I have –" Calmly conversing with Carpet as he was just about to slide down the rope which the helpful flying rug was using his opposable tassels to hold onto, high in the sky above the headwinds, Prince Hans is abruptly side-swiped by a demonic creature made of rock hard pure ice that suddenly rises from the roof itself.

 _The gargoyle is alive?!_

Dodging out of the way of its sharp talons just in the nick of time, Hans gasps at the realization that if one of the Gothic decorative statues that once sat upon the Snow Palace roof at its gutter beneath the corbel was both sentient and angered, there were at least six more placed all around the seven pointed Castle tower roof tiers.

Before Hans could warn Carpet, the vivid indigo, red, gold and blue woven magical Persian being is physically attacked then pulled down from the sky by two of those heavy-weighted, vicious ice gargoyles, in-flight on their own massive spanned, grey-white bat devil wings.

"Carpet!" Hans laments his fallen comrade as yet another devil possessed gargoyle statue makes a flying pass with deadly ice claws extended at where the Dane was lying flat pressed against the roof turret he had a dexterously grasped after being knocked down by the first grotesque animated carved ice attacker.

 _ **SLASSHH!**_

But, like an acrobat, the master swordsman reaches for his blade even in this off balance, high elevation environment. Proficient with a blade Prince Hans was able to sheer slice off with one powerful sword arm the attacking gargoyle statue's icy wings, and then stops another's vengeful dive with a flurry of well-honed fencing thrusts and roof balanced pivots, like an expert skater dancing on the icy precipice.

Fluid in motion and dogged in the fervor of his pumping adrenaline, after maiming a third's wings, Hans beheads the last relentless ice monster trying to force him from the tower ledge. Thus, the Danish Prince like a one-man army, had cut down several of the shrill, screeching devilish creatures to plummet down the over hundred foot height and shatter in thousands of ice shards at the ground below.

Gazing over the ledge to see if Carpet was anywhere in sight and hoping the magic rug had escaped unscathed, the Prince knew he could not pause for a second to revel in his glory. Hans scrambles to climb back to the opened tower shaft on the remainder of the rope that he had deftly gathered where it had fallen to the roof after Carpet had to let go. He was just about to descend when a demonic red eyed male rock ptarmigan, guarding the tower, comes out of nowhere, angrily croaking in shrieks right in the startled Prince's deafened ear, pecking at his now bloodied red head.

The Devil Troll possessed speckled ptarmigan, also known as an 'arctic thunderbird', with its over twenty-seven inch wingspan and sharpened beak, works in combination with two more aggressive demon gargoyles it had awakened which had ripped themselves from the rooftop to swoop in to swipe and tug at Hans' wide spread legs and desperate sword hand stationing him to the rooftop merlon.

After the thunderbird had cruelly gnashed the rope he was clinging onto, all together en masse the demon possessed creatures maliciously assail him from all angles. As valiantly as he tried to stay aloft on the high tower, the possessed gargoyles knock a battered Hans Westergaard off kilter nonetheless…

…causing the Dane to plummet down the one hundred foot high Snow Castle rooftop below to a certain, gravity crushing death before he even had the chance to enter the Black Ice Queen's palace…

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile, beneath the**_ _ **Snow**_ _**Castle**_ _ **'s deep underground catacombs…**_

"By my rough calculations, we are only about five hundred feet beneath the surface exit of this underground cavern which leads up to the Throne Room antechamber through the chasm that you and your young man had described to me, Anna." The Ice King amicably converses as he and Anna had been traversing the dark underground caverns.

Though you'd never detect it from his motivated words, King Agdar's spirit form was growing increasingly transparent, the longer time it took to get to the shattered mirror top entry.

And that gave Princess Anna much cause to worry for her beleaguered parent that she kept peeking at in the darkness to make sure he hadn't faded totally.

Although Agdar had a sneaking suspicion that his continued disembodied condition was worsening, his indomitable will would not allow that little fact to hamper his authority, nor his drive to succeed against this evil threat to all races of his nation.

"Only five hundred?" Princess Anna mumbles sarcastically under her breath, after finally quieting down the baby boy troll in her care by allowing him to chew on her braid ends – _whatever works!_

Her feet were pounding in her little size five boots behind where her undaunted father was leading the liberated Fire Trolls' march up to the surface of Snow Palace.

"Did you say something, Gingersnap?" Agdar turns his head with that pursed lip, reprimanding smile etched on his teasing face that his little girl had forever adored to see.

But it was all still disturbing to see her poor Papa somewhat invisible.

"No, Papa." A corrected Anna smiles back, going to hug her first hero's arm, only to be disappointed again by its translucent vagary which she slips right through.

 _I'll never get used to that!_

"Your father is correct, Princess. This antechamber lies parallel to the Snow Queen's Palace Throne Room directly above. I have glimpsed about once in my long long life, it was during my childhood, over two millennia ago, when the Queen of the Winter first built her Palace here in the distant North." The ancient elder Fire Troll named Andesite was speaking to Anna in his native Latin language that her connection to the Wind Whisperer allowed the young girl to mentally translate with ease.

"Yeah. Papa's pretty smart about geography and mathematics and hard stuff like that." Her un-academic eyes spin around in her orangey head as Anna proudly converses about her intelligent father with the elder igneous troll whose weathered, medium red-brown extrusive skin was so wrinkled and old that layers of white magma rock mineral sediment were crusted upon it.

"Your father is not only smart, Princess. No matter what the outcome, King Agdar's name will go down in Troll history as a champion of the rebellion against the Devil master, generation after generation. Not to mention the honored personage of the legendary Wind Whisperer and his good son he has passed down the title upon, whom our people will revere as heroes for the ages." Andesite the Old murmurs to Anna as he and she watch King Agdar and his motivating call for revolution interact with a group of new recruit Fire trolls the respected elder troll had introduced them to.

"Wow. All my guys are going to get big heads to hear you say that, Andesite. But, you're welcome, on their behalf…sir." Anna remembers her place to respect her elders, under her dear Papa's watchful pale blue eyes from across the way.

Anna ventures to ask the question burning on her mind for the wise old troll, _who was even way older than ancient GranPabbie in the_ _Valley_ _of_ _Living Rock_! – to answer.

"How is Papa going to become a solid, full man again, Andesite?" She whispers in a little voice, already half frightened of the response.

"I am not so prescient as you think in this physical realm, young Princess. Such magic goes beyond my scope and millennia of gained perception that the _Djævlen Trolden_ has tried to dominate. But I can tell you that the deep souled Wind Whisperer man named Ragi had the righteous courage to battle the Devil Troll before, and did win with the help of the Snow Queen to thwart the Evil One's attempt at expansion before. Now, we can only give praise to the Creator that the rebellion at this critical time may facilitate to impede the Devil Troll 's rampage once more, because he will no longer have our fire magic to use and trample upon us as his slaves." Andesite the Old leans on Anna 's arm, his ages-old legs weary from this underground journey up through the dark antechamber in search of trolls who will join the cause from their hideaway catacombs.

"However, the wily fiend has reached his clawed tentacles into corrupting the heart of a lustrous young woman who has the great potential to even supersede the luminous Snow Queen herself." Andesite stops still in his exhausted tracks, looking Anna directly in the eye with serious words.

"That man of nature named Ragi had met with me before, given me this special glimpse of the world above, so I can learn knowledge beyond the dark shadows when his spirit sensed this evil may come to pass again. And through it, I have gained much knowledge of your special family, Princess Anna. Ever since, I have longed for my people, my Fire Trolls, to leave their slavery and experience that beautiful dream above ground too, in that life I saw through this half of an enchanted mirror the Wind Whisperer blessed me with. For years, I have been surreptitiously teaching those young trolls I felt were receptive, to share in that distant dream." The old Troll's wrinkled eyes wander from across the catacombs up towards that faraway glow of the shining Snow Palace Throne Room above.

"And now this is **our** time for **our** race to draw that dream near. We have been trapped down here, doomed to serve the DjævlenTroll for far too many millennia, knowing only avarice, sloth, pride, envy, wrath, lust and gluttony in these dark bowels of the earth. But I am ancient enough to recall there was a world of light where these sins were unwelcome, where virtues were striven for and even occasionally achieved. So I beg you to return that bright world of light that the Lord God above intended." The old Troll rambles on, but Anna did not want to interrupt for all of the wisdom he was imparting to her.

"You see, through this mirror, I have contacted a wise young Rock Troll leader named GranPabbie. You may have heard of him in Trollheimen. So I beg you to stop this cold darkness that the Djævlenenvisages for your race and mine."

"We will do everything we can to help." Anna was proud that her father was taking the reins so fiercely in this righteous mission to liberate the Fire Trolls after Andesite described how urgent it was.

"I have been watching all of the recent events so far unfold since the Snow Queen's Mirror of Reason had been shattered and the chasm opened wide. It will be up to you and your sisterly bond, Anna of Arendelle, to reclaim Queen Elsa's memories which the wicked Devil Troll has warped and distorted for his own depraved benefit. Only those whose love once held a part of her powerful, now subverted and destabilized heart, will truly have any puissant sway over the fate of this bright world above, lest it be delivered into an eternal frozen darkness forever." The reddish igneous rock skinned Troll elder places his large crusty rumpled hand atop Anna's soft, supple one as his crinkled mahogany eyes look into her teal aqua ones dramatically.

"Up to me? But how? She threw me out and wouldn't even listen to me before!" Anna gulps, shaking her head at the bad recent memory. She was never one to run and hide, but with her big sister Elsa in charge as Queen and now her ruling Papa and Mama present again in her life, Anna felt free to play the role of the carefree little girl again, and not the bold gutsy young woman she had proven she could be.

"The only true path back for Elsa's corrupted heart is for her to be reminded of the unforgettable love she shared with those people who truly cared for her. The Devil Troll preys on human loneliness with his darkness and fear, but I believe you have the unique ability, Anna, to bring the light of sunshine and warmth to your sister's confused soul again. That is why I'm entrusting this silver enchanted mirror to you now, Princess. It has been my glimpse of the real world for too many long dark years and I feel now you can make it reality. It has been said that if you look into its reflection deep enough, you can 'see the true heart within.' The Wind Whisperer told me it once belonged to a King whose vanity turned him into a beast in his youth. But for the love of a purehearted beauty who looked beyond his repulsiveness, he sacrificed himself, at last unselfishly finding his noble heart, and brought him back to humanity forevermore."

"Oookay. That sounds pretty heavy." Anna says in a quiet awe of the tale as old as time as the old troll displays the halved silver mirror that glows brighter the closer his aged hand holds the reflective surface towards Anna.

"No, dear girl. Its weight is nominal." The deadpan old Fire Troll answers in all seriousness, not correlating Anna's slang vernacular with the under one pound, severed in half, enchanted looking glass item as he flips it over in his aged hand without incident.

"Hee hee hee." Anna lets out a small giggle at Master Andesite's unintentional jest that made the heavy hearted young girl smile despite her tense fears and deep anxieties for all those she held dear, her beloved big sister Elsa particularly, as the old Troll starts to pass on the silver mirror half –

But the ginger's brief good cheer is erased as she lets out a gasp when she spies an eerie pair of flaming red eyes staring at her with such an intense animosity in the dark. It was full of anger and underlying hatred for her sunshine smiles that it was actually palpable in the suddenly murky and shadowy clouded sulphuric scented air of the catacomb.

A deep throaty cackle soon overtakes her moment of mirth and turns it fearful when the fearful whispered voice speaks everywhere and nowhere the single hissed word: ' _ **Traitor'.**_

"Who said that?!" A sense of sheer panic causes the ginger Princess to instinctively pull back with the troll baby squealing in her squeezed tight arms.

 _"DJVAELEN!"_ Is the last word Andesite the elder Fire Troll would ever utter as he spins around, just as the hatefully suspicious Devil Troll's glowing red fingernails scratch out across the wise ancient Troll's neck and face, carving right across his instantly severed neck with the devilish fiery claws.

"No! Andesite!" Anna cries out in horror at seeing her new friend being cut down so viciously right before her eyes as the dying old Fire Troll gives her his last smile, along with that silver mirror fragment squeezed into Anna's hand as she fiercely weeps over his loss.

Frightened eyes meet the horrendous devil's ghastly vile ones as Princess Anna of Arendelle is backed into a corner of the winding smoke-filled antechamber, hugging the baby troll who gave away the rebellion's location earlier in the first place.

" **PAPA! HE'S HERE**!" Anna yells out in her full-blown lung capacity volume in the direction to where she had last seen her father conversing with some new recruit revolutionary Fire trolls in the back caverns.

"ANNA!" Cries the father who heard his child's desperate plea as Agdar's spirit form immediately transcends the cavern, recklessly flying through walls and rocks and sulfur pits through the thick, smoky atmosphere to materialize his nearly transparent body to be standing right in front of the scared little girl.

"Stay back from my child, demon!" There for his little girl in mere seconds, angry King Agdar challenges the Devil Troll King defiantly. He protectively waves his translucent hand that starts to shimmer with ice magic before the unsavory red-horned, cloven-hoofed creature threatening to claw Anna with its swishing pointed tail.

"Oh? This from the foolish King who practically delivered his eldest child to me on a silvery ice platter due to the tortured insecure loneliness he instilled in her heart for decades?" The Devil Troll was the master of evil manipulation and wicked ambition combined, as his insinuating accusations attempt to play Agdar Bernadotte like the drums he had been pounding in the poor man's aching head.

"What?! Be silent of your trickery, Satan!" Inwardly regretful and distressed by the Djævlen _'s_ words, but outwardly resilient and ice hardened, the Ice King calls out the sneering Great Deceiver by name. Agdar pushes Anna protectively to the side behind him as he cryokinetically sums up frigid torrents of polar blasts directly at the villainous creature.

The Djævlen Troll is forced back into a corner by the ferocity of the protective father who converges upon his enemy intimidatingly. Even the Devil's flame-tipped tail was extinguished by the ferocious Ice King's steady stream of punishing frost attacks.

"You may have finally defeated me with your righteousness and virtue, O King." The Djævlen hisses out in panted conciliatory tones as Agdar moves closer to the fallen fiend.

But in his wild retaliation, Agdar left himself wide open to the subsequent sting of fire and fury about to be unleashed from the deceitful Evil One's sneaky tail of fire, unmonitored as it slinks up like a deadly snake from behind the unaware King…

"Papa! Watch out for his tail!" Anna shrieks a warning from the sidelines up to the pitched fire and ice battle, knowing there was little she could do beyond watch it unfold in terror.

 _ **T'CHI!**_

Fortunately for the vulnerable Ice King, new Wind Whisperer Kristoff Bjorgman had mentally sensed his bride's distress. He spared not the wind at his feet to trample up the remaining lower cavern floors to reach her in time to make a difference.

Kristoff's sharpened stone special arrowhead finds its mark and plunges precisely into the weak point of the Devil _'s_ tail of fire, causing the massive fire energy impounded within to release seconds early. Rather than strike an unsuspecting Agdar in the exposed back, it instead explodes in his own face.

It blinds the devilish creature momentarily in vulnerability long enough for the Ice King to utilize, freezing the Devil Troll into the state of a solid ice statue.

"Whoo-hoo! Take that, ugly, for old Andesite!" After she hands the baby troll to its worried parents who soon came tromping up with the army of other trolls at Kristoff's heels, brash Anna proudly shouts. In justified anger at all this Devil Troll had done to her friends and family, she shakes her fists in the air at the malignant monster being buried in an avalanche of rock, dust and cold debris from the collapsed portion of the cave she had backed into.

Alas! Her minute of noisy triumph is cut short, even as a multitude of Fire Trolls which her Papa had recruited join her valiant husband from the subterranean caverns surrounding.

 _ **RROARRR!**_

 _ **CHCKKCHKKCHKKK!**_

Though the Ice King had coated his fallen enemy with a thick layer of hoarfrost and bitter cold crackling ice to keep the Devil Troll encased under the rubble, a flurry of Magmaites spring up from the very rock face at the yet viable Djævlen's secretive molten command, until there were tens of dozens of vicious fire breathing beasties on the loose and attacking.

"Those pesky little guys again!" Kristoff vividly recalled how much of a pain in the butt – _literally_ – those fiery and ferocious small packages of explosive lava could be. His curly toed boot kicks several way from himself and Anna, only to find they had melted off the curved shape of his now holey footwear.

"And I just paid them off…" The frugal blond mountain man whines as he instead employs his trusty Saami Longbow to pick off magmaite after magmaite which were rapidly converging upon the royal trio.

It was then that the Troll freedom fighters come storming up the cavern like a thunderous herd with the original Wind Whisperer, Ragi, as their rallying shepherd.

Fortunately for the Fire Trolls, their own innate fire power made them less flammable and susceptible to the magmaite attack as each, fire with fire, fight off their former pets now rabidly turned on them.

But those dirty little annoying balls of magma were persistent, crawling away even after being flamed or sizzled, to instead merge together in their softened molten forms into a rather large molten beast that continues to grow with each fallen little magmaite addition.

Kristoff lets out one of his precise arrows directly at the expanding monster's glowing red heart, but even his specially honed birchwood arrow spines are set aflame and melted to dust before impact.

"Kristoff! Your arrows will have no effect on this monstrosity! The only way to stop molten lava is to supercool it!" Riding in on Svala at full steam, Ragi joins his son and daughter-in-law at King Agdar's back as the old Wind Whisperer exchanges a nod with the Ice King.

The spirit of the Wind Whisperer uses his broadsword to fend off the magma monster and prevent it from growing any larger by keeping any new magmaites in a trench his wind-driven sword digs out in one wide girth slice.

"We will stop this malignant aberration! Kristoff! I assign you to lead the liberated Fire Trolls up as close to the Mirror of Reason's underground labyrinth as possible and take Anna up to the surface of the Throne Room so she can speak with her sister!" King Agdar orders his son-in-law, knowing his feisty younger daughter would never run away from the fight and leave her dear Papa behind voluntarily without a little prodding.

"Papa! I want to stay and help you!" The ginger girl challenges her parent, blindly listening never the self-possessed rebellious girl's strong point as she runs to tug on his now clearly ice transparent invisible arm with ice siphoned by his waning body's depleted cryo-magic.

"Anna! Please listen to your Papa, this one time, even if he has been a foolish man, a poor ruler, and a failure as a father in the past—causing all this anguish for his girls through his ignorance. Elsa especially has taken the brunt of my misjudgment and failings. So I need you to go up there now and be just as bold and brave and beautiful as you are, and have always been, to bring your big sister back to us. Tell her all that's in your heart and explain to my Elsa…explain how my deep love for my family at times, made her father snow blind to their true needs, depriving her of the closeness of the love she yearns for. The Devil was right. This is my fault—stupid man." In realization now of the enormous scope of his poor decisions, King Agdar chastises himself for being at the source of this entire terrible problem.

"Please, my Gingersnap, find some way to convey to my poor Snow Angel how much she means to me, to all of us. How much you and your mother and I love and respect her and need her to come home to us again." There were frosty tears in the Ice King's plaintive, almost totally transparent, crystal blue eyes, as in full ice warrior mode he gazes into Anna's own trembling ones.

"I will, Papa. And you're no failure." A tearful Anna wishes she could give the discouraged father a warm hug, but knew the attempt was futile now that he was made of mists of ice alone as Kristoff places a hand on her shivering shoulders to show his support.

"That's my brave little girl. Bring Elsa home, please. For me, for us. So we can make our family whole again..." Thinking of his tenderhearted Elsa, King Agdar devotes to his child the last remaining bit of warmth remaining in his spirit form that then solidifies him into a warrior made of pure ice.

"I will fight with all that God gave me to make it right for as long as I am granted." Turning from Anna to stand beside a battle weary Ragi, Ice King Agdar's eyes crackle with raw power facing the magmaite monster who sends a volley of pitched lava at the King.

 _ **SIZZZLLEE! CCRRACCKKLLLEE!**_

 _ **SSMASSHHH! Fizzzzlllee…**_

Anna closes her eyes tight as the magma ball fire clashes with the Ice King's quickly whipped out thick blast of concentrated ice and the resulting explosive concussion steam at her back.

Kristoff on Sven scoops her shaking body to land on Svala's back as the reindeers whisk them away from the volatile steam-filled, detonating cavern and into the catacombs that led upwards.

And the children of the warrior Wind Whisperer and intrepid Ice King lead the hundreds of Fire Troll rebels gathered up towards their first light beyond the deep dark pit they've existed within their entire lives. Together they all race towards the surface exit chasm they had first fallen down, heading up to the Snow Castle and its Throne Room where a pensive and bitter Ice Queen now reigned…

* * *

 _Gesundheit_ – 'good health' in German, said when someone sneezes

* * *

Hello, Frozen Again friends!

I hope you enjoyed this next installment in our Frozen sequel adventure/romance series! ^_^

Many original Snow Queen references and plotlines were followed up here, even having our older servants Gerda and Kai revisiting the Snow Palace and reverting to children through the Snow Queen's enchanted Mirror passage to see it again with the magical eyes of young children. I thought that would be a poignant, sweet idea to have them here again as youthful and innocent one more time to do their part in this endangered era of Eternal Winter's threat, as I envision them through NHK's 'Yuki no Jou' anime series.

Now, as for our reigning new Queen of the Winter...Wasn't Black Ice Queen Elsa terrible to her own Mother?! But the Devil Troll has warped her memories and laid full blame on the King and Queen for Elsa's lonely tortured childhood. So now the dark side of our beautiful Elsa, full of anger and darkness and blonde ambition, is taking revenge on her poor parents!

King Agdar is having problems of his own with his ice form totally replacing his see-through spirit shell now too, as he and Ragi fight off the Djvaelen's molten lava beast unleashed! Anna & Kristoff have their mission now clearly spelled out by her regretful Papa and wise Elder Fire Troll Andesite the Old: ' _Go talk to Elsa and make her see reason.'_

So, with all these pieces of the icy puzzle set into play now, with all the characters ready to go inside the Snow Palace (except, of course, for valiant Prince Hans, who will surely be dead from his 100 ft fall from the castle roof - yeah, right.;) we're ready to roll into the final climactic chapter or two of this exciting Act VII!

Hope to hear your reviews and input soon!

Your friend,

HarukaKou


	25. Chapter 24-Playing wthe Queen of Hearts

_We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

 **"Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act VII**

 **Chapter 24**

 **"Playing with the Queen of Hearts"**

In all her chilled regal majesty, from her high ice platform rising above the Snow Palace's royal Throne Room, the Black Ice Queen looks down at the frozen world she had created on her raised ice map and smiles wickedly.

The replica world atlas she had ingeniously constructed was an actual reflected representation of the subzero havok her expanded ice magic had wrought upon the real world out there.

Each freshly frigid ice rivulet, every chilled frozen furrow and crater ice rut cut across the landscape of all physical realms were filled with hoarfrost and blizzard conditions which she had cursed entire continents with the unforgiving cold bitterness felt in her frozen heart.

As Elsa proudly gazes along her perpetually frosted world's snow top rabbeted grooves and crusty channeled trenches that were in facsimile to the tangible earth beyond her Ice Palace doors, the smug faced Queen suddenly frowns.

Despite its ice magnificence of glimmering gelid bridge precipices, frosted fractal cathedrals of dazzling trees glistening beside sparkling stationary streams, and flurries of crystallized cascading waterfalls frozen midair, all coating the scenery of climates unaccustomed to snow, much less this frozen blizzard tundra Elsa had artistically illustrated in a subzero ice panorama—

—something was still missing.

Descending upon her airlifted ice platform from where the Black Ice Queen oversaw her mystical ice encasement of the world rapidly take shape, the powerful new ruler of the Winter looking down at her beautiful works still felt something was absent from it all.

Elsa had embraced her ambitious cold enterprise of transforming all points of the world into beautiful pristine vistas of undefiled winter, even the subtropical nations south of the equator that rarely - if ever - saw temperatures mercilessly dropping below the median to the freezing point, never mind this beyond frigid degree of frost and snow.

But the Black Ice Queen still felt a baffling, unfathomable emptiness inside that did not please her at all, as she had been led to believe this planet's icy supremacy would.

There was a painful pang of urgency that suddenly gripped Elsa's cold heart with an inexplicable frostbite she could not comprehend as flashes of icy wind gusts and gray white fur speed past her blinded mind's subconscious.

Holding her aching head, Elsa pauses in her massive cryokinetic dominion over the unsuspecting western half of the equatorial shelf, eager to discover what _would_ satiate the empty void of her frozen cold heart.

Elsa harshly shakes her head and blinks several times at the perplexing vision of an unrecognized red haired man plummeting to his death from the Snow Castle rooftop at the hands of her high loft guardian ice gargoyles somewhere outside within a shard of the broken mirror. The mental picture had the lonely Black Ice Queen's heart caught in her elegant throat for several seconds of silent drama.

As she trips her ice high heels across the Throne Room's broken mirror frozen lake, like crackling hailstones, the shattered shards of the Mirror of Reason crunch beneath her feet. Each piece reflected the few remnants of iridescent streaks of purity the aurora borealis piercing her ice skylight from her royal bedroom above glimpsed of the same man in peril's winsome face.

 _What do I, the majestic ruler of all Winter, care of this insignificant creature's demise? Why do worthless visions such as these plague me? Dim-witted mirror!_

The Black Ice Queen, momentarily unmonitored by the absent Devil Troll's all-consuming control and left to her own devices, lends a quizzical thought as to this questionable human's welfare. In anger, she kicks away several of the shattered speculum pieces filled with images of a person who evinced unsolicited emotions in her strangely tightened chest.

But Elsa unconsciously had already waved a powerful hand, even though in the next second, coolly collecting herself, she dismisses the incident entirely.

Perhaps a flurry of chilled Arctic winds rose with her involuntary gesture to send a flagrant gust or two that could lift the descending body up and away from being impaled on the sharp spikes now surrounding her Snow Castle's immediate exterior fortification.

 _Wouldn't want any human mortal's red blood to stain the pristine landscape of my kingdom of pure ice…_

The cool Black Ice Queen legitimizes her uncontrolled, rash action with a haughty nose up in the nippy air of her Throne Room while she readjusts her ice silk gloves that covered up her white hands which definitely had a thing about dirt.

"Olaf! Olaf! Where has that stupid thing gone now? Fine! I have other servants…" She just remembers that there _was_ another presence in the room who seemed to have an affinity for staring at himself and admiringly primping in the reflection of each of the broken mirror pieces scattered across the floor, as if judging to see which one did him justice best.

"Slave!" Causing Prince Alonso to knock over the stack of his favorite looking glass pieces thus far, Elsa suddenly shouts with a shrill voice that rings throughout the otherwise empty throne room. Her high-pitched and high-strung vexed voice would prove to startle most other human men who were not more concerned with their own outward appearance.

"Your Majesty?" With that dull expression of showing displeasure at having been interrupted, yet still 'spellbound possessed' written all over his bored stiff, comely face, 'slave' Alonso slowly comes to grovel before the Queen of the Winter's throne from where he had been preoccupied with all the Great Hall's ample mirrors.

"Finally! You're slower than molasses in February! Anyway, I order you to go out to the rear Palace Pavilion and collect whatever remains of some foolish human man who was forced from the roof after he dared invade my secret kingdom." With a sweep of her royal hand, the impatient Black Ice Queen commands a lethargic Prince Alonso, who was suffering from the heavy-lidded sin of sloth. "Bring him here so I can inflict the maximum torture for his treasonous crime of stepping on my uncontaminated kingdom uninvited."

"Understood, Majesty." Possessed Alonso subserviently nods, turning to leave the throne he was kneeling before when his Queen's startling coloratura halts him again.

"Wait! Take this with you, should that man have survived death and prove to be as cunning and wily as he appears." Elsa's eyes slit as she cryo-summons a massive ice sword from behind the throne where it hung fallow beside a matching armor plating of ice crafted for a woman to sport in battle.

Black Ice Queen Elsa coldly suits up Alonso with some tight ice armor plating alterations of her own design, accompanied by a thick ice-forged sheath at his gasping tight belt.

But that's when she has a faint recollection, seen as an echo in one of the refracted Mirror of Reason shards, of that tall and trim, redheaded Prince holding a sword over her head, once upon a long time ago…

Holding her own talisman sword high in the air, the Black Ice Queen then slides the large straight knightly longsword by its cruciform hilt into her deputized slave's sheath.

With that long and heavy ice sword of the Snow Queen's entrusted to his whim, the smirking Argentinian Prince breaks away from his own selfish mirror spellbound gaze in order to leave the Black Ice Queen's peevish presence with averted eyes and a reverently bowed head.

His sovereign's granted ice sword in hand, Alonso skulks down the long winding hallway, giving a passing glance and armor booted toe kick to the Fire Troll girl petrified in place by the bitter cold in the midst of the palace hall.

And two pairs of little eyes peek surreptitiously at this irreverent young prince from the intangible thick ice coated ruse door that obscured the Snow Queen's secret interior sanctum…

* * *

 ** _Meanwhile, in the harsh cold wind whipped tundra at the rear pavilion of the_** ** _Snow_** **_Palace_** ** _…_**

 _Falling… Falling… Why can I never find a place of my own to land…?_

A thoroughly winded, rambling Hans Westergaard slowly comes to from his delirium with a cold start, awash in a flurry of frosted dust that he associated for _some_ reason with his ice magical lover.

 _…Elsa? Is this your doing, min elsking? Then…you **do** still love me…at least enough to save me from falling to my death._

Amid soft mounds of fluffy gray white fur of a large Arctic wolf, the Danish Prince comes to in the realization that the enigmatic ghostly Arctic creature's soft furry nap must've broken his fall. That and some fortunate cool breeze that had pushed his flailing body just far enough so as not to be skewered by the numerous terrifyingly sharp stalagmite tapering column spikes jutting up from the frozen ground they were standing in a treacherous bulwark barrier around the Snow Castle's perimeter.

"I thank you for your Providential intervention, but it is my intention to catch up with my companions, already inside. I must join them so that we can find my queen, to support her in any way I can." Hans addresses the furry gray-white wolf as his hands instinctively sneak around his own ice pendant, feeling its cold uncertainty tremble between his fingers.

Yet sensing her true presence ever closer gave the young man a rampant exhilaration.

"There is much confusion here and I must address my Elsa immediately. I feel she is in a danger I cannot conceive. As her betrothed, I must be here to free her from those fears and be her 'knight in shining armor' no matter what, as is my duty to keep her safe and secure at all times henceforth." Hans puffed up with male pride, imagining his valiant rescue and lady fair who would love him for it again, whether she was entertaining a new suitor are not.

"But where are you taking me, boy?" Though distracted, Prince Hans notices the silent wolf carrying him, on his back, in the direction past the palace's entry into the wintry palette of snowdrifts.

The Prince of the Southerm Isles was immediately amicable to all animal kind. Particularly dogs and horses, the noble breeds of which held much in common as to their interaction with humans, in unmatchable bravery and unspoken loyalty Hans would never forget.

But keeping hidden in the cold wintry shadows of the polar night, quiet Holger was stealthily trailing around the unseen outskirts so as not to arouse suspicions of the nasty polar bear sentry, nor the vicious arctic foxes guarding the front Snow Palace entrance.

Speaking of which… Holger, Ragi's ages old wild canine companion, had intuitively maneuvered Prince Hans into the Snow Palace's rear pavilion stable quarters.

The spirit wolf had already dragged a pitiable Carpet out from the cruel ice spikes that the ancient Persian rug had been ice impaled upon, along with the disintegrative pieces of the battered stone gargoyle that the brave magical hero had sacrificed himself to take down for his new friend Hans' honorable mission.

"Carpet… Your beautiful weave… I am so sorry to see you suffer for my sake." Hans empathizes with Carpet who waves him off uncomplainingly from where the Rugman was lying limp across Holger's back.

Hans tender hand gently pets the injured high pile of Carpet's textiles, grieving for the missing lower corner tassel that the wicked gargoyle had chewed off, and the torn cloth of the antediluvian magical flying being that the punishing spikes had unavoidably hit hard for the result of defeating his enemy. All of which handicapped the injured Carpet from either walking or flying at high altitude on his own ever again.

Feeling winded himself from the hundred foot fall and in distress for his colorful companion's selfless woes, the Danish Prince closes his eyes and just presses his compassionate cheek to the plush rug he was lying upon.

Carpet was gladdened by the wordless empathy, wrapping his punctured cloth around Hans in gratitude.

The heart-heavy pair of passengers just let the large Arctic wolf take the reins for a few calm minutes with Hans hugging his warmth to the poorly flying Carpet long-sufferingly lying beneath him on Holger's back, as the grey-white wolf brings them into the stable's secret entrance.

There, Holger had already facilitated a few more travelers who had boldly come through the Snow Queen's mystic mirror corridor into the Snow Palace Hall, bringing them to the relative safety of this exterior building after they had arrived on their own.

"Sitron! How are you even here?!" After nimbly alighting from his position atop a shredded Carpet on the wolf's accommodating back, Hans gives a fond pet and friendly nuzzle to his stallion's welcome muzzle.

The Danish Prince was almost tearfully grateful to have his childhood friend, in a golden dun fjord horse, at his side, especially at this time of uncertainty when he needed his support the most after their enforced four-month separation.

 **Whinny! N-neigh!**

The stylized black-and-white long hair fjord show horse whinnies back in welcome to his dear pal returned to him from the other side of the world. Sitron nuzzles Hans' pretty head and neck, thankfully unbroken due to the stallion's watchful call from the stable vantage point to the intrepid gray wolf who had befriended the horses.

Sitron glances back proudly to the pair of chestnut Criollo horses who had also come through the magic portal, trailing a bold and brave, gallant Sitron in through the shrinking psychedelic AB light show portal near the Svartisen Lake thousands of miles southward.

"Do any of you know another route into the Snow Palace I can enter undetected by those sentinel beasts? Though I do admit some skill with my blade to be unafraid to enter into any match with man or fiend, I am of the opinion displaying an element of surprise in such an unknown environment would be far more valuable than a rancorous frontal assault." While he contemplatively established stratagem with Holger, seeing an ancient wisdom behind those glowing old canine eyes, Hans' fingers tickle not only his own beloved horse's chin, but also beneath each of Alonso's pair of uncomfortably cold and frightened steeds.

After sharing a glance of approval at this dignified stranger, _Rápido and Fuerte_ (Swift and Strong) are encouraged by the horse loving Prince as they give Hans back some encouragement in their gratified ebony gazes, shared with a pleased Sitron.

"In the interim before my plunge from the rooftop, I had already taken note of our glacial surroundings through my aerial vantage point. The front is well protected by multiple guards, but the immediate rear of this fortification appears be an undefended area, best for concealed entry. However, we have limited resources at hand for a surgical strike to dismantle the thick ice wall erected there. With the mysterious ghost of a canis lupus, three loyal, fast and powerful equines, one allegedly clever man, and a grounded magic flying Carpet that can no longer swiftly soar the skies—the task would be insurmountable. Other than that, I must overlook those formidable statistics on our chances of entering that fortified palace unscathed, and simply quote my illustrious Storbror to emphatically say: 'What the hell.'" With a smug smirk at the mild expletive etched on his gorgeous face that Sitron loved to see on his dauntless master, resolute wheels begin to spin in Vise Admiral Hans Westergaard's quick mind.

A mind that was, at times, as strategically brilliant as he was irascibly cunning, especially when it came to formulating off-the-cuff stratagems as the askew Prince glances around the Snow Queen's iced over, frozen solid stable area that the Devil himself had forgotten about.

"But I can only embark on this effort if you are all willing to take such risk at my side for the noble sake of a truly great lady. She is worth every peril and more—so much more that my lips cannot express, but know all I say is true and I, without regret or hesitance, would die in order for her to live." It wasn't just _what_ persuasive Prince said, but more in the attitude of his delivery of _how_ he said it that could convince an entire army of willing foot soldiers to race into the flames of war under his command.

Hans knew Sitron, who shared his love for Elsa, certainly would have his back, but as for the others he had just met…

The affirmative morale boost the Danish Prince receives from the pair of Alonso's courageous Criollo steeds in neighed unison with Sitron was agreed by the wise-eyed ghost wolf. Even that of the waved tassel 'hand' of the paraplegic brave Carpet – whom the dashing, talented Prince begins re-stitching with the threaded needle meant for horse tackle repair fetched from Sitron's side pouch, lest the centuries old rug unravel apart – was more than enough for the brilliantly cerebral redheaded battlefield tactician to set his desperate and daring plan to reach his love into audacious motion.

* * *

 ** _Minutes later…_**

 ** _R-RRING! RING DINGLE RING! NEIGH! WHINNY! NEIGH! RING! SCREECH! NEIGH!_**

With a multiple ear ringing cacophony of sleigh bells in his wake, a bold as brass Sitron the fjord horse runs straight towards the Palace entrance's dangerous fray.

At the same time, a threaded cross stitch repaired valiant Magic Carpet gingerly glides at a slow, low level, just overhead, with Prince Hans flashing a lit oil lamp right in the alerted polar bear's eyes through the eerily illuminated dark sky.

The angry beast is enticed to leave his post to give chase after a showy ebony horse morsel as Rapido noisily rears at the edge of the river which ran across the tundra landscape right in front of the lonely Snow Palace at a pace that suited his name.

At the same time, the determined rug pelts salt powders down into the eyes of the devil possessed predator to catch and snow blind the instantly infuriated guardsman polar bear, while Sitron and his slew of jingle bells deafen the sensitive ears of the multiple white Arctic Fox squad left to guard the front doors.

The foxes' wide, front facing ears designed for incredible hearing were in mind numbing pain by the golden-dun steed's relentless bell ringing right in their midst. Several of the devil possessed Vulpes Lugopus' low to the earth short bodies either fall or simply run away from big Holger's threatening growl and Hans' expedient sword giving Sitron cover. Most of the vicious carnivorous pack were unable to endure the decibels of repetitive noise bothering their hearing sensitivity.

But as the monstrous hungry polar bear greedily bounds towards the tasty bit of raw horsemeat and moves in for the kill, an identical twin Criollo zooms past. Fuerte kicks up snow dust in the disoriented polar bear's face that Carpet continually gives Hans the flyover ability to deliver another blinding flash of uncovered lamplight.

Several more rounds of this lively bait and switch tagteam game that the Argentinian pair of horses thoroughly enjoyed, and the large, dizzied to exhaustion polar bear teeters upon the edge of the frozen river. Its addled brain tries to assess which equine best to go after, or to swat the annoying insect Carpet buzzing around its head in dizzying rounds.

But that's when Sitron comes racing in with a powerful kick directly in the monstrous white creature's vulnerable backside that sends the demonic polar bear straight into the river's cracked open waters crashing beneath the surface

Swift and Strong had broken the ice with their powerful forehooves that sucks the screaming polar bear downstream beneath the glacial crust he would have a hard time escaping from.

A few short minutes later it was all over. The game plan had been enacted to perfection by the most intelligent and noble of loyal beasts alongside a single man.

Now a stealthy Hans Westergaard upon the brave flying Carpet follows Holger's silent guide below through the dusky polar night through the double doorway at the front of the Snow Palace's connected Royal Pavilion.

"Nice animal entourage trick show. Where _did_ you learn those creature training skills? At a circus?" Just as they pass the doorway entrance, waiting for them in the darkened vestibule shadows was a snide man with a ready sword and matching sneer beneath his devil possessed red eyes.

"YYELPP!"

An instantly on defense Hans did not expect his thus far successful plan to be so quickly thwarted, as right before his stunned eyes, Holger selflessly pushes the Danish Prince out of the way, and the grey-white wolf is instead crushed by the trap set—a falling ice statue just inside the Palace doorway.

"No! Holger! Carpet! Ahh!" But Hans is intercepted just as he leapt from a hovering Carpet and dropped to his knees to assist the half buried old grey wolf writhing on the floor in debilitated pain among the crackled ice angel pieces. The Prince turns around just to see the flying rug stumbling on his already deducted tassel feet be struck down again.

An aghast Hans in this matter of split seconds was unable to help his downed furry friend, nor sympathize with the yet again 'maimed', crumpling flat to the floor Carpet for long. As the unknown assailant emerges from the Palace vestibule's dimness with a razor sharp blade in hand, he quite ungentlemanly stabs the horror-struck Danish Prince without mercy right through his vulnerable side gut area.

"Elsa, my darling…I'm coming…" Knowing he had to maintain his mind sharp to stave off the involuntary blackout faint, Prince Hans sputters the one resounding conscious thought of his true love to keep him from instantly passing out from the sudden intense wound's trauma.

"What kind of Svengali con artist are you, Westergaard? Women you seriously wronged in the past cling to your every word in love letters. Horses attack wild polar bears twice their size at your command. Magic rugs are cut down in your wake. Even some crazy wild wolf will leap to his death to spare you, you lucky fool Dane." After heartlessly wiping its blood-soaked crimson stain on a limp Carpet, Prince Alonso re-sheathes his ice sword, and stomps in towards Hans callously.

Enviously complaining, Alonso's scratchy voice was in stark contrast with Hans' golden throated smooth one as the Argentinian cruelly steps his ice armored boots on poor Holger's limp fur tail and Carpet's ice mottled pile.

"But your streak of luck ends here with me. Elsa is indeed the Queen. But she's not _your_ darling Queen anymore. She's my Queen of Hearts. Elsa's chosen me, instead of you. I'm Prince Alonso of Córdoba, and Queen Elsa is my _bonita_ (beautiful lady) now. So I cannot in all honesty say I am pleased to meet you at all, Prince Hans. Not by a longshot. But I will be delighted to get her mind finally rid of you, so _my_ Elsa can totally focus on appreciating me." The Djævlen mind-distorted South American royal who always had an over-inflated ego of himself, checks his toothy smirking reflection in a decorative crystal clear knight's armor he passes in the Snow Palace's Great Hall entrance.

 ** _SSCHCCHKKK_**!

The grating sound of the magically honed cold 'ice steell' longsword leaving its icy sheath again reverberates in Hans' tormented ears as the injured Prince hears the blade be pulled on him from the enemy combatant above his reclined head in certain execution style decapitation.

Here, face to face with the frosty bite of reality, Hans was at the mercy of the South American's vengeful blade of ice obviously endowed to him by the woman in question herself. But the royal rogue was prompted to overstep his bounds to assassinate, rather than simply collect, his competitor to deliver to the Queen both were vying for.

"…Prince… _ungh_ … Alonso… _ergh_ …And my Elsa? Then it's true…" Dismayed by Alonso's words, Hans, in his worst, wildest dreams, never imagined this.

The anticipated eventual swordfight with his Córdoban rival up here in the farthest northern reaches of her kingdom with an ice blade brandished along with a taunting smirk of conquest over Hans' injured, dispirited head, wasn't supposed to be like this. His fairytale dream of a perfect Princess and their beautiful life together Hans had been graced by God to finally achieve was not meant to end this way.

"Yes, that's right. I haven't introduced myself properly before you make your grand stage exit! Crown Prince Alonso Ramón de Rosas of Córdoba. Breathe it in." Although he was not entirely himself in terms of morality or compassion in this mesmerized demonic madness beset upon him, Alonso still as yet retained his vanity and self-aggrandizing crassness.

But there, in a moment of weakness, as the arrogant young Argentine fluffs back the flowing wefts of his long brown hair, Prince Alonso foolishly lets down his guard for a few narcissistic seconds too many.

And a closed-eyed Hans all at once remembers some choice advice of knowledge ringing in his ears.

 _'Women admire a man with a fighting spirit.'_

"En garde!" Springing to his inspired feet, the dozen plus years of sportsmanship self training since his early youth in fencing, where Hans displayed his skills and natural sense of agility, gave the challenged Danish Prince more than a chance to apply some honed fencing maneuvers in Alonso's moment of inattention.

In a reflex adrenaline driven passado sotto, limber Hans accomplishes the movement of high difficulty from beneath his opponent. The supple swordsman then maneuvers right into a flexibly athletic leaped flip up and blade extension sabre spin to sidestep flèche thrust at his attacker, despite his slowly ebbing bloody side wound.

 ** _CLANG! SCHKKK!_**

Ice and steel collide as Alonso counter-parries Hans thrust and feint, Hans esquiving to avoid Alonso's clumsy frontal glissades as each perform balestra leaps and attaque au fer insistence, and then beat parry ripostes to deflect one another's blades in a fine display of fencing conversation.

Although Hans was the far more consummate fencer, rhythmic dancer Alonso had learned enough fencing basics from his teachers growing up to make a decent opponent. He had learned the best way to essentially cheat his royal instructors into believing he had mastered the art of the lunge and remise parry that he was actually executing on the fly with a few of his favorite dance steps mixed in.

The lazy boy growing up indeed succeeded convincing all with his flourishing 'original technique' of his favorite mastered backhand 'patinado derobement', full of speed and tempo fast steps and avoidances he was now employing to keep up with the genuine swordsman in Hans.

Now with his worst senses of sloth and envy appealed to through the Devil Troll's sinful enticements, Alonso's indolent spoiled brat attitude was multiplied tenfold, his cheating deceptions all that were keeping him abreast of defeat.

"Working hard is terribly tiresome! Let's put all those worries on hold! There are sights that will surely astound to you, starting with the guy giving the to~ur!"

Keeping the duel interesting with reckless panache, singing bits and pieces of taunting lyrics to throw Hans off his rhythm while giving some overindulgent advances and assaults, wild and free to have fun in his unleashed devil-may-care bravado, Prince Alonso goes all out at an unsuspecting Hans.

The Danish Prince, despite his injuries. meets his opponent's attempted flicks, uncultivated ripostes and wild thrust coupes with his own quiet, composed aplomb and finesse that met and exceeded each of Alonso 's wobbly maneuvers.

"Please! Prince Alonso! You and I may have our differences in our competitive contention regarding the lady. But as a civilized member of royalty. please allow me the common courtesy to pass and speak with the Queen herself about important concerns other than those you may be involved in." But gentlemanly Hans was at a deficit because he, unlike indifferent, aggressive and egocentric Alonso's commandeered mind, cared if he bodily harmed or maimed or slain his opponent, no matter how much Hans personally disliked the man.

Plus, the Dane had a goal in mind more than the insanely vain Hispanic Prince.

Hans simply had to get past Prince Alonso so he could reach his betrothed Elsa and see what on earth was going on within his ice angel's muddled, disturbed head that could possibly bring her all the way up here in this icy blizzard storm encompassed Arctic Palace that belonged to another Queen.

"Why?! She sent me to wipe your sorry remains off her clean ice by any means I found fit, so she and I can be together! Elsa's my girl now, so I'm not about to let you – her **_ex-_** _fiancé_ – sneak in to trick her into returning back to you, ever!" A petulant Alonso sounded rather drunk with nasty, superior chuckles as he tries another fruitless fencing attack that he'd never truly mastered on exceptional blademan Hans, who adeptly counter parries with all the refined expertise he had ever gleaned with his ever adapt sword, even as his hot blood was dripping down his painful side.

" ** _My_** Elsa is not yours! And she never will be!" At his jealous break limit with green eyes flashing, it didn't take long for the expert swordsman Dane, by skilled advances and determined ferosity, to force his opponent further into the Snow Palace's maze of hallways.

"Ha! She gave her precious ice sword to me! Beat that!" Alonso haughtily shows off his magical ice sword that his bloviated mind was loathe to admit its mystical edge was the only reason he was yet in the game versus this formidable Dane.

"Queen Elsa not only bestowed this naval Kommander's sword upon me, but she put me in charge of her entire Sjoforsvaret navy!" While deftly wielding that said sword, youthful Prince Hans was not above boasting when it was due, particularly in terms of competition for Elsa's preferential treatment against this detested rival.

"Whoop-dee-doo, sailorboy! If you're so precious to her, then why'd Elsa let her father send you away to the other side of the world?! What kind of man are you to agree to that long a separation?!" The devil in Alonso rubs that hurtful, yet true fact in Hans' startled face, wiping the smugness off the good-looking redhead, who stops still in his fencing tracks.

"You **will** take me to see **my** Queen now! And I will not be stopped, by anyone, especially not an amateurish cretin like you!" Growing a bit saucy in his resentment as the heated swordfight continues, Hans emphasizes his worded demands with each masterful slash of his restrained blade. The volume in his breathless voice strengthened with each profound swipe that was growing impatient with his wily adversary, and Hans' condescending tone was purposely trying to intimidate the young man about his same age.

But it would have been difficult to impossible for Hans to have navigated the enormously empty, driven snow and ice skirmished hallways full of disorienting knife edged winds that cut through to the very core, had Prince Alonso not been so transparent as to the true direction of the hidden Throne Room.

Down the snow drift filled winding halls, the intelligent Dane maneuvers the sword fighting men to start to combat one another in parry and counter-parry remise further and further into the confusing Snow Palace interior.

As to which turn to travel down the hundreds of halls that extended for miles, what turns and twists to take that would lead to the Queen's Throne Room, the clever strategist and experienced chameleon named Hans Westergaard found it easy to read the information from the possessed senseless and naive Prince Alonso's very body language that uselessly tried to out scam the master charlatan.

If Alonso's thrusts tried to force Hans down one hall, Hans would purposely push him towards the other. Tearing up scenery and slicing ice walls down in their destructive wake, Prince Hans and Prince Alonso duel in a pure adrenaline rush and jealousy driven intent battle, all for the heart of a queen.

One after another, Hans would repel Alonso's vicious ice sword attacks that was quintessentially too dense and heavy for the mollycoddled weakling Córdoban Prince to properly execute the badly leveraged foible.

Alonso, possessed of the dark black ice crystal or no, was too physically exhausted by Hans' impassioned attacks to put up much more of a fight, so he decides to fight with his words instead.

"Don't worry, Hansie—can I call you that? Well, no matter either way since we're not pals. Just wanted you to know that I've been taking **GOOD** care of Elsa in your absence. She's been quite pleased with my…attentions, shall we say. So much so, she hasn't even missed you one little bit. And I intend to keep it that way. There's no need for you to see her anymore. Like I said before, I've got her wrapped around my little finger. We don't need you in the picture, so why don't you get the hint and take a hike already!" Alonso manages to muster out, while defensively dodging Hans' increasingly infuriated swipes.

"You cannot prevent me from seeing my fiancée! Elsa is mine! Not yours! Let my sword show you what kind of man I am when someone tries to take what belongs to me!" His ownership and masculinity questioned by this upstart prince, Hans jealously and angrily cries out with one more powerfully intense advanced lunge. His ardently swung naval sword knocks the panting Alonso's ice sword right from his hands until it violently clatters across the long hall to smack against the base of the double doors at the end of it with a resounding, ice chipping _CLANG_!

"And you are **NEVER** to refer to her as 'Elsa'! Only **I** am entitled to call her by name!" Hans was too enraged to think clearly or humbly as he had lately been wont to do. This upstart prince had fueled his possessive nature to the breaking limit.

"Whoa!" Once so sure and cocky, a bested Alonso backs away from a passionately roaring Vise Admiral Hans. Beaten down, the Argentinian stumbles against the ice walls of that particular hallway that seemed the same to even him as all the rest of the confusing halls in his bleary clouded over vision.

That is, until Alonso's fall is halted by certain frosted frozen in place, petrified troll girl still positioned in the middle of the hall.

Just then, the Throne Room's doors, far down the hallway, swish open from within to reveal the shapely, elegantly dressed, startlingly spiky coiffed, thick dark blue eyeshadowed new Queen of the Winter.

And she looked angry.

"Belong to either of you? The audacity of men! Ha ha hah! Be SILENT in my Kingdom of Ice!" With a wave of her cryo-powered, irritated hand that had been listening to the men's inane banter ringing along the magic ice waves of her Palace's tinkling halls, the Black Ice Queen coats Hans and Alonso's throats with a thin verglas that rendered each man temporarily voiceless.

 _Men are better off that way. Imprudent wastrel creatures…_

"Though I am impressed by your resilience and determination in titillating hand to hand combat against my dear, defeated, little slave boy." To Alonso's muted dismay at her biting, belittling words, Black Ice Queen Elsa slinks down the Snow Palace's innermost hallway, ethereally gliding towards where speechlessly dropped jaw Prince Hans was mildly frozen in place at her frozen outburst, still holding his raised sword threateningly over a downed Alonso's head in a turn of fate reversal.

Elsa runs an intimate finger along Alonso's deliriously hopeful smiling, lazy chin up at her that was pleased to still have the Queen's attention, as she pets his brow and chin and lips, making Hans' face burn red with pure envy.

It was all Hans could do to hold back his frost inhibited tongue, as he burns with the pangs of jealousy that pervaded his youthful body with angry thoughts that he had tried to desperately to forgo on this journey here.

But now that he was face to face with it…?

The Black Ice Queen was enjoying this little cat and mouse game with herself as the prize catnip at the center of it. Particularly since it included this handsome newcomer she did not at all recognize, who obviously was so enraged, so emotive at her attention to her pet slave, he was actually melting the ice coating his golden throat to shiver out a single word.

"El…El..Ell..sssa…"

The fact of which Elsa's corrupted heart found both fascinating and frightening, even as she exerts further focused chilling power over this stranger to keep him ice restricted, he doggedly kept trying to reach out and speak her name.

 _How are you so familiar with me? I know you not. And how can you withstand my ice? Are you not an ordinary human? Curious creature…_

Elsa stares up into this foreign man's evocative green orbs, almost…feeling…an emotion other than anger, envy, revenge and disquiet in her un-palpitating cold heart, until she distractedly brushes a delirious, mind chilled and numbed Alonso's pathetic cheekbones.

With a disdainful look rising to her stunning features down at the one inadequate prince in her grasp, the Black Ice Queen noticed that certain explosive look of envious desire written all over the gorgeous face of the redheaded individual standing erect in statuesque place several paces from her.

Although paralyzed and trembling-eyed before her, it was as if he was trying to express some sentiment with his illustrative, beautiful hands though her bitter cold wave should have stunted his movement.

The capricious Black Ice Queen then tosses the dull brown haired Prince's unwanted head away with a harsh, careless thud down to the frozen Fire Troll statuette he had initially tripped upon, knocking Alonso hardheartedly out cold.

"Elsssa! N-nooo…Pleea…ssse…s-st-opp…th-thisss…" Hans shows compassion even in this pivotal moment, displaying pity and Christian charity for his discarded pitted rival that again gained the quizzical woman's interest.

"Perhaps I will no longer have need of this dull, worthless crumb, who has brought me little pleasure as slave—and certainly no intriguing enigma to puzzle out. Maybe you, mystery man, can offer more of what I require, after all." Dropping one young prince for another like a cold potato, Elsa saunters over to the titian haired Dane, running a frosty finger down his highly desirable sideburns that immobilizes Hans about to vocalize lips from speaking again.

She then tugs his wide-eyed shocked head towards her smirking face by the jaw of his mutely gulping head.

"Come here, slave." Uncertain as to why this particular male so attracted her other than blind curiosity, the Black Ice Queen lets the breathy vixenish words hiss out under her moist, licked lips as she claps shackles and cuffs of thick ice around this more perfect male specimen's dangerously desirable, muscular appendages. She then proceeds to frost staunch his bleeding chest which held a bizarre coolness about it, hidden somewhere beneath the folds of all that unnecessary human clothing she'd discover more about later…

"Olaf! Where are you? I wish to unlock this obstinate male's riddle and add him to my collection of slaves. I have many plans for him in my beautiful frozen world of the future." With all her womanly wiles in play, the Black Ice Queen teases her new interesting target with puffs of chilled breaths whispered right in his restrained face that tickles him senseless with her enticing temptations.

But when the dense snow creature does not appear, impatient Elsa decides to take this particular intriguing victim's corruption into her own freezing hands.

The ice sword she had foolishly entrusted to that wretch of her last slave Prince, _whatever his name was_ , now was secured in her own capable grip, as well as this redheaded Dane's fate.

"Follow me."

Tantalizingly floating on her ice slide backwards to keep an exotic eye trained on her latest target, Elsa cryokinetically drags a not entirely unwilling, shivering cold Hans quickly down the frostbitten hall and into her Palace Throne Room with her.

Her massive knightly ice sword was continuously trained at his neck, keeping her breathless, injured prisoner subdued in delicious pain.

"Fine, you useless, ignorant snow mound creature! Don't come to my beckon! I will do the honors myself. Hmph! Kneel before your Queen!" Griping at an absent dark Olaf, the Black Ice Queen elegantly alights the icy stairs to seat herself on her claimed throne.

She cryokinetically forces an ice shackled and handcuffed Prince Hans up the steps to her and aggressively grabs him by his large reddened ears to yank the man to kneel at her feet. Running her fingers through his red hair, the Black Ice Queen draws her victim's head towards her bent forward torso.

His slowly being frozen over pale white frosted face and teeth chatter close to her bosom chest, that was inexplicably heaving with raw excitement now at this particular slave's conversion to the Black Ice dark side.

"Elsa! What's happened?! This isn't who you are!" At his lover's insane behavior, a pleading Hans focuses all his inner force to defrost his mouth enough to be able to articulate words again.

"Who **_I_** am? **Who** **_I_** **am**? **I'm** finally free to be **myself**! **I** at last can live by **my** own choosing and not be forced into a dark and strict and lonely, cramped existence anymore! I won't be told what to do anymore by any domineering person, by any authoritarian dictator, especially not those who abused and neglected **me**! This is **my** world now, **my** land **I** will forge of **my own** creation out in the wide open to transform into pristine, untouchable ice beauty! **My** life **I** will claim for **my** **personal** gratification, and no one else's! Whatever I want, I'll have!"

As she shoots a bitter glance at the strange little iced dollhouse in the corner of the Throne Room behind him, Hans was taken aback by how many times the defiant young ruler had emphasized the personal pronouns in that short outburst.

She didn't at all resemble the demure, gentle-spirited, generous, loyal and devoted to her faith young woman named Elsa Bernadotte anymore.

He had sensed there was something terribly wrong with his fiancée for days now, through their bond and the ever-changing ice pendant at his neck that told Hans he had to come help her—though he could never have imagined this was the reason.

But Elsa not even recognizing him was discouraging to say the least. It was as if his entire being, his past crimes as well as their hard-fought struggle to seek forgiveness with each other was gone. And through it, their love seemed to have been erased from her distorted memories completely, along with any semblance of respect for her family, her parents, her country, her God.

And that disturbed a struck silent Prince Hans most of all.

"So don't you wish to live here in my flawless Winter Ice Kingdom Palace that will soon lead all the world in flawless crystalline perfection? With me and only me as your Queen? Am I not a desirable enough woman for you to want to be my willing slave?" Cooling down from her zealous declaration, Black Ice Queen Elsa attempts her most come hither tones of seduction now.

She wills the black ice crystal that was promised to make it all possible, the one magically affixed to her elegant, regal high necked ice gown's chest covering her heart, to come to life.

"Look into the dark ice crystal and see the truth of how cruel this world has been, kept concealed by fabricated lies to bury its power by worthless men I will rid the earth of." It surges with a dark reddish smolder at its center that was as relentless as it was pitiless with mind warping ice reflections in the refracted inky darkness she felt swirling surge within her own lissome corrupted body she desired Hans too to embrace.

"Elsa! Please listen! I want to help you emerge from whatever darkness you've been lured into, and back to God's bright world of love and light and truth! Min kaereste, please, I know we can see this through together! My darling, you are far too precious, too beautiful a soul to embrace such darkness your heart. Please change back to the innocent and compassionate girl I fell in love with. I found the light of love's warmth in that beautiful, forgiving woman the Lord has blessed me with to call my own. Please…come back to me." Shackled and bound in body, but not yet in spirit, Hans Westergaard's voice breaks as he emotionally chokes out all that was in his heart, his soulful final plea expressed as Elsa's ice sword presses against his vital heart to test how long he could last in his grandiose speechifying without bending to her wicked will.

After a long deep look in Hans' pleading, unwavering, valiant eyes, she simply chuckles at him.

"Men are such pompous, deceitful creatures who only crave for power and physical pleasures. So I will provide you with both, if you join me now."

An enticing Black Queen Elsa pulls Prince Hans' cold, dry lips panting for breath and his cool tipped celestial nose close to her inviting chest covered in merely the thin 'fabric' of her regal ice gown in just such an inviting way, that he surely couldn't refuse to accept her demands for much longer…

The stalwart hero in Hans Westergaard resists her persuasive presentation for as long as possible, despite the demands to his tempted concupiscence versus his shielded averting eyes. But the unyielding immodestly dressed blonde caresses the Danish Prince's face by his red sideburns in rhythmic undulations and murmured throaty moans, moving him close to that all-enveloping dark crystal situated at her chest until his tempted eyes finally must succumb to opening.

…And finally be absorbed into its evil collective of bitter sinful darkness, to obey its will and bow to her dark dominion…

"Don't you see!? That perfect girl is gone!" The flaring eyed Black Ice Queen defiantly declares with a rebelliously powerful burst of the black ice energy focused on the corrupting crystal between her heaving cold bosom, where a subjugated Prince Hans' eyes were held passionately captive now.

"Yes, my Queen. I will be your slave for eternity." All at once the frost coating his handsome features, along with the choked back puffed smoke of his last warm breath and restrained limbs all cease to tremble with the fearful constraining cold as Hans succumbs, giving up the fight.

And the passive, possessed Prince of the Southern Isles gazes adoringly up to his possessive Queen of hearts with glazed over pupils of hazy green.

The Black Ice Queen smiles in unknown satisfaction down at her conquest, as an enticed Prince Hans' lips pledge his allegiance to her now with uninhibited kisses, melting holes in the thin verglas ice of her glassy created dress with the remaining heated strains of passion left in his body.

He inexpressibly gave the Black Ice Queen sensations of an intimate warmth she had not anticipated to so enjoy and desire, that her heart is shaken.

Though she could not claim to dislike it, in her disturbed new swirling storm of confusion, the black ice crystal at her chest was momentarily sapped of some of its deep darkness at holding this man close to her, as if he was meant to be her other half.

But when the Djvaelen's dark crystal reverts to its full strength power in a surge of raw bleakness to compensate, a once again dissertated Elsa instinctively shoves the unknown overwhelming warmth away as she pushes her possessed new slave Prince to skitter down the steps to the mirror floor in a crash of crackled pieces and long legs.

"I do not suffer untidy messes in my palace, Slave! Clean it up, while I tend to the important business of rearranging this world over into my frozen Wonderland." The ambitious Black Ice Queen was admittedly disturbed inside as she holds her frozen hand over the hole in her dress to reconstruct its ice mesh instantly.

"Here! Use this!" More haughtily composed, she materializes an ice broom and dustpan into a mesmerized Prince Hans' hands.

"Don't bother to harass me again! At least, not until you have cleaned up every last shred of that wretched Mirror of Reason my predecessor foolishly lived under the restrictive thumb of." The rattled new Queen of the Winter gives her appealing slave a task to do, out of sight and out of mind as she holds a hand over her disturbed heart and heaving chest.

Then the Black Ice Queen turns to pay full attention to her created ice map and its next frost freeze avalanche of blizzard storm system she had intentions of plaguing the earth with in her planet takeover of beautiful, unfeeling ice.

Although, every now and then as she worked, Black Ice Queen Elsa of the Winter Kingdom could not constrain her dark blue orbs from glancing at this attractive Prince's sleek and slender form obediently moving around the outskirts of her ice map, almost dancing in his cadenced movements which secretly stimulated her yet left empty, hungry eyes.

Sweeping across the floor with his frozen broom, the scrumptious waltzing Prince Hans sparkled in the little leaked in aurora borealis light show of the cracked mirrors reflecting all over the Throne Room.

In some small corner of her mind, it reminded Elsa of another place, another time, another ballroom full of figures dancing gracefully, pressed to a strong, warm chest. The vague memory was as dim as embers in this topsy-turvy Queen's frozen heart that the black ice crystal was desperately working to extinguish all traces of.

But the distracted Black Ice Queen was not the only one dazzled by the consummate dancer rhythmically clearing up the strewn mirror shard covered floor surrounding her raised ice map of the defenseless world, quickly being swallowed up in Ice Queen Elsa's bone-chilling, neverending winter of ice…

* * *

 ** _Lost somewhere within the snowy drifts of the_** ** _Snow_** **_Palace_** ** _maze…_**

"Whose great idea was it to sneak into this frozen playset anyway? Damn! It's just as chilly in here as it was outside in the blizzard! Who does the central heating in this joint!? I want to lodge a complaint! And why no welcoming committee? Come on! What kind of kingdom is this!? On a scale of 1 to 10, I rate this kingdom's hospitality as below -9. Brr! Is the temperature dropping? Or is it just me?" When Flynn Rider had anxieties, his running mouth was his only outlet. It wouldn't have been considered very manly of him to show his overwhelming concern for the little brother who disturbingly did not follow the rest of this crazy three-some team down the long shaft Eugene had opened up on the roof using his ample knowledge of how to break into high class buildings.

 _Dumb kid! You said you were gonna be right behind me! Where are you?_

Eugene was loathe to admit that he was feeling guilty for leaving Hans the last one up there on his own, when the rest of them had rappelled down the opened shaft.

They had arrived in some kind of refrigerated gallery/museum/chapel of sorts where there were statues and religious fine art to rival those found in the Museumsinsel (Museum Island) back home in Prussia. But here all the artwork was entirely made of solid snow and frozen ice.

"Please, Monsieur Eugene, I beg you not to use the word ' _drop'_ , when I am here at the base of this luna-tic _Cirque Olympique_ balancing act! Although…Westergaard was right about the incredible views in Norway…Ooh la la, you have exquisite form, _Mademoiselle Cassie_." From the bottom of the acrobatic human totem pole, a coy French voice first cautions, then flirts insinuatingly with a naughty French gaze up the long shaft at the rather ungraceful, yet provocative, climbing (buttocks) side of the dark-haired woman making her slow ascent.

After having her rear end once again complimented by the French Prince and receiving a disturbing slap on her way up to climb over the pair of men, Cassandra had rolled her eyes then as she does again now down at the trying pair of men standing shoulder upon shoulder.

Zoning them out, the capable daughter of the guardsman climbs steadily, dagger hand over hand in order to reach the rope that had been gnawed off by a sharp demon possessed beak to fall to that level of the shaft.

"Do you see anything up there yet, Cass?!" A casual at heights, impatiently wiggling cat burglar Flynn Rider calls up for the hundredth teeth time or so from where he was perched atop a grunting Prince Ferdinand's tall shoulders.

After the rope Hans was supposed to come down upon had fallen at their helpless feet, with no little brother nor flying carpet joining them in sight, the two men and one capable woman had devised climbing up the massive Madonna and Child ice sculpture, fortunately placed at the bottom of the shaft.

Then they made a formation like a human tower, with their lightest member – _and most annoying_ – namely Cassandra, climbing over the men to reach up to the short end of the rope dangling still from the rooftop. Still several feet too short, Cass had to heft herself up the rest of the way with the help of her daggers as steady grip handholds until she ascended to the rooftop once again.

"He's not here!" The no-nonsense, career-minded daughter of the Captain of the guard of Corona peeks down through the shaft with a shout at her findings. "But it looks like there was some major battle of some kind, judging from all the broken gargoyles and broken pieces up here!" Picking up chunks of cracked ice in her gloves, Cassandra investigates the scene of the crime like an ace detective trying to reconstruct what occurred from the circumstantial evidence.

"What!? I knew I shouldn't have let that darn kid out of my sight! Tie some more length I gave you and toss down the rope! I'm coming up!" A worried Eugene genuinely felt the familial bond with Hans enough to risk his neck once again as he struggles on tiptoe to reach the dangling rope Cassandra had climbed up to join her up top the roof again.

"Careful, mon frere, Eugene! Or you will break both our necks!" The French Prince beneath him was doing his best to steady a distraught Eugene from tipping over and off this high ice slippery statue Ferdinand was shakily perched upon in the reckless thief's attempt to reach the rope still just too high to grasp.

"Damn! Where's Carpet! Hans needs help up there! I'll never forgive myself if that kid is lying on the bottom of this blasted Castle in a pool of blood because of my neglect and bravado idea to climb the blasted roof!" Replete with guilt, Eugene yells at himself for leaving Hans behind and being a terrible big brother because he couldn't take the cold and jumped in to the assumed more comfortable Palace interior first without waiting for the younger man.

"Wait! I think I see something!" Cassandra's faint voice now trails away from the edge of the shaft she was calling down reports to Eugene. Hanging on the ledge of the gargoyle cleared roof, Cassandra was just in time to see the clever Dane in the distance—and be impressed by his show of brains triumphing over brute force, utilizing all his meager resources, as she watches the masterful tactician Prince on Carpet zip alongside a large gray wolf and disappear into the palace front promenade.

"Yes! Some crazy horses down there just clobbered a monster polar bear guarding the front door and I caught a glimpse of your brother flying on Carpet towards the Palace front entry! Action Prince of the Southern Isles on the move! Grrr! I've gotta hand it to that Queen Elsa—she's a lucky lady to have a man like that on her team." Cassandra was awed by the strategic maneuvers the Danish Prince had employed, even to utilize animals willing to help his persuasive cause that Cassandra found most admirable.

 _Too bad he's already taken._

Cassandra surprises herself with that random thought of what type of man she found desirable. But that's when she recalls her own on/off relationship with a younger man who had troubles of his own in more youthful days.

 _Maybe it's the men who **could** be wicked and wouldn't, we women find more appealing than those never honed by fire.…_

"That sounds like our intrepid comrade. What a relief." The Frenchman beneath Eugene expresses his own concern for the man who had become a dear friend who he would travel all this distance in trouble and effort to help reunite with his lady love.

"Ditto that, Frenchy! Now, Cass! Get down here so we can get going again to meet the kid at the front door downstairs ASAP!" Eugene was smiling from ear to ear as he calls up to Rapunzel 's ladies' maid.

The dark-haired swordswoman's lithe body quickly responds by sliding down the rope to its shortened end, and leaps down the remainder of several meters like a slender pouncing cat. Cassandra leaps on the ice statue veil of Mother Mary on her own between where Eugene and Ferdinand both quite gentlemanly had their expectant arms wide open and waiting to catch the girl who was never to be classed a damsel in distress.

"Le belle does have an especially remarkable little ass." Prince Ferdinand repeats his earlier roguish remarks with a low whistle of admiration of his own, much to Cassandra's hearing range chagrin. His quick complimentary slap to her rear end when she walks past Ferdinand Egalite evokes both dagger eyes and real dagger steel edge produced threateningly at the vulgar Frenchman she was secretly becoming accustomed to.

"That's not the only remarkable thing about me." Cassandra saucily replies, as she athletically descends the holy ice statue before he had the chance to respond.

Ferdinand's eyebrow quirks with a smile at the female's counter as he then follows her cheeky lead back down to the Snow Palace gallery loft's snowy floor after their bit of bickering laced tension.

"Oookay. It's official. He's nuts." Eugene decides to ignore the open flirtation passing between his adult companions to look around at the surroundings now that he could breathe since his Lillebror was not in imminent danger.

"Wow. How's that for a devoted mother's love, Brownie?" Eugene whispers in awe as he slides down the Virgin Mary's long ice sleeve that extended to the ground. The gregarious man had to share the thought with his pregnant wife back home when he sees an infant Kristoff in swaddling clothes carefully placed on a carved engraving with a baby reindeer in an overturned sled in a framed ice etching on the wall.

 _I can just see you sketching away at pictures and artsy carving pictographs like these of our pair of little bundles of joy all over the bedroom walls. Now there's a scary thought, all those innocent charitable faces staring down from the ceiling during mommy and daddy's nights of rekindled passion? Scratch that idea!_

 _Besides, you won't ever need to illustrate our kids in such detail as being far distant and torn apart from their family's bosom. Because we're both going to be there to spoil those kids rotten one hundred percent of the time. Once I get back from this last crazy escapade, Liebling – and I pray to God it will be in time for your blessed event – you'll never be able to get rid of me again._

The former thief promised himself that he would be more of the dependable family man that he never had the example of himself, growing up. As an orphan in his young life, Eugene Fitzherbert knew exactly what kind of loneliness it was being an unwanted, unclaimed, fatherless outsider entailed in society.

 _And there is no way in hell I'm gonna let my kids suffer that same crappy life without a Dad, too. Sorry for the foul language in your presence, Lord. Gotta curb that cussin' now that I'm going to be a good model citizen, right?_ _And I've got a dream now to live up to._ Eugene salutes up at the ice intaglio carving of Jesus teaching the little children valuable parables on a grassy ice knoll.

Through this past year's adventures, Eugene Fitzherbert had become surprisingly more introspective, and closer to the Savior who espoused love to all who hoped, gave hope to everyone who dreamed, and made dreams come true for anyone who dared to love.

"Hey~ Earth to Fitz. You still contemplating that great big weighty question called 'fatherhood', eh? If we're going to be of any use to your brother, we'd better start pondering about going downstairs to see what's up with that Ice Queen we traveled hundreds of miles to see in this insane weather." Cassandra, as per usual, gladly interrupts her sparring partner's quixotic mindset as the realistic woman finishes sharpening her pair of dagger blades that she used to climb up the top of the shaft.

She looks up to where Eugene was taking in all of the religious scenery painstakingly carved in frigid snow and ice. Though Cassandra Schmidt wasn't the kind to swoon over artsy frivolities, she was impressed by all the actual work involved in the spiritual carvings.

And every now and then, the girl often threatened with being shipped off to a convent, could recite a prayer or two by memory. Right now, standing within this quiet shrine, with all these carvings and ice statue depictions of religious figures, one in particular especially springs to mind.

 _'Hail Mary, full of Grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women; and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of death.'_

Holding back her rebuke to the lazy man, the peaceful supplication recites almost by itself in her mind, and Cassandra ceases her impatient pacing to stop to stand beside Eugene with this inspiring prayer to the Holy Mother placing peace in her frustrated soul.

"Amen." A bowed head Prince Ferdinand says, not untouched by the devout moment, as Cassandra violently blushes that she was caught saying aloud what she believed was a silent prayer.

But it wasn't Cassandra's unspoken supplication the Frenchman was amen-ing.

 _'Let the little children come to me, and forbid them not, for the kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these._ _'_ Matthew 19:14

Suddenly, one of the many ice carvings of the Biblical Gospel scene of the Lord Jesus and the village children caught her eye, and she vividly recalls her own orphaned life on the streets before Corona's benevolent Captain of the Guard took the little toughie girl in.

Either that, or the adorable young girl with her hands folded in devout prayer, standing right behind them next to the ice engraving blinking up at the trio.

"Bonjour, little one. Who are you and what brings you here in this God-forsaken cold palace?" First to recover Ferdinand was a natural charmer with little girls as he kneels to the trembling with cold child and wraps his own scarf around her chunky small shoulders.

"Bonn-jur, Sir! But, if I may respectfully correct you, _no_ place is God-forsaken! It's just cold. Hello, Mr. Eugene! It's me, Gerda! We danced at Miss Anna's wedding in Arendelle! Remember?" The bubbly, godly moral, orange haired child announces with a big grin up at the confused thief, exuberantly grabbing his hands and spinning Eugene about the room in a giddy quadrille.

But a flabbergasted Eugene could not possibly ever equate this sweet little – _note the word 'little'_ – cherubim with the old and short and fa— _ehh_ , _plump_ —housekeeper of Arendelle Castle.

"Huh? What? Who—?" The astounded thief looks to Cassandra and Ferdinand for assistance in this delicate matter with handling nutty little girls the loner man wasn't that versed with – as yet.

"Oh! But I'm in a hurry! The Snow Queen will wonder what's taking me so long this time, and Kai might start to worry and break his concentration! But I just had to peek up here in the Snow Queen's art room loft to pray along with your pretty lady friend when my little prayer angels heard her! Busy! Busy, gathering mirror shards! Gotta go! Bye bye!"

And just as inexplicably as she came in, the small energetic child, smilingly holding up a satchel bag full of clinking pieces of something that looked too sharp for a child to carry, gives them all a quick bow. Then she breezes down the loft exit slope ladder with a gleeful giggle and wave goodbye.

Leaving triple question marks over the three adults' heads as to who she was, where she was going, and what she meant.

"Ookay! At least we now have a lead as to what's going on in this frosty nuthouse maze, gang! Maybe we won't even get lost this time. Let's follow that funny little girl to find the illustrious Snow Queen of the Winter we've all heard so much about! Maybe we'll bump into Hans on the way there. What say you?" Eugene shrugs his shoulders to Cassandra and Ferdinand who look to one another then shrug back.

"That sweet petite _chérie_ sounded like she could use some help. And her prayer reminded me of my dear _Mamére_ back home." Prince Ferdinand responds with a fond reference to his own dear devout Roman Catholic, Queenly mother's nightly rosary spoken over her rascal of a son many a night.

"Yeah. We have to follow that little girl, just to tell her I am NOT your ladyfriend. Either of you." Cassandra smirks in no uncertain terms waving a warning finger of judgment at the two men she was saddled with babysitting.

"That sounds like fun, Cassie and Ferdie!" In a ridiculing baby voice and fluttered eyelashes, Eugene gives the befuddled pair some childish thumbs ups with a silent cowabunga, gung-ho plunge down the snowy sloped ladder.

And the trio each in turn slide down the snow slope ladder, mimicking the feisty child and feeling like ones again themselves for a few moments playing tag, as they quickly catch up to the small girl.

"Oh! You want to help me? God bless you!" The happy child with a bevy of tiny tinkling ice-winged snow fairies surrounding her with mirror shards of their own turns around with a big beaming smile to Eugene, Cassandra and Ferdinand as they join her childish fast trot down the hall.

"Stay close and come quickly, with my prayer angel fairies shielding you too, so we're not caught by the Devil!" Each tiny magic snow fairy was holding up a talisman the Snow Queen herself crafted to give shielded hidden reflection for gutsy Gerda's clandestine sneaking into the Throne Room to collect the shattered mirror pieces for Kai to reassemble, and not be noticed.

"Never good to be nabbed by Ole Scratch." A quirky smirking Eugene comments churlishly, wondering just how deep a trouble Hans had gotten them into this time.

* * *

Hello, Frozen friends! Happy Valentine's Day early!

Sitron and his boy, Hans, were reunited briefly at the beginning while strategic Hans was being so impressive!

Wasn't the much awaited Hans and Alonso duel intense?! The wild, hot-blooded arrogant South American vs our calm cool and collected swordsman Dane vying over who 'owns' _'my Elsa_ '! Well, the Danish Prince is usually calm, cool and collected! Not this time! Alonso is messing with the wrong jealous fiance lover! And just when Hans was going to clinch the victory, someone higher up stepped in and made her choice…

What did you think about this chapter's capture and conversion to the dark side of our handsome, heroic Prince Hans? And it was Elsa herself who did him in, of course! (Seductress Elsa was fun to script for a change from her usual shy and restrained persona, even as Hans was desperately confessing his love and resisting her demands! :)

Whoo! That Djvaelen's Black Ice crystal around her neck sure packs a punch!

So, with Eugene, Cass, and Ferdinand now in play with little Gerda, Kai in the Snow Queen's mirror plan; Anna and Kristoff on their way up with Sven and Svala and the liberated Fire trolls to confront her sister; Dark Olaf wandering about the Snow Palace after hearing something somewhere; Mama Idun captive in that eerie little dollhouse in the Throne Room where Black Ice Queen Elsa is plotting frozen world takeover, with a corrupted Hans now as her willing slave; and King Agdar and Ragi still battling the Devil Troll underground, what could be in store for the super post-Valentine season-ender episode?!

Stay tuned to see the conclusion to this excitement and romance filled Act VII of 'Frozen Again: Love Never Ends' next week!

Thanks for reading! Love to hear your reviews on this one!

Jesus loves you all on this upcoming St. Valentine's Day week!

Love,  
HarukaKou


	26. Chapter 25 - Unconditional Love

_We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

 **"Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act VII**

 **Chapter 25**

 **"Unconditional Love"**

"No no no no! Oh drat!" Lamenting her grandmother's broken hairpin which she had been using to doggedly dig out a tiny hole to see through, Queen Idun already had come to the conclusion that it was near impossible to break through the strong ice herself from the inside, with no room to maneuver. Still, she desperately wanted to see what was going on with her confused elder child in that frozen Throne Room out there that was not Elsa's own.

 _Oh Agdar! Why did you have to be born with ice powers and not nice, warm, sunny tropical magic for our Elsa to inherit? How I wish you were here now to break me out of this icy imprisonment!_

Puffing frosty condensation in the four foot by four foot square dollhouse her magical daughter had trapped her within, the third Queen inside this chaotic Snow Palace had not been idle herself as she had just managed to dig out a small peek hole.

 _I can't be, or I'll freeze to death while my big girl is all alone out there, so disturbed and troubled! I promised myself during those horrid five years in captivity of that vile pirate, if we ever were given a second chance of returning to our home, I would be a better mother. And more understanding a friend to my lonely child whose cries for help I failed to address. It breaks my heart now that you're out there, alienated and unbalanced with no one at your side to remind you of the warmth of love._

 _Wait a minute!? Is that Prince Hans? Or are my eyes deceiving me?!_ As she was thinking her relentless regrets, Idun peers out from that carved out crack in the ice prison the Black Ice Queen had angrily trapped her mother within earlier. Her eyes bug out as her ears strain to overhear the intimately close couple's dialogue.

'I will be your slave for eternity.'

 ** _Gasp_** _!_

Queen Idun gasps as a hand flies up to cover her noisy exclamation at the surprised to be taking in obsessive/possessive sight between daughter and handsome beau, but neither seemed to notice her avid interest.

 _How is that for lip service?! Oh, Elsa, what have you done – or rather what haven't you done – to that poor, devoted man to have him drooling on you like that already…? But who will rescue you now if Hans has been corrupted too?_

Peeking out her little hole to drink in quite a luscious scene, Idun of Drottningholm had heard a lot from pretentious, clever, overtly charming smooth talkers in her day, but this was more than a little overwhelming.

As a beautiful, highly eligible Princess of Sweden, after her big sister Princess Royal Arianna had left to wed the King of Corona, Princess Idun had been chased by many suitors. They had their ambitious, greedy eyes on taking control of her father's kingdom after the sickly older man had suddenly passed away. And the King of Prussia, Friedrich, showed little interest in ruling Drottinigholm too, during his and Arianna's time of grief with their only child being kidnapped.

Of course, once second-in-line Prince Anders of the powerful Southern Isles made it clear to most of the intimidated other European princes that it was his intention to claim the advantageous kingdom and its attractive, amazingly decorative and free-spirited second daughter of King Joseph's respected regal bloodline, everyone else left the playing field in the Westergaard clan's imperious wake.

That is, except for a lone, decidedly different young Crown Prince who hailed from the secluded kingdom of Arendelle in the frostbitten North. Crown Prince Agdar neither entertained much in the normal protocol high society of his secluded youth which shunned it, nor suffered fools that did not live up to the Regency high standards of moral etiquette, decency and stately restraint like the strict father before him ruled.

 _How would you react to seeing that passionate display from our sheltered girl's betrothed now, min kärlek (my love)? It's a good thing you're not here, after all, Agdar. I see now I didn't have to worry so much about Elsa knowing what to with a man when her time came. Mmm…no lonesome old maid weeds for you, my girl._

Queen Idun quietly imagines her irate husband's comical reaction to the thirteenth in-line Danish Prince kneeling at Elsa's throne and 'ravishing' their daughter with insatiable multiple hot kisses that sent the domineering Black Ice Queen rather senseless.

 _Whew! What a man you have chosen, my girl! I suppose it is rather perfunctory for the Danes… Or so I've heard. You must wake up from your madness soon, if just to enjoy those breathless kisses for yourself, Elsa. …It's funny, Agdar, though you'd never admit it, how much Prince Hans reminds me of a younger you…_

Trying to smile and find joviality through the shivers and fears, Idun's mirth for the appearance of her daughter's ardent lover's devoted ministrations is dashed when the Queen mother watches Elsa violently shove her fiancé with the smack of an ice broom—which the undaunted young redhead begins sweeping the messy floor up with.

 _At least he didn't take the rejection too badly…_ Idun tries to keep her mind engaged and still kicking, even under the overwhelming cold conditions she had been beset with which were starting to take its toll inside the tiny dollhouse made of ice.

 _Oh, my love. Why in heaven's name am I smiling? Our Elsa blames us for her traumatic childhood ruining her life! And the terrible part of that is…_

 _…She's right._

 _We made dreadful decisions as parents to let it go so far. I'm a horrid mother for shielding one child by hiding the truth from the other, causing further needless suffering to both._

Her mind reviews when Elsa had spoken to her mother in anger as she sealed Idun into this cruel prison, and it gave the older Queen much distressed heartache.

 _You do have every right to blame us for the past, Elsa. But we loved you and Anna so much that fear drove Papa, and I couldn't make him see reason._

Her innate resistance to the bitter cold waning, Idun could no longer hold back the tears from the harsh, spiteful words Elsa had thrown at the poor woman when the Black Ice Queen locked her up for being so despised as a mother by her own child.

Idun weeps in desperation, thinking of all the lost years and the chances that she wasted to explain so much to her precious girl.

 _Elsa… Mama is so sorry for letting this all happen to you._

 _Dear Lord, hear my prayer. No matter what happens to me, please help my little girl reclaim her beautiful soul again…_

Idun's constitution worn down, the cold settling into her bones at temperatures that had dropped significantly, she begins to feel faint in her tears. The Arendelle Queen slumps back against the wall of the small ice house, panting for breath as her eyes close perilously in the bitter cold…

 _What pretty ice mirrors there were on the floor… How they sparkled and glowed... I thought I saw Papa on one… He looked so cold and icy… Oh, my babies… All of a sudden, your old Mama is getting sleepy now… Let me just rest my eyes for a spell…_

Idun had put up a valiant fight for the past few hours or so against the bitter cold she was uncomfortably sandwiched within. Crouching for so long her limbs had grown insensate, inside the chilly reamed ice house which wasn't fit for a child, let alone a grown human woman, an increasingly despondent and regretful Queen Idun begins to slip into a life or death unconscious state that would soon prove fatal.

This extraordinary female had adapted to enduring frigid temperatures through all of her adult life. Married since the early age of sixteen, the unique woman had built up an incredible resistance to the cold after twenty-five years of living intimately with an icy mate. Idun was normalized to never suffer frostbite during the passionate nights spent in the Ice King's arms, her unparalleled love rather compensating by giving off heat and bringing warmth to her husband.

 ** _Clink._**

It was just at the final crucial moment of the older woman's hypothermia setting in that Queen Idun notices a small gold and sparkling clear gemstone circlet wordlessly fall through the skylight breathing hole Elsa had left in her mother's captivity dollhouse to sustain her torture for as long as possible.

The jewel was twinkling over to Queen Idun in the stark cold darkness of the enclosure, catching her attention in the dwindling trickling light from the miniscule hole she had punctured in the side of the ice.

Glancing through frosted eyelids towards the skylight atop the dollhouse where the piece of jewelry had entered, she could just make out the shape of the familiar large diamond heart set on a pure carat gold band.

"My my my… r-r-rinngg?" Idun whispers in a breath vapor stutter of utter disbelief at seeing her memorable engagement ring, the one her dearest, flamboyant Agdar had specially excavated and had carved and specifically engrave—and she had lost to the sea when their ship went down five years ago.

A weak Idun forces her stiff digits to reach for the ostentatious ring Agdar had invested much planning and time and resources to garner from an underground diamond mine in the upper midsection of the country. But the over-romantic man's huge, inestimable diamond cut into the shape of a heart meant less to Idun then the priceless words he had engraved on the back of the golden band it was mounted on.

 _Song of my heart, warmed for Eternity by His amazing Grace. A & I._

"Agdar..." Her lover's name, the thought of his adoring smile, the dream of his touch, and the hope of his warmed heart for their children's future, snaps the ailing Queen awake. The memory of her life with this remarkable man began with this ring and the lifetime yet to treasure still spurs the petite Queen mother to not give up, if just to keep his dream alive.

Squeezing her husband's initial promise of their love to last her eternity made the despondent heart within Idun remember the miracle of their first child's birth soon thereafter. Along with motherhood came the unconditional love that the magnificent Creator blessed all young mothers to hold for their babies.

"Elsa, _min Flicka_ (my little girl)! I pray to God that Mama and Papa can make this up to you, and deliver you out of this unhappy, vengeful incomplete world of darkness you've been deceived into believing. Can't you see? You have found such a love in your own beautiful life full of promise without our interference. Your shining light must never be concealed nor denied and restricted again by our silly fears and overprotective burdens. The future the Lord of all Love made possible—just open His doors and step through now with your handsome Prince Hans." Queen Idun whispers in a hoarse, small voice, her energy all but spent, though her heart was so full she felt she must confess it aloud before the end came.

"I may not be a perfect mother – nor even a good one, but let me help you now, my darling. I pray it's not too late for us to earn your trust and beg your forgiveness so we can all be a real family again."

 _After all, forgiveness is from God. As is the gift of love._

And with that final encouraging thought, Queen Idun's frosted tear-stained cheeks glow with Inspiration to endure the bitter cold a little longer, for her beloved Elsa's sake.

So Idun's new endeavor begins, one cool chip at the square dollhouse's ice mirrored floor with the unbreakable diamond ring upon her finger and a soft hymn spilling from her trembling lips, slowly finding inner peace through her sorrow to warm her up again with her Rock of Ages absolute, merciful love.

 _"'The Lord is my Shepherd, no want shall I know;_ _  
_ _I feed in green pastures, safe-folded I rest;_ _  
_ _He leadeth my soul where the still waters flow,_ _  
_ _Restores me when wand'ring, redeems when oppressed.'"_

* * *

 ** _Beneath the surface of the Black Ice Queen's Snow Palace Throne Room…_**

The decisive battle with that molten magma monster had just been won.

Ice vapors of subzero smoke start pouring out from the deeply exhaling mouth and rigorously palpitating nostrils of the exhausted, solid ice King Agdar of Arendelle's form. He stares in shock down at his totally translucent hands and arms and body as well as his now palest see-through blue-white kingly uniform.

 _'Through the valley and shadow of death though I stray,_ _  
_ _Since Thou art my guardian, no evil I fear;_ _  
_ _Thy rod shall defend me, Thy staff be my stay;_ _  
_ _No harm can befall, with my Comforter near...'_

Hearing a melody behind his pounding eyes, Agdar holds a crystallized hand to his icy cold chest, sure he felt some trace warm emotion remnants that once existed there, along with a sense that the owner of his heart was reaching out to him, just as he needed her right about now, too.

"Our girls are in danger, Idun. And it's my fault to have exposed them to this darkness." Agdar's own heart was moved to harbor regretful sorrow himself, but he found could not shed tears anymore.

You see, this King Agdar was merely a mental projection of himself which had, in order to stop the wicked Djævlen Troll from harming his baby girl, devoted so much of his inherent energy on his integral ice magic. King Agdar's yanked out wandering spirit had become infused with his cryo-magic now, he was not sure if he could ever find his way back to his physical body again.

If he must be formed of ice to safeguard his family and his nation's security against this devilish incarnation, King Agdar would do so, without reservation.

Although, if it meant separation from his loved ones' tender embraces, smiles and laughter for whatever time left on earth God gave him, the Norwegian King would regret that loss immensely.

After the fierce battle with that magma monster had just come to its steaming hot conclusion of fire and ice exchanging blows, where the powered up King employed all of his energies to douse the monster with a thick sleet of fierce pelting ice rain, allowing master swordsman Ragi to rush in and slash the fiery creature's momentarily smoldering pumice form with his blade until nothing was left but gray dust that Agdar's ice tempest soon mottled into mud on the cave floor.

"I believe we have rendered it inert for now, with that amount of freezing moisture sure to keep its molten lava in its final stage for quite a while." Spirit man Ragi kneels down to examine the garish mud bath swirling with the now lifeless evil curse. He then looks up to Agdar's ice form with critical steely blue eyes.

"I will not lie to you, Agdar. You are an intelligent man. I do not know if there is a path to return to your human body, now that you have drawn your ice out to such a break limit never before tapped."

The original Wind Whisperer, who had also exhausted his energy in his projected spirit form away from his body for far too long now as well, seemed to sense Agdar's troubled thoughts.

They both were aware their spirit energy was slowly fading, and the King's vitality was dissolving quickly now, ice or no, as his dynamic ice freezer burned through what little borrowed vigor he had remaining.

But there was nothing to be done about it, except fight the enemy to the bitter end.

Absorbing the sage older man's conclusions, the King of Arendelle pauses his frost coating of ice piling over the trapped Djævlen he had buried alive here, still hundreds of meters beneath the Throne Room surface.

"I do realize that." Agdar speaks in the calm resigned even tones that he, as leader of this great nation, must always maintain, even under these most difficult personal terms as he takes several ponderous wandering steps forward.

" _Ubi est omnibus? Commodo quis! Ego sum caecus et debilibus! Filii mei dereliquerunt me!_ (Where is everybody? Please anyone! I'm blind and crippled! My children have abandoned me!)" A blind, elderly, fire troll female's fragile old voice abruptly interjects from somewhere down a the dark cavern shaft no one has yet explored directly the left of Agdar, as he instinctively responds in the Latin the studious man was fluent in.

 _"Salve? Tu exaudi me mater?_ (Hello? Can you hear me, mother?)" Lionhearted Agdar's compassion kicks into action before his scruples had a chance to kick in as he swiftly walks in the direction towards the sound of the weak old voice. " _Bona uenia tua cerritulus figura. et auxiliatus sum tibi, et venias in pace."_ (Forgive my odd appearance, but I mean you no harm and come in peace. _)"_ Apologizing for his disturbing ice exterior _,_ Agdar boldly moves deeper into the darkened shaft with confidence, his icy eyes searching for the elderly troll woman who cried out for assistance.

 _"Filii tui parricidioque iunxerunt ad Troglodytarum liberam esse seditionis in hoc mundo usque in lucem iterum._ (Your children have joined the troll rebellion to be free in the world up there in the light again.) _Certi estote. Placere nolite timere. Ego auxiliatus sum tibi._ _Ego auxiliatus sum tibi non esse servos diaboli sint. (_ Rest assured. Please do not be afraid. I will help you never to be slaves of that Devil again.)" In his kindest, least antagonistic tone, Agdar assures in his best Latin as he finally is able to find the blind and crippled old troll woman and enter the small cavern she was situated in.

Meanwhile, Ragi had been utilizing his years of gleaned Wind Whisperer knowledge to uncover a deeply gashed boulder of tempered marble rock that would provide a crevice to trap the frozen Devil Troll within its confines. Then they could possibly keep the dangerous fire creature trapped and out of the way while they quickly ascended to reconstruct the mirror's seal above.

The wise older man did not foresee the rash young King leaving the unfinished scene to aid some poor defenseless elderly troll calling for help.

"Agdar, beware! The Djævlen's a wily deceiver –" The long wavy brown haired spirit man rushes forward, but Ragi's warning comes just a second too late as naïve Agdar reaches out to assist the crippled old Fire Troll woman up into the main cavern corridor.

As he does so, the gray, fuzzy haired and wrinkly-eyed old troll grandmother turns around with a flash of burning red eyes. The 'defenseless and disabled' old lady transforms into the wicked ancient demon sprite Agdar had encountered before, full of malevolence and hot vengeance feared by all for centuries to be known as the _Djævlen Trollden_.

"You foolish humans and that weakness of compassion has always been your downfall! Did you imagine, puny King, you could steal my race of slaves from me!? Now you will taste my vengeful wrath, as will the rest of your doomed humanity in the world above I will soon rule!" The Djævlen's hideous face hisses right in King Agdar's frozen one with such a tremendous fire that, had Agdar not been made of reissuing, perpetual ice for many 'skin' layers, the King surely would have been melted into nothing.

But the burning hot brimstone and resulting fire conflagration knocks down the rocks of the rubble in the cavern shaft, blocking a trapped Agdar and Ragi from following on the other side to pursue where Anna and Kristoff had flown up with Sven and Svala leading the Fire Trolls in their rebellion to the surface above.

And now the Devil Troll himself was free to follow them, unhindered.

"After you perish in this fire, imprudent ice man, because flame always eventually triumphs over melting ice, your children will be the first to die this day, O King. And all because of your inadequacy as a father. I will drive them to destroy one another by their own hands, in honor of their foolish failure of a father's memory." The Devil Troll's evil taunting voice echoes his last throughout the flame filled dead end cavern where Agdar and Ragi's doused spirits were boxed within, the chasm exit to the Throne Room above now totally blocked.

With no escape in sight, the all consuming fires of damnation unleashed in the Devil's wake were moving ever closer to devouring the pair of good men's trapped souls that were already slowly fading, now even more exponentially…

* * *

 _'In the midst of affliction my table is spread;_ _  
_ _With blessings unmeasured my cup runneth o'er;_ _  
_ _With perfume and oil, Thou anointest my head;_ _  
_ _O what shall I ask of Thy_ _Providence_ _more?'_

Hearing her Mama's lilting soprano, based on Psalm 23, echo in the back of her mind, Anna Bjorgman hugs tightly the tan-grey furry nap of the reindeer she was riding on.

These past few days had been dark and daunting to say the least to the ever-buoyant young woman. Her wonderful country in frozen chaos, her Papa falling to comatose danger, and her beloved sister…

 _Oh Elsa! What's happening?! How am I going to reach you again? How am I going to make you remember our bond?_

The brave peppery girl who was never frightened of anything buries her face in the flying Rangifer's furry neck, feeling distraught and lost against the memory of how the big sister she adored had cruelly banished her to the Devil Troll's pit of fire below.

 _Ooh, that bad guy! I hope Papa has frozen him to a solid ugly popsicle for what he's done to Elsa! But what if I can't get through to her? She's not acting like herself! What if Elsa shuts me out again? What if I let Elsa and Papa and Mama and everyone down?!_

 _{'What if', you calm down, Feistypants! Worrying isn't like you, either. You have to stay that bright spark of endless courage, for all their sakes.}_ Kristoff mentally overhears his young wife's inner struggles and tries to quiet her down in a forceful, yet tender way.

 _{Just tell Elsa what your dad said. He's right. We all love her and need her to remember how much. If anyone can show her that love, I know it's you who can get through to her, Baby. Remember, Elsa still loves you deep down in her heart. Way further than any devil's darkness.}_ Kristoff Bjorgman's supportive and mellow mental projection that had been quietly listening in on his little wife's troubled contemplation, offers some sage advice.

Even though the younger Wind Whisperer had his hands full in racing Sven and Svala with an unfocused Anna beside him up to the Snow Palace's surface, up through the deep chasm hole that lay beneath the Throne Room's cracked mirror floor, the good guy in Kristoff could lend some of his big heart to show concern for his other half.

 _{You really think so?}_ The ginger girl's anxious face changes to a tentative smile that Kristoff could feel the light of even in this profound darkness with the wind whistling through them, with her own silent thoughts sent back to him via their psychic communication.

 _{I know so!}_ The encouraging blond Ice Harvester dearly loved his girl and her family as his own now, and Elsa had become like a real sister to him, too.

Kristoff wanted nothing more than to wrap his adorable little wobbly-chinned bride up in a warm cuddle and make it all right for her again.

But a sudden intense feeling of urgency overtakes all of his psychic abilities at once, halting every other consideration for the furrowed brow young man.

 _{Son! You must hurry! The Djævlen's loose! Get Anna up to the surface and fight with all that's in you to keep the Evil One away from Queen Elsa long enough to seal the mirror up again!}_

Just those few sentences spur Kristoff to mentally urge the female flying reindeer to race forward even more rapidly, providing Svala with some of the Wind Whisperer's enhanced gust currents to push the Rangifer doe upwards faster.

"Kristoff?!" Anna may not have been permitted to overhear Ragi's urgent update of the Devil Troll's imminent arrival, but she felt her reindeer suddenly surge ahead of Kristoff on Sven.

{ _I have to talk with the Fire Trolls down there about something important, Anna. You keep going and convince Elsa to stop this new Eternal Winter. You're almost to the surface now, at the broken mirror's crust. Get up there and don't look back_.} The Ice Harvester informs Anna of what he was about to do, not wanting to keep anything from her. But he had to balance not wanting to upset her at the same time with too much detail about the danger he was going to face alone.

Anna's countenance falls at the inexpressible urgency in his usually mellow voice coupled with the high pressure anxiety of what she had to do now by herself, on her own without him. But the determined look on Kristoff 's rugged face told her this was serious business and she couldn't shirk her end when the chips were down like this.

"I love you, Kristly." Anna physically whispers in order not to overload her partner in life's surely busy maelstrom of revolutionary planning machinations.

"I love you, Anna. And I - e _rgh_ \- come here!" With all the passion, friendship and oneness felt inside for his special girl, a confounded for speech Kristoff turns with a wordless frown from where he was on Sven's back. The intuitive reindeer keeps an amazing pace backwards with the rushing forward Svala to allow Kristoff to wrap a big bear hug arms around Anna's trembling shoulders, managing to press his warm lips to the orangey Princess's soft ones with all the complete love he had been unable to put into proper words.

By the time their 'forever kiss' parts, Princess Anna of Arendelle felt stronger inside for this unique man whose unfailing love was always at her side, and all at once she knew what she must do.

 _Keep being brave. Keep being hopeful. And above all, keep loving._

 _''This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.'_ John 15:12

Anna remembers the Lord's imperative she had memorized and cherished as a tiny little girl ringing through her mind just now. That too bolstered her resolve that her sister Elsa _would_ certainly hear her and _definitely_ come around this time for sure.

{ _Talk to your sister! And be sure to tell Elsa we love her!}_ Comes Kristoff 's last intuitive thought to his wife before he and Sven disappear back down into the dark pit below where the Fire Troll rebellion was marching up to the earth's sunlight, unaware that malevolence and death was right at their heels.

The dim dull light that greeted Anna Bjorgman's eyes when she and Svala rise like a streak through the cracked glass surface was at first difficult to adjust to as they hover high above the starkly crystalline world of pure ice.

In the snow globe-like atmosphere, a blinking eyed Anna struggles to see in the bitter thick frost cold that enveloped the entire Throne Room unbearably now. But the hearty girl could just make out that a shadowy figure had seen their arrival and was approaching them directly below.

"Elsa? Is that you?!" Calling through the thick veil of flurries swirling, Anna squints her eyes against the cold windy frozen temperatures. After a hopeful moment, Anna was pretty certain that figure was _not_ Elsa, but someone taller, redder, and definitely male-er, wearing a long, high-collared grey trenchcoat.

 _It couldn't be…him!? Could it?!_

Anna waves to the man below in brightly grinned sanguinity, imagining everything would work out now that she'd have some constructive moral back-up in this tough fight to convince Elsa away from the darkness.

 _It's about time you made yourself useful, Red!_

But that's when a golden lasso unexpectedly comes whizzing through the cold still air to cattle rope around all four of Svala's airborne legs. The rope's corded circle of momentum driven centrifugal force swings its coil loops around the reindeer's cloven hooves and fetlock furred legs, incapacitating the female doe.

Anna holds on for dear life as Svala beneath her is mercilessly dragged down to their assailant's feet on the ice mirror ground of the Snow Queen's invaded Throne Room below.

Svala is forced to make a skidding crash nearby a pile of mirror shards. They momentarily blind the disoriented deer in a fractious psychedelic display of frozen reflected, glowing flurries until her warm, moist muzzle's hot breath was stuck to the mirrored ice surface.

As for Anna, try as she might to hang on tight to poor Svala's neck during the crash, the small-framed girl is thrown hard from her reindeer's back. The out of control, ejected princess was well on her way to a painful headfirst skid across the cracked mirror ice on her sure to be sliced and bloody-marred face…

"Glad I caught you."

And once again, the naïve young woman finds herself in the rescuing arms of a smooth and stylish, handsome redheaded Prince.

But this too Prince Charming's dulcet golden voice was followed by a small cackle as he was smugly balancing Anna and simultaneously holding the other end of the lassoed rope still attached to Svala's legs that he caused to pull the waylaid reindeer down to ground level.

His smile menacing in its coy toothiness, the Dane's silky voice was laced with something far more sinister than mere amusement directed down at her as, with one deft twist of his dexterous grip, Hans finishes tying up Svala's entangled legs to keep her permanently grounded.

He then rubs his hands together mischievously to leer down into the ginger's astonished eyes.

"Hans?! You're here! But h-how – what?! – W-why are you doing this?! Are you supporting Elsa in this?!" A winded Anna stutters the innumerable questions in her confounded head all at once in confusion. At first, her prayers seemed answered that perhaps this ingratiating man Elsa had been crazy enough to fall in love with, had come riding in like a white knight and somehow would help pull her sister out of this madness.

But facing the Dane's inexplicable actions in progress, an entire pallet of emotions sweep across the Princess' shocked face. From elated gratitude to hopeful wonder to uncomfortable confusion and wild anger at the dashing Dane who easily snatched her lithe body from the collapsed reindeer doe's back to scoop Anna up like a squishy little cupcake in his arms.

"SLAVE! What is the meaning of that noise and disarray upon my flawless ice world map?! I told you to clean it up! Not to disturb me!" The vexed Black Ice Queen's patience was as fragile as the verglas world she had been masterfully perfecting. Her in-scale crystalline towers of ice and snow symbolized whatever havok her enhanced cryokinetics were wreaking around the frozen temperature actual globe.

 _Slave?_ Anna gasps in disenchanted surprise to see a dull, sullen, cloudy look coating Hans Westergaard's normally clear, brilliant, dreamy _– hey, don't go there!_ – green irises. She stares up at the face of the tall, slender man holding her and the way Hans Westergaard still gazed adoringly at the sulky Black Ice Queen hovering over the room, working on her ever-expanding ice world map, gave Anna some scant hope.

From her disturbingly spiked ice hair tip down to the trailing glittery seam of her pale blue dress and filmy blue cape, Black Ice Queen Elsa was as frightening as she was striking where she was floating on her high ice platform well above their heads, ice magic pouring from her ambitious fingertips down upon the unsuspecting world.

But none of that mattered to Anna. Rescuing Elsa's heart was all she was interested in right now.

"Stupid Hans! I called you here You were supposed to help me bring Elsa out of this mess! Not join her side, you idiot jerk! Ooh! Why did I even ask you to come back! Who needs you! Put me down, Red! I'll do it right, myself!" Regaining her senses in anger at the boy who once again proved to be worthlessly traitorous to her, an argumentative Anna beats her fists against Hans' chest, demanding he release her.

But the sedate Danish Prince calmly ignores her insistent pleas and violent thrashings, merely carrying Anna towards the center of the room where the Black Ice Queen Elsa was attending to the indoctrination of her frozen new world.

"Why have you brought this annoying little insect to me? Did I not already deal with its expulsion? I have much work to do in order to make this dreadfully dirty planet acceptable in my beautiful ice. I cannot be interrupted and wish not to see her anymore. She distresses me. Get rid of her." The heartless, tall blonde woman speaks dismissively with a condescending wave of her alabaster hand for her minion to dispatch the disruptive, noisy child in any way he saw fit, as she descends her ice platform to sit upon her throne in imperious indifference.

"Nol Elsa! Please listen! It's not supposed to be this way! Hans! What's wrong with you, too?! Don't take me away! We have to show Elsa that we love her!" Putting up quite a struggle, Anna pounds hard on an apathetic Hans, until the energetic little ginger finally is able to free herself to jump down to the ice coated ground and run towards Elsa on her throne.

"Elsa! Please! You have to come home with us! We all love you so much and want you home again, all together as a real family! Papa says he didn't mean to be so blind about your feelings! He loves you –" Unnerved and shaking, Anna was yelling and crying at the same time so fervently hysterical the redheaded Prince was easily able to overtake her.

Anna's raw emotion splashes all over Hans' clutching chest and neck, until the man slaps a shushing hand over her instantly angered mouth. With flashing eyes up at her captor, the saucy little princess never did abide with being told to be quiet, particularly not by her sworn enemy of an ex-fiancé.

"Papa?! Who are you to speak of such things to the Queen of all Winter!? _Former_ _King_ _Agdar_ is long dead! And what do I care what that callous, cruel man thought anyway?! He was the one that trapped me, concealed me away from the world, inside that horrid, dreary, solitary castle of my childhood because he was ashamed of me and feared my power!" The angry, bitter words spit out vehemently, and the venting, livid Black Ice Queen unleashes a fiercely powerful cryokinetic bombardment in vengeance upon the ice relief map crafted across her Palace Throne Room floor.

Her slave, Hans, had already cleaned up most of the fractious pieces of the mirror for his Queen to expand her map. It depicted the entire model of the globe filled with elevations and depressions representing hills and valleys, ocean to deserts, cities and forests and everything in between, where her kingdom of endless ice had spread its icy frozen hands.

"All the world will pay for my past pain and your insolence to remind me of it, whoever you really are, pretending to be my murdered little sister!" As she struggles in Hans' rigid arms, Anna's heart aches when a vitriolic Elsa shouts this epitaph at her. But the contorted, warped recollection the Devil Troll had implanted in Elsa's upset, perturbed mind, and even worse, in the malaise of her manipulated heart, now strikes out at the perverted memory.

The magnified intensity of a disturbed Elsa's heightened subzero inundation could be felt all over the globe, especially here inside the already frigid atmosphere of the Snow Palace Throne Room.

"Elsa! You're not remembering anything right! Someone's messing with your head! I **am** your little sister, **Anna**! I **didn't** die, you **didn't** kill me when we were little! And Papa **does** **love** you! He didn't mean to hurt you! He was just trying to protect you then and didn't know how hard it was on you to be without me!" Anna, her once struck cold frozen heart in memory squeezing in her chest at this rise of cold, whimpers as the frigid energy pervaded the chilled palace until it was almost unsustainable to breathe anymore.

"I missed you then, too! It was tough on me growing up as well, never knowing if my big sister still cared, still loved me, never knowing why things changed between us!" When Elsa continues to ignore her, Anna leans on a stiff Hans.

The impassive young man wordlessly picks her trembling body up again and carries her away to put her in that dollhouse prison in the corner, too.

A distressed, weeping Anna huddles her head against him, the freeze nipping her nose and almost solidifies the moisture around her snow blind tearful eyes, disconsolate about not knowing how to reach her dispassionate sister.

"Please, Elsa! Just let the sunshine in!" But the undaunted girl shakes her head and leaps down across the frozen cracked ice mirror for one more try before the intractable Ice Queen's throne. "Remember how we used to love to play together when we were kids? We were so close and have become again now! FBFSF! Forever Best Friend Sisters Forever! Remember our motto?! ' _When we're together, it's my favorite time of year!_ '" In her sweet melodic soprano, Anna desperately sings out, indefatigable in her devotion to her dearest companion in life, whom she loved beyond measure and would give anything to have back to normal as she falls to her weak knees on the steps.

 _"'_ My favorite time of year'…?" It seemed that just for a millisecond Elsa's swirling mind flickers with the memory, Anna so encouraged as she stumblingly attempts to stand, her mittened hands held open wide and inviting…

 **"ENOUGH!"**

But the Black Ice Queen holds her elegant hands over her painfully ringing ears to block the voice of the young woman that was grating her nerves with every bell-like word chiming in her head.

 **"MY LITTLE SISTER IS DEAD! I KILLED HER!** So if you want to impersonate her now, you must wish to be slain, too! Slave! Bring the criminal here for execution!" The tortured soul full of resentment and grief in the Black Ice Queen screeches the fatal order to her obsequious slave.

As the shadow of the Djævelen draws closer to her black ice pendant, Elsa's exploited heart is torn asunder in a cold passion by this aggravating orange haired child who disturbed her neat thoughts and plans.

Controlled by that wicked darkness, indolent Queen Elsa furiously lashes out again, growing more wrathful and prideful in envy with gluttonous greed and lusting power to claim this world the nearer the Devil Troll rose to the surface.

And her bedeviled frosted haired redheaded servant, standing just steps away, seemed far too distant and detached from any moral compunction to care.

Prince Hans Westergaard, who had done, seen and witnessed much between these sisters, now could only vaguely watch his Queen Elsa's sharp ice emit from her fingertips to streak out from her chaotic hand and lawlessly castigate this bothersome provoking little sister wanna-be with all her cryokinetic fury and wrath –

Seeing in that split second the stoked deadly sins in the raw fire of the devil within Black Ice Queen Elsa's reddened darkest eyes, a fearful Anna's breath catches in her throat.

She had spoke and thought and hoped so hard for her sister's return to goodness, she was totally unprepared for the full force of the killing ice blow even ever-upbeat Princess Anna sensed was about to strike her heart by her beloved's hand for the second time in her young life.

All a wide-eyed Anna knew was that she must be brave enough to face death without turning away, hopeful enough to believe she couldn't die and fail her family, and loving enough to be positive she was never, EVER going to give up on reaching Elsa's heart with all her love…

 _'Let goodness and mercy, my bountiful God,_ _  
_ _Still follow my steps till I meet Thee above;_ _  
_ _I seek by the path which my ancestors trod,_ _  
_ _Through the land of their sojourn, thy kingdom of love.'_

* * *

 ** _Just outside the Throne Room double doors,_** **_not so far down the hallway …_**

Eugene had volunteered to be the one next to sneak into the Snow Palace Throne Room to help the Snow Queen retrieve more of the vital pieces of her cracked mirror puzzle she explained was key to stopping this Devil Troll occupation.

 _Did I really have a choice in the matter? My vocational skills are in high demand around here!_ _Besides, I can't honestly say I'd prefer staying in this deathly quiet sanctum chamber's funeral like motif rather than risking my good-lookin' neck to filch some junk just lying around the throne's floor in the next room. Easiest pickings this humble thief ever got in a royal castle setting! Being Mr. Invisible rules! Wish I always had these handy little babies around! Imagine all the stash I could've swiped if no one could see me!_

The translucent wispy breath of frost Spirit of the Winter, who further girded up Eugene with 'prayer angels' for his clandestine missions, had been assiduously working with Gerda and her taciturn little boyfriend, Kai, on those gathered mirror shards. The puzzling trio was now able to move more rapidly in rebuilding the 'dissected map' ice mirror with Cassandra and Ferdinand's help in lifting the larger pieces into place.

It still gave Flynn Rider chills every time he returned to the secret chamber and gazed back upon the coffin-like ice bowery and the pair of lifeless older men lying in quiet repose not so far from one another in the corner of the psychedelically lit room.

"That crazy haired blonde dame is building some kind of ice relief map in your Throne Room, your Frostiness. She's got my Lillebror playing janitor in there. Poor possessed kid's kinda out of it. But he makes nice, neat big piles of the sharp – _Hey! Don't get cut on those razor glass edges, kids_ – mirror pieces for me to stash in my magic bag here. I dig this whole cloaking invisibility ability where none's the wiser for me to be standing right in front of them stealing stuff under their noses. Now that's the superpower I want for Christmas, Blondie! But probably minus the fuzzy snow angels buzzing annoyingly around my head, thank you very much." Extolling the perks of having a cloak of invisibility to utilize his incredible thievery skills unnoticed, Flynn was the only one speaking in the otherwise hushed room full of dull, quiet, busy people at work.

"Of course, I had this eerie, come to Jesus moment when I could've sworn good 'ole Sideburns was looking straight at me with those hazy, spaced out green eyes. It was spooky, but he actually was piling more mirror shards to be swept up with that handy dandy ice broom of his almost right into my invisible bag a couple times. But Handsome didn't say anything or make eye contact to rat on me to that whacko Queenie, so I guess I was just being edgy." Eugene had informed his adventures to the group of people all in a huddle, stewing over the frozen puzzle pieces on the floor of the Snow Queen's secret chamber room.

 ** _Knock Knock Knock._**

Everyone's eyes shoot up from their puzzling to hesitantly pause in their tasks and look up anxiously at the solid snow coated door.

"Did anyone call for room service?" Eugene gulps in a whisper, having just recently returned from his most recent expedition to gather mirror shards strewn all over the Snow Palace Throne Room.

The thief was just about ready to have a go again at his ever-so-unlucky cracked mirror heist under the cloaking shield of snow angels Gerda and the Snow Queen had instructed would travel alongside him on his outings, when he is stopped still at the door.

Eugene Fitzherbert could usually diffuse every situation with his candor and jokes. But at this tense moment, it was hardly the order of the day a la cart right now, as the five other keen faces, and even the pair of passed out men in the Northern Light-ed corner of the room, look blank.

"I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE." Everyone freezes in their tracks when a deep warbling voice penetrates the snow hologram masked door to the sealed chamber where little Kai and Gerda, Prince Ferdinand and Cassandra, and Eugene here and there, too, were industriously reassembling the broken pieces of the Snow Queen's Mirror of Reason.

"You were followed! What kind of sneak thief are you?!" Always personable Cassandra hisses accusingly, slapping a self-congratulatory Fitzherbert on his tight muscular shin where she was squatting on the ground puzzling alongside Egalité and the children with the newest batch of mirror shards Eugene had emptied from his large sack rudely atop their difficult work.

"Always a critic in the crowd." A puckered lipped Flynn Rider murmurs as he moves to the tightly sealed door to try to peek through its peep hole and see who was there on the other side knocking on the supposedly imperceptible door.

"Maybe it's just Hans! And this freezing cold has affected his larynx to be lower timbered!"

Optimistic Eugene was kind of hoping it would be his clever little brother, who he imagined would just pop in here and say: _'Storbror, I was just pretending to be the slave of that unhinged, dark Ice Queen in there so as not to blow my cover. I know how to stop her before she succeeds in freezing the entire world into a solid block of ice.'_

An intermittently phasing Snow Queen flows across her struck silent, chaotically filled room full of mirror shard puzzles that was previously bustling with activity, to stand beside the noisy imaginative man at the doorway.

Silently, guardsman trained Cassandra and French Legionnaire Prince Ferdinand stand back to back to take defensive point shield over the two children from any incoming threat from the outside, flanking the Snow Queen and Eugene at the front.

The ancient Spirit of the Winter lifts her aurora borealis powered handheld mirror of truth that scryeds intermittently to see who exactly was outside the door.

"Is that…their funny little snowman, Olaf? The friendly snowman's not looking so hot. Figuratively speaking." Eugene discerns Olaf's presence even through the snow creature's oversized, shadowy and shady tone, sunken demented eyes and wilted carrot nose appearance.

 _Kinda reminds me of loverboy Hans… Except the nose ain't right. Otherwise… admittedly not half as good-looking a lady killer as my Lillebror. But as far as slaves of the Ice Queen go…_

"That's because he's not friendly. Olaf is quite a rancorous lost cause now, I'm afraid." High and mighty (though currently short and small), Minister Kai takes a moment from his ingenious skills of puzzle piece reconstruction to turn his blond, little boy snobbish nose up at Eugene with the disdainful sour statement of negativity.

"That's not true, Kai!" Gerda's swinging little arms and sweet voice chimes in with the animated chastisement to her little boyfriend. "Nobody is a lost cause! Jesus never gave up on holding out His hand to save anyone's soul. And neither will I!" Pleasingly positive Gerda stands up to challenge her dear one's more practical claim.

"Your Majesty! Please open the door! Olaf needs our help." The optimistic child shines her gleaming smile and true blue eyes up to the Snow Queen as she scoots between Cassandra and Prince Ferdinand to bravely join the filmy spirit woman at the bedchamber door.

Everyone stares down at little innocent Gerda skeptically in fearful angst as the knocks on the snow-covered door were growing louder and more demanding, and definitely more persistent as the naïve child throws the door open wide...

* * *

 ** _Back in the Throne Room…_**

 ** _SZZSZZTTTT!_**

As pure, ultimate force, sub-zero ice emits from the possessed Black Ice Queen's enraged fingertips, Anna didn't have time to do anything but close her eyes and pray for Elsa's salvation more than her own life full of promise and love about to come to a tragic end...

"Just take care of my sister–" An emotional Anna whispers without even looking to the fazed out redheaded man behind her.

The selfless, unconditional love's memorable words were ones Hans Westergaard had heard before, from one loving sister to another, bringing a man's heart full circle…

" **ELSA! NO! Don't do this!"**

Anna's big turquoise eyes snap open when the eloquent voice of the previously insensible man who had been standing zombie-like behind her all this time, without warning, cries out ardently in her defense.

"You love your sister! I can't let you do something you'll never forgive yourself for!" Swift-stepping in combat, dancing and wit, combined in one charmingly attractive package, the true hero in Prince Hans Westergaard could prevaricate no longer.

The clever Prince of the Southern Isles had been biding his time, doing what he did best all his young life – _his talent for artful pretense_ – in order to stay close to the possessed Ice Queen and best assess how to liberate her from being besieged under the dastardly demon's perverse control. His self-imposed dulled green eyes spring back to viridescent vibrancy in this life-and-death moment, as his frost regulated arms twirl a shocked Anna out of the line of fire in just the nick of time.

Prince Hans lunges forward with his quickly produced, expertly swung naval broadsword to deflect Elsa's punishing ice blast to the opposing section of the vast Throne Room.

" **TRAITOR! I** AM YOUR **QUEEN**!" Black Ice Queen Elsa cries out vehemently in a shrill soprano, raising her ice sword to now ferociously attack this upstart Prince who had been playing her artifice slave.

"Yes! Yes you are!" Hans declares in full fervor, deftly side-stepping her extended ice sword. His tender volume of sweet tenor rises as Hans leaps several steps up at a time to seize a shocked Elsa by her frosty shoulders.

Hans then plunges his hand between her thin gown's heaving frosty cleavage in an attempt to grasp and remove the glowing Black Ice crystal that the astute, observant Prince noticed held some mysterious dark sway over his Queen's fragile as ice heart.

But coax and pull as he might at the black ice crystal, the affixed pendant would not budge from Elsa's chest.

"How dare you touch **ME** like that! Who do you think you are, you contemptible human male?!" Perplexed by his blistering bold touch against her bluish-tinged frozen skin, the Black Ice Queen cries out in livid indignation.

The spiky haired blonde ferociously reaches for her ice sword as she tries to extricate herself from this madman's clutches with some cold flash freezing magic.

But the undaunted Danish Prince's fervent embrace that wouldn't let go of her was as persistently unremitting as he was fearless of her angered repercussions.

"That ring on your finger, the one I put there not so long ago, pledges you to become **my _wife_** , with the promise of our love you granted in accepting it. I love you so desperately, my Elsa—more than my own life! I would do anything for you! But now I only can beg you to return to our beautiful dream we had then, with every prayerful plea from my heart now! The dream that we will never walk alone again—that we'll belong to each other for eternity—is still within our reach, _min kæreste_ (my darling), if you just remember how much we mean to one another…Come back to me…Please…"

With that confessed tender statement and a tremble in his voice, which spoke the truth of his heart to the bewildered spiky haired incarnation of the woman he adored, the prince boldly squeezes Elsa's quavering icy hands to assuage her tensed sword.

Then Hans Westergaard lands a crushing, zealous kiss on his beloved fiancée's cold, hard lips, moistening them with all the love he could muster - _and that was ample_ – in a fiery warmth he had kept dormant inside, this past day posing as her obsequious slave.

Prince Hans of the Southern Isles had read far too many novels and classic romances in his lonely boyhood to not retain the fairytale hope that 'true love's kiss' would somehow be able to awaken his lady love from her deleterious trance…

When this lasting kiss parts, the Black Ice Queen was left breathlessly dumbfounded, closed eyed and quiet. His persuasive fingers, deftly linked through hers, had urged Elsa's massive ice sword to drop from her stunned hand to the unoccupied throne as the idealistic, romantic Danish Prince's ardent kiss left a blazing imprint on her chaotic heart.

"Love…?" Opening her dulled and dark blue eyes, Elsa stares down, lost in thought at the platinum snowflake diamond ring she hadn't given a second thought to whence it came from, or who gave it—as it still presided upon her left hand ring finger. She turns its sparkling jeweled glitter over between her chilled fingers that were laced with Hans Westergaard's long and strong, slender ones.

From where he was in the depths of his pit, the Djv _æ_ len felt his dark grip on the Black Ice Queen slipping. About to overtake the Fire Troll race to enslave again or face massacre, the evil being uses his shadow magic to embed one final memory in Elsa's wavering heart.

And this memory was not very much distorted at all.

Elsa's icy mind's eye suddenly replays the frantic scene where she and he were somewhere alone, wrapped in a fear-provoking frozen swath of swirling ice where this red-headed scoundrel confirmed she had killed her own sister and prepared to strike her frightened, vulnerable form down on the ground with his malicious sword.

"What do _you_ know of love, knave?! Take this wretched thing back then! I am a goddess so far above your menial mortal station of duplicitous trickery! I desire no part of an unworthy fiend like you!" A defiant Elsa wrenches her cold digits from his, and tears Hans' engagement ring from her white-knuckled hand, throwing it viciously in his face as she forces the prince backwards to stumble down the stairs violently.

The icy cold metal and jewel encrusted projectile smacks the poor man cruelly against his cheek, reddened in dishonor and shame to be so brutally treated by his lover as the tiny, dispelled ring clatters across the cracked ice floor below.

"Unworthy…" This whispered emotional scar of rejection was well worse than any pitiless blast of ice or fierce slap of her gloved hand in anger to the romantic young man — because he knew it to be true. His deflated chest seizes up inside at her cutting and spiteful, yet undeniable words, as the cold winds rising between them keep him away from the Queen.

A shocked Anna, watching this soap opera drama up close and personal, gazes from Hans to Elsa to the ring and back between the lovelorn pair again. And the ginger felt more terrible for the ill-treated man at her sister's fickle hand than she'd ever imagined.

"Yes! That's right! You are not _only_ a traitorous turncoat _now_ , but you're also the criminal who tried to assassinate a Queen _before_! Why would **I** **EVER** deem to marry **you**?! Now is my chance to be strong and decisive and execute your worthless filth which I failed to do then in weak, foolish compassion!"

Her introverted fear overtakes her at the exposed, eye-opening recollection of this very man holding a punishing blade over her head with a cruel, killing intent in his eye.

So the Black Ice Queen retaliates now with all the fear and anger welled up inside at the handsome villain of the Devil's warped frozen tale, her bitter ice surging from her raw fingertips down through the long blade of the icy knightly sword she reclaims from her throne.

In that split second of her anger building, a broken-hearted Hans falls to his knees before his Queen, knowing his deserved fate was now sealed in quantified ice.

This man, called out for being the iniquitous charlatan and villain he proved to have been in the past, was now resigned to die at Elsa's hand, as much as reconciled to live at her side.

But even in his dejection, Prince Hans still had the presence of mind and compassion of heart to turn back to Anna with the silent mouthed single word:

 _"Run."_

His genuine caring for his beautiful Queen, in good times and bad, made Elsa's dear little sister's welfare more important to the rascal turned champion than even trying to preserve his own unlucky thirteenth hide that bravely stands and presses himself forcefully against the cold barrier to move back towards an incensed Elsa with his swordless arms spread wide.

Hans was prepared to take the full force brunt of her killing ice strike to show the Black Ice Queen he was genuine in his conviction of love to save her soul; give Anna cover to escape with the chance to succeed in reaching her sister at a later date somehow, where he failed; and perhaps prove to himself he would sacrifice everything, even his life, to be that noble, unselfish and undaunted hero of Elsa of Arendelle's life story, if nothing else.

But Princess _Anna_ of Arendelle was the heroine of her own fairytale, and never knew the meaning of the word ' _Run'_ nor ' _Unlucky'_ , when it came to the heart of her sister.

"Elsa! Hans may have been scum before, but he's a good, God-fearing man now! He really **does** **love** **you**! And **I love you** enough to have totally forgiven the two-timing rat for what he did to us! _You're_ the one that taught _me_ to pardon other's sins, and even took it a step further when you fell in love and agreed to marry Hans! So he can't be all that bad. I'm getting used to having him around. And Papa will too, you'll see. Please don't hurt him! You have to remember!" Jumping in front of Hans now, Anna reasons out in a splash of words with a lovely laughing smile at her own unpredictability, as she begs her best friend and sister to recall the love, not the sadness or anger or fear.

It was Anna's turn now to make a valiant rescue of this perplexing Prince she imagined one day soon to have to call 'brother', with her own confessions of the heart as she dashes up the ice steps to hug Hans' astonished torso to her tightly, boldly looking to Elsa with the plaintive plea to let him live.

The enlightened redheaded man was overwhelmingly surprised to be so cared for and exonerated, even in this last moment of his life, as one more blessing from the Lord, by the precious girl who had every right to hold a forever grudge against him. And he returns the pardoning embrace gratefully to Elsa's sweet angel of a little sister, as if she were already his own.

 _'For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.'_ Matthew 6:14

 **"THERE'S NOTHING TO REMEMBER!"** But all the anger and fear and hatred the Djævlen stoked with all the fallaciously remembered years bottled up in her icy heart, even further bewildered by this outpouring of forgiveness her closed mind had forgotten how to bestow, could not be dissuaded. Elsa's head pounds with the conflict, sharp and biting, as she holds her hands to her temples, obviously in pain from the struggle within her.

"Elsa, my darling! **LET IT GO**!" Unable to just stand by and witness his true love in such tormented pain, seething anger at him, and derision against her dear sister he was ineffectual to penetrate thus far, quick Hans acts in this infinitesimal moment when Elsa's guard was briefly down.

Anna watches in awe as the daring, courageous Dane, removing his gloves in one flawless motion, fearlessly rushes up to the fuming, mentally deranged Queen dangerously looming over the pair, and secures both Elsa's thin wrists in his long fingered, deft right hand, holding her shocked arms at bay above her head with his mere strength.

His ambidextrous, bare left hand now grabs firm hold of that damning Black Ice crystal situated at the dark Ice Queen's chest over her heart in his powerful, fiercest grip. Unafraid of physical pain - _especially if he must endure it for his true love, and would do so gladly now for his Elsa, without a second thought_ – the undeterred, unstoppable, unflappable Prince of the Southern Isles uses his bare hands to powerfully crush that devil possessing Black Ice crystal at Elsa's breast with all his focused strength.

He squeezes it with every ounce of tensile strength and forceful power the determined young man had in him. With all his love's devotion and protection for his future bride, Hans focuses on the mind, heart and soul controlling dark crystal in his potent grip as he remains unrelenting, ignoring the deep stabbing pain…

 ** _CR-RAA-AC-CK-KK!_**

The crimson centered crystal is shattered wide open to crumble its smoky glassy shards to the ground at Elsa and Hans' feet, letting out the last yelp of its dark magic in evil screams. The horrible, demonic sounds screech ear-splitting, vengeful fury in pure, unmitigated evil's supernatural scope to have been so concisely squelched and diminished by a mere human mortal.

The emotionally staggered Black Ice Queen pulls back reactively into herself again, stunned as the evil mystically enhanced crystal abandons her psyche, having been daringly shattered by Prince Hans' now bloody, sliced up hand.

The dark energies attempt escape in agony and swirl about the Snow Palace Throne Room, bouncing off its artistically crafted columns and architecturally sculptured ice décor Elsa had erected earlier.

That is, until the weakened shadows cling to reconstitute into the devilish shape of the hideous, horned Djævelen behind a shaken Ice Queen's back, embracing her tight one more time...

The Ice Queen's unleashed blonde mane of hair, previously done up in that startling pointy updo, rebels freely to flow around her confounded head. Icy torrents of vibrant, effulgent and coruscating glacial winds amid thick ebony dark shadows whip through her once again long and flowing, full bodied tresses, and vacillating between evil and good ice gowns.

But in the struggled chaos of darkness and light vying for the magical Ice Queen's raw power, this sudden withdrawal left the poor, manipulated woman's trembling, fragile mind in a state of muddled, disruptive utter confusion.

 **"JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!"** And with that amplified scream of frustrated denial at all the forces excruciatingly tearing at her, a mentally and physically torn Elsa's cryokinetic power explodes from her every willowy, confused icy pores.

 ** _BB-LLASSSTT!_**

"No! **Anna**!" In spite of his openly bleeding deep laceration hand wound and the lung crushing pain at sustaining such a forceful push back from the blizzard force at the Ice Queen's unhinged hand, Hans heroically makes a valiant dive to shield Elsa's little sister from the incoming ice blast.

But Elsa's wild sub-zero weather assault was so intense, Hans and Anna are both slammed backwards to the far rear wall of the Throne Room by the full force of pure ice and sleet and snow torrent from the Black Ice Queen.

 ** _SM-MAASSH!_**

The Red and Ginger were still embracing one another as they both lay lifelessly cold, clinging to one another's frozen arms in a crumpled, ice-covered pile together.

Her long flowing, pale blonde hair locks were now softly strewn about her shoulders that were slowly melting in de-transformation from her stifling Black Ice Queen gown to show snippets of her usual off the shoulder free flowing azure blue dress of her frozen Ice Queen attire revealed beneath.

A heavily breathing, thoroughly snow flurry fuzzy head befuddled and dazed Black Ice Queen stares down in entrancement as she watches the oddity of two half pieces of embossed silver rise from within the pocket folds of each of the fallen's clothing.

The pair of silvery, shimmering glass surfaces dance around each other from where the paired gleaming reflections had miraculously deflected and shielded Hans' and Anna's downed forms from her concentrated passion, limb-tearing gale force ice blast.

The two pieces that had found their way to each other over thousands of miles and decades of time, whirl and twirl in the cold still air until they finally conjoin together to reflect an unearthly iridescence.

Dispelling the shadows, a glorious glow exudes from the mirror to banish the Devil's shadow which retreats down through the chasm hole in the mirror cracked center of the broken floor of the palace's Great Hall chamber.

In a secondary amazing flash of curious, miraculous light, the merged broken in half pieces reveal a whole, early 18th century French designed, enchanted mirror that had been activated and mended by Anna and Hans' dual reflections to one another of warm selfless love for Elsa, which kept them both safe.

The bewildered, at times vain, frosty young beauty with incredible curiosity was unable to restrain herself from gazing deeply into the exceptional magic mirror's looking glass.

It begins to display long forgotten, stolen glimpses of her life—yes, sometimes sad and lonely, but also full of joy—where she had experienced faith and comfort…where she forgave and was herself forgiven, where she loved and was loved…

Scenes flew by of her childhood times with Anna, of her mother and father's concern, all of them ringing the bell together joyously at Christmas, the lonely years alone, then reuniting with her family, sharing fun times with her friends…as well as all the new and irreplaceable memories of her unlikely budding and now blooming romance with Hans…

"…What have I done…?"

Gliding past the now thoughtlessly abandoned ice map and closer to the Enchanted Mirror that showed 'all the world _inside'_ now, those whispered, troubled words spill out unaffectedly. Elsa's own once cold heart is moved, touched by the startling sight of the two people she had just been reminded were her dearest loves in all the world, prominently appearing constantly on the stage of her life—and now harmed by her own hand.

 _They were enemies before, and yet each gave up their own safety for the other, working with one another, with no reward to themselves—nothing to gain, and all for the sake of saving me, healing me, loving me... Isn't that the very meaning of 'True Love'? Answer me that, Djævelen!_

At the newfound silence of the previously pounding, unrelenting, malevolent voice, now replaced by a gently singing newfound love's soft murmurs, the evil no longer freely penetrated Elsa's soul, now that Hans had powerfully crushed the Devil's insipid, mystic grip on her deceived heart, that her little sister Anna had reached out to embrace.

The thought-provoked Queen's opened mind, no longer under the wicked dark crystal's control, wonders what other devious lies the shadowy creature, she could now clearly recognize as evil, had been manipulating her for his own benefit.

 _No more will you use me. I **AM** loved…and **I** love…_

As she falls to her knees down to tentatively stroke the adorable beauty of Anna's pretty cheek with one soft hand and caress a breathtaking Hans' noble sideburns with a tender touch to their insensate, yet still breathing, cold faces, the 'Black' Ice Queen hears that foreign word ' _LOVE'_ echo in her heart until it burns like a fire inside.

 _How could I have been so blind? So weak? Forgive me…forgive me…_

But this time it was a fire borne of love and not hate, a Heaven-blessed beacon light of peace and joy that shuns the darkness and makes an empty soul full and whole again. A repentant Elsa of Arendelle fights to reclaim her past memories in a burst of warmth lighting the gloomy corners of her tampered heart.

 _"Love is patient, love is kind, not jealous, not boastful,_ _  
_ _Love is not proud, it isn't insolent or selfish._ _  
_ _Love is not easily angered. Love keeps no record of past wrongs._ _  
_ _Love does not gloat over other people's sins, but takes delight in the truth._ _  
_ _Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always endures._ _  
_ _Love never ends."_ I Corinthians 13:4-8

From somewhere in the deep recesses of her mind and reflected in the enchanted mirror, she hears aloud the auditory, eternally precious memory of a man and a woman reciting this cherished verse, taking turns with one another and in tenderhearted unison of heart and mind, reminding the Ice Queen of Who the Creator of Love was.

And a tearful eyed Queen Elsa glimpses how perfect a miracle this love was to have been granted again to even a broken, corrupted, undeserving lost heart like hers with a second – _no, third_ – chance.

The chance to embrace life without fear, without blame or contempt or regrets, and just fully accept Grace, and the Love that came with it…

 _Oh, Master, grant that I may never seek so much to **be** loved, as **to** love—with all my soul…!_

With the uplifting prayer on her lips and engraved in her heart, the enlightened Ice Queen totally sheds her 'Black' mantle, literally and figuratively, as she tosses that filmy dark cape weighing her down across the Throne Room. It disintegrates into a hundred million melting frozen fractals that symbolically thaw the bitter Winter blizzard she had besieged the entire earth with, changing the frozen planet back to normal climates of chilly, non-frostbitten Christmastime, north of the equator, and varying balmy days in the southern hemisphere of heated tropical warmth in these sacred days..

As memories, full of love and friendship and harmony, slowly bubble to the surface of her clearing mind, the true Ice Queen prepares now to face the demon enemy.

But this time not alone, as Anna starts to stir awake on the magically frost-swirling, melting ice floor, not knowing what to expect from the spiky-haired, strangely attired, and over eye-shadowed Ice Queen staring down at her nervous, anxious face that wasn't sure what to think.

"Do you want to build a snowman…Anna?" The loving big sister expresses all the emotion needed to be said in that one meaningful question down to her baby sister's instantly joyous eyes, accompanied by yearning outstretched arms down to Anna in an offered hug filled with surpassed emotion and begging forgiveness.

"Elsa! You're back!" Anna squeaks out in happy delight, returning the smiling through tears Ice Queen's chilly, yet warm cuddle that lifted her up from the ground even tighter to join her emotional sibling reunion.

Just then, Hans' green eyes flutter open to see the glorious sight of sister embracing sister hovering over him with giggles and tears and above all, love. He breathes a sigh of relief as he offers up a quick prayer in thanksgiving to the Lord for bringing Elsa back to them.

His brilliant smile, full of emotion and candor that didn't even register the pain in his crystal eviscerated extremity for his joy, conveys what he could not express into his darling Queen Elsa's true azure blue orbs gazing down at him over Anna's shoulder, with tears welling in her eyes.

They seemed to beg a silent plea for forgiveness, and were once again replete with that incredible, inconceivable, indefinable beauty and unimaginable love for him alone as she easily, with tender love now, frosts his profusely bleeding palm to staunch the wound he willingly took for her sake.

 _But Elsa, you need never ask my forgiveness in anything! No, it will always be the other way around! I am the one constantly in need of **your** mercy._

The Danish Prince was overjoyed to see that, despite all the soulful strife, emotional exploitation and heart chaotic confusion, his Elsa was once again her true self—smiling and shy, compassionate and genuine, tenderhearted and virtuous—and his.

No matter what happened in the past, nor what had been said between them in the heat of conflict, he steadfastly loved her through it all.

And always would.

 _You are the light of my eyes, the owner of my heart. I am yours, and yours alone, Elsa of Arendelle._

Regardless of any difficulty, any obstacle and firm in his belief of their future together as one, Vise Admiral Hans Westergaard silently re-avows his promise and faithfulness to his Queen with a gentle squeeze to her delicate fingers with his one good hand as he responds readily and without hesitation to her plea. With an evocatively affectionate, reverent and devoted kiss placed upon Elsa's elegant left palm raised to his lips, Hans' gentle but intensely passionate eyes assure her of his unwavering devotion and loyalty.

All his heart and soul was hers forevermore—a true, incorruptible, selfless and absolutely unconditional love.

* * *

 _The Lord is my Shepherd –_ 19th century hymn, based on Psalm 23, written by Scotsman James Montgomery 1837

* * *

Elsa's back, my Frozen friends!

Greetings of great joy from here in 'Frozen Again' land!

Our beautiful Queen of the Ice has returned to the side of the righteous due to Anna & Hans' display of love and sacrifice, for her and one another, too! YEAH! How's that for ' _turning the other cheek'_?! Our daring, fearless Prince Hans shattering that Devil controlled, black ice crystal melded to her chest to awaken our Ice Queen was impressive, eh?

And in retrieving Elsa's heart from the darkness it has been plunged into, through God's unconditional Love, Anna certainly has come a long way in her regard for the handsome Danish Prince! She truly is a Disney princess to show such loving kindness, forgiveness, generosity and forbearance to her former enemy, standing up for him, even endangering her life to speak in Hans' defense! And Hans crushing the Devil's control over her heart and self-sacrificing his own life proved Anna's faith in him and his great love and protection for her sister Elsa not unfounded!

Now, the reconciled heroic trio still has the REAL terrible enemy to beat in that mean old Djvaelen Devil Troll! Kristoff and Sven are on their way to help the poor Fire Trolls escape their former, now sure to be angry as hell, Devil master! o With the rapidly dissolving Ice King and fading spirit Ragi trapped in the collapsed cavern beneath, and the Snow Queen with Eugene and gang cornered by Dark Olaf in the Snow Palace Hall outside, who can help Elsa, Anna, and Hans in the Throne Room when the Devil Troll rises from the pit of fire to exact his fuming revenge?!

Stay tuned for the final (really this time!:) installment and conclusion to my homage to the legendary author Hans Christian Anderson's original Snow Queen based, dramatic adventure story arc of 'Frozen Again: Act VII' in time for Easter!

God bless you all 'til the exciting conclusion wrapup then! Your humble author has some big tests to pass in between, so please lend me a prayer for good judgment and a fair share of courage in your thoughts before the glory of Easter shines upon us all in one short month! :

Love,  
HarukaKou


	27. Chapter 26 - Completing the Puzzle

_We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

 **"Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act VII**

 **Chapter 27**

 **"Completing the Puzzle"**

 ** _Knock. Knock. Knock._**

As the Snow Queen's secret chamber door swings wide open, everyone within readied in position holds their collective breath for an incoming attack from whoever was at the other end of the ominous staccato pounding on the entry.

"Oh, hello, little girl. It's nice to see you here. I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs!"

But to Eugene and Cassandra and Ferdinand and Kai and the Snow Queen's relief, the 'enemy' on the outside was revealed to be merely a dizzily smiling Olaf the snowman.

The little four foot tall snow creature, standing in a puddle of ice spikes and subzero armor, had reverted back to his original non-threatening height, size and stature.

"Wow. All this melting ice is going to make a great big, dangerous puddle! How did that happen in this nice, cool temperate Snow Palace? Did someone over-stoke a super hot fireplace somewhere around here?" Too positive to imagine the moist wetness at his feet was due to himself, Olaf was unaware that he had ever been driven to evil. It seemed Elsa's transformation back to virtue had some superfluous effects on her first creation as well.

"Olaf! Praise the Lord! Look, Kai, he's a sweetie-pie again!" Little Gerda coos, her prayers answered as she throws her pixie-like arms around her reformed good friend as she beckons for her young boyfriend to join the hug.

"Did somebody have an accident and spill something? Oh, no! I sure hope no one broke those lil frozen sprite statues I saw inside the Throne Room! They were _sooo_ cute and amazingly life-like! I wonder if Elsa knows what happened to them? Let's go ask her." The overtalkative snowperson was all smiles, especially effervescent in speaking. Even more than usual, perhaps, because all his good vibes and happiness had been bottled up the past few days.

Olaf's mind control, too, had been freed the exact moment when Elsa's shanghaied psyche had been unlocked by Anna and Hans' love. The naïve snowman had already forgotten about how he – and his creative Ice Queen– had been corrupted to the Djævlen's dark side.

"Yes… Gerda. Olaf may now appear to be… _ehem_ … a _sweetie_ - _pie_ , but time will tell." The more suspicious and less trusting nine-year-old blond boy was at least a bit wary, as he gazes at the swaying back and forth snow creature over an unquestioningly believing Gerda's shoulder.

After all, happy as a clam Olaf was reveling in the warm hug from this unknown little girl, even if his slushy snow feet were turning to sludge from the heat emanating from beneath the floor that were growing increasingly slippery.

"Whoa there, little fella. Glad to see you're back on our side. But it looks like I'm not the _only_ one getting a hotfoot around here. There is definitely a temperature hike in your abode, oh mystifyingly translucent Snow Queenie." Keen Eugene was surprisingly the first of the onlookers to notice the rising heat index coming from the subterranean underground beneath his thin soled boots. The deft man slides out from the egress to stabilize a slippery Olaf in the little girl's embrace.

Aware of the situation, the Snow Queen was already at work cryokinetically building a thick ice and mirror shard platform for the comatose King Agdar and Ragi to hover up from the floor and lay upon with the remainder of her snow magic.

Huffing sub-zero cold condensation from her mouth as she automatically takes hold of Ragi's insensate cool hand, the Snow Queen then creates an ice slide for Olaf. Soon he was not on the warm floor level from the puzzle mirror she and Kai and Gerda had refitted together in her secret chamber.

"The Djævlen was preparing to rise to the surface in the throne room and had set ablaze an inferno directly beneath the floor of the great Hall that soon would melt and collapse all, killing those above and below the chasm. The Devil Troll has cleverly plotted against us so the Mirror of Reason which has restricted him for many years could never again be reconstructed again in time, particularly with my lack of power as Snow Queen." The Spirit of the Winter quietly informs her small audience with a foreboding solemnity in her melodic voice.

But there was also a great deal of hope shining in her glistening ice blue eyes.

"But I believe deeply, just as Gerda does, in God's promise of delivery from bondage and compassionate concern for His children to see us through our times of trial.

 _'In His love and in His pity He redeemed them; And He bore them and carried them all the days.'"_ The Queen of the Winter quotes the prophet Isaiah's verse 63:9.

"I am certain my Wind Chime Boy's 'Ice Angel' and 'Gingersnap', along with my Snow Prince, can defeat this beast. The Ice Queen's heart has been now fully awakened by her great love, overcoming the darkness inside which the demonic goblin introduced in her rebellious spirit. I have faith Queen Elsa will lead the way, under the Lord's grace, to rebuild the Mirror of Reason to truth and light again, with all your help, dear friends." Growing even more exclusively transparent with each word, the Snow Queen uses the remainder of her aurora borealis-gathered cryo-magic to mystically fashion hovering ice slides out of the pieced together mirror puzzle swathes.

They glide beneath each person's astonished feet to both bring them and deliver those precious, most important mirror shards back into place in the Throne Room down the hall.

"Then let us swear by the sword to stand at the Ice Queen's side to fight that Devil to the death!" Borne for battle, auxiliary Captain of the Guard of Corona, Lieutenant Captain Cassandra Schmidt, withdraws her blade from its sheath with the battle cry. Though it was not her land, or people, the quietly listening, tough as nails young woman knew instinctively that not only this distant Snow Palace and Arendelle and its royal family was at stake, but all the world as well.

The dark charcoal and black bob-haired warrior instinctively steps down hard on her frosted hovering mirror slide to employ her single-minded passion for combat and bravery, telekinetically steerin it forward into the hallway and down the corridor speedily towards the Throne Room door.

"For liberté, egalité and fraternité!" The inspired Frenchman gives his own nationalistic maxim, as courageous Prince Ferdinand raises his own accomplished sword and follows Cassandra's lead to mentally will his chunk of the mirror slide to follow the shapely and slender lady general's call to arms.

"You kids gonna be all right riding on these crazy bumper cars?" Thumbing a finger at the spectrum of sparkling mirror pieces mingled with ice slides, Eugene smirks with a resigned sigh that he had to join his more gung-ho companions rushing headlong into danger.

He surprised himself to be a shockingly responsible, paternal type, as the once careless and carefree thief pauses on his own ride to wait for the little girl and boy.

Gerda and Kai, each climb aboard their own ice mirror sled, and look up with affirmative nods to the handsome rogue to assure him that they would be up to the task.

" _Roses flower in the vale; there we hear Child Jesus' tale!'_ The Lord is holding us in his hands, never fail!" Gerda happily sings with her snow guard of frost fairies keeping the tipsy, swerving girl steady on her bumpy ice mirror slide into the hall.

"The Snow Queen will not let us down. Thus, we will handle this new venture with ease." Learning that trust was essential and Gerda's shared faith in God so precious, Kai was more a serious and practical child. The blond boy shows off by deftly maneuvering his own large mirror piece of the puzzle down the hallway to keep pace alongside a less adept Gerda.

Kai indeed displays his skill at deciphering puzzles, as he expertly connects his mirror platform to his little girlfriend's matching puzzle piece slide midair to steady Gerda's wobbly entry flight.

"Not bad, kid. You heard your protégés, Queenie, right? Hey? Where'd ya go? Man! I hate it when these magic types do that." The last one in the now eerily quiet secret chamber, Eugene gripes as he peers around for the mysterious woman.

Instead, he was spooked to see the pair of unconscious men supernaturally now afloat on their own thick ice platform. It glowed with the final wafts of the Snow Queen's aurora borealis charged energy as their shared mirror ice slide rises in front of him across the increasingly slushy ice cold floors.

"Godspeed, _Onkel_ (Uncle)." Eugene closes the snow door as he exits the room, with a quick salute to Agdar where the King was aloft nearby the chilled, snow white glass coffin-like encasement that still held Ragi. It didn't take long for Eugene to get the hang of sailing his mystical flying mirror chunk at full speed down the long hall to join the others stopped at the Throne Room door.

"Look who we found, Cousin Flynn-er-Eugene! Prince Alonso was all shivering from having been frozen somehow, but this Fire Troll girl who Elsa and I turned good with GranPabbie's help must've warmed him up! Her name is 'Bonnie', but that's all out I can get out of her because she talks funny. I bet she probably can't spell, either. That's pretty rough for even the best of us." The totally ignorant of Latin snowman had been the first down the hall and happened upon Alonso, just coming to consciousness from Black Ice Queen Elsa's mind control as well as the bitter ice magic she had cruelly punished her discarded slave with.

The careless ferocity of Elsa's flash freeze ice earlier certainly would have struck the Argentinean man dead, had warmhearted troll girl Boninite not shielded him with her pyro-powered tail through her sympathetic fondness for the man. She exquisitely felt Alonso's pain, having been possessed by the Devil Troll who had corrupted her all her young life before, and held her entire race captive as slaves for generations.

"Hey! Aren't you that jerky Prince from that rag newspaper column that got my kid bro bent all out of shape?" With a critical eye at the stranger, Eugene gives Prince Alonso a helping hand up to Olaf 's hovering mirror slide at the snowman's beckoning.

"If you mean by your 'little brother' that lucky Danish Prince Hans who just beat me in fencing soundly; and whom, even in her dark moments, was chosen by Queen Elsa over me, then yeah. Yeah, I'm that 'jerky' Prince. Prince Alonso of Córdoba. I don't remember it all, but…if I'm truthful with myself, I know that I've been living up to that derogatory moniker, and was bested by the better man. I just hope that I can make it up to Queen Elsa somehow to keep relations between our countries intact, at least." Alonso says in a rather uncharacteristically contrite manner that gave Eugene hope that Hans' love life with his Elsa had indeed triumphed.

After all, it sounded like the finicky Queen still had an eye for his Lillebror, who, it seemed, proved to be not so bad with the ladies, after all.

 _Even mentally unstable ones, messed up and gone physically ice crazy, freezing her own kingdom to a popsicle stand._

"Yeah, that sounds like my Lillebror, all right. Handsome charmer takes after me." Flynn Rider's utmost self-confidence and bravado peeks through even in the toughest situations.

"Okay, it looks like we just picked up a new member of the team. But how do we get inside this blasted Throne Room? It's been locked or jammed in some way. Got any bombs on you, Fitzherbert? Your lock picking skills won't be of any use here, with no locks nor doorknobs I can find." Tactical Cassandra says in frustration after she and Prince Ferdinand had been pushing and shoving the impassable entry for the past few minutes. They had been reduced to running their hands along the ice and snow door, trying fruitlessly to gain entry into the tightly closed Snow Palace Throne Room's frozen solid, thick double doors.

"Did you try to knock? Does **she** know how to knock, Flynn-er-Eugene?" Olaf simply asks the basic query, whispering behind his non-flaming branchy fingers out the side of his crooked mouth, looking from Eugene to Boni also on his slide about the dark-haired guardswoman's ability in question.

"There are loads of things Cas- _san_ -dra doesn't know how to. Like appreciate _me_ for my awesomeness every now and then, for instance." Eugene speaks of his sparring partner with the most insinuating belittlement of terms right in her face as he zooms forward on his mirrored ice ride and takes point to revel at the door in front of an irked Cassandra.

"What?!" Cassandra may have been incredulous, but a pursed lipped Eugene was both combatively adventuresome and practical enough to apply with finesse the talking snow man's logic, with three swift raps on the ice door, which then promptly swings open.

"Told ya." Olaf gloats down to Boninite with smiling eyes as the five, large pieced mirrors glide into the previously sealed Throne Room where they find a tearful Elsa and Anna, with Hans, quickly unraveling a frozen doll house in the far corner.

There, poor frostbitten Queen Idun, her eyes tightly shut in a hugged fetal position, had been stored in the cramped space for the past several hours, and was now on the verge of suffering from life threatening hypothermia.

And yet her purplish-blue lips were still murmuring a healing hymn.

 _"'My faith looks Thee, oh, Lamb of_ _Calvary_ _, Savior divine. Hear me while I pray and take my guilt away…'"_

"Mama!" Once Elsa had unburied the avalanched snow covering the frosted little structure that had taken quite a beating from the Black Ice Queen's stray blast earlier, the ice dollhouse had been revealed beneath the layers.

Pulling the roof of the ice construction off with Hans' pried sword and muscle to help, Anna cries out in frantic tears to see her usually lively mother's rosy pink face frosted over and so pallid. The older Queen was seemingly unable to hear either girl as she continued singing in her rocking back and forth fetal position.

 _"Rock of ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee_!" Anna, in this moment of desperation, embraces her new role as a songful healer for the dear woman who was the one who always smoothed away her baby scrapes and boo-boos growing up. She vociferously rubs her mother's blue lipped frost covered arms that were so awfully stiff and cold.

"Mama?! What have I done?! I am so sorry!" With Hans' hands on her tear-wracked shoulders, a brokenhearted Elsa rushes up and falls on her knees to cradle her dear Mama's unresponsive body. She weeps warm tears over her parent whom she, in her anger and vengeance, had put into this horrible terror, now leaving the poor woman bordering on death's door.

Caressing Idun's lovely features that so mirrored her own attractive countenance, Elsa weeps openly, remembering many flashbacks from her childhood crashing in on her apologetic psyche.

"Mama! This is all my fault! I never had the chance to tell you so many things. I never had the chance to learn all you could teach me—to be a mature lady, a worthy Queen, and a loving bride…" Elsa sniffles with open tears she never before shed in front of her female parent which seep into her mother's neck and hair as she embraces her tightly. "Mama! I didn't mean anything I said before! I love you and Papa, and know now that you did it all just to protect me from a world that wouldn't have understood! I don't blame you for trying to keep me safe! I went astray for a while, but I'm me again now. Anna has been the sunshine to light my dark paths, and…Hans has illuminated that light, in my heart, with his love." A weeping Elsa pauses to meet both Anna and Hans' sympathetic eyes in turn with gratitude.

"Please, Mama! You can't leave us now! Not when Anna and I have _dreamed_ for so long we would spend a first _whole_ family Christmas with you and Papa properly again! How sweet and wonderful and gentle and warm! I remember the way I felt back then at Christmastime all together. Dear Lord, please don't let my weakness and mistakes ruin another Christmas for the ones I love! Please…" Elsa's tear streaked face buries in her mother's frosted dark brown hair that always smelled of cinnamon and gingerbread cookies in the grand Christmas fashion they spent together—Christmas holiday times Elsa remembered from when she was a little, little girl, before all the uncertainty began.

"Mama, I love you…"

Elsa turns to Hans and Anna for strength when her insensible mother was still unresponsive to her pleas. For once in her life, Elsa felt powerless, her magic unable to do a thing about it. But she could try to dissolve her snow-chilled parent with the warmth of her love.

Anna squeezes her hand, and Hans' concerned eyes and tender assurances strengthen both trembling girls bent over their mother. As the Danish Prince comforts both sisters, Elsa feels a tender sentiment of love sweep over her.

It melts the weighty ice prison she had placed her small parent within completely, along with all the coldness overwhelming her besieged mind and body in exchange for the light of love and warmth Elsa truly felt for her mother.

"Thank you for that, my Elsa. I had no doubt and every confidence you would come back to the Light, as soon as you let the Lord into the closed door of your heart He was knocking upon. Please never cry for me, my babies, but I beg you to find it in your loving hearts to forgive your Papa and Mama's poor decisions of the past. Can you, min flicka? This is such a joyous season of love—with your birthday and Christmas and our anniversary combined. It's God's love shared with us, encouraging us still in many ways, even in our sin, to lead us back. So now let's vow to live and love and cherish one another, as we always should have, and be there to support and hearten one another all the days of our lives." Soul touched with Heavenly enlightenment, Idun hoarsely whispers, sensing Elsa's warmth of true sentiment like a soft kiss melting the cold sheath that coated her mother's chilled body with Anna's sweet soprano in her ears indeed filled with sunshine of encouraging smiles full of healing Love.

Suddenly, the first building block of the mirrored ice, symbolized in the letter of **'E'** , imbeds itself upon the mirror piece little child Gerda was riding upon, overflowing with motherly **Encouragement** and understanding.

Elsa and Anna, hand in hand, watch with wide eyes as the mirror fragments all around swirl to shape the fifth letter of the alphabet in lighted graphite, as the first mirror piece encouragingly fits right into its designed place on the broken cracked ice floor, joining the puzzle over the raised ice map at the floor's center. All present thankfully saw it was starting to cover up the gaping hole to the dark abyss below.

"I knew you could do it. Together, my girls can accomplish anything." The Queen Mother encourages her babies with a shivering, yet so proud, smile.

Observant Hans quickly moves to the sisters to help lift and steady their petite mother from her huddled bent over position after being cooped up in that igloo-like dollhouse for so many frigid hours on end.

Though weak and still shivering, Queen Idun suddenly begins to softly sing the lyrics of one of the most renowned, and haunting, carols of the season:

' _God rest ye merry, Gentlemen,  
_ _Let nothing you dismay,  
_ _For Jesus Christ our Saviour  
_ _Was born upon this Day.  
_ _To save poor souls from Satan's power,  
_ _When men had gone astray._

 _O tidings of comfort and joy. Comfort and joy.  
_ _O tidings of comfort and joy.'"_

Soon inspired, a tearful and frightened Elsa and Anna start to sing along with their weak-voiced mother the holy words of the Christmas carol bolstering their hearts and relieving their fears with Heavenly comfort and joy.

 _"'From God our heavenly Father  
_ _A blessed angel came;  
_ _And unto certain shepherds  
_ _Brought tidings of the same;  
_ _How that in_ _Bethlehem_ _was born  
_ _The Son of God by name._

 _O tidings of comfort and joy. Comfort and joy.  
_ _O tidings of comfort and joy."_

Her girls' tenderness of love joined together lifts the exhausted, hypothermia suffering Queen to be able to strengthen her own lilting voice and energy, until the trio of Arendelle's royal ladies harmonizes in the holy song of the greatest love of all.

 _"Fear not, then," said the angel,  
"Let nothing you affright;  
This day is born a Savior  
Of a pure virgin bright,  
To free all those who trust in Him  
From Satan's power and might. _

_O tidings of comfort and joy. Comfort and joy.  
O tidings of comfort and joy.'"_

"Elsa, you alone have the power to give your family this Christmas. If the love and forgiveness in your heart is strong and true, your Mama and Papa will survive this." The Snow Queen's operatic voice suddenly echoes throughout the room.

"But my poor Windchime Boy is unable to forgive himself for his poor decision that stole joyful childhoods from both you and your little sister. I fear his regret is holding him back from returning to this body shell." The Snow Queen gestures to where the King of Arendelle was unconsciously afloat on a mirror portion entering the Throne Room behind her as she continually uses her snow magic to keep the floor from melting underneath them.

Elsa then recalls in flashbacks the happy days of their earliest childhood and her young parents raising them. Babies splashing water at each other in the fjord as their Papa held them above water; giggling children kicking leaves falling from the autumn trees walking hand in hand with Mama; fun-loving kids building snowmen and ice angels; little girls picking flowers in full bloom together in the spring while their proud parents looked on, all reflected in the captured mirrors of the past that the Snow Queen had hailed into the Throne Room.

"But we don't blame Papa! He thought he was doing the right thing, and what was best for us. I know it hurt him, too! He didn't realize isolation from Anna would affect me so greatly, because he never had any siblings himself to understand what we meant to each other." She smiles with eyes full at Anna, who nods in agreement with Elsa's assessment. "I know he was just protecting us both. I have never faulted him—but if having our forgiveness is what Papa needs, he has it—entirely—from our hearts! " Elsa boldly announces, at peace with this once painful subject herself now, full of heartfelt tears for her parents both as she takes the King and Queen's hands in hers, ungloved and unafraid.

"Papa, please wake up! We love you!" Anna adds as she runs up to the hovering mirror holding her unconscious, reclined father. She takes hold of the other of her kneeling Mama's hands reaching up to her younger child, and her Papa's unconscious one tight in both her small appendages, exchanging a look with her sister as past memories again on many swirling mirror pieces continue to showcase this time tiny tots reaching for the colorful Northern Lights on their Papa's strong shoulders; learning classical hymn music on the piano with their sweet-voiced Mama singing side-by-side; and ringing the Arendelle Christmas Yule bell with the whole entire family.

In a perfect familial circle, the sisters squeeze their weak parents' cold hands with their strong, warmed palms, singing the blessed melody Idun had started.

That's when something magical in the sparkling mirror pieces begins to glow and react.

"The power of your love can rebuild a far greater enchanted Mirror, Elsa, Anna, than my Mirror of Reason. Please do so quickly and save not only your Papa, but all the lives of the citizens of your realm." Anna and Elsa hug one another close as they view the nostalgic memories of days gone by on those special looking glasses aglow all around them.

The blonde young woman recalls more and more of the warmth of the happier days of her childhood, now blooming into womanhood. From rugged Kristoff introducing the Arendelle sisters together to his troll family in all their quirky eccentricity as new friends; to Anna's messy bedhair birthday morning invitation from her loving big sister; to Elsa encountering a handsome red-haired Prince again on a pirate ship, so gallantly facing danger for her in the windblown sunset, where Hans took Elsa's breath away for the first time; to Olaf putting the special crystal new tradition ice star atop their tall elegant ice tree as both girls sang of cherished togetherness while the townspeople gazed on.

All these precious memories reflect in those select mirror couplets that Kai, Gerda, Eugene, Cassandra, and Ferdinand step down from, giving them all glimpses of the lives and loves and precious times of Elsa and Anna Bernadotte who had become so beloved to all those blessed to encounter the pair of noble sisters.

 _'Now to the Lord sing praises,  
All you within this place,  
And with true love and brotherhood  
Each other now embrace;  
This holy tide of Christmas  
Doth bring redeeming Grace _

_O tidings of comfort and joy. Comfort and joy.  
O tidings of comfort and joy.'"_

As the Snow Queen's operatic contralto soars in her Snow Palace Throne Room to join Elsa, Anna and Idun's mix of sopranos, the aurora borealis lights explode in prismatic rainbows.

Prince Hans lends his arm to Elsa's mother from the cold floor she had been cramped in that small space within, to reveal a tiny, yet deep, crack in the ice mirrored section of the floor where the dollhouse formerly stood.

Queen Idun, though it took all of her strength and presence of wavering mind and spirit, had continued chipping at the mirror floor with the lost, large diamond ring Hans had miraculously returned to her earlier. Blindly humming the tune of her true heart at Christmastide reaching out to her love all the while, Idun kept up the good fight as her diamond ring scratched at the mirror floor surface.

Her soft song as well had been mystically imbued with the healing Rapunculus magic, as Idun persevered in her belief until the smallest, most infinitesimal shaft of light pierced straight through to a certain underground cavern beneath.

And there, in his final moments of conscious thought, just before the fumes of fire and brimstone fury overtook him, King Agdar's ice cold ears pricked upwards, before the Devil Troll's flames devoured his melting ice spirit entirely to be forever separated from his physical form.

As the King doggedly refused to capitulate his constant vortex that doused the flames engulfed at his feet, Agdar heard his beloved wife's sweet soprano calling to him.

The dying King felt his lover singing in his disoriented head, reaching out to his heart, resigned to sacrifice and fight to the bitter end, praying for strength in his frightened soul which didn't wish to abandon the children he dearly loved…

Through the smoky darkness' lassitude, in all the confusion and dampened defeat pressing in to swallow up Agdar and Ragi's disembodied spirits completely, that healing melody of Redemption and Grace resounds. The song penetrates deep into damnation, splitting apart the acrimonious Devil Troll's fire trap in the inferno of the catacomb cavern.

The sweet melody of Idun and her daughters, Elsa and Anna, is enhanced by the Snow Queen's dulcet tones amplifying their voices on the harmonics of ice in every molecule of the Snow Palace's construction. Through the tiny crack, the quartet of melodic angel voices call the disoriented man's spirit up from the raging fires about to destroy him.

From nowhere and everywhere in the distance all at once, instruments of an unseen orchestra play on the ice that reverberates a polar ensemble that the Snow Queen conducts flawlessly.

 _"Oh, tidings of comfort and joy."_

"Ragi!" The Snow Queen's normal, calm, emotionless demeanor is altered when the man who was one with nature, abruptly returns his translucent spirit in the aurora borealis infused room to his physical body before the Mistress of the Winter's delighted eyes.

The weary older man, wearing his trademark trenchcoat and tall blue hat, suddenly sits up and begins to speak as if he had not been absent from his body for months on end.

{"My Queen. The warmth in his heart is the only thing that can lead the Ice King back to his earthly form. I foresee only one path for Agdar Bernadotte to survive. His great love for his family is the only way to bring his spirit back, if his ice form can be convinced to allow fear to be overwritten by trust, once and for all. But this must be accomplished quickly, and before your mirror barrier is completed to halt the Djævlen Trolden from returning to spread his wickedness across the earth's surface again." The Wind Whisperer speaks through a spiritual link with his lifemate on behalf of the courageous, yet stubborn, human King who was still fighting a losing battle deep down below with the hellfire that knew no end.

* * *

"Dear God. I know my time left is short, and I have expended Your gifts imprudently for many years. Whether you find my willful existance worthy or not, please, Heavenly Father, watch over this foolish man's little girls and the good woman who gave those two angels to him, though he made **so** many mistakes as a husband and a father..." In the subterranean levels directly below where his drifting spirit was unsure what was reality or hallucination in this fiery inferno anymore, Ice soldier King Agdar confesses his regretful heart in what he thought to be his final hour on earth.

Feeling utterly alone now that even Ragi's spirit had abandoned him, trapped in the chasm. Suddenly he hears faintly divine lyrics inexorably echo through that small pinprick hole in the ceiling above him.

" _Comfort and joy… Oh tidings of comfort and joy…"_

An almost totally translucent, white-eyed Ice King's frozen ears pick up at the perfect music ensuing from above…

"I-I…Idun? Ell-ssa? An-na?" Each name was huffed out in breathy mists of frost condensation amid the blazing furnace of the flame engulfed cavern, King Agdar takes a step closer to relinquishing his most powerful subzero ice body form to embrace his warmhearted and weak human frailty again.

 _If you grant me one more chance, O Lord, I promise now to listen more and rule less, especially in concern with my daughters. They have proven that they are good and noble leaders and kind-hearted grown women, I don't often recognize that fact, still seeing the two as 'my little girls.' I regret not listening to any voice of reason in the past, shutting my family away in fear for many years. And most of all, I apologize for not allowing You to naturally lead my loved ones to choose their own way… I will now try to trust their decisions and be more reconciled to the choice of their hearts, and Yours, not my judgement alone. Thy will be done, Almighty Father of wisdom and forgiveness._

In his last moments comes the realization of true humbleness and need for pardon. Amid the tormenting flames he had staved off for some time now, King Agdar Bernadotte stands in total humility before the mercy seat of God.

Agdar, in his ice state, still desperately longed for the humanity that his Creator instilled in the heart of mankind, and yet hoped to share just once more with his cherished ones.

Though the squelching heat had blinded the King of Arendelle's frost coated eyes, he still heard the glorious sounds of a beautiful symphony and the trio of familiar voices as tears well up in his icy eyes.

"You never forget to comfort a single one of Your children, Lord. As undeserving as I am, I wish to go home to my family and give them just one Christmas to remember with joy." Admiral Bernadotte whispers as unbidden tears finally spill over his frigid cheeks and down to his stubborn ice armored shell.

He unashamedly weeps, until the angelic music rings softly in his ears louder than the chiming bells he had been hearing most of his life. The tender song even overtakes the drum beats of war he had been plagued with of late, as the edgy, uptight, overprotective King finally lets go.

And the fires of Hades flare up and instantly melt the Ice King, consuming his body of ice entirely into nothingness…

 ** _SIZZLE…FIZZLE…PFFT!_**

* * *

 _Back on the other side of the cracked broken mirror…_

 ** _BLINK_**. ** _BLINK_**. ** _BLINK_**.

"Papa!" "Min älskare (my love)!" The chorus of females singing the haunting Christmas carol for their dearest Papa pauses to give a shout of great joy. The miraculous rainbow iridescent lights of the aurora borealis glow in combined harmonization with the Yuletide melody that seemed to call back the wayward spirit of their paternal parent who rose up from the fiery pit that would have been his grave.

Illuminated in a pale blue white radiance, King Agdar's soul had burst through that tiny hole his wife had scratched out on the shattered mirror floor with her diamond engagement ring—the massive diamond circlet that Agdar had years ago had made for her with utter love.

That small wisp of shining spirit reenters Agdar's body as he arrives on the seventh reconstructed mirror platform that the Snow Queen had ushered into the Throne Room.

"I heard my girls calling to me and my spirit longed to draw nigh in your direction…" Agdar whispers without opening his eyes, as Anna and Elsa support their anxious mother with Hans' gentle help to be at their once again whole father's side.

But when he opens his eyes, they were entirely white and…sightless.

"I cannot see any of you, though I feel you near. Everything is so blurry, like a hazy film coating my eyes. But that matters not. Though that Devil took my sight, my family is close. God is so good to have given me this Christmas present early." The heartily grateful King holds a weak, blind hand out to his wife, who caresses it tenderly to her teary cheek.

"You're wearing our ring, my Song? I haven't seen that great big, grandiose diamond engagement ring in a long time. I remember how you adored wearing it this time of year. Heh heh…I always knew it would come in handy someday…" He smiles contentedly to himself with a tender kiss to Idun's left hand that now proudly wore the massive heart diamond engagement ring.

Agdar always naively believed his Queen treasured it so much that she kept it safe and would only bring it out at the festive occasion of their anniversary near Christmastime, having no idea how she actually disliked its obscene ostentation.

"Of course I'm wearing the first symbol of our love, my darling! After all, it heralds that our joyous season is upon us, right? Elsa's birthday, the Christmas holiday, our anniversary. So much to celebrate. So much to be thankful for, min älskare." Idun smiles and revels in his cool but not bitterly cold touch to her cheek as relieved tears finally run down her face that her partner in life was alive and safe in her arms.

Then Agdar reaches out to each of his children, yearning to feel their thin girlish hands squeeze his, though he could not distinguish either of their beautiful angel faces.

"Elsa, Anna, can you ever forgive your thoughtless Papa? My wonderful girls have become so accomplished and strong, even more so now that you are united together." Agdar's eyes momentarily flutter open, with Elsa and Anna's smiles reflected in their dim haze as he incoherently tries to formulate words out of his troubled thoughts.

Visions of ringing the bells and lighting candles with the Arendelle family together symbolizing the Christmas celebration to begin burned brightly and still rung loudly in their nostalgic minds. After six-year-old young Elsa's fear of her developing ice magic made King Agdar go to extremes and close the gates for so many years, that memory was made all the more poignant.

"Oh, Papa, you and I are really so much alike, both not intending, but still making so many mistakes because we were afraid. But my Hans has reminded my heart that _'Love keeps no record of past wrongs',_ Papa. Let's have a fresh start now, with new beginnings this Christmas. _"_ Elsa quotes the special II Corinthians Bible verse under her Danish Prince's grateful adoring gaze.

She touches King Agdar's sallow, cool cheek that was warming under the healing glow of the aurora borealis which the Snow Queen was magically filtering down upon him through the now again open glass window roof.

"We love you, Papa! Don't worry. Kristoff's taking care of that bad Troll King right now. We'll all be fine and happy, back home in Arendelle, real soon!" Optimistic Anna bites her trembling lip with a radiant squeeze to his hand that was entwined with each of his girls' palms.

"Yes, my Gingersnap. But I fear you may have to help your young Snow Prince fight the remainder of this final battle without me, my darlings. For your Papa is so weak, he cannot even see you anymore. Perhaps…another should have been here as well to lighten your burden in my place, Elsa. Forgive my error in judgment again, my Snow Angel…" The King trails off in deep thought contemplation, ironically staring directly at Prince Hans through blind eyes, though he wasn't aware the Dane was there.

Hans almost speaks to make his presence known, but Queen Idun places a halted finger to her lips, knowing her husband well that this was not the correct moment to overload his fragile senses.

"But perhaps it is for the better that you have each other and your bond exceeds any other on earth to rely on, my good girls. So, with your devoted sister at your side, I leave the fate of our nation to you, Queen Elsa of Arendelle." An exhausted King Agdar verbally and mentally hands over the banner of his position as ruler monarch and patriotic love of country to his rightful heir and capable daughter, with newfound respect for her role as Queen.

Then, the once again solid, pale ginger moustached King, though heat shellshocked and sightless, contentedly collapses in exhaustion to his wife's loving lap.

"Is Papa going to be all right, Mama? Will he see again?" Anna whispers the burning questions as Idun softly begins singing her healing melody over her husband. The Prince of the Southern Isles kneels down to give his loving support in a moment of sadness at her father's unconscious and blinded state, as Elsa buries her tearful face in Hans' strong yet dutifully silent arms.

"Yes, children. I believe your true love and devotion to one another, along with God's grace, has brought your father back to you. But King Agdar will require much recuperation and rest to regain his eyesight in due time, to become fully readjusted to his normal human body form again after his hard-fought struggle with the Djævlen in those blazing fires. But the good man has trusted to leave this battle up to you, Queen Elsa, as joint ruler of this country. Now, you must prevail against the Devil Troll and stop the evil one from reaching out into the bright world as swiftly as possible by reconstructing the shattered Mirror of Reason that has prevented him from fully reaching the world he has had within his sights now for millennia. You must protect your vulnerable people against this demon's threat with all due haste." Ragi, ominous as ever, spells out what must be done to bring this disturbed kingdom back to rights.

"I will return to the site where the heart of the Black Ice fissure first began. We must seal up where the deceitful Devil Troll first found escape. It is there he will run to once he discovers your completed mirror here. We must bypass him at all costs before the Djævlen perverts another heart to do his evil bidding. The time of his arrival is extremely imminent." The sage older man is silently joined by a limping and scarred-eyed Holger. The gray wolf alongside the tattered and re-sewn together Magic Carpet were ready and willing to lend their aid in whatever area they could, as wordlessly unspoken allies.

Idun's healing hymn for her husband conveyed some degree of rejuvenation to the scathed rug's embroidered weave and missing tasseled feet, as well as the bloody wounds of the large old wolf who was mended in the golden flower's song of magical amelioration.

"But Ragi. for such an endeavor, you certainly will require a cryo-wielder. But as I am maintaining the Snow Palace from the fiery inferno attempting to devour it from below, and Ice Queen Elsa is also needed here to reconstruct the Mirror before the evil Djævlen Trolden rises to the surface, how will you be able to seal up the fissure in the Svartisen glacier?" The Snow Queen evenly verbalizes all that must be done for what the man of nature was proposing.

Calm in the storm Ragi merely adjusts the big blue trenchcoat he was sporting thoughtfully. Then his actual physical form, that she had not felt the solid touch of in a very long time, walks up to the Snow Queen and wraps her up in a big hug that the Spirit of the Winter had not encountered in many a long year.

"If it is His will, my Queen, the Creator of the universe will ensure that the righteous will find success against their enemies _. 'They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.'" (_ Revelation 12:11) Ragi assures his devout Queen with an inspiring passage from the Good Book's end times apocalyptic testament.

"Amen. Wind Whisperer, I will be privileged to serve beside you, to fight this menace for my daughters, my family, my country in whatever limited way I can. You must be my sight, Ragi, so my ice magic at last will be of some benefit to mankind. We must cryokinetically seal the escape of that villain from the Svartisen glacier's Black Ice evermore." Reinvigorated by Inspiration and his wife and daughters' love for him, Agdar flutters open his eyes, hearing much of what had been discussed and still longing to be part of the action, despite his debilitating lack of vision.

"Agdar! No, you can't!" Idun's secret little selfish joy that her husband was conscious and safe in her embrace and need not serve his country any further in this war was short-lived, and she was overtaken by trepidation for her newly recovered King.

"My love. I must. I may have been blinded, but I may still be of use with my ice energies, if well directed. The fate of our countrymen, our kingdom, perhaps the world, is at peril from that vengeful Devil Troll. I have tasted his vile wickedness personally and will be on guard to not fall prey again to his obvious ploys, should our paths cross again. It is the least I can offer to Elsa and Anna, and the Snow Queen as they play a far more vital role in rebuilding the Mirror of Reason as seal. I must do my small part with all I have left in me. Please, Idun. Allow me this boon." Agdar's not so cryokinetically powerful hands turn to fists when the Norwegian King explains to his wife his intentions while he stands to his feet under his own power.

Well, mostly.

Queen Idun leaps up to steady her shaky King, placing herself, weak and weary in body, but strong in mind and spirit, under his arm for support.

"Not without me you're not, mister. The Lord God himself said that man is not meant to be alone and requires a helpmate since Genesis." With a small smile, the petite Queen lays down the law as she finds her own legs to finally stand up to her man's stubborn side.

Knowing this battle with his wife already lost, Agdar smirks down at Idun and her indomitable love that never failed him all these quarter-century of years he didn't deserve.

That's when the bright-eyed pixie princess and the elegant platinum blonde queen spot their parents leave the Throne Room by way of the Snow Queen's handheld teleport mirror powered by the emerging aurora borealis. It begins holographically transporting them along with Ragi on the vibrant rays of light into the portal still linked to the Svartisen in the Great Hall at the original Queen of the Winter's silent command.

"Papa? Mama!? Where you going?!" Anna watches the royal couple moving decisively away as she and Elsa pause in their hand-in-hand ice skating by which the two girls were directing the mirror pieces into proper place to magically fit together, spelling some unknown word.

"What if I need you here? What if the Djævlen is too powerful and we don't finish the mirror in time? What if –" The small voice of the anxious girl trembles in Elsa as she cutely bites her lower lip. Her big blue wavering eyes once again beg her father and mother not to leave her.

"There are no ' _what ifs'_ for the ruler of a great nation such as ours, nor any in my mind concerning you anymore, Elsa. You have proven yourself to be a powerful and righteous leader, and have gained my full trust and confidence to represent our kingdom and our family as Queen of this nation. You **will** reclaim our country back from this monstrous threat. I believe in you, my darling Snow Angel. You **will** withstand this wicked manipulation with honor and pride, befitting our people as their monarch and the daughter I proudly love." Agdar bows the authority of his crownless head to his daughter, giving Elsa deference and respect to rule and lead in his stead.

Although, the blinded father was quite unaware that Prince Hans was silently steadying Elsa's shoulder to lend her his strength as well, so Queen Idun smiles brightly at the Danish lad.

"We will always be with you, wherever you go, Elsa. As long as you remember the love we shared, min flicka, we will be with you in spirit. Anna will be at your side to remind you of our family's true bond of blessings. And know that your Heavenly Father is never far away. He is your strength and your fortress in times of trouble. God bless you all." The prescient Queen presses something soft and small and old into her elder child's hand, which she had retrieved many days ago, with a nurturing smile that traveled between both her children, as well as Prince Hans, who was looking on nearby.

As she glances down to the knit black and white plush Idun left in her hand, Elsa again experiences mirror reflected flashback episodes of when her Admiral Papa brought home to his toddler girl a real live puffin chick the King named Jorgen Bjorgen. It was as cute and fluffy as a pet could be that the sympathetic young Admiral had rescued from drowning on his naval tour in the north of Norway.

But when it was discovered that a sneezy Elsa was allergic to the tiny bird's feathery coat, his sad little girl was mournful and refused to lose her funny pet, not understanding how he made her feel sick. In the mirror's memory tableau, a sniffling Princess Elsa finally agreed to let go of her wee birdie after her caring Papa explained the little puffin was too lonesome for Svalbard out of his colder habitat in southernmost Arendelle, and it was only right and proper to release him.

Some twenty one years ago, King Agdar even brought toddler Elsa onboard his ship as special envoy ship's 'Commodore', and the obliging crew set out to sea to release her baby puffin to fly away to the North, back to his kith and kind.

But mopey little miss Elsa was still brokenhearted to let her Jorgen go. So for her third birthday close approaching, her very pregnant Mama and Gerda and Johanne knit a plush friend for Elsa resembling the little puffin bird 'Jorgen Bjorgen.' Her Admiral Papa came home especially for Elsa's birthday to hold a ceremony, complete with a pair of Elsa's gloves fashioned into his regal cape at her suggestion, for _Sir_ Jorgen Bjorgen to be small Lady Elsa's forever stalwart true knight, even when her first hero, her Papa, was away at sea.

In the sweet childhood memory she'd almost forgotten, Elsa recalls how much she loved her parents and recognized now that they only wished to help her in her struggle with her inherited ice powers, just like her grandparents did before for him.

"Don't ever forget how much love inside you have to shower upon your true knight." Mama With deeper meaning, Idun wisely whispers in Elsa's ear when the tall stylish Ice Queen rushes up to give each of her departing parents a rare, warm hug. The memory of her attachment to 'Sir Jorgen Bjorgen' was sweet to Elsa as she tenderly pets and smoothes out the stuffed yarn toy's 'hair' in her hand as she used to do, gazing down upon him with fondness.

"Glad to see your knight in shining 'yarn-mor' has titian hair, albeit in questionable tonsorial coiffure style. Remind me to wear a cape more often." Tickled to see his fiancée's childhood toy had red-orange tresses which she seemed to have an especial affinity to, there was a touch of playful conceit in Hans' silky voice as he stoops to the ground to retrieve something sparkly. The smirking prince could no longer contain the mirthful aside comment for his adorable Elsa to hear.

However, rather than the overcome with emotion daughter to whom it was an intended flirtation, his teasing tenor was **not** totally out of her father's now pricked up earshot on the other side of the room…

"Thank you, Mama, Papa. I will stand tall and do my best, holding my head high knowing that you both have confidence in me." Elsa intones with grateful emotion. With just a wave of her enchanted hand, the moved with emotion Ice Queen begins to set into place a swath of collected mirror over the wide open chasm.

The first mirror puzzle piece that young Kai and Gerda, with Olaf, Eugene, Cassandra and Ferdinand's help had assembled, now fully forms into the glowing shape of the letter **'T'** , illuminated with her father's utmost **Trust** in his daughter's leadership.

So with the second lettered mirror piece of the puzzle completed, the King and Queen of Arendelle transport away via the Snow Queen's rays of the Northern Lights to the portal in the Svartisen Valley. There the Ice King, directed by Ragi, would seal off that crack in the deep black ice that the Devil Troll's taunting spirit first escaped through, so the wicked one would have nowhere to run.

"You have my complete _Trust_ , Queen Elsa, to lead our country out from under this darkness." With the hard-fought admission, King Agdar acknowledges her sovereignty in the Ice Queen's direction. His tattered frost senses told the King his like-gifted child was in that general vicinity, though he saw nothing but a white haze.

 _I begged in my hour of need for Your benevolence, and Your generosity has been replete, dear Lord. So I will not rescind my vows, unpalatable as they may be…though it may take some time and a clearer head to recompense for my own stubbornness. Please lend this old father a double amount of those, too…_

"May God be with you 'til we meet again, my darlings. Mama knows what a test this is. And I also know how strong the Lord made you to be. When you're together, you can surpass any obstacle." Their devout mother's sweet soprano rings with devoted, Heaven sent _Encouragement_ for her children.

As Idun and Agdar, and Ragi and Holger are whisked away in flashes of rainbow lights that the Snow Queen siphoned through the morphing ice glassy ceiling into her mirror trans-portal, the Arendelle sisters smile with enlightened hope and trust in each other.

Together they look from each of the faces of their helpful friends, Kai, Gerda, Hans, Eugene, Cassandra, Ferdinand, Alonso, Boninite, Olaf, Svala and Carpet, to the remainder of the still mixed up, prismatic puzzle pieces all gathered around the Throne Room.

With renewed hope, Elsa squeezes Anna's hand with all the warmth of love for family, friends, God and country she knew they both felt inside that could triumph over this grave adversity.

* * *

 _'Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia!_  
 _Earth and heaven in chorus say, Alleluia!_  
 _Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia!_  
 _Sing, ye heavens, and earth reply, Alleluia!'_ (Isaac Watts  & Lowell Mason)

Happy Easter, dear friends!

Here is, as promised, the first part of this Act VII season-ender chapter! The second half of this exciting conclusion to this original 'Snow Queen' inspired arc, I already have written and Dragon speech recognition software recorded, so we only have to proof-read it! I intend to release the second part soon post-Easter next week! So please stay tuned for the big finish of this adventure into the wicked Djævlen Troll's threat and Queen Elsa's journey in discovering the deeper mysteries of Love in all its wonder.

May you be inspired by Jesus' perfect Love for us too, as we celebrate His sacrifice and miracle of His gift of Eternal life for us all!

God bless you all! Have a Happy Easter with all those you hold dear!

Love, HarukaKou

P.S. Thank you all for the blessing of your support and caring words and prayers for your humble author as I go for my final driver's license test in a few days! Wish me luck to face my tomorrows! Jesus loves you!

 _"Because He lives! I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, all fear is gone!  
Because I know He holds the future. And life is worth the living just because He lives!" ( The Gaithers)_


	28. Chapter 27 - The Mirror of Love

_Happy Orthodox Easter weekend, dear Frozen friends! (W Easters made my deadline! ;)  
Here is the 2nd part of this conclusion chapter to this dramatic, action-filled, inspired and romantic Act VII Arc of Frozen Again: Love Never Ends!  
So much was going on in the story arc wrap up, with tons of cool characters with intricate problems to address, we decided to put in three sections the longest chapter!  
It's still a super long ride, so please grab some snacks, get comfy and sit back to enjoy! _

_Thanks for tagging along on Helsa, Kristanna, and Eupunzel's grand adventure-love story!  
_

 _Conclusion Part 3 to come next week!_

God bless and happy reading on this Paschal feast celebration of our glorious Saviour! _  
HarukaKou_

* * *

 _We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

 **"Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act VII**

 **Chapter 27**

 **"The Mirror of Love"**

"Ice Queen Elsa. The true sentiment of your heart has begun to reform the mirrored building blocks, lettered by the virtues to spell our Heavenly Maker's road to freedom, just as sweet Gerda did many years ago against this same devilish threat." The Snow Queen's melodic voice sings with her contralto echoing throughout the Throne Room from somewhere, nowhere and everywhere all at once.

"I **will** succeed for the sake of everyone I love. With Anna and Hans here beside me, how can I go wrong?" With a deep breath, Elsa girds up her determination as her attentive Prince Hans easily sweeps her off her feet in an effortless spin to the other side of the room.

Once there, Elsa converses with the invisible Spirit of the Winter who had fused herself as part of the Snow Palace's superstructure to keep it intact for the others to work industriously all around the room as they try to fit the puzzle together.

" _Argh! Too hot, Kristly_! Elsa! I think he's in trouble down there! I'm going in to help him!" Anna skids on the ice over to the ledge of the chasm, looking over. The feisty girl was about to jump in, psychically sensing in her heart the danger Kristoff was going through, though he tried to shield it from her.

While the Ice Queen and Snow Queen were conversing with one another, Anna had gone in curiosity to inspect the first two large mirror shard pieces they had erected over the gaping wide hole. But there in the deep pit was thickening billows of smoke and flame rising, the awful fire burning stench growing upwards, especially affecting Anna, now futilely reaching out to her psychically gifted young hubby.

"Svala!" Girl of action Anna impatiently calls upon her flying reindeer, but the doe already had a rider gripping her reins and leading her towards the battle din ablaze down the still open chasm.

"Red!? Let go of **_my_** flying reindeer! **I've** got to get to Kristoff!" Anna vies to take Svala's leads, but the Prince of the Southern Isles was obstinate about relinquishing the flying creature's control, as he physically withholds Svala from her.

"I believe I am far better suited in force, stature and weaponry ability – _and_ far more expendable then you, dear Princess – for a violent face down with that devilish Troll King monster. It's reality, not merely boastfulness, Anna." With a lofty, overconfident simper talking down to Anna, Hans places an experienced hand on his trusty sword hilt.

"Ex-cuuusse me?! I can fence very well indeed! And probably beat you at it, too, Buster!" Grabbing up from the fragmented mirrored ground the Snow Queen's ice blade that Dark Elsa had used and discarded earlier, brassy Anna of Arendelle gives some rather rusty advances, crowned with a clumsy plunge in Hans' direction.

To which the lifelong swordsman prince counters with a concise dodging esquive, smoothly sidestepping the ginger's quite incorrect, leg entangled and appallingly incorrect fléche sabré bout with ease.

Hans glances over the eager fencer's shoulder to where Elsa wore an expression of sheer terror at the idea of her headstrong baby sister racing headlong into hand to hand combat with that vicious Djævlen Troll King.

So the compassionate young man accedes to his fiancée's silent wish, as best he saw it, and takes this delicate matter into his own capable hands.

Wiry, confident hands that show off how inferior Anna's swordfighting skills were, as Hans flexes some expert feints and thrusts and parries to perfection before the red face of the orangey haired younger girl's angry frown and growl.

"No, Anna. This is my honor-bound duty to protect you with my life, as befitting my status as Vise Admiral of your father's Navy, your future brother-in-law _and_ Prince Consort of Arendelle." The Dane juts out his noble chin and sticks his celestial nose uppity in the air, feeling vindicated to exert such dominant authority over the small, hapless female.

"Hans!" A quirked brow Elsa is startled by her lover's normally tender voice portending to be more assertively commanding and condescendingly masculine in address, as she, unlike Anna, had never really witnessed from him before. Elsa puts a hand up to quell a jaw-dropped Anna, just itching for a fight with the chauvinist.

"While yourself and Anna and the others continue assembling this mirror shattered floor to serve as shield from the Devil Troll, **_I_** will be the one to descend into that ebony pit to lend whatever aid I can to Mr. Bjorgman to stop that vile beast before it ascends to the surface." Hans slings his long legs over the flying reindeer to race into the battle, he himself willing to go it alone to join courageous Kristoff and Sven somewhere below for the sake of these women and their country.

The conscientious soldier, catching Eugene's eye with a gesture, gives his older brother across the Throne Room a look to watch out for those remaining up here as Hans maneuvers Svala towards the chasm center.

"Have you decided all that for us without deigning to discuss it with me, your Lordship?" An offended Elsa responds with an icy hand halting his departure, her voice frosty with reproach as the tall Queen strides towards this man who was to be her chosen partner in life, not her ruler.

An upbraided and knowing it Prince Hans approaches Elsa, landing on bended knee to ingratiate himself as well as to slip back on her finger the snowflake engagement ring that he had picked up from the floor after she, as Black Ice Queen, had chucked in his face earlier.

"Elsa, my Queen, please…forgive me. That is… I…did not intend to cause you umbrage with my poor choice of expedient words. But as your fiancé, please allow me this privilege to protect you and your sister and your country to the paramount of my ability. As a man, as an officer of this great nation, and as your betrothed, I vow to never shirk my responsibility and duty to those whom I love and have come treasure as my own." The handsome redheaded Prince sees her feathers ruffled, and the chameleon in him immediately takes Elsa's left hand firmly yet tenderly, as he persists in giving his soaring speech to his miffed fiancée Queen.

Hans reaches his hand out to her reluctant one to proffer his genuine sentiment once more as he finishes slipping on the exquisite diamond circlet once again where it belonged on her ring finger.

But before a thought-provoked Elsa accepts it, she thoroughly surprises Hans by retracting her left appendage and slipping off the much traveled engagement ring. She instead holds it up to inspect between her fingers in the glowing Northern Lights ponderingly instead.

His startled breath caught in his throat at the terrifying sight of his love's public rejection, the Danish Prince, who had been through a lot in the emotional realm due to this fetchingly beautiful and fascinating female, swallows hard.

With baited breath, a bewildered Hans, from his kneeling position, watches Elsa take the special snowflake ring he proposed marriage to her with, and bring it up to her lips. In astonishment from where the handsome prince was perched on the ground at her feet, he views the Ice Queen blows a breathless kiss over the diamante gemstones until they sparkle and shine as never before.

"With this ring, I thee impart half of my ice magic to you, Hans Westergaard. A piece of my soul to the owner of my heart." Elsa draws an astonished Hans' hand up to hers as she endows a pinpointed degree of her cryokinetic magic into the precious ring he gave to her to cement their pledge of eternal love to one another, that only he could be the recipient of.

She slips that diamond engagement ring on Prince Hans' slender left pinky finger with a tender kiss that empowers the Danish thirteenth in-line Prince with a certain amount of projectile ice magic that the Ice Queen knew the intelligent young man would be able to decipher how to utilize to his benefit in tense battle with the fire wielding Devil Troll.

"Elsa, you've granted me a part of your cryokinetic control? You trust me with something so precious?" Hans says in an awestruck whisper as the energized ice figurine of his leading lady glistens with raw power around his neck infusing a protective layer of ice to surround his body automatically as well.

At just a thought to the ring she had placed on his finger, Prince Hans feels a cold subzero chill surge down his arm and through his veins, giving the young Dane quite a thrill that bordered on pure ecstasy as he gazes down at the platinum blonde's just as excited iridescent blue eyes.

"After all we've been through, do you truly believe I wouldn't? Hans, I trust you with all my heart, and all my soul. You haven't once ceased your selfless caring, and giving so much for my sister, my nation, and my people!" Elsa exchanges her puffin plush knight with a real live one, unceremoniously yanking the startled Prince by the front of his navy blue jacket collar up to her level with all the love and yearning she had in her heart for him.

With a fervent kiss, to which a desperate Hans responds just as passionately, he gathers the eager young woman up in his arms, pulling her closer.

"Yechhh… If you're going to be all chivalrous-like and bossy ordering me not to go, after Mama and I went through all the trouble of getting you here without Papa knowing, can you at least postpone the disgusting kissing and just get going already? Kristoff needs help, **ASAP**!" An uncomfortable Anna impatiently shifts as she elbows her more amused and chuckling cousin Eugene, now nearby standing with his arms crossed to rubberneck the romantic soap opera drama playing out.

Currently preoccupied, Hans' racing mind only half quantifies Anna's disturbing admittance.

"Take it from an experienced older man: It takes two pairs of lips to tango, Pixie." Eugene sardonically answers with a smirk at the questioning girl. "Is it me? Do you feel the temperature rising between those two crazy kids in love, or is it getting way hotter downstairs beneath this miraculously-not-collapsing ice floor? We better get a move on, before it brings down the roof!" Expert at architectural integrity from his criminal career of breaking into weak spots, Eugene gives a light tap to Hans' shoulder as the Dane was still lip-locked with the leggy blonde. "Does donning that magic ring mean you never have to come up for breath? Damn, I have to get me one of those, Lillebror!" The thief marvels under his breath at Hans' impressive new superpower, especially over this extremely compliant pretty lady.

"No worries, Queenie. The Kid's like a bad red penny who will definitely turn up on your special day to blow out the candles with you. So hold the best kissin' for then, okay? I personally guarantee he'll be there, or my name isn't 'Flynn Rider'." Thinking they were clinging to one last kiss, Eugene makes the promise full of his normal garrulous bravado, but this time it had to come with strings attached.

"It isn't." A pursed lip, ever the realist Cassandra pipes in with a droll smirk from behind at her thieving rival.

"Nuance." Eugene shakes his head and spreads his hands back at his usual sparring partner dismissively. Then, he claps his hands rather loudly. "Okay, kids. Break it up now! We've got some Devil's food cake to mix and beat up down there!" Placing himself between them, Flynn parts Hans and Elsa physically, as he practically has to drag Hans backwards by the scruff of his red blushing neck.

"Storbror? In good conscience, I cannot and will not ask you to risk yourself accompanying me on this mission to fight the evil Devil Troll." The Danish Prince quickly snaps to responsible leader mode again, and looks at Eugene in astonishment at his offer to render his service to this fight.

"Well, you're not 'askin', I'm tellin'! After all we've been through together, there's no way in hell I'm gonna let you go on this fool crazy mission alone, magic pinky promise ice ring or no, Lillebror. Besides. I've got me a magic flying Carpet who's ready and willing to take us down to the bargain-basement of this frozen joint in a flash. Haven't you learned by now, you need a partner or two to watch your tight backside, Kid." His turn to invoke some big brother authority over Hans now, Eugene offers in no uncertain terms his presence, after already becoming reacquainted with Carpet, who had gone through a full recovery due to Idun and Anna's healing music.

"Make that a trio of _le_ fools _, mon ami_. ready to face this _diabolique_ (devilish) menace at your side. I believe I can speak on behalf of _ma chere_ Cassandra as well, for I have never met such a _déterminé_ woman before. Though my Helena comes close at times…" Ferdinand joins in the conversation with a deep glance into Cassandra's staunch and steadfast eyes. Within seconds of flirting with Cass and mentioning his own fiancée within a single breath, the Frenchman's fickle blue orbs scan Elsa up and down with satisfaction to find another resolute and strong-minded female there. So the French Crown Prince comes to attention and salutes her, followed by a sweeping bow.

"At last we meet, Queen Elsa. I am Crown Prince Ferdinand Philippe d'Orleans Egalité. I am charmed to make your enchanting acquaintance after hearing of you for many months from my good friend, Prince Hans." Ferdinand gives Hans a nod before continuing.

"I had been employed by your father, my dear friend Admiral Bernadotte, to monitor this exemplary man, whom I have unexpectedly befriended during our long and difficult overland passage from the Far East. And I am not about to abandon **my** mission to report the findings of his dutiful, unblemished character. But here it is thus far. Before delivering it to your exacting Papere, please be sure to correct my bad grammar and inexcusable penmanship, as my notes were penned along our harrowing road trip. If just to spare me any embarrassing international faux pas, _mon cherie_." Prince Ferdinand relays with a wry smile beneath his winsome moustache and a wink Elsa did not yet understand.

Then the Frenchman presses a thick, French, Legionnaire insignia monogrammed folder of pages, tightly bound with black velvet ribbon, into Elsa's hands.

"May I add my pledge to be at your country's service _, le belle_ Queen Elsa. By the way, I can now clearly see why Westergaard had traveled those thousands of treacherous miles and perilous seas to return back to the dream girl he has been fantasizing of." Giving Elsa a thorough look up and down with the rakish eyes of a true _roué,_ Prince Ferdinand takes a bold step forward to accept the new challenge that the revolutionary Frenchman would never bow away from. With a flourish, and sweeping bow down to Elsa, Ferdinand then turns his long legs to alight upon Carpet's sleek pile, with military rifle and sword at the ready.

"In real life you are just as enthralling and beauteous as my friend described in so many unsent missives. She does not disappoint, _mon ami,_ Hans _._ " Egalité whispers under his breath to Elsa, making sure Hans could hear as well, as he pats Hans' leather chest pouch around his neck to make the redhead blush violently.

With a nervous little cough clearing his throat, Hans changes the subject quickly.

"Elsa, I swear on my life and on my honor as a gentleman, I will return to you." Hans huskily whispers in her crystalline hair as his newly cryokinetically charged fingers place little snowflakes all through her lovely blonde locks.

"No, Hans. Not on your life. Pledge to me on your _love_ that you will be with me in Arendelle for my birthday, so we can spend our first Christmas together." The Ice Queen emotionally responds, reveling in her lover's tender touches and soft scent where she was pressed to his chest.

Hans gently smiles, as he pets Elsa's moist cheek, touched and still thoroughly amazed that she felt enough emotion to shed hot tears for the man who once tried to take her kingdom and her life from her.

"Then I'll pledge on my great love for you, Elsa of Arendelle, I will be in attendance." The handsome Prince promises in many soft words to his demanding Queen, holding her tight one more time before backing away to where the others were waiting by the black pit center of the Throne Room.

"Time we got this show on the road, boys." With a nod to Queen Elsa, Cassandra leaps aboard Carpet with agility to land behind the flashy prince of the French. "Someone has to look out for these incorrigible bozos. I'll make sure they don't turn the wrong way down there and get their butts roasted before we have the chance to help your man, Princess." Placing a reassuring hand on Anna's arm, Cassandra quite compassionately takes pity on the ginger Princess' urgency that these slowpoke men didn't seem to get the gist of.

The dark bob haired woman takes the rear seat onboard Carpet, her daggers expertly revealed and ready.

"Aww! Can't I even go to Hell without my nagging babysitter?!" Eugene gives Cassandra a saucy smirk as he glances with a sour expression to the woman taking the spot beside him on his hovering Rugman.

"You coming, Kid?" The big brother had been waiting for the younger man's signal to follow him and his reindeer doe into the smoke-filled glowing red pit of hellfire that the rogue thief thought himself smarter than to ever dive into willingly.

 _But a man needs balls more than smarts in this crazy world, right?!_

Flynn Rider brashly repositions himself to be prepared for a sharp vertical decline in the front seat on this sure to be roller coaster deathtrap ride on his flying Magic Carpet beside the Viper woman.

"Yes, Storbror, presently. Elsa, listen to me. You **must** complete this mirror seal, min kaereste, no matter what you see occurring below. Please don't worry yourself on our behalf. This bright kingdom I have come to love, this gem of the north called 'Norway' you have been blessed to be the ruler of, must again thrive and prosper, with yourself and your family alive and well as its caretakers. Once we halt that beast before he reaches this palace, my colleagues and I will find an exit at some other location. Remember, I swore on my honor that I'll be there for your birthday in Arendelle, and so I will." Hans teases as he tenderly pushes Elsa's hair back, caressing the loosened strands behind her lovely pale ears, as both savor this lasting moment in one another's eyes.

But Elsa doesn't have much time to answer his heartfelt sentiment, for just as Boninite the Fire Troll was helping Olaf and his new friends, the red and blue sprites fit some mirror shard pieces together near the edge of the chasm, a dark shadowy hand shoots up.

It grabs hold of the Nibelung girl in its ebony clawed grip as Boninite lets out a deathly frightened, horrified squeal.

"Boni!" Prince Alonso, who had been mildly pitching in to the grand puzzle piecing game under little boy Kai's direction to help little girl Gerda shuffle some mirror fragments around, suddenly springs to life. The Argentinean young man, filled with a strange compassion, makes a lunge for this all reddish troll girl being sucked below by some shadowy hand rather than be concerned for his own vanity's self preservation.

But as the edges of the crackled ice mirror crumble while the deadly black shadow scratches them, both Alonso and Boninite begin to fall down the hole to certain doom…

"Hans! Use this!" Elsa cries out, even as she was masterfully hovering some of the larger mirror pieces to try to fit over the chasm fissure so there was no chance of it falling, lest it break. Her cryo-ice, so strong now, mentally tosses the Snow Queen's discarded sword in the middle of the throne room floor to her lover, who deftly catches it midair.

Expert swordsman Hans shows his acuity in using his Ice Queen's ring to first blast a thin ice sheet of frost to propel himself across the black pit far enough to sever cut the dark hand that was clutched around a terrified Boninite.

"Hey! That's c-c-cold!" A squeaky Alonso complains of the Danish Prince's 'accidental' ice miscalculation that gives the Cordoban a frosty shove and startling surprise flash freeze to his nether regions. With a little smirking, unapologetic shrug to his imagined rival, Hans simultaneously pushes the falling pair with an extreme cold gust across the thin ice layer he created as his shivering South American counterpart kindly pulls the cold lethargic Fire Troll girl to safety rather than simply escape the frozen freefall himself.

Just as the thin film of ice collapses at the ledge where Alonso and the quivering troll girl he saved were dangling dangerously over, Svala the flying reindeer swoops in beneath Hans' long legs, as in the same fluid moment, Carpet and his three riders seize hold of Alonso and Boninite.

"Hold on tight to me!" Emphatic Cassandra warns Alonso as her instantly bewitching eyes and hot breath on his frosted neck send his senses reeling. The capable female pulls his slender frame bodily closer to her when the frostbitten young prince starts slipping from the edge of the speedy flying Carpet that Eugene was recklessly steering.

"Whatever you wish, lovely lady. Since it's the season of giving, I'll allow you the privilege of enjoying this close-up view of my exquisite physique for as long as you desire. By the way, _nice_ pick-up line to match all the rest of _your_ stellar lines, Curvy." Ever on the flirt offensive that quickly warms him up after that Dane Prrince Hans' vindictive chill, beyond conceited Prince Alonso smirks down at the vigorous, raven-haired young beauty intimately tapped beneath his body's full weight pressed down to her when a fire spout evading Carpet jerks forward unexpectedly.

" _'Desire'_?! We're in this sticky mess simply because Fitzherbert's a bad driver! Do you mind removing your hands from where they currently reside before I _desire_ to lop them off with my daggers?" She venomously threatens right into his heavy-lidded eyes leaning his smiling face so close down to her they were almost kissing.

However, even tough-as-nails, independent gal Cassandra was not totally immune to the showered attention of this comely and confident South American, as she has to take a deep breath not to outwardly quiver at his advances.

"Do you require some assistance extracting this _scélérat (_ scoundrel _)_ party crasher from your liberated self, Mademoiselle Cassie?" But when a miffed Prince Ferdinand interrupts the close quarters scene happening beside him with a snobbish, bent out of shape nose up in the air at this brassy newcomer, Cassandra remembers to remain unimpressed by either of the other sex's overtly competitive male dominance.

"I can watch out for myself, thank you very much, _Your Royal Highness_." Auxiliary Captain of Corona's Guard never cared for the idea of grown men sparring over a woman like she was a piece of raw meat in contention between them. But, still, there was something enticingly complimentary there to be vied over for once—even for this prickly, career woman.

As she feigns irritation at her raised eye French champion, _Lady_ Cassandra beams her sultry voiced smile at Alonso as her body wriggles out from her fur-hooded thick coat that was getting rather hot under the collar.

"Take care of that ' _exquisite_ physique', til next we meet. I'll try to watch out for my curves down in that hellhole alongside my _'chivalier_." She dangles the open invitation before her newest admirer, as well as a tease to her flirtatious French companion.

The independent young woman found this bombastic Prince of Cordoba at least amusing at first impression.

 _He reminds me of you, Varian, from when we first met…a bit…_

Composing herself with that unsettling thought, Cassandra then deftly slides out from beneath Alonso to help deliver the man, as well as the well-behaved Fire Troll, back to the glowing mirror pieced Throne Room floor.

The second the chasm ledge is fully cleared, Elsa, with Anna's guidance, places the heavy mirror fragments over that section of the hole where the shadow hand snuck up through before.

"Be careful…my love…" Once her ice had reinforced the fissure, Elsa looks to her heroic Hans as he heads with Svala down into the murky dark unknown.

"I promise I'll be home for your birthday _and_ Christmas, _min kæreste_. So save _all_ your mistletoe for me." As Hans gives Alonso, kneeled at the side of the mirror top, a sideways wary glance, Elsa hears her fiance's whisper on the cool winds that they now shared as the adroit man had somehow already mastered some control of the ice particles in the air that carried his softest voice to her ears.

His eyes and hers meet for one more fleeting moment before the valiant Vise Admiral, upon Ragi's faithful reindeer doe, makes a dive straight down into the smoking pit where the dark demon of death was lurking none too far around the chasm's bends.

"Pixie! Tell Rapunzel for me about what happened, if I don't make it home…" As Carpet pauses to make his approach for the gut wrenching vertical flight with everyone hanging to his healed tassels tight on board, tentative to face death with a wife and kids waiting back home in Corona for him, a heavy hearted Eugene calls out to where Anna was kneeling on the ground with Elsa and Olaf coaxing Alonso and Bonnie to come away from the crumbling edge.

"— ** _in_** **_time_**. And you **will** make it for sure, if Kristoff and Sven have to personally escort you back to Corona in time to see Rapunzel have your babies, Cousin Eugene. I'll be sure to remind them when you _all_ get back up here." Tapping her head to finish her more pessimistic older cousin's sentence, the ever optimistic and sure Princess Anna of Arendelle makes promises that encompass both her hope for Kristoff's survival and her unwavering support and great empathy for her thieving in-law's safe return to his dear wife and future kids after this devilish mess was all done and finished with.

As Carpet follows Hans' skilled flying reindeer's dive down the quick sloping chasm, Eugene salutes the ginger girl with the big bright turquoise eyes which reminded him of another Princess who dared to believe in impossible dreams coming true.

So while courageous Prince Hans leads a team of his own to disappear down into the thick heated smoke and brimstone swirling mist below, Olaf and the Red and Blue sprites' eagerly help Anna and Elsa lift a winded Alonso and Boninite to sit on the throne's icy steps.

The Córdoban Prince was still warmly clutching a small dazed Fire Troll girl to his once self absorbed chest that was now filled with empathy and compassion.

"Look, girls!" Gerda's sweet young voice rings out as she was the first to notice another pair of letter pieces from the mirror puzzle fully form to click into place over the ever shrinking chasm hole where the raging battle had been joined by a few more special heroes.

 **'N'** and **'E'.**

The perfect example of **_Nobility_** Prince Hans had displayed to not only race into the flames of hell as his loyal duty, but also to save his once romantic rival without a trace of animosity or competitiveness, forms the mirror's third bright shining illuminated letter to flow over the massive dark chasm hole.

Combined with Alonso's altruistic charity for Boninite, Anna's hopeful **_Empathy_** towards her Cousin Eugene above her own worries for her husband had shown such true compassion and mercy that an additional large mirror fragment reacted. The sparkling mirror piece fit into place over the pit with the fourth character grapheme that Ice Queen Elsa's true heart was now writing with the inspired building block letters that spelled 'ETERNITY' which Gerda and Kai had found long ago. Much like God's promise of life eternal through the miraculous sacrifice and gift of His Son, which came upon an Easter Sunday over 1800 years earlier.

The pair of children grasp hands and smile to see the broken mirror being reconstructed by another redeemed heart, just as the Snow Queen advised them to let Elsa's shine mature and in doing so, develop the mirror anew on her own.

Deep below the throne room, Hans bold steering maneuvers Svala the flying reindeer down through the smoke-filled labyrinth.

"Forked crossroad coming up! Which way do we go, Kid?" At the helm of his magic Carpet, Eugene calls out to Hans when the Dane slows his flying Rangifer at the base of the darkened antechamber's multiple cavern shafts.

Hans strains his keen eyes in the sudden dark ebony darkness, letting his other capable senses determine their route of travel to reach Kristoff and the liberated Fire Trolls in time to stop the wicked Djævlen from massacring them.

He recalls in his mind's eye his Elsa's sparkling glow of her specially blessed majestic ice powers to wield those significant mirror pieces of Trust and Encouragement.

"This way!" The Vise Admiral, whose inner nautical compass was rarely off, goes by his gut instinct, led by love, to prompt Svala to fly straight into the narrowest, thickly smokiest, stench of brimstone, to the most treacherous path that wound down into the innards of the subterranean catacomb.

"How did I know he was gonna choose the worst one?" The thief comments sarcastically off-the-cuff as he directs Carpet to be close on Hans and Svala's tail.

 ** _CCRRUUMMMBBLLE!_**

 ** _SIZZLLE!_**

But only seconds after they fly into the dark and hazardous shaft, the stalactite ceiling overhead begins to crumble at the niggling behest of a multitude of Magmaites who obviously did not want to permit any entry into this particular dark cave.

 ** _SZZT!_**

 ** _BBAANNGGG!_**

"Because probably it's the correct entry if we're already under attack!" Cassandra argues the point, her double blades flexed in the first volley of incoming sizzling magma balls of the Devil Troll's vicious pets raining down on them.

"Egalité! Evasive maneuvers!" Hans cries out for the militarily trained Colonel of the First French Regiment to take the helm of Carpet when Eugene moves to arm himself.

The adeptly combat trained Danish Prince himself makes some swift and daring weaves and three-point turns on Svala to avoid the descending balls of fire, knowing instinctively that his Royal Legionnaire friend would prove a suitable strategist to steer Carpet through the pelting melee attack in turn alongside his in flight conveyance.

"Taste cold iron, hot lips!" On his nimble feet, Eugene leans forward with his handy-dandy produced frying pan stretched out to block several of the fiery critters from hitting himself or any of his companions. The fearless of heights thief reaches out to crown a few of the more virulent Magmaites from sizzling Hans' already vibrant redhead.

Armed and balanced at Eugene's back as Prince Ferdinand takes control of steering Carpet, Cassandra was ace at battling some firebreathing little gremlins away before they were able to scorch the Rugman. The embattled group was finally able to surpass the short corridor, just stopping short of the smoky fire conflagration when they are confronted with an awesome sight.

On one side of the dust and smoke-filled large central cavern was a large spanned, batwing and hideous vision of a deformed monstrosity.

Devilish in stature and shape, from its swishing, prehensile fire tail, half man/half bovine cloven feet, pointed crimson red horns and ebony black eyes—not a one of the petrified humans could ever doubt that the creature before them, full of anger and hate sneering at them, was anything but the demon of Hell himself.

And there, Kristoff Bjorgman was standing, his skin singed and clothing burned nearly clean off to display his scorched ample musculature, panting and sweating but not ready to go down in this bitter fight.

With his Wind Whisperer Saami bow and arrow drawn keeping the monster at bay, Kristoff was providing cover while Sven continuously made speedy forays to airlift Fire Troll group after group. The equally fur fire-scorched, brave reindeer bull makes endless round trips up through the many weep hole spaces leading from the fathomless chasm to the cavern above to get them safely away from the Djævlen Trollden.

As for the Devil King Troll, his arrow blinded eyes regenerated soon after each precise shot Kristoff aimed, full of even more venom and fury its blasts directed at the weary but tenacious Wind Whisperer.

But from the looks of it, the Devil Troll was about to break free from the young Snow Prince's wind powered cyclone that had kept the weakened malignant evil cornered and its fire breath impotent up to this point.

With unmitigated pressure and burning heat, the Devil continues to stoke his flames at the stressed blond mountain man, wearing Kristoff down to a state of near exhaustion. Sven intuitively did his best to find and evacuate as many of the Fire Troll refugees that were either too slow or too weak to follow their revolutionary brethren to the higher levels of the chasm.

The Wind Whisperer had mapped out which path led towards the underground tunnel that reached from this end of the subterranean Snow Palace to other parts of the country through special deep level portals that only trolls dared to travel.

 ** _RR-OARRR!_**

As they closed into the heated scene in the catacomb where the devil beast was invisibly recharging in the shadows before its next vicious attack, Hans, Eugene, Cassandra and Ferdinand witness the de-materialized Djævlen's sudden reappearance.

His sneaky fire red pointed tail slithers around to direct a vicious fire blast attack above and behind the defenses of the fatigued, but still determined, Wind Whisperer's massive wind defense cyclone.

"Watch out!" But Cassandra's shrill screamed warning comes a few seconds too late.

The deadly flames whizz towards Kristoff, whose big brown eyes grow wide and scared of the impending fire's expected deadly impact.

 ** _SCSZZKTT!_**

Just at the last possible moment, as he steers Svala closer, Prince Hans' Ice Elsa pendant glows iridescent blue-white as he focuses the ice energy through his Queen's enchanted ring. It puts up a thick hoarfrost shield midair between the Devil Troll and Kristoff to prayerfully dissipate the flames about to engulf over Anna's young husband.

"Kristoff! Stay down!" Prince Hans calls out the order as the Danish Prince fluidly dismounts the reindeer with his darling's ice sword immediately drawn, leaping down from Svala's swooping back to valiantly stand in front of the severely burned blond to give the injured man cover.

Hans braces to be badly scorched himself, as the immediate backfire had been dampened, but the conflagration at Kristoff's forefront which the Prince of the Southern Isles had exchanged places for was still surging. Although, the cool, soothing touch that his dearest love had granted the capable Dane comes in handy for both himself and Kristoff, as well as the ice coated reindeer doe who makes a brave dive at the foul creature's head, forcing the monster to stumble.

With a stomp to kick up the dust in anger and a growl of vicious annoyance at this meddling interference, the goat legged monster instantly retreats back, Hans' ice shield temporarily cooling down his fiery swishing tail's next, certainly deadly attack.

"You okay down there, Muscles?! Some of those burns are pretty nasty! You look like a side of fried bacon, poor kid!" Tactful as ever Eugene calls out from Carpet to where Kristoff had fallen to his knees on the ground as instructed behind Hans, while Cassandra and Ferdinand battle off some fiendish fire magmaites from above and all around.

{"Hans! Are Elsa and the Snow Queen almost done reconstructing the mirror? We can't let this devil get up there before they do!"} Kristoff yells out, defiant of the blistering first, second, and even near third degree burn wounds all up and down his now bare chest, muscled arms and partially exposed legs. But the caring young man was more concerned about the fate of those dear to him rather than himself.

Elsa's bond with Anna was stronger than ever, and now with her lover Hans, as shown through her gifted magic soulfully shared, Kristoff found it easy to mentally contact the red haired Prince privately rather than speak aloud for the rascally Djævlen to hear.

{"That is why we are here to assist you in halting that wretched, unnatural aberration of God's creation."} Astute, quick-learner Prince Hans only responds mentally, gathering that Kristoff wanted them to keep a cautious secrecy of their plans as he helps the Wind Whisperer stand, voiding the flames with Elsa's ice ring, his sword defensively at the ready.

{"Thanks. Never thought I'd be saying it to you, but I couldn't be gladder to see anyone, Hans. I could use a hand!"} Kristoff was down to earth enough to not allow his male ego to be bruised to ask for aid when needed, even if it was coming from his former enemy rival.

{"Svala! Help Sven evacuate the rest of the Fire Trolls up to that primary shaft up there!} Kristoff tells Anna's reindeer friend to assist her mate with the Troll evacuation before turning his mind back to converse with Hans.

{"I've previously mapped out for them the path to freedom and have them working on blasting their way through to excavate the collapsed sections of the underground tunnel as fast as they can. Once through, it connects to a network of subterranean caves that eventually lead back to Trollheiman and the Rock Trolls in the Valley. We have to get them all away from this monster and never again be enslaved by him, or anyone, once and for all!"} Using all of his Wind Whisperer honed ability as a priority, Kristoff mentally explains to Hans and Eugene and their friends simultaneously in a blanket communicado, working to make silent psychic contact to appraise them all of the route of the Troll Rebellion's clandestine operation to sneak away from their master Devil Troll King at long last.

"A noble sentiment indeed, monsieur. We will do all we can to lend our hand of friendship to join your Freedom movement." The impressed Frenchman, receiving Kristoff's communiqué loud and clear, but unable to respond in kind, gives Hans a clipped nod as he takes charge of mounting the reindeer doe to escort the last few of the elderly Fire Troll stragglers towards the rest of the evacuation group.

Ferdinand Egalité had grown up in an era of revolution and the greater cause of the people's freedom from tyranny, so he thrived on liberty's cause for any race, any time, any cause, anywhere. Even for these fantastically odd shaped, mahogany red colored and stocky short sized little Fire Trolls which a non-fire resistant Carpet could not allow to board, lest his flammable high pile go up in flames and render him flightless again.

{"Then please, if you can protect them from the magmaites and lead the liberated Fire Trolls safely up through the labyrinth tunnels far from here as possible. They know the way already, but they need to be defended as they open those cavern shafts up again. The catacomb leads all the way up to the portal and the Svartisen glacier where they can then divert back to Trollheiman with Ragi's help. Keep those little magmaites away from the crystals tied around the trolls' necks! The creatures who were once faithful 'pets' have turned on the Fire Trolls and now seem possessed to want to gnaw at their fire crystals to gain whatever pyro-energy is stored within their fire stones."} Kristoff warns Egalité in a soft mental whisper, even as the molten little pets seemed to rise up from the cavern's igneous dust and attack their companions to steal the magic crystal vitality.

"I think this calls for some pest-control! Right up my street! Time to **exterminate** these annoying little blaggards! I was never a pet person myself! Too – _ergh!_ \- high – _ungh!_ \- upkeep– _arph!_!" With a wicked pointed glance over to Eugene as she flashes her double bladed dagger and sword to give a punishing cutlass strike midair to many incoming magmaites, Cassandra's well-trained strong sword arm shows off how she mastered the art of slicing and dicing the dark red and vicious little monsters with one punishing strike to mercilessly lob off their fire branded necks.

"You heard the lady! It's cleanup time at the pet shop! See you around, Lillebror, after we kick some magma ass!" Beside Cassandra, the gregarious thief encourages his younger sibling with a saluting battle cry as he urges Carpet to zip up, up and away, targeting magmaites with his own relentless weapon of choice—the inimitable frying pan. But the nasty little devil hedgehog-like creatures sprouted from every corner of the darkened cavern, pelting their body roll fireballs at the intrepid team.

"Man! No matter how hard I try and how fast and how precise I fly my arrows, that damn Djævlen rejuvenates back to full strength again in a matter of thirty seconds each time. How do you beat a fire-breathing creature with an unending supply of evil black energy?!" In frustration, Kristoff comments to Hans now at his back, after yet another valiant attempt to pinpoint some weak spot in the horned face hideous Devil troll's ceaseless firepower fails.

Kristoff up to now had been using his enhanced Wind Whisperer wind prowess to manage to stave off the flames funneling down the pit of fire he was standing dangerously at the precipice thereof.

"Stop and consider, amid all the extemporaneous melee, to discover where the source of his rejuvenated dark magic ebbs from—and there you must thwart it at its start." More studious of surgical strike surroundings and tactical militaristic strategy with concise calculations to apply, with his own drawn sword batting off any ancillary attack, a critical eyed Hans Westergaard gives Kristoff a reprieve to reconnoiter with a defensive ice shield shielding the injured blond mountainman.

Hans had been also quietly observing all of the factors mentioned as he stood his ground in front of Kristoff. He noted through the smoke and noise and stench filled cavern all the multi-frontal confrontations with the magmaites having the same paused 30 second interval regeneration pattern, now also confirmed by Kristoff.

Heaving from sheer exhaustion, Kristoff Bjorgman heeds his former rival's wise advice. Kristoff suddenly notices the large, black crystal around the demonic creature's neck glow as he watches the spatially phasing and shifting shadow monster reappear after the Devil King Troll recharges his 'batteries' from some unknown power source of an especially large molten lava crystal rhythmically pulsating.

 _It's the same as the lava crystals around each Nibelung's neck… Maybe that's why they become so sluggish and slow to move when he disappears. Maybe the Devil is drawing their natural fire energy with his crystal!_

Visualizing the Fire Trolls he had befriended, Kristoff pauses to reason out with his full mind's contemplation, just as Hans suggested.

{"Hans! I have to tell them to destroy their fire crystals! The Devil Troll was the one who put them there and he's been sapping them since they were born! That's how the Djævlen has real control over them, giving him fresh power to mend himself and attack! But that kind of far-reaching, blanket messaging will take all of my mental ability to project the thought all at once to every one of the Fire Trolls simultaneously before the Djævlen realizes it."} Kristoff holds his pounding head, rubbing it for some kind of inspiration to sink in to be everywhere all at one same time. {"Do you think you can keep this neat ice shield up to cover me once my wind vortex goes down? And maybe create some diversion to keep the Devil Troll preoccupied long enough to stick around before he figures out what we've done to his power source and phases over to intimidate them? I don't know if you're newly borrowed ice magic will be enough to ready you for this monster's fire on your own."} Kristoff's psy-conversation avoids the attentive, rejuvenating Devil's ears. But the Wind Whisperer and the Danish Prince's silent dialogue is interrupted when Eugene has Cassandra swoop down on Carpet next to them.

"Be that as it may, I refuse to cower before this blasphemous villain whom I personally owe a proper thrashing for the pain and suffering he inflicted on my betrothed. And I will be triumphant, have no doubt, Troll King." Hans fiercely states aloud, decisively moving forward to where the Djævlen was recharging, this time with a sly shrewdness and deadly inferno to engulf these puny infidels who dared hide amid that foolish wind cyclone, plotting against the Master of darkness.

"Oh, come on, Muscles! Just listen to that drive! My Kid brother was born ready!" Flynn Rider's crass voice echoes down as the athletic robber leaves Cassandra on her own to continue the battle. He makes the leap from Carpet's high pile back to expertly glide down the rocky incline to surf and skid the rocks on his feet to land before the pair of younger men.

{"Yeah, but the Snow Queen's ice sword and the Ice Queen's enchanted ring of ice as shield might not be enough to protect him from the Devil Troll's fire conflagration once he's rejuvenated and my cyclone barricade goes down."} Kristoff warns the brothers, as he was already preparing to launch his mental task.

{"Okay. I'm leaving this wide open for you two. I have to do this quickly before the Djævlen's fire fully recharges."} In a smirk, Kristoff siphons all the Wind Whisperer's magic available in him as he softly mind speaks to Eugene. The blond mountain man was about to remove his full force from the cycle barrier between them and the Troll King so he could contact all the Fire Trolls in every corner of the catacomb.

The second he does, the patient Djævlen strikes again…

"Kristoff! Take cover!" Hans most commanding voice was in full battle mode as the Vise Admiral both throws up a quick frost shield borne from Elsa's ring, and makes a launched rolling dive with his sword to intercept the incoming blast.

 ** _FRR-ZZLLEE!_**

 ** _QWFF-RRSSHHH!_**

The blast that was directed at a vulnerable Kristoff was somewhat satiated within the frost shield as Hans, jumping in at the forefront, takes a great deal of the heat. The fearless prince breaks through the fire storm he deflects with his naval sword's hard forged metal until it is melted down to a mere dagger size and so hot to touch he was forced to drop it to the ground.

Quick to react Flynn uses his frying pan to bat away the remainder of the fireball, giving Kristoff cover to duck into a nearby cove that the partially blinded troll could not see into.

"Damn! It's getting hot as hell in here, Lillebror!" Eugene swears as he recklessly dives into the frost shield that was somewhat veiling Hans from the powered up Djævlen to balance his constant flame inferno.

Flynn could kick himself for racing into this fierce no-win battle to his brother's aid in a gallant show of unmitigated unanimity.

"Storbror! What are you doing!? You must escape swiftly! This is my fight with this wretched being! I must face this struggle with every last breath in me for Elsa's sake and drive this scourge away from her land. But you have the chance to escape while you still can! Eugene! This is not your fight! You have a wife and children to go home to, while _I_ am expendable." Though totally focused on inching forward with sheer will and his masterfully created ice shield, Prince Hans still held compassion in his heart for the unlikely brother he had grown closest to, showing concern for Eugene Fitzherbert's life, if not his own.

"Yeah. As if, Sideburns. I'm gonna stand and fight the good fight beside my crazy kid brother to give those future kids of mine a reason to be proud of a Dad like me. Besides, I've got a seat reserved in the front row when you get hitched to that leggy Ice Queen who's got you wrapped around her little finger." Giving an insinuating tap to Elsa's potent little engagement ring around Hans' pinky promise finger, Eugene smirks over to his little brother. Then he wipes the cold sweat from his brow before the former king of thieves digs deep into his own leather satchel strapped to his broad chest.

"After I gave up on the dandy money filled, private island idea – _painful as it may be_ – I had already intended to save this shiny fella to zap me home in time to see my babies born to my Brownie girl safely. But I read somewhere once that _'it's better to give than receive'_ – insane notion as it sounds. So here I go, Lord." Eugene was muttering in Gospel-inspired riddles that an exasperated Hans could not understand until the older thief produces something extraordinary from his leather pouch.

"After all, a man could have lots of kids, _God bless 'em_ , but only one favorite little brother, right?" Smiling nonsense to justify his next action, Eugene begrudgingly produces the antique gold, thousands of years old, Arabian inscribed Genie's lamp from his pack before Hans' squinting, staring eyes.

 _I'm doing this because I care about you, Handsome. More than I'll ever want to say aloud._

He holds the magic lamp tenderly in his sweaty grip, inwardly smiling at the recollection of hearing that bent-over, old whittler witch woman's chant in his head. All of a sudden, Eugene sees the grand design of it all woven into visionary place now in retrospect.

' _If they have unlocked this foretoken lamp, their connection is strong, to the chosen one whom the final wish of the Genie belongs.'_

With a sigh of disappointment, Flynn Rider caresses the special magic item that only came to a lucky thief once in a lifetime, with the selfless look of brotherly love showing in his fire reflected, amber eyes.

"Genie! My one and only emergency magic wish is for my courageous, good-looking, love crazy kid brother, Prince Hans Westergaard, to be able to withstand the fires of Hell and damnation to face down and defeat this devilish monstrosity!" Rubbing the ancient Persian lamp gripped in his hands fervently, Flynn Rider quietly and succinctly pronounces the donated wish as his itchy palm feels the mystic magic of the legendary Aladdin's lamp of the all-powerful big blue Genie slip through his talented thieving fingers, all for the sake of his endangered little brother.

"What?!" Hans exclaims in shock, his eyes spinning around in confusion as a swirl of magical cerulean smoke, wildly dissimilar to the sulfuric stench of the Devil Troll's underworld variety, plumes all around to surround every part of the Danish man's being.

Hans' every pore starts to glow with the phenomenal energy neither brother had ever witnessed before as the dashing Prince of the Southern Isles looks down to his shimmering, similarly empowered naval sword that re-materializes its iron and steel back into one finely honed piece.

The astonished redhead glances back Eugene with awestruck parted lips, that, for once in his eloquent life, had no words to speak.

"Give 'em hell, Good-Looking! I'll be cheering you from the sidelines, as I draw fire for that other youthful hero of Arendelle. Boy, that emergency wish sure packs a residual wallop that goes right through ya!" Eugene proudly pats Hans' iridescent blue-white and now golden traced shoulder in a big brotherly way that sent a surge of raw cosmic energy through his Rapunzel-touched palm and all through the veins of Hans no longer panting with sweat body.

"Thank God for you, Storbror. You have been a blessing to me since the day we met. Now I have the ability to give my all to extinguish this creature of evil and destruction to protect the nation of the woman I love." Inspired by his faith in Christ, his love for Elsa, and Eugene's fraternity, Prince Hans, again was in awe of God's faithfulness to bring such Grace into his life at just the right times. He watches Eugene fall back to give Kristoff some much needed cover from the Djævlen who was surely recharging somewhere nearby in the shadows.

Hans then steps out from the frost bubble he sends over to a grateful Eugene to share with Kristoff, as the Danish Prince fearlessly walks through fire straight into the surrounding inferno that should have instantly incinerated him.

But the Vise Admiral of the Sjoforsvaret strides with purpose towards where the Devil Troll was thrashing his flaming tail around in search of a particular shaft that hid the hated young Snow Prince. The vengeful dark troll wanted to torment this son of the Wind Whisperer and Snow Queen whose dangerous arrows blinded him earlier.

The enraged Troll King sensed the Wind Whisperer had escaped to a cavern nearby. So his flaming tail strikes each cavern so hard it burned the rock into dust, along with everything else in his infuriated wake.

But when that upstart Dane with his striking red hair and defiant green eyes had somehow surpassed the conflagration that should have already killed a normal man, the Djævlen sends a surefire volley of firebombs at close range towards the annoying human, certain to incinerate him instantly.

Satisfied the persistent human no longer existed, the Djævlen set his sights now on setting ablaze every other insignificant creature upon flying reindeer and carpet—all the foul humans who dared to attempt to steal his Nibelung slaves from him.

As they dodge out of the line of fire, the travelers upon the flying Carpet accomplish little versus the Devil Troll's constant magmaites replications. The vicious little monsters nonstop emerge from the very igneous rich ground seeded with humanity's sinful greed, gluttony, wrath, envy, sloth, lust, and pride.

But little did the Devil know that the opposing moral virtues of the sins he planted were being battled by these soldiers of honor chosen by their Princesses' love and light as their selfless heroes.

"Over here, ugly!" Quick on his feet Eugene gallantly plays distraction for both his retreating friends on the flying Carpet and Kristoff, whom the Djævlen was nearing the shaft close by where the Wind Whisperer was still mentally contacting all the Fire Trolls.

 ** _SSLLASSSHH!_**

 ** _GRRRRWWWEEEHHH!_**

The Devil Troll's guttural scream shakes the entire subterranean level as a fireproof Prince Hans emerges from the deadly flickering flames to come up from behind the Djævlen.

As a courageous Hans utilizes the element of surprise to perform a perfect zornhau fencing strike, the skilled execution of which would have even impressed his contemptuous instructor who had always only held derision and scorn for the youngest Prince of the Southern Isles.

Diametrically wielding his ice sword with such force and precision even as he blocked straight through the fire plume with no fear, Hans leaps high in the air to cleanly shave off the inflamed pointed swishing tail of the hideous Devil Troll with a well honed slice of his ice sword blade.

The sizzling sulfur smoke that rose from the cavern loam where the Devil Troll's sizzling greenish yellow blood oozed from his now dismembered nonfunctional tail was putrid to say the least, as a quick stepping Hans deftly avoids the spewing spray thereof.

"Whew whee! Makes you proud to be a Westergaard! Ergh…sorta." Eugene Fitzherbert proudly waves his frying pan to witness such a thrilling attack maneuver accomplished by his dexterous younger brother, making him feel quite invincible himself as Hans shows off his sword play skills with flair.

 ** _SPLURT!_**

The Devil Troll's pointed tail comes zinging through the air to implant itself at Eugene's feet, ticking like a time bomb several wide-eyed seconds before the wily thief makes a rolling dive away into the nearest dark cave for shelter.

"Eugene! Is Hans keeping the villain distracted?" With the pertinent question and a rub to his aching head, Kristoff just happened to be within that particular cave shaft getting close to setting his final plans into action.

"Yep. He just lobbed off that damn devil's tail off his flaming ass. And now it's madder than hell. But my Lillebror's got it covered." Comes Eugene's profanity laced response, leaning his head outside the cavern to see what was ongoing.

"Good. I've almost contacted every Fire Troll to explain our operation and how they should be ready at my command to destroy those dark crystals around their necks." Kristoff was depending on Sven and Svala to have gotten the trolls all far enough away and up to safety, just in case the Troll King retaliated before each could finish crushing his power source. "Once his stolen lava crystalline is drained, we should be able to converge upon the Djævlen like any normal foe and finally stop him in his tracks before he can get up there to that mirror." Conscientious in his brainstorming thought, though his clenched fist could not stop shaking, young Kristoff Bjorgman mumbles his daring scheme more to himself than to Eugene.

The tense Wind Whisperer was feeling the weight of the world on his inexperienced battle shoulders.

"Just calm down and take a deep breath. You're doing good, Kristoff. Your mom and dad would be proud." Invoking the calming thought of the original Wind Whisperer and the Snow Queen to their son, Eugene pauses in his own busy thoughts to sympathize with this blond boy just in his early twenties, raised in the mountains by trolls.

The thirty-three year old man recognized that Kristoff, ten years Eugene's junior, could use some counsel right about now to continue mentally and physically handling all the pressure that this high level of strategic combat entailed.

"Because after all this is done, your Pixie girl owes you a great big hug—and an intense, hours long, rubdown massage with some extra soothing ointment for all those burns." He adds the inspiring thought of the newlywed young man's feisty little bride's tender ministrations.

"Ya got that right." Gaining the last vestige of confidence from Eugene's sage advice and a deep breath, Kristoff's thickly knotted brow transforms into a soft smile to his set jaw at the mention of Anna by that fittingly energetic nickname and thought of her, if not tender, _loving_ caress.

"Almost ready? We better get going before our favorite tenor's vocal cords can't sing us Christmas carols at this year-end party." Eugene gives Kristoff a gentle yet urgent nudge as he peeks out to witness Prince Hans perpetuate a valiant swordfight with the Devil Troll's livid, extended claws.

The Djævlen's sharp claws of death were now viciously trying to rip out his undaunted opponent's golden throat, once the fire creature discontentedly discovered his new, fireproof enemy no longer succumbed to his flames, even at close range.

"Okay, everyone, can you hear me? Let's do this on 'three'. One, two –" Just as Kristoff was about to finish his countdown that would destroy the Devil Troll's continual energy source from the Fire Trolls' dark fire crystals, the masterful trickster Djævlen regenerates. With the vacuum force of a fierce backdraft, the Troll King repels the Danish Prince several meters backwards to hit the cavern wall hard.

Then the merciless Devil surges full steam with fresh pyro-powered fires blazing flames to shoot up at an unsuspecting Svala and Carpet.

The magic flying rug is forced to make a sudden, vertically challenging dive to avoid the searing flame so fast that an unprepared for once in her life Cassandra is thrown off to plummet to the sharp rocks below.

"Ahhh!" She lets out a scream of terror as gravity's pull was too great for a magma rock spray thrashed Carpet to react to.

"Cass!" Foregoing his cushy hidden position in the small, dark cove, Eugene blows their cover as he sprints out to catch Cassandra's deadly descent to the jagged ground below.

But he needn't have bothered, as Prince Ferdinand, on a speedily u-turning dived Svala, intercepts the breathless woman's perilous fall.

"You're far too attractive to waste on those sharp crags below, _mon cherie_." Literally caught up in the winded moment, the pent-up high tension between the contentious pair in the midst of danger all this time now comes to a head.

The mature Frenchman, believing he knew when a woman needed to be kissed, obliges the dazed and breathless, dark-haired beauty with finesse as Svala rolls her eyes, and flies straight up to intercept the Magmaites from attacking the Nibelungs stranded defenseless on the road above.

Despite the best attempts at restraining herself from this intoxicating moment, the tough girl in Cassandra allows the forbidden kiss to happen, pressing into Egalité's welcoming embrace as Svala flies up, up and away.

"Okay... You two go get a room." Flynn Rider mumbles under his worldly breath, with a quirky glance up at his usually stiff and sober rival's strange let-it all-hang-out attitude towards the mesmerizing French Prince. But the smirk is wiped off Eugene's face soon, when he and Kristoff are now spotted by the fast-hooved menace.

The Djævlen sees red in his no longer dimmed eyesight, as Eugene and Kristoff are now targeted by the firebreathing Devil Troll being.

"Sideburns! Gonna need some cover, ASAP!" Eugene urgently cries out to his flame retardant brother, who was just recovering from his own brain-rattling blowback, as the quick thief soundly douses the still burning rug with his yanked off fur hat. He pulls with all his might at the en flambé scorched Carpet pinned under the mound of spewed magma rock in the crumbling catacomb.

"On it!" Shaking off his own back-breaking pain, Hans races forward on his long, agile legs, quickly creating, with Elsa's ring, an ice wall before the Devil Troll could reach the shaft where Eugene was lifting an injured Kristoff onto a returned and similarly charred Sven's back.

Safely on the other side, once Kristoff was secured, the wily thief then leaps upon his freed Carpet and both magic flying creatures airlift the pair of heroes high above the Djævlen's now limited reach.

 ** _GRRRR-OOWWLL!_**

The angry Devil Troll would have easily shattered through the thick cryokinetic wall the ice ring had erected, had not a glint of the crystalline ice been reflected by the small handheld mirror Hans' and Anna's love shared for Elsa had forged together.

That special beautiful mirror that had miraculously found its way to Hans once again from the depths where mermaids dwell under the sea, peeks out from Hans' Naval jacket pocket.

And the magic looking glass glows directly in the devilish beast's ugly face.

The growling Devil Troll King, as if afraid of his own shadow, shrinks back from his hideous reflection. In that one movement, he gave an insightful, athletic Hans enough time, in the wicked Troll's forced inattention, to deftly scale the nearby cave stepping stones and place himself at a more advantageous attack position.

{"…Three!"} Kristoff, high flying above on Sven on the other side of the ice wall, psychically gives the final signal to each and every Fire Troll, wherever they were in the world, to simultaneously smash open the hot lava dark crystals hanging upon each of their necks…

 ** _SMASH! CRACK! CRUNCH! CRACKLE! FIZZLE!_**

* * *

 ** _Not so far above the catacomb in the Snow Palace Throne Room_** …

Boninite had been watching and absorbing the selfless lessons of dutiful **_Righteousness_** which their stalwart tutor Minister Kai had respectfully impressed upon the youthful lives of the Arendelle Princesses, just as the young blond boy was even now teaching the girls the valuable messages of upright decency and civilized justice this world needed more of.

The quietly observant Fire Troll girl had been patiently listening to virtuous little Gerda gently lead Elsa and Anna and Olaf in tenderhearted, prayerful examples of the Lord of Heaven's ** _Inspiration_** that never grew old.

As Kai and Gerda stand back to watch, Elsa and her sister Anna put the fifth and sixth letters of the new mirror the Ice Queen was assembling into place, full of the honest prayer and loyal humility their devoted guardian servants inspired upon their stirred hearts.

' **R'** and ' **I** ' illuminate in bold, encouraging letters upon the next two, intertwined mirror pieces of forever devoted friendship as the chasm hole was growing increasingly smaller, with now six of the eight fragmented letters in place.

Clutching her head, then her heart, a gasping Boninite abruptly stops mid-mirror puzzling alongside Prince Alonso.

"What's up, Bonnie?" Olaf asks, curious to see why the Troll Girl suddenly dropped everything to run up to Elsa and plead desperately for her fire stone crystal pendant. Found on the road by Oaken to be utilized as a 'warming scarf', and vied over by Boninite and Alonso a while for the heat factor, the Ice Queen soon had claimed the 'hot crystal' when she was turned to the dark side and had been wearing it around her neck thus far.

"Please, Regina Elsa! Please! I need my lava crystal now!" In her moment of desperation, managing to speak through her broken Latin in a distinguishable speech pattern, Boninite begs Elsa, tugging at her icy blue skirt.

Elsa pauses in her mirror piece rearranging to bite her lip and look to Anna for aid to know what say. With an unconcealed smile Anna mouths to her distressed older sibling the words of open, pure honesty that defined who Anna of Arendelle was: 'Tell her the truth.'

"I'm so sorry, Bonnie. But your Troll crystal has been broken." An apologetic Elsa abides by her sister's decision and kneels down to Boninite to point to the front Throne Room steps where the black lava crystal shards lay.

The tall blonde woman was at first frightened to admit the black crystal the Fire Troll girl felt such an affinity for had been destroyed, but Elsa knew full well that her Hans had shattered it in his bare hands earlier to dispel all the evil controlling the Ice Queen.

But they all were in shock as Boninite silently dashes over to the throne's area, and starts inexplicably stomping and crushing the remainder of the broken crystal shards to smithereens beneath her clomping, rock hard feet on the ice steps.

"Thanks be to you. Queen of the Winter! Now I am free!" Boninite gives Elsa and Anna a rare wide smile as she takes hold of her own life now that the fire gem crystal, which had been draining her energy and controlling her since the day she was born with its palpitating raw power, was physically and symbolically gone.

Then an overwhelmed with joy Boninite lifts her short arms up to hug Prince Alonso who was standing nearby, and the usually self-absorbed man looks down and 'hmphs' in surprise to be included in this happy sappiness.

"Me? Sorry, I don't do hugs." In his embarrassment, the raspy-voiced Cordoban Prince was about to revert to his standoffish cool man stance, when an appalled Olaf chirps in.

"NO WAY! HUGS are the BEST! Especially warm ones! I'll show you how, Alonso, so you can enjoy them properly from now on! Watch and learn!" The naïve, candid to a fault snowman rushes up to embrace his stick arms slowly, firmly and instructively around the oohing and ahhing Blue Sprite and the Red Sprite. Next the smiling snowman wraps himself around a loving Anna, who hugs him back, then Elsa, who pats her creation tenderly and finally he gives the arms open, hug ready Fire Troll the warmest of all his special super-duper hugs.

"There! She likes to hug! That's how it's done, Alonso! Now you try it!" A raised brow Olaf cheerfully spreads his braches and an even wider smile extended up to the South American young man to honestly egg him on with the genuine, truthful emotion.

"Olaf—" Elsa was about to diplomatically warn off her boisterously pushy snow friend to leave Prince Alonso be, but a livelier and more ingenuous Anna was openly heartening to the visiting prince.

"Go on, Alonso. Everyone can use a hug!"

Looking from Anna to Elsa, a chuckling at the nonsensical nature of it all, even in the midst of this struggle, Alonso shrugs with a smirk before he uncharacteristically kneels down to welcome a tentative Boninite's still open embrace that Olaf encouraged the shy troll girl to ask and wait for again.

As a never to be outdone Alonso scoops her up and spins her around in a Latino dance move, Bonnie looks over the changed Prince's shoulder to Elsa and Anna with happy tears never before wept, for her soul was finally free of bondage and ready to fly and face the world full of truth and no more lies.

In that revelation's momentous Truth, which Anna and Olaf just proved to Elsa there was never to be any fear of, reverberates triumphant in the Ice Queen's heart and through the Throne Room, as the mirror's second to last puzzle piece of **_Truth_** falls into place in the very spot a free and flying as she was danced about Boni let go of all the crushed dark crystal remnants to fall into the fiery chasm below.

So, one after another, just like Boninite was brave enough to embrace God's eye-opening truths of freedom and light, every dark lava crystal in existence is completely shattered by each Fire Troll at the same exact moment...

* * *

 ** _Down in the labyrinth…_**

{"Hans! Go!"}

Almost concurrently, the young Wind Whisperer who had planned this all, masterfully calls upon the Danish Prince best in position to strike the moment the Djævlen was vulnerable and no longer able to revitalize from his now defunct power source.

 ** _R-RR-ROARRR!_**

"My dark energy! Cursed humans! Nibelungs! Do not listen to these above-world infidels! I have made you! I have fulfilled your empty lives! You are nothing without me! Embrace your dark crystals again and I will be magnanimous in recreating them and take your disloyal souls back into my fold where you'll be strong again!" His decreased power level gave the weakened Devil Troll cause for contention.

In the shadowy corners where depravity sank to keep his dark strength up, the Troll King lowers himself to decry his wretched enemies, all whilst still the slithering voice was attempting to threaten and seduce the lesser beings back into submission, hoping to steal their raw energy once again.

The sound was so debased and vile that it eerily echoed at mind-numbing volume throughout the entire subterranean antechamber.

Its demanding temptations make all of the trolls present within the dark claustrophobic cavern shudder, feeling heavy and shaken, full of despair and fear and despondent guilt most of all for what they had done as they all stared down at the pieces of the shattered dark crystals at their hands and feet.

 _"He's right!"_

 _"What have we done!?"_

 _"We're so empty and alone without the_ _Djævlen_ _King!_

 _"Let's go back right now! Master said he'll take us if we repent!"_

They had all frozen in place where they had been marching up towards the light at the end of the southern cavern shaft. There was so much fear and terror that more than a few of the liberated Fire Trolls who had been bred and born and lived their lives under the Devil's clawed thumb, were choosing to immediately turn back.

{"No! Please don't listen to him! You're stronger than that now! Come on, guys! You're free to come above now, just like the Fire Trolls of long ago used to live aboveground, too! You don't have to stay here and serve this wicked Devil anymore! Those dark crystals you've been wearing around your necks your entire lives like weighted anchors have been feeding your fire powers to that foul beast! Don't let him use you again!"} Kristoff's usually mellow tone bellows the appeal loudly with conviction for all the trolls within his physical and mental range to hear.

"The Snow Prince is correct, good citizens of this great nation! This iniquitous Devil Troll has been controlling your craving for warmth and acceptance like an addiction! I understand that desperate sentiment well myself, since my own neglected youth, until now when a single young woman's belief and love eradicated the darkness in me. And you too, brave people, can have that faith and the light of love offered to break the shameful cycle of slavery now and forever! You are free, by God's grace, at last to explore the bright world above! You have the chance to know His promise of blessings, just as your ancestors did long ago! Please, I beseech you to have the courage to stand up for what is right! You cannot turn back now that you are so close to this one opportunity to embrace that freedom from lonely manipulation—if only you dare to dream beyond the darkness and take hold of your true destiny! Follow us now out into the light!" Eloquent Prince Hans lends his voice to add his persuasive skills of rallying the troops in speech to Kristoff's more basic, heartfelt plea.

The redheaded royal delivers a rousing speech that gives pause to most, if not all of the Fire Trolls to look to one another with the final decision to not only defy the Devil Troll, but also break away with the freedom no one had ever before placed before them.

All it took was one brave Nibelung boy to look to a nodding affirmatively, handsome Hans and copy a hopeful Kristoff's reassuring fisted hand to yank the black cord to conclusively snap. The Troll boy smashes the remainder of the shattered hot lava crystal from around his stout neck never to be bound to slavery again, as the others soon follow gutsy lead.

 ** _SNAP! CRUSH! SNAP! SMASSH! SNAP! PULVERIZE!_**

"Here here, Westergaard! There are no boundaries of race, nor color, nor nation, nor creed that could confine the beautiful bountiful blessings of liberty the Lord God created us for! Come with us, brethren, and we will show you the way out of this darkness towards the light of day in this great kingdom full of mysteries to discover! Your emancipator, who I am proud to call 'friend', will someday rule here as your pious and righteous noble King!" Prince Ferdinand Egalité, ever the _revolutionnairé_ , gives Hans a proud salute.

Inspired by his Danish friend to rally the troops, as they were, Colonel Egalité drives Svala flying the lead of the Fire Trolls, rallied to reclaim their path to freedom, down the dark tunnel South. So on the reindeer doe the Frenchman flies, back to back in the shared saddle with swordswoman Lt. Captain Cassandra still battling the decreasingly intermittent, now lethargic manipulations of magmaites at his stylish back.

 ** _R-RROAARR!_**

"You _worthlessss humansss_ have always been a thorn in my _s-sside_! But you will not end my reign! I yet have enough power in me, gleaned from frail human fear and anger emitted during _thisss sstresssful_ _blizzzard_ to claim the throne in the _Ss-snow_ kingdom above! Not you, pitiful _Ss-snow_ Prince!" The hideous face Djævlen's forked tongue hisses were more pronounced and vituperative, as the devilish snake in the grass had been biding his time and energy to make a sudden phased burst sulfur smoke teleport to the opposite dark shadowy corner of the labyrinth.

Then the evil one unfurls his full batwing spread and flies straight up through the long shaft that led to the Snow Queen's Throne Room, where the barring Mirror of Reason was imminent, but not quite yet fully erected…

 ** _WHOOSHH!_**

Hans swiftly heeds Kristoff's urgent directive and makes a flying leap down from the stone enclave he had climbed up on to raze his ice sword down upon the evil creature. But again it dematerializes, causing the valorous Danish Prince to instead fall through the empty air and hit the sallow ground hard instead.

"We must stop this being before he reaches the surface with all haste!" Hans points upwards without missing a beat. And with amazing speed, he leaps his lean body aboard the back of Carpet behind Eugene as the thief swoops down to meet his kid brother halfway.

At nose bleeding speeds the magic rug hadn't used in decades, even millennia, speed demon Eugene steers brave Carpet up, up, up! to the ceiling level where all but the last one of the Mirror of Reason's fragments had been puzzled into place above.

But one hole was all that wicked Devil Troll needed to escape to the bright world above he has been denied for ages…

* * *

 _roué_ \- debauched man in French

 _Onkel_ – Uncle in German

 _Djævlen Trolden_ – Devil Troll

 _min kæreste_ _\- my darling in Danish_

* * *

Hello, Frozen friends!

Let me start by saying: ' _Gomen nasai!' (_ Forgive me!) I promised a finish to this Act VII story arc today, but my proofreader/ editor/ leading lady inspiration big sister Setsuna said it was way too long for my poor readers! So we sliced it up again (Kinda like expert swordsman Hans having at the mean old Djævlen _! SLASH! 'Off with his tail!')_

So, thank you for your forbearance! PLEASE Stay tuned for the (absolutely conclusive) Part 3 coming next week again!

Reviews of this thrilling battle are welcome! :)

God bless you all in this continuing Paschal feast joyous season!

HarukaKou

P.S. I passed my driving test and got my license now! Thanks for all your helpful prayers and kind words during my tough new journey too! ^_^ Jesus loves you on this blessed Holy Pascha, friends!

 _'People rejoice, all nations listen!_ _  
Christ God is risen! Let us rejoice!  
Dance all stars and sing all mountains:  
Christ God is risen! Let us rejoice!'_


	29. Chapter 28 - Tenerity

Sen _We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

 **"Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act VII**

 **Chapter 28**

 **"Tenerity"**

Sensing and seeing and hearing the danger quickly ascending, Elsa, Anna, Gerda, Kai, Alonso, Olaf and Boninite scramble to activate the final mirror piece to merge into place over the approximately three foot by three foot vulnerable area left in the Snow Palace floor.

They each see through wide, terrified eyes the Devil Troll on his speedy batwings racing to reach his clawing hand up through the still wide open gateway above.

Fear grips each heart as in a slow motion of words and movement all about the Throne Room, they all look to the Ice Queen to do something to stop the awful tragedy.

"Please dear Lord, help us finish this puzzle in time…" In this moment of her greatest need, Elsa's deferential soul was replete with **_Yearning_** to be that responsible protector, devoted ruler, and shining light she needed to be to stand against this darkness about to be unleashed upon the unsuspecting earth she longed to defend.

As the letter of 'Y' is reflected in the glowing final mirror she was cryokinetically floating over its puzzled place, Elsa of Arendelle's rapidly thumping heart rings in her ears.

It was filled as it never had before with devotion for her land, her people, her kingdom and all she cherished to be spared from the dark energy that she herself experienced the bitter wrath of. That is, until that fond yearning of love for country, family, and lover freed her broken heart in utter open tenderness.

But the vengeful Devil Troll still had other plans, as his evil claws reach up to slash at the Snow Prince who ripped his endless power source of the Fire Trolls away from him. Infuriated more than ever, the Djævlen rises upward at incredible speed becoming monstrous in his fiery fury more than ever before reflected in the red flames of hell in the corner of the Ice Queen's startled eyes.

Her Sir Jorgen Bjorgen puffin plush falls down the chasm from where he was tucked in her ice dress' heaving bosom in her haste. Elsa's ice magic was doing all it could to keep that last vital mirror piece away from any of the rising Troll King's stray blasts from destroying it.

" **Hans**!" In her fear, Elsa calls out the name of the real-life 'knight' she has come to rely on, both heart and soul, as she watches the black and white yarn toy who meant the world to her once upon a time, disappear into the dark abyss.

And there he was, rising out of the ashes like a gloriously gorgeous red phoenix, her gallant knight Prince Hans Westergaard racing up the chasm towards the mirror surface in pursuit of the Devil King Troll.

The Prince of the Southern Isles fearlessly races upward all glowing in a sparkling aura upon a magic flying Carpet to courageously stand on the side of righteousness in this tense battle. To stop this monster from harming his love whose sylphlike silhouette the valiant prince felt was near, Hans was ready to grapple the creature with his bare hands if it came to it. He would do whatever it took to stop the evil threat looming ever closer before escaping into the bright world that belonged to his Queen Elsa of Arendelle.

"Kristly!" Anna wails when she spies her injured husband coming up over the rise, all bloody skinned, raw and scorched as the Snow Queen's desperate spirit madly reaches her snow magic down into the chasm pit.

As Hans was on the Devil King's tail keeping him distracted, the Spirit of the Winter was able to lift the reindeer and his ailing rider right past the Djævlen. With the tenderness of a mother's touch of gentle breeze snow drifts, she accelerates Sven with Kristoff on his back up to the surface to deliver into his young wife's worried arms.

" _I will cherish the old rugged Cross, 'til my trophies at last I lay down. I will cling to the old rugged Cross, and exchange it one day for a crown."_ The musical little Pixie embraces her young man with the sweet healing song she recalled her dear Mama singing over her own worst bloody booboos, growing up wild.

The Snow Queen's tender cool winds sweeping around while Anna's engaging hymn permeated his heart not only alleviate some of Kristoff's intense burning pain, but also bolsters Elsa to complete the final puzzle piece in her ice magical hands as well.

With Anna and Kristoff, her parents and her friends, the Snow Queen, Ragi, Olaf, and also the man she loved in the backdrop of her heart, Elsa closes her eyes for a moment of love's tender brilliance where the _Yearning_ ice mirror puzzle piece spins through the air until it was at last ready to rest in the correct position for placement on the floor.

"Elsa! It's coming closer! You have to hurry!" Vigilant Alonso, as the Queen of Arendelle's new watchguard, was perched near the side of the chasm hole beside a waving armed, frantic Olaf.

The worried snowman was chewing nervously on his own carrot nose as he too peeks down into the last unsealed top of the fissure.

 _"'Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven…'"_ But when little Gerda and Kai grip hands tightly and begin to pray the Lord's Prayer quietly at his side, a stirred Olaf watches even Alonso's soul be touched enough to bow his head and join in with his Spanish language version.

 _'No nos dejes caer en tentación y líbranos_ _del_ _mal.' ('_ And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.')

 _"'For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever.'"_

"Amen!"

That's when a smiling Olaf enthusiastically adds in his favorite part of every Arendelle church service, the rousing finishing touch ' _Amen'_ to the holy words that instantly granted the anxious snowman peace.

Heartened by the prayer and Kristoff's encouraging smile up at her, Anna pauses in her song to give her sister one more optimistic smile and hopeful nod from where she was kneeling on the mirror, cradling her Kristly's bare-chested severe burns to heal in her songful arms.

"Elsa! You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you!" But as Anna utters the name of the Lord of Heaven who crushed all the demons of hell with His triumphant Love, the incensed Djævlen lets out an angry vengeful screech.

 ** _"RR-GGHHMMM!"_**

That was soon followed by a targeted blast of his rancid fire breath at Anna and Kristoff, both vulnerable near the chasm opening.

 ** _SZZT! SZZT!_**

"Stay away from my little sister!" The protective, powerful Queen of the Ice peers into the frightening hole, her eyes steeling more with indignation than fear, as Elsa sends a thick blast of blizzard force gales to stop and intercept the fiery attack on Anna, instantly putting out the flames.

That crisis averted, the Ice Queen then directs a volley of frigid fractals to stall the Djævlen's ugly visage from ascending further.

But the wily quick Devil Troll easily avoids her cryo-attack, his reaction time reflexes honed over the many millennia he had existed to see beforehand of what would be dangerous to him on his swift bat wings, newly developed since last he had battled with another Winter Queen.

But with all his targets and goal for world domination so close in sight, the greedy devil didn't account for the just as cunning, but conversely driven by love, not hate, redheaded Prince of the Southern Isles.

Swift as the cutting wind, Prince Hans comes racing up from behind on a Magic Carpet that could accomplish death-defying top speeds in the blind spot of the Djævlen's rearview mirror…

He produces from inside his Sjoforsvaret naval jacket the enchanted French mirror in hands that were prescient enough to grab the mystic item from where it had been floating midair in the Throne Room earlier. With the mystic enchanted mirror Hans and Anna together had conjoined through their mutual great love for Elsa in his hand, the fearless, quick-witted and expert in battle Dane stands tall upon his Magic Carpet.

Erudite in his calculations, Vise Admiral Westergaard deftly steers Carpet so the small, fancy French style silver mirror frame would be struck at just the precise angle with his Ice Queen's fierce attacking blast that had squarely missed the targeted batwing-ed Devil's erratic flips and maneuvers before.

 _Or did it?_

As if strategically premeditated with his lover, Prince Hans catches Ice Queen Elsa's focused cryo-blast that missed the sneaky Devil Troll with this beautiful enchanted mirror to now strike out at the beast where least expected.

And through his glowing ice pendant and similarly cryo-enhanced ring, magic dynamism charged Hans channels that ice energy to reflect Elsa's pure energy up at the Djævlen's unprotected backside…

 ** _Z-ZZAPP!_**

With the unanticipated full power ice blast from behind, the exposed, no longer regenerative Djævlen Troll King is hit pretty severely. It's bovine lower half legs, bent in nature, are flash frozen solid, proving to slow down the airborne Devil Troll who ruled the shadows just before he could reach his ultimate goal of entering the world above.

"Cursed mirrors!" The malevolent Djævlen rues the day he ever became dallied with the implausible glass endowed by the Author of the universe to reflect back the majesty of His divine creation, if just to glimpse their own beauty that reflected His image when they walked in His light.

The Devil Troll is temporarily frozen in place, suspended mid-air despite his black bat wings flapping fiercely to break free of the heavy ice weighing the wicked sprite down and backwards with gravity he fights against.

"Shove that up your bad ass patootie, you ugly batdevil! Whew! Never knew a mirror could do more than display my stunning good looks!" Handing the silver mirror to a clapping and chortling, profile a-gloat Flynn Rider, Prince Hans then draws his fireproof naval broadsword and Elsa's charged energized ice blade in both his ambidextrous arms as Carpet silently races upward.

The next moment, the Danish Prince aloft Eugene's boldly flown Carpet, engages the Djævlen in battle as Hans plunges Elsa's ice sword straight into what should have been the heart of the shocked evil being, running the Djævlen straight through his instantly freezing innards.

 _However…_

"Ha, ha, ha! I have no heart to pierce, foolish human! YOU CANNOT KILL ME AS YOU WOULD ANOTHER MORTAL! I AM IMMORTAL! YOU CANNOT DEFEAT ME!" But to everyone's horror, this ancient evil Djævlen lived too many long and wicked millennia to let the empty, heartless - indeed soul-less - cavity inside his purely immoral, iniquitous being to be pierced by such a measly human's pitiful act of heroism.

Even if the fiery Devil Troll was slowly being frozen from the inside-out by the damnably powerful sword of this new Ice Queen stuck into him by her sleek, faithful soldier, his cruelty was yet able to reside inside his dark perpetual body without a beating heart. Cackling, the Djævlen tauntingly vowed to still be victorious.

After all, the depraved creature of death recognized that all he must do to rule and achieve his desired power was shatter the mirror that reflected all the virtuous, tender emotions of this rebellious new Queen of the Winter's heart before it was consolidated.

And that would end this futile, righteous insurgence against his natural order once and for all, and he'd be forever free of her deep freeze …

"Embrace my raw power again, Elsssa, and sssee your true beauty flourish! I promissse you will be the only Queen of thisss world, the only ruler where no one can tell you what to do, or who to be—now at my ssside for eternity!" So close to the surface he could be seen clearly from above, the vicious snake-eyed Djævlen hisses, using his deceitful mouth of temptation one more time to throw off the Ice Queen from placing that final mirror piece full of Yearning and hope for the future into place.

And the falsehearted Troll King Djævlen reaches his slowed, but persistent black claws millimeters closer to penetrate the light of Elsa's mirrored soul…

But the undaunted fencer of a handsome Prince would have none of it on his utterly devoted watch over his Queen Elsa's chaste heart.

Prince Hans now wields his now fireproof naval broadsword as he swiftly and expertly approaches the wicked Devil Troll King after it had phased higher with the last of the dark energy, to claw to smithereens the almost finished, still vulnerable mirror of Elsa's fragile heart above.

 **"GRRR! GET AWAY!"** The Troll King hisses vehemently, turning his repulsive sneering head an eerily 270º around to spit acidic vile bile in Hans' thankfully Genie-wish-endowed, incombustible face.

"Elsa! Please remember the genuine meaning of **_Eternity_**! The one that comes with God's true Forgiveness and real Love, not this devil's false lies!" Prince Hans quickly recovers from the acid attack and earsplitting scream in time to speak wisdom to his lover's heart.

 _"…ETERNITY…_ " As the devil's penetrating, raspy voice grips her in fear, Elsa _did hear_ his temptation of ruling power for eternity.

But, she _listened_ to her dearest Hans' sweet golden voice reminding her of what the bona fide meaning of Where and When and Who, ' _Eternity'_ signified.

Queen Elsa Bernadotte, all at once, knew inside of herself that true Heavenly pledge called 'Eternity' was made by the One who would give all those who believed in Him eternal life forever in His glory. And like music ringing gloriously in her head, all the letters of the mirror Ice Queen Elsa controlled reverberate in a rejoicing chorus to swirl around in her mind.

 _Eternity…_

The Gift from God's unconditional love sacrifice of His Son Jesus on that Cross some eighteen hundred years ago, emblazoned in her unclouded mind, heart and soul...

"You will leave my Queen alone from henceforth, foul monster, or you will have to deal with the likes of me!" With a leaped slashing run upward that defied gravity, an aggressive Prince Hans silently comes out of the blue from behind and deducts the Djævlen of the entire left side of his sheered off bat wings.

 ** _"EEERRRRAAARRGGGHH!"_**

Undeterred by his ringing ears affronted by the evil menace so audibly groaning nearby in agony, Hans was incensed that his future bride was once again attempted to be seduced and assaulted mentally before his eyes.

But the composed in battle Dane skillfully keeps his temper and his equilibrium to remain afloat on the shaky Carpet where Eugene was holding on for dear life to steer and steady poor Rugman.

"Ooh, that'll clean out the old earwax! I think you gone made him mad now, Sideburns!" Flynn shows his verbal bravado, though his eyes were rolling around in his woozy head that was glad to have a thick fur lined hood over it.

"NOOO! MINE!" Giving a gluttonous, feral screech that deafened Hans and Eugene's ears again to pull back as his affronted ghoulish innards begin to freeze from the inside out. But the ancient creature of darkness personified still refused to concede his greedy avaricious world conquest.

The Devil Troll's shadowy appendage, just within reach of his target, extends beyond all physics to clutch one groping claw up through the open small space of the yet unsealed mirror, with the knowledge that a single penetration into the world above, with corruption and evil of sin and decay, still lurking beneath the new Victorian era of morality, would instantly melt the ice to shatter that blasted mirror and reinvigorate power into the Devil Troll King forevermore to reign…

"Elsa? We're here for you!" Princess Anna runs up to her sister at the edge of the reconstructed mirror to tug on Elsa's arm.

Anna didn't have to say any more words. Her evocative eyes filled with emotion told her platinum blonde sibling everything that needed to be said.

Elsa froze in place at the sound of Hans and Anna's voices, almost completely stopping her work in replacing the final puzzle piece that hung mid-air.

Full of yearning to truly be free, Elsa gazes from Anna to Gerda to Kai and Alonso and Olaf and finally down to Hans' sparkling green eyes she knew were shining somewhere beneath in that dark chasm fighting for her.

"Everything? You mean I'll have everything I've ever wished and wanted? Everything I've ever longed for?!" Elsa responds, starting out calm but ending in a fevered crescendo by the end of her desperate words, making the Djævlen feel he still had an edge into her weak subconscious.

"Yes, yes, my queen! You'll have it all! The entire world will be at your feet!" The Devil Troll latches on, tempting her in any way he could to gain her great power once more in his final throes of deceit.

"I already **have** it all! Not only that, but the BEST—my family, my friends, my God! You must think very low of me indeed that you would even think I'd fall again for your lies—and the emptiness and despair you're offering! I've learned to embrace so much more! It's only the likes of you, Devil Troll King, who I desire to be at my feet!" With both fervent passion and soft tenderness of a warm heart in the face of the Devil's relentless claws and treachery, it was now the Ice Queen's chance to turn the tables on the ugly Djævlen Trollden.

"The only Eternity I want to be part of is the one freely offered to all of us sinners by Christ the Lord! My loved ones have shown me that love so clearly. So I reject you from my kingdom, and my heart—forevermore!" Eyes full of heartfelt tears and determination to be her true self, unafraid and strong, Queen Elsa makes the bold declaration as the controlled frozen temperature plummets between her and the devil, but never again in her warm heart.

" ** _Grrr_**. _That accursed name_!" With a stunned, thwarted growl, the recoiling Devil is forced to contract his claws at this faithful woman's fervent avowal, fortified by the powerful name of the Lord of Heaven who conquered death itself once upon an Eternal time.

The ice magic Elsa now mastered surges in her elegant fingertips as her handsome prince closes his eyes and willingly devotes back the half portion of cryokinetics she trusted to invest in him earlier, to give the Ice Queen full wintry authority at her disposal.

In total control and with true purpose, a glowing Elsa then meets each trembling eye in the room and below it with a smile of genuine gratitude, tender camaraderie and above all, everlasting _Love_.

The lettered mirrors suddenly explode in multicolored hues of the rainbow, another of God's promises sanctified so perfectly in the assurance of the next rising sun.

Elsa, her sister's hand in hers, her eyes on those of her true love Prince Hans, who had called her from the darkness into the light, and her awakening heart grateful to God, finally realized that she had been blessed with magical ice powers so that on this day, she could put the final piece of that broken mirror puzzle back into place and help save her kingdom—and the world, from a demon.

Elsa affixes into place in the grand puzzle glowing with aurora borealis energy and holy grace to spell 'eternity' once more, the last sweet letter of 'Y', replete with 'Yearning' for Heaven-sent loving compassion and tenerity, which the blood of Jesus Christ offered with His unconditional love the same today as He did almost two millennia ago.

The shunned back Devil Troll begins to shrink physically as well as he lets out another scream of devilish proportions in his defeat. Pure hatred burning within him had been the only thing keeping the Djævlen from freezing due to the ice sword that Hans had embedded directly in his unsightly chest.

His putrid claws that were just about to angrily penetrate the ice, bang at the completed mirror that was now unbreakable even from his wrath from below, now that the Ice Queen and the Snow Queen had joined forces together with their family, to have the peace of love in their hearts at one with their eternal bond under the love of God.

Before the lopsided Devil Troll could conjure up another suitable retaliation, Prince Hans brandishes his naval broadsword to cleanly slice off the other vane of the destructive creature's wings.

As the Djævlen plummets, between the Snow Prince robbing him of his dark fire troll crystal and subsequent non-regenerative energy loss; his body, forged of flame and magma being eaten up by the frost within as well as the deathly wounds the Dane's sword strikes had cost from without; and finally Queen Elsa's fervent rejection of his wanton advances with her Mirror of Love borne of Eternity and built with tenacity, begins to shrink in size and physical volume.

The Troll King's screeches grow smaller and smaller as its voice – spewing pip-squeaky threats of doom, now almost laughable - mirrored that puny toy action figure sized form that finally hits the ground floor hundreds of meters below within a dusty cloud thud. The ice heavy, evil Troll King monster's shrunken, tiny infinitesimal being had been fully frozen into a hideous heap of a broken and battered pile of pieces of an unrecognizable dark creature lying on the subterranean cavern ground far, far below.

"Ewww! That looks painful. Get rid of these, Kid, before they wreck my Carpet." Leaning over to peer down to the cavern floor below as Carpet descends to where the shrunken devil had landed in a plume of ice and smoke dust, Eugene comments derisively. He disgustedly kicks up the greenish bile and blood spilt wing that had dropped upon Carpet when Hans deducted it from the Djævlen King.

"Yes, but…where will be a safe and secure imprisonment for this fiend to never escape to the surface again?" Hans, ever responsible a leader and visionary protector, looks from Eugene to Carpet and back down to the minuscule Devil Troll who had been utterly defeated, with its innards frozen so not even a little fire could be created in the place where a heart never existed.

"Oh, sure." Saucy Eugene sarcastically comments to the Carpet he was leaning in like an armchair. "We just happen to have a mystic bottle to cork in the all-powerful Devil Troll in our back pockets- _Oh_." The thief instantly regrets his snide remark in the heat of the moment that spoke more truth than he cared to admit.

With a sigh and an over-dramatic opening of his side pack leather satchel, Flynn Rider was rather loathe to produce the magic lamp he had invariably become attached to hanging onto.

 _From one master thief to another's keepsake kinda thing to look back on in his old age, right?_

"I seem to remember a part of the whole groovy Genie lamp legend where an evil sorcerer monster got himself trapped within here once." The expressive grimaced older man begrudgingly interjects after a few moments' deep contemplation passes between the good-looking pair of brothers.

"I reckon I used my one wish up on some handsome redheaded kid, AKA ' _the chosen one'._ And believe you me, I tried to trot a few more rubs of the ole lamp out since that extremely selfless offering. No dice. But maybe it's lucky cosmic magic is not done with you yet, Sideburns. You've got a serendipitous penchant in you I envy. And like the old lady said:" Eugene refers again to his memory of that rather unforgettable whittler woman.

"' _If they have unlocked this foretoken lamp, their connection is strong, to the chosen one whom the final wish of the Genie belongs.  
 _Travel to a mysterious land in search of the treasure, in order to embrace the true worth of a heart beyond measure_.'"  
_

Flynn Rider repeats the old Scottish witch's incantation in a spooky mimicked voice of the elderly woman's translated foretold prophecy of the magic lamp.

"So, here ya go, Lillebror. Knock yourself out and take all my worldly goods." Bewailing treasures un-enjoyed, Eugene Fitzherbert again shows the better man in him to toss Hans the brassy foretoken lamp that granted the precious wish which made this battle victory over a fire controlling monster even plausible.

"Is it possible?" With a share of doubt on his handsome features as he catches another magic item thrown in his path, Prince Hans accepts the lamp with Carpet's vociferous nod of approval.

The three watch in awe as its brassy metal begins to glisten to a true gold at his touch and mists of blue and purple and golden magic swirl around, living up to its legend.

"Damn! Why didn't it do that for me!?" Eugene complains, his thieving eyes sparkling at the amazing lightshow. Then he gives a wide-eyed Hans a brotherly smile. "Go on, Kid. Your turn to shine."

Hans smiles gratefully to the older man who had become not only his brother, but the dear human friend (Sitron being his only other friend) Hans never had.

"Genie! Grant my wish to seal this evil Devil Troll away from ever invading this world again! Please, to keep my Elsa safe from harm." The polite gent in Hans adds the small yet poignant reason of his pure heart's wish.

And the Genie of the lamp, whatever form he took, wherever he was in the universe, being phenomenal, was so moved by such a selfless plea, to permit one _extra_ emergency wish…

It stirs with unfamiliar bluish smoke puffs when this second selfless magic wish activates the Genie's lamp. The mini Devil Troll King screams and squalls its squeaky voice and even further miniature size to match, until the shouting epitaphs and curses Djævlen shrinks into the Genie's lamp in Hans' hand that his big brother caps tightly and quickly.

"Itty bitty living space!" Flynn triumphantly declares with a punishing smack and jiggle to the shiny gold lamp they had bottled the Troll King within, making an elated Carpet clap enthusiastically at the memories Eugene's uncanny words inspired.

"Well done, young Princes. You have proven yourselves valiant knights worthy to stand beside the Queens of Arendelle and Corona to strengthen them as leaders of their nations on life's journey. Prince Hans, you have within your heart the capability to captain the great voyage beside Ice Queen Elsa, who is destined to be my successor someday." The Snow Queen's ominous, yet encouraging words, now that the Djævlen Troll who had been her ancient arch enemy and adversary for millennia, had been at last defeated soundly, were able to speak through her spirit scrying hologram in Hans' enchanted mirror.

The original Queen of the Winter once again could speak on the cool winds even beneath her Snow Palace's reinstated Mirror of Reason, now enhanced to become the Ice Queen's Mirror of Love, too, that protected the world above from the darkness below.

"I will thank you gallant soldiers to now ensure that this tormentor will never assail our lands again, nor any other peoples of this world, God willing. Now you have ingeniously trapped the Devil Troll within that magic casement, you must bury him deep below the perpetual ice I have sustained in Antarctica. Its sub-zero cold temperatures will continually dissolve any fire in that furthest corner of the world, where no one will be tormented by his deceit again." The Mistress of the Winter begins to instruct the proficient Danish Prince and his brave older brother to transport the sealed Genie's lamp with the rock solid, ice frozen Troll King within, currently incapacitated, to bring to a place so distant and uninhabited that no one would ever uncover him there again.

"I will take you to a small and uninhabited island in southern Antarctica that maintains -128°F temperature, even in the summer months. It is called Lake Volstok, and it has been embedded in ice for many layers since time began. The lake has fire inhibiting moisture with its tremendous pressure under the packed snow of deep water and solid ice. It is situated underneath several ice caps in which trapped gases created an ice cage of sorts called a clathrate that would be perfect to house this pyro, shadow-phasing creature who will exist as long as there is darkness in the world. Though within that magic lamp he is currently dormant and restricted as long as no one opens its lid, it imperative for the Djævlen to be physically transported there to ensure this wily evil sprite will be forever encased in the ice prison to never again escape. At least not until the end times which the Bible predicts. But between that blessed time, I will come to establish a new Snow Palace to keep guard over the Devil Troll here in the deepest part of the South Pole. My Ragi will often be present, alive now that he has a new mission to lead the freed Fire trolls and integrate them into troll society for as long as the Lord lends my Wind Whisperer to me." The Snow Queen speaks quite openly with Hans, sensing he had a greater place in the entire scheme of life than even the ambitious 13th in-line Prince of the Southern Isles ever imagined.

"And now, after seeing her immense power and majesty of the snow and ice, I am certain Queen Elsa will be able to take on the role as the new Queen of the Winter, as I am, after countless millennia, in need of rest. But this time, she will reign with God's peace and truth in her stable heart that the Winter wonderland will peacefully mirror, along with my mature Snow Prince to monitor the environment up here with his father's abilities of nature. Together, she and I, as caretakers of the North and South Poles, will better be able to maintain God's wondrous gift of this beautiful season's weather, and keep it perfectly balanced with ease as we will have one another to rely on. With yourself and Ragi at our sides, Prince Hans, I know this new Mirror of Love will shine brightly for a very long time to come." The Snow Queen smiles in the reflective mirror face, her momentarily unsteady heart as sure and full of reason as ever it was. Perhaps even more so with the knowledge of her northern counterpart's great love that owned a stability to have created a far more powerful mirror seal with a depth of love that would not again be easily tainted.

"On my honor, and my great love, I vow to stand by my Queen always, to uphold and exceed all your wishes in her best interests, your Majesty." With the serious weight of the world on his thin shoulders, Hans nods to the ancient woman in his mirror with all the assurance he could muster.

 _But why does a simple, pitiful, sinful boy such as I deserve to be the mate of the Queen of the Winter?_ Hans gulps with a doleful staggered smile upon his gorgeous face at the magnitude this all meant for him.

As for an un-phased Eugene, he gives the pale blonde a less respectful thumb's up in the background.

"Yep, and I got my Lillebror's backside all the way, Snow Queenie. Her Legginess has got an A+ hero here in Sideburns, who'll stick to her like a wet tongue to her slinky ice –" The comely rogue says with an hourglass shaped gesture of his hands, then a familial wop to the shocked redheaded younger prince as lewd Eugene hooks his leather satchel at Hans hip belt, donated genie lamp and all.

"Storbror! Umm…ahem…thank you..?" A mortified at the crass analogy Hans chuckles nervously. Although, his indefatigable elder brother did succeed to lighten his somber mood.

The Danish Prince pauses in his runaway anxious thoughts to seek inner calm, to step back and clear his racing mind for a few moments to review what had occurred since he returned to her land.

His squinting green eyes alight upon where the Devil Troll King's incredibly frozen shrinking form had fallen. A bewildered Hans stoops down to pick up a singular item that certainly did not belong in this dark, smoke-filled, dirty cave's misbegotten ashes.

Or maybe it was brought there to remind Hans his Elsa had chosen _him_ to be her new hero.

The Danish Prince smiles inwardly at the Lord's hand in the grand scheme of this all as he brushes off the now dirt and grime soiled, as well as stuffing exploding from ears and cheeks, small plush toy.

The little puffin yarn toy his Elsa had let go of in the exchange of fire and ice battle that magnificently took place at the precipice of the Throne Room above was here winking up at the redhead through the darkness.

In introspection, he tenderly strokes his fingers through its dingy yarn, titian colored 'hair'.

Hans couldn't be more pleased in how his Ice Queen comported herself in the fierce battle, with stability of mind and body in dire circumstances akin to a militarily trained general. But more than that, Elsa Bernadotte showed the tenderness of a gentle soul with a great heart for her people to halt this threat with her deep love.

So with an open smile, Hans dusts off Sir Jorgen Bjorgen with a small salute of self-deprecating mockery, makes the silent pledge to relieve the battered and torn yarn knight of his duty where he, _Sir_ Hans Westergaard, would be instead from here on in, as his Lady Elsa's chivalrous knight errant in shining armor.

"Your Majesty, after we deliver this reprobate ogre to his Antarctic prison, what is it concerning this you wish I should tell _min_ _ædle_ Elsa and her father, King Agdar, when I return to Arendelle?" Hans asks in confiding whispers to the ancient Spirit of the Winter who was imparting so much future information to the intelligent young man, he recognized that it was not all that wise to lay this on the ingénue Queen of Arendelle all at once so quickly before she was ready.

"Just that I am pleased Queen Elsa has chosen you, because your love is worthy. Have no anxiety, young Prince Hans, for your future together is a bright one. You and she will live your days in Arendelle and her North Mountain Ice Palace, as well as in your own beautiful estate down in Holsteinborg, as normal young lovers. Just when the time is right and she feels in the years to come that the moment is at hand, with your love and support, Queen Elsa will rise like the break of dawn and finally take on the role of this hemisphere's Winter Queen, as she was born to do on the day of the winter solstice. I have no fear that God will use her heart's tranquility to easily maintain the cold season's beauty. Under His magnificent plan of love, you two will mature together as leaders of Norway to guide your people in peace." And with that important, yet heartfelt message, the Snow Queen's spirit in the mirror slowly phases through the enchanted mirror glass.

On Bae, the ghost reindeer revitalized by the aurora borealis, like an ethereal wave, she floats down the cavern shaft towards where the Fire Trolls were liberated under Kristoff's mapped direction.

"I must join my dearest Ragi now and cherish every moment I have with him as we join my Wind Chime Boy and his Queen in Svartisen to ensure the black ice is sealed off completely to any straggling shadow creatures." The large old reindeer and the Snow Queen's translucent spirit begin to drift towards the cave shaft's opposite direction.

"Remember, I, as the Spirit of all Winter, will always be near, on every cool wind and bell and windchime, if I am needed, with my son to keep us connected. But with your Ice Queen's loving, tranquil heart to share nature's frozen control with mine in the Northern and Southern Poles the Creator placed in our rule, our hearts will never be overwhelmed again. So at last we both can find peace and rest in its beauty. Tell her how grateful I am to finally have a blessed ice magical sister to rely on." The Snow Queen speaks even as she fades from view on a hilled whispered breeze that flows through the catacomb.

"I will." Hans promises, his hand tight around the ice pendant at his neck, held over his heart full of such warm sentiment for his girl, that the Dane didn't feel the cold emanating from it any longer.

Only his darling Elsa's presence so intimately close to him.

"Now that's a statement and a half. No pressure, huh, Handsome? But it sounds like you finally found your place of your own, right where you're wanted in this world, eh? I have to admit, I do **not** envy you. It's a doozy! Just like the place I've already discovered for me in my handful of sunshine back home in Corona. God, I hope Rapunzel will be all right to have those babies without me there! But we've got a lot of work here, burying that nasty piece of Devil King proper down under the ice cap 'clathrate', or whatever the hell Snow Mama called his ice cage! Plus we have to get those Fire Troll rebel little fellas all set up in a new land above ground, huh, Carpet? Not to mention, catch up to Cass and Ferdie before they do themselves a mischief alone." Eugene, as per usual, was running off at the mouth, as he both congratulates Hans and laments his own sacrifice with a smirk of conviction all while glancing around, his feet itching to bolt.

His pregnant wife's due date delivery could be at any given hour now on this December 16 date, and it was eating at Eugene Fitzherbert's subconscious.

 _But you were the one still trying to groom this tarnished old thief into a hero, Liebling..._

"Yes, it is an imperative mission, but so is getting you home to your wife in her moment of need. She must have you near. It's perhaps, I daresay, even more essential, Storbror." Gazing upwards, no longer able to see what was happening in the Throne room above through the cloudy mirror, Hans knew Elsa had, as he instructed, totally sealed the protective mirror to be complete. He turns to Eugene with a heartfelt sentiment, where the thief was sitting back, slumped impatiently on Carpet.

"We must take especial haste on your gifted friend—this wonderful magic flying Carpet—to follow the Snow Queen's spirit, for the closest exit of this subterranean catacomb is in Svartisen. From there we must fly you as fast as Carpet's high-speed can go, back to dear Princess Rapunzel and your newborn babes." Hans announces to a jaw dropped Eugene, who looks down to Carpet's willing salute to his new master/ partner and modern-day thief.

 _A family! Just like old times with Aladdin and Jasmine and their little ones…_

"After everything you gave up for me, Storbror, and all this means to you - and rightly so - the least I could do is _first_ accompany my big brother back home to Corona, swiftly as possible. I promise you will be with your Princess Rapunzel to welcome my nieces and nephews to this bright, shining world that will be warm again in the Spring that you helped make possible. After I have brought you to Prussia, _I_ will personally deliver this Devil creature to Volstok Lake as the Snow Queen specified, to bury it forever within the deep ice." It was Hans' turn to bestow a responsible brotherly pat to his big Brother's shoulder.

"Thanks, Handsome. This Rugman of mine can get us home in two shakes of a tassel!" Excited as a kid himself, Eugene quirks a grateful smile at both his companions here at the base of the dark catacomb.

"But first, maybe you should bid adieu to your ravishing ice beauty up there to let her know you'll be back for her big birthday party in a few days that you ran all the way from India to attend. Before she runs off with that hot Argentinian kid." Love expert lady's man Flynn Rider suggests, not half serious with a thumbing gesture up to the glowing prismatic mirror covering above.

"I trust my Elsa to have more discriminating judgement." Hans murmurs with a simper to his brother, only marginally troubled by the thought of that Prince Alonso still up there trying to pitch woo at his steadfast Queen. No, the Danish man's chief anxiety now was wondering how his fiancée's father would react to his new Vise Admiral, newly commissioned to serve on the proud HMNoS Nidaros for the Sjoforsvaret, was about to make an insistent, premature request for a swift wedding to his precious Elsa before he left again to return to his vessel.

Despite giving his word to the wary King to be on full naval tour for another long year and a half at sea before they would be permitted to wed.

Now that this torrid battle was at its close, Hans' male hormones were rampant within him to secure his Elsa as his wife. Even moreso after this emotional rollercoaster of danger, loss, rejection, jealousy and ice intimacy all playing a part in their encounter after a long, lonely separation.

Hans knew whatever adversity and chastisement from her father awaited, he must endure to deserve the prize he's longed for all his young life.

The Dane was only too glad that as result of the letter from the Admiral, inexplicably calling his prominent officer home for a face to face meeting, he and his companions were able to lend their competent assistance to the country's plight against this now bottled and frozen solid wicked Djævlen Troll King's defeat.

But the shrewd prince, despite his own yearning, did not wish to incur his injured father-in-law's further wrath. Especially not before Hans was able to cajole his special request for an earlier-than- intended wedding date, which was already set in motion in his astute contriving mind durin his passage back. Even if the chameleon had to throw himself groveling as a gentleman on the mercy of his stern future father-in-law, it would be worth it. Prince Hans was sure he could sweet talk Queen Idun and charm his way into a few days of nuptial bliss with his new bride.

He might have to return to sea immediately after the ceremony, but Prince Hans desperately wanted to share with Elsa the depth of his love, commitment and devotion to her, not to mention ensure no other man would _ever_ dare tread on _his_ fair queen again.

In his yet fireproof, as well as currently adrenaline-filled body, crafty Hans Westergaard was considering these heady, wild thoughts all the while Carpet was airlifting him to the base of the mirror's holographic surface. His slim left hand that wore her snowflake engagement ring—which no longer held any power beyond signifying their love—on his long pinky digit, gleams with true youthful love wrapped around Elsa of Arendelle's representative figurine statuette.

When they arrive at the ceiling, Hans' other hand instinctively reaches out towards the now non-transparent ice cold seal of the iridescent mirror above, longing to touch its illuminated glow.

But with the completed mirror they all worked so hard to achieve sealed tight and unutterably cold above his head, it stood as an opaque barrier where Hans could not see a clear glimpse of the bright Throne Room above, just vague shadows moving.

His thoughts burn with mentally envisioning his beautiful _ædle_ love Elsa, on the flip side of this mirror, once again back as her elegant, demure and flawless self, regal and majestic in her beautiful sovereignty of this new Kingdom now at her command as well.

Though still somewhat anxious and tense, he begins to settle back to normal levels of calm sanity now the battle was won and he believed all was again safe.

But like every other young man his age, it still raged with desire and a longing heart that aspired to feel the radiant pulse of their incredible love. Hans sensed a palpable surge in his veins the nearer he came to the surface of his Elsa's 'Mirror of Love.'

And yet, as he stood tall upon Carpet's patiently hovering, plush pile, Hans' bare hand thrusts upward, daring to physically touch the glowing prism underside of the powerful Ice Queen's impenetrable Mirror.

There in that spot where that final mirror piece fell into place, the Danish Prince was sure he sensed another's warmth that echoed his immense yearning, pressing back…

* * *

 ** _Minutes before, on the other side of the solid, prismatic Mirror of Love…_**

"Elsa? You okay over there?" After all the snow dust quickly settled and she had treated Kristoff's burn wounds to be no longer as severe, Princess Anna had come back to her big sister, squeezing her stiff shoulders where the tall blonde was still kneeling down to the solid mirror ground, yet in stunned awe that she had been the one chiefly to make it all happen.

"Never underestimate the power of snow and ice?" Trying to bring Elsa out of this shellshocked state, Anna quips with a twisted lip, remembering the Black Ice Queen saying something like that when Elsa was on her dark tirade what seemed like forever ago to both sisters.

"Ooh. I like the sound of that! _'Never underestimate the power of snow and ice!_ ' Doesn't it make me sound big and scary and important? Can I borrow that cool line when I retell this incredible tale to Eliana when we get back home?" Olaf giggles, returned to his small size and naïve innocence as he waddles around the room with his new friends, Blue Sprite and Red Sprite, the Snow Queen's sidekicks, who had become fast friends with the little snowman after they had been freed from their perpetual ice prisons as frozen sentinels at the door.

"Don't even say it, Snowman," Smoothing back his voluminous hair from his astoundingly messy head, Prince Alonso chides Olaf with a shiver. The visiting prince of Cordoba had seen first-hand how 'big' and 'scary' the dimwitted frost creature could be when unleashed, though silly again Olaf was now blissfully unaware.

And Alonso preferred him that way, as he knocks off Olaf's head and uses the rest of the snowman for a makeshift chair to seat his unused to hardworking, spoiled bones down after all that rough, mirror shard heavy lifting.

Elsa smiles to watch the amusing scene with Alonso along with the Red and Blue Sprites playfully tossing Olaf's chattering head back and forth as a new game to make glowing with magic 'children Kai and Gerda' laugh in sweet youthful innocence just one more time.

"Of course, Anna. The Lord has been gracious and good to have granted me another chance to help others with my ice magic. I have discovered that it's not my burden alone, but given to me to benefit mankind too, whenever and wherever I am needed." Elsa responds with peaceful wisdom. But her eyes were still down, as if desperately scanning the ice for any breaks.

"We have completed the mirror with love and the friendship of all my dearest ones to support me, in time to stop the Djævlen from entering our land. With the promise of God's Eternity and Jesus the Lord's Tenerity inside each of us, the Devil Troll King's wickedness could never succeed. The deadly blizzards have been alleviated, so our countrymen are once again safe; Papa may be blinded, but he and Mama are alive, and Ragi said his vision may recover with time; your own abilities have flourished and Kristoff and Sven have been restored to you, perhaps badly injured, but healing nicely due to your song's sweet music. Papa has entrusted me with his Kingdom, his people—our people— for me to lead on this bright path to the future. And…you finally remembered all the verses to 'The Old Rugged Cross', right? If I recall correctly, Mama had a tough time trying to get her 'flutterbudget spadbarns' to memorize her favorite hymn as children." Though calm and cool and collected, Elsa felt both like laughing out loud and breaking down into tears at all the emotion her now steadily beating heart was struggling in keeping tranquil as she ends her speech with a playful tease to her little sister.

"Hooray!" Olaf cheers for all those accomplishments, not getting Elsa's shellshocked state of mind at all as he comes waddling up now with Gerda's plump hand in his branchy fingers on one side and Kai's large fat one in the other, after their reverted grown-up versions retrieved him from Alonso and the pair of mischievous sprites.

"We're so proud of you, Queen Elsa! I knew you and our Anna could do it!" Gerda's baby voice was gone now, as was her youthful body that had returned to being Arendelle's pleasantly plump housekeeper once more.

"The Snow Queen wanted you to rebuild the new mirror in your own way, knowing it would prove to be even stronger because of your deep bond with those you love, your Majesty." The large-set Arendelle Royal Councilor approaches the Queen with his usual deferential bow, now also back to his tall and rotund size as well as mature age.

"Gerda! Kai! You're **BIG** again!" A bulgy eyed Anna smiles broadly, meaning it in every sense of the word to her lifelong guardians who had lent so much assistance with guidance and experience to rebuild the broken mirror puzzle, yet did not overstep their roles and allowed Elsa to be the one to rebuild the mirror with her God-given faith, hope and love to lead her to the answers on her own.

"Yes we are, Anna and Elsa! Our mission where youth and child-like innocence were needed to help as we entered the Snow Queen's world of magic has been completed. My Kai and I are once again mature in our walk with the Lord, just as the Good Shepherd designed us to be!" Gerda happily sings of her wide girth with widespread open arms inviting a chuckling Anna into a hug with joy at all the years filled with love and happiness upon God's green earth her chubby body represented.

 _"'When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I set aside childish ways. Now we see but a dim reflection as in a mirror; but we shall see Him face to face.'_ (I Corinthians 13:11-12)" Minister Kai prudently applies the Biblical verse that was so fitting to Gerda and his own magical journey long ago under the Lord's supreme will.

He makes a sweeping bow before Queen Elsa, almost putting his old back out.

Although, the more serious husband was not as obviously jubilant to find his old age's familiar aches and pains, and sadly balding head, as well as innumerable pounds to match his plump little wife.

"You have done well restoring the Mirror of Reason with your Mirror of Love, again keeping the world in order and safe from the demons below, Your Majesty. At last, you have learned to embrace your true power, rivaling even the Snow Queen. You parents will be proud, as are your devoted people. It is my honor to serve you, Your Majesty." The High Council Minister of Arendelle speaks with now greater respect to the regal Queen he has served and will serve for many decades to come, God-willing.

"It's the magic of your heart to accept love and give love with all its tenderness that has made this possible, Elsa. You and Anna both have become such sweet young ladies, with good and noble young men to stand at your sides and strengthen that love, as my Kai has always been a solid rock for me." Gerda, older and wiser, but every bit as sweet and devout and loving, pulls a standing to the side Elsa into the warm bear hug, where the older servant was already embracing Anna.

"Ooh! Hug time! I'm the Hug Expert! I'll show you how it's done properly, boys!" Olaf squeals out in delight, grabbing the speechless Red Sprite and teeth-gritted Blue Sprite, as well as Boninite, into a hug clutch of his own.

"Yeesh. Too much clinginess around this sappy Kingdom for my taste." A totally weirded-out Prince Alonso takes several steps back to not be included in the syrupy muddle as he stands to the side and watches beside Kristoff, who was saddling up Sven.

"You get used to it. We call them 'healing hugs' around here." His third degree burns satiated by Anna's sweet song and tender caresses, Kristoff smirks down at the sour-faced, way shorter Argentinean Royal as he was preparing his reindeer's tackle from Sven's side pouches to be attached to the sleigh outside.

"Hmph. The Ice Queen may be out of my league, especially with that admittedly impressive Dane as main competitor. So, the only one I'd be interested in sharing a healing hug with would be that dish of a raven-haired swordswoman who couldn't help but throw herself at me before. Any idea what her name is, and when she's gonna show back up at this party?" Reverted back to his rake, devil may care, conceited self, Alonso of Córdoba saunters up to Kristoff and speaks low _de hombre a hombre_ (man to man) with a an insatiable eye for the ladies that made the once loner mountain man cringe.

"Thank you, Kai, Gerda. Prince Alonso, Boninite. Everyone. How can I ever thank you all for supporting my sister and my parents and I when we needed you most?" Elsa elegantly rises tall to her high heels, looking from face to face with a grateful soft smile.

"Well… You could start by signing the treaty with Córdoba to buy the lion's share of our fine herbs and excellent cattle head, so my father won't consider me a total failure for not scoring a well matched bride on this European excursion idea of his." The opportunistic Argentine Prince plops on the throne steps, after weighing the odds and deciding to stay on the safe side, refraining from flirting with the obviously smitten elsewhere, dangerous ice beauty.

"All you desire, Prince Alonso." The distracted Arendelle monarch was feeling quite magnanimous towards the South American Prince, not realizing how her loose terms could be misconstrued. Elsa's attention was more on watching how Anna was tenderly warming and attending to her sore hubby when stuffy Kai had donated his long coat at doting Gerda's generous offer to the poor, clothes-burnt-right-off-his-back, half naked brave mountain man shivering in the Snow Palace Throne Room.

"I might have taken you up on such an open invite before, Elsa. But that Danish Prince of yours is a pretty formidable fencer, and I am exceptionally fond of my perfect anatomy just as it is." Alonso backs off with a curt bow to the desirable, yet unreachable for many reasons, female monarch of this uniquely strange Land of the Midnight Sun.

But with an enlightened for the better, soulful look down at Boninite, Alonso couldn't say he wasn't glad to have visited here.

 _But that crazy Dane may really shave my head off next time if I have another go at his girl! My young and gorgeous head is far too priceless and breathtaking for that, thank you very much!_

"Well, we can never express our heartfelt gratitude for being heroes of our nation. You will each be lauded and honored by all of Norway when we return to Arendelle, and never forgotten in our hearts for your valor and bravery." Elsa remembers herself and her station, as her Papa, King Agdar would certainly have given credit where it was due to those who so positively affected their country in its time of great need.

Just contemplating what could have been lost, it almost moved Elsa to tears again at the enormous weight of it all. But she was pleased inside to have accomplished so much after falling so low, lifted on the shoulders of all those who loved her and encouraged her to be her true self again, under the Lord Jesus' love.

"… Love…" Elsa whispers with a smile that now fully understood the multi-hued meaning of that God-given true emotion. She watches at how Anna, ever clumsy, trips on Kristoff's big square-toed bare feet and smiles when he catches his feisty little ginger from falling on her face. The lithe young girl giggles with adoring eyes up at her manly stud, now donning Kai's donated longtailed suit jacket that did not suit the rugged Snow Prince at all.

Elsa remembered each of the tenants of virtue which the new Mirror of Love she and Anna and Hans had forged with the love and inspiration of family and friends and all the others gathered near who had touched her heart, filling it with Christ's eternal tenderness of spirit—Tenerity…

 _'_ _Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us. To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.'_ Luke 1:78-79

As Elsa hears these powerful Biblical verses echo in her mind, the refitted ice mirrors once again reshape around the Throne Room to create a whole new dynamic of an artistic and elegant palace, filled with gentle ice angels holding crystalline bells and tender soft snowflake flower wreaths.

The lettered pieces that spelled the Heaven sent promise of 'ETERNITY' begin to glow with yet another magical imprint to reflect the warmth of home that existed in her heart right now here on earth, rearranging themselves to spell out a new promise:

'TENERITY'

' _Tenerity_ ' would play a vital role from now on in the Ice Queen's mature rule and heart that was very nearly complete.

Elsa's once lonely, dispassionate with cold uncertainty soul bursts alive with newly inducted energies linked with fond memories and fulfillment of faith and warmth and hope, and above all, love.

Radiating warmth, an elegant three-tiered sceptre created of pure crystalline ice materializes right over the final spot Queen Elsa had last glimpsed her lover Hans, in the chasm beneath the mirror barrier battling that evil enemy for her honor and her country's security.

As the ice mirrors continued to miraculously rearrange themselves all around the tender resonance of Elsa's truly contrite heart, with queenly sceptre in hand, Elsa kneels down to pray. In gratitude for her nation's victory, in supplication for her blind father and weakened mother to recover, in joy for her darling sister who never gave up on her.

And after it all, in hope for the safe return of the young man who had called her back through the cold ice to show Elsa that true love never ends…

 _Thank you, Lord, for leading Anna and Mama to bring my Hans home so he could make me remember how much love meant to me…_

In the single smiling beseeching teardrop that slid silently down a closed eye Elsa's pale cheek, the young woman was overwhelmed with this moving tenderness. The reflection of her embraced heart's mirror now spills over as the young ruler had been tracing the glowing letters embossed on the final mirror pieces with her artistic fingertips.

Through the prism of that single icy tear, the northern Queen of the Winter's Mirror of Love's silvery smooth surface makes a clear bell chiming sound. Suddenly a small piece of it clears allowing a glimpse of the dark underside of the catacomb again for a few ephemeral seconds.

Gazing down to the translucent mirror's cloudy view, Elsa was surprised and elated at the same time to see her Hans at that exact spot, reaching up to her through the cool ice.

Without even knowing that his beloved was up there, the handsome Prince was mirroring her hand, as she was his, in the very same tender fashion in which she had been yearning for him on the other side.

Though his lovely mouth that spoke such soaring speeches and sang golden melodies was muted beneath the impenetrably thick layer of mirror ice, Elsa strains to lip read what message Hans was trying to relay from where he was gazing lovingly up towards her.

 _'Elsa… Remember… Love never ends… I will return…and claim you as my bride soon. Farewell for now,_ _min kæreste_ _._ '

It was neither the platinum blonde's listening ears, nor her wide-open eyes, but it was her tender heart that understood her lover's compassionate sentiment.

And when Prince Hans and Queen Elsa's hearts meet, though there was a physical barrier between them, both knew that theirs was a love to span the ages—a patient, true love that would carry them all through their lifetime. They need only wait for just a little while more after Hans had accomplished this last mission to protect her nation and seal off the vile devil in the far reaches of the earth, to never bother Elsa or her family again.

Then Elsa of Arendelle would be his and his alone forevermore.

So within this endless moment their quavering eyes interlock through the ice where neither Hans or Elsa saw nor heard nor felt anything other than each other's pulse through the quickly growing faint 'window' in the mirror glass.

Romantic Hans meaningfully kisses the ring on his finger to signify so much as he stands high upon Carpet to press his hand up the ceiling mirror's underside once more. The magic rug gave him that extra boost just as Elsa was doing the same with a kiss to her fingertips, placing them upon the ice surface meeting his as if there was no barrier in between.

The madly in love young pair deliver that poignant fingertip kiss that reaches up and down to emotionally touch their devotion through the ice with the promise of their undying love's patient fulfillment.

This temporary farewell goodbye would only make Hans and Elsa's completed hearts grow fonder with their pledge of a love that would never come to an end sealed in that tender reflective kiss.

Through their deepening bond, a long-suffering fidelity had been forged that would figure prominently into both their young lives, even though they did not realize it. Hans had become a part of her soul, he willing for Elsa's sake to take on any challenge for her and risk his life by fire with a valiant courage that made Elsa fall for Hans many times over.

As their mirrored hands reflect on both sides of the ice with a love that connected them together, the Northern Lights sweep all around the Ice Queen and her Prince Charming. Indeed, all around the world, the aurora borealis beams this beautiful sunrise moment, aglow as never before with Hans and Elsa's unconditional true love.

Princess Anna smiles, cuddling up to her Kristoff, oddly dressed in Kai's stiff overcoat, as she and everyone gathered in the room watch the impressive show of rainbows full of Love that was certainly orchestrated from Above.

The vivid aurora borealis for the first time bursts forth from Queen Elsa's mirrored radiant heart. It is magnified by her elegant sceptre's crystallized triple tiers in blossomed graduation of endless love.

Endless, authentic love for her wondrous, forgiving God, her caring, devoted loved ones and her breathtakingly handsome lover who certainly sought to be a part of her immediate family sometime _very_ soon, from what Elsa believed she read in the yearning look in his viridescent green eyes glistening up at her through the ice.

The perfect beaming radiance so brilliantly explodes in the sky over Svalbard, for Anna and Kristoff and the others to see through the Snow Queen's dawning palace transparent roof. The special colorful illuminations reached high above the Svartisen Valley where Idun glimpses its beauty and squeezes her blind husband's hand. Both loving parents sensed it stemmed from their darling daughter's victorious heart.

"Can you feel the love in these iridescent snowflakes, Agdar? Our wonderful girls have charmed even the sky to be awake again." The brown-haired mature Queen still embraced the youthful adventure within her to dare to stick out her tongue to let a few of the magical snowflakes melt into her throat that was so dry from singing.

The healing rays of the aurora borealis captured within each snow crystal, not only moisten her melodic vocal chords, but re-empowers them as well with coloratura magic.

Though battle worn and tired from the exhausting ice cryokinetics required to seal up the Black Ice fissure once and for all at wise old Ragi's direction, their duty here just complete, King Agdar, even in his sightlessness, obeys his wife's sweet suggestion.

As the sparkling, cool yet warm snowflake falls on his extended fingers, the Ice King, through the magic his children's love and hope inspired, is filled with that gentle Tenerity. Standing at the precipice in the humbling magnificence of the Svartisen glacier's Bergschrund ledge with his beloved Idun's hand in his, King Agdar inwardly makes a pledge.

He promises to fulfill his vow to be a better father, devoted husband, and trusting man now that God had mercifully answered his prayers.

Tears spring to Agdar's blind, once again pale hazel eyes and Idun's trembling indigo ones, as hand in hand the remorseful, but encouraged parents are kissed by Elsa and Anna's forgiving snowdrops.

Those special tenderly kissed swirling snowflakes travel far across the length of the wavy shape of Norway, all the way down to Arendelle and even further into the rest of the world.

If just for a few brief moments, it seemed all of Nature wished to witness this phenomenal aurora borealis event that even spread rainbows to all parts of the world on this uncommonly mild, warm mid-December morn.

A spattering of fully refracted sparkles of snowflakes bursting with joy and tenderness managed to calmly flutter down in place of the harsh blizzard's consequences of the past week. They kiss the again temperate earth on this final Sunday morn before Christmas to bring a smile to each face once again at peace, now ready to celebrate the season of giving one blessed week away, for the holy celebration of God's finest Gift of Love…

* * *

In the midst of her own weeks of torturous discomfort and days of insomnia and pain, a bedridden Princess Rapunzel, knew instinctively her time was extremely near.

The cocoa-brown haired Princess of Corona had been staring out her window at the sunrise with faithful Pascal the chameleon keeping watch over the pregnant young woman at her pillow side.

This tentative chameleon was ready at any hour to alert Rapunzel's sleepless parents, who were just now getting some rest after another all-night vigil with their dear child who gave false alarm contraction signs that the upcoming blessed event was almost imminent.

But refusing to go this one alone, the determined Princess of Corona clung to her dogged wish to wait for her husband's return to be with her at this most special delivery date, the birth of their first children.

So she begged with all her heart for her unborn babies do just that, too, and wait for their Daddy's arrival, as she clutches her bursting at the seams full art book/journal which her mother the Queen gave her years ago, to paint her own life's story upon.

With an aching yearning in her tight chest, the young woman with the wind in her hair once again could only glimpse the world outside of her windowsill. Imagining where her love was right now, and what he was doing, in the hope he was safe and secure somewhere out there, the forbidding chill and constant pain inside her body seem to abate, coinciding with her prayer for her Eugene.

She felt the cold temperature suddenly lifting as some amazingly multihued and iridescent snowflakes, as colorful as the pallet of her paintbrush, come out as if to shine just for her in the first glints of the glistening sun.

Rapunzel's reptilian best friend noting her quiet entrancement simply dashes out the windowsill to catch one of those sparkling decorative snowflakes to bring some joy in this stiflingly fireplace heated room full of aches and pain.

"Thank you, Pascal." Rapunzel whispers her gratitude to her little friend that she didn't have to say a word for him to know what she was thinking and longing for when he returns to scamper over her bulgy tummy to make his own multihued special delivery.

Pascal's skin changes colors to match that of the holographic snowflake, as the chameleon gingerly holds the un-melting snowdrop in his cold-blooded palm. He showcases the exquisite, most perfect snowflake crystal design the _avant garde_ artist in Princess Rapunzel wanted to copy.

"Doesn't it seem to be smiling at me?" Until the mesmerized girl realized no human hand could ever recreate the happiness of pure beauty and magical blueprint used to make this one tiny little snowflake she was staring at in sheer wonder. Suddenly emotional tears spring to Rapunzel's inexplicably moved, expressive eyes.

But that's when compassionate Pascal loosens his webby fingers with a wobbly smile, to reveal another snowflake had been caught there by him. It was just as beautiful and miraculous, but at the same time, so different a spectacularly dazzling crystal flake, again winking a smile up at her.

In the glow of the purple Angel's candle on her Advent wreath which her mother and aunt had the bishop bless a special prayer over, Rapunzel equates the snowflakes with her double miracle yet to come, growing within her enlarged, pain-wracked body.

"Do you know what this means, Pascal?" The mussed brown hair, sweaty, drawn eyed woman suddenly sits up in her bed as her face lights up to ask the faithful, patient chameleon, who smiles and shakes his head at her excited query.

"It means Eugene will be here, Pascal! My Eugene will be home to see our babies born…" Hugging her stuffed doll of her hunky thief, mangled these past weeks in his absence, the princess trails off with a smile of pure content, feeling that shaky emptiness inside her depart with the certainty that the light of her life was on his way back to her.

Even though she was the one who insisted Eugene leave to help reunite his brother Hans and her cousin Elsa, Rapunzel had tried to be strong and never regret her decision for her husband to be absent at this critical time. But being confined alone in bed all these empty hours gave even the selfless young princess moments of pause in times of intense emotional pain.

 _But that doesn't matter anymore! My Snugglebunny's coming home!_

Because those happy visions of smiling snowflakes God had sent to tell her all would be well with the world during this scary time, that her lover who opened up that big wide, new world for her long ago, would be home soon to make everything right again.

As Pascal transfers the pair of twin snowflakes to melt away onto Rapunzel's flushed cheeks to cool them, the anxious for so many things, dreamy voiced Princess of Corona finally falls into a peaceful rest.

She gently fell asleep at last in the assurance that even amid her pain and fear and doubt, the young mother and her babes would always be held in the warm arms of Love from Above.

The fourth Advent candle upon her special wreath, the purple one called the Angel's candle that represented peace, stood at her bedside end table seemed to be watching over to reflect aurora borealis snowflake impressions of love and peace on earth over the pretty princess.

And the Creator's awakening double miracles within the poor young mother finally fall serenely asleep to give her some much needed rest.

All Rapunzel's worries and anxieties slip into peaceful slumber at long last, filled with the Lord's tenerity to watch over her.

 _…'Sleep in heavenly peace…_

 _…Sleep in heavenly peace…'_

* * *

 _Djævlen Trolden_ – Devil Troll

 _Min ædle –_ _my love in Danish_

 _min kæreste_ _\- my darling in Danish_

* * *

Springtime greetings, Frozen friends!

Thanks for traveling along with me on this exact one year anniversary date of this third novel in our 'Frozen Again' Trilogy! Wow! Unexpected good timing for Act 7 to finish!

Did you enjoy the romantic close with Elsa and Hans reaching out to one another through the Northern Queen of the Winter's new ice Mirror of Love?

With the exciting quest triumphed over by our heroes at last, Romance abounds center stage now in the next fulfilling part of Book 3! So many new ideas for Act VIII (my favorite number is 8:) for Elsa's upcoming birthday masquerade ball at her winter solstice December 21 birthday party that kicks it off, where a certain Hans-some Prince has promised to be in attendance!

 _This Hans-some, valiant, reformed knight in shining armor is the super icing on the cake you've been waiting to lick, right, Elsa? Hee hee hee…_

Your support has been eternally appreciated, my dear Frozen family of friends! Thanks for coming along on this action-packed ride! Now we can focus on Romance and Family themes of this amazing love story, out of forgiveness and tenerity which Elsa has discovered in her heart over the first 2 books +! (Isn't 'tenerity' a lovely word? Found in the old Webster's Bible Dictionary: 'Tenderness' as an attribute virtue our Lord prescribed.)

An exciting new world of love is on the horizon for our Frozen gang! Methinks I hear wedding bells faintly chiming in Arendelle! And soon, if it's up to our ardent Prince of the Southern Isles!

I won't keep you long after all that big adventure and excitement, but thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed the final close of this Act VII, dear readers!

See you again soon in 'Frozen Again: Love Never Ends' Act VIII to see Helsa's love affair come to fruition!

Love, HarukaKou

P.S. Reviews for this chapter and the entire Act will be appreciated! I keep them all logged and filed to refer to every now and then for insight! Thanks!


	30. Chapter 29 - Homeward Bound

_We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

 **"Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act VIII**

 **Chapter 29**

 **"Homeward Bound"**

After all the drama and excitement of the past few weeks had finally come to an aspiring resolution, the Ice Queen takes a deep breath of the cool crisp air and sighs.

With the wondrous help of her friends and the forgiving love of those who truly cared for her, Elsa was able to make it through some really difficult days, and come through with flying colors. Honed of fire and ice, the young woman was far more secure in herself and her true feelings than she ever had been in all her life.

 _Dear Lord, I ask for forgiveness, I pray for true peace to envelop this land, and enlist Your protection of my people for many years to come. Please shape me to be a kind and generous ruler with a heart only full of the wondrous love You have given me with this second chance._

With the supplicant prayer on her lips, the elegant young woman stands serenely, ice sceptre in hand, gazing down at her new Mirror of Love, sparkling in dazzling rainbow colors.

 _Love…Yes. Love is all._

The breathtaking platinum blonde young ruler delicately places her magnificent three-tiered ice sceptre upon the mirrored surface and it reacts with the aurora borealis swirled by the snow angels which the Snow Queen had sent to Gerda earlier.

Elsa recalls in retrospect now all the sacrifices of caring and love and forgiveness that built the mystic barrier that would seal away the rapacious predatory creature known as the Djvaelen Trollden, who endeavored to possess her confused, cold heart.

A heart that was from this day forward, now filled with the warmth and hope for love invited in with wide open unafraid arms.

Her family, her friends, her country, and of course, her significant other…

These were gifts sent to her from Heaven, and would ensure Elsa of Arendelle's heart would never be frozen again.

She raises her powerful sceptre to set a glowing protection field of the Northern Lights in continual alignment with her mirror's reflection. Now the light would never go out upon it, and the Devil Troll King, should he ever be loosed upon the world, would never find darkness to run to here again.

With fond reminiscence, Elsa gazes down at her elegant – yet admittedly empty – left-hand ring finger with a yearning caress.

 _My Hans Westergaard_ …

Her magenta hued lips ponder aloud a certain distinguished young officer's name as she exits the Snow Palace Throne Room, now sealed from harm.

"No worries, big sister! After seeing how _amazing_ you are, how could any man stay away for long? That Red promised he'd be in Arendelle at the party for your big day. He's too smart—wayyyy too smart for his own good, actually— to stand a good thing like you up, so Hans'll be back." Princess Anna of Arendelle squeezes the pale hand that Elsa had been tentatively stroking her long elegant finger with and the ginger lovingly holds it close to her warm beating heart.

"He had better, after all the trouble Mama and I went to call him home with that fake naval order from the Admiralty I tricked you into sealing with your wax signet ring and sent, after Mama forged Papa's signature on that official looking order." Somehow, honest Anna's forthright confession of her heart, after all those months of pent-up expectations, gave her a release mechanism justification now that all the danger was at a close.

Vise Admiral Westergaard _did_ dutifully arrive at the foreordained moment, just the critical time when his presence was needed. Inwardly, Elsa certainly would be eternally grateful to her little sister and Mama for whatever plan they hatched to make possible for her handsome, brave and beautiful Prince to be near her.

"Anna! You didn't!" But outwardly, she blushes as a hand flies to her gasping throat, aghast at how ostensibly underhanded such scandalous acts could mean in the future, when Papa found out their secret treachery. What would her innocent Hans say when King Agdar called him out on the carpet for leaving his post at sea? Elsa didn't know if she was to scold her brash younger sister or laugh at her audacity for daring to contradict the order for Elsa to remain separated from her fiancé during the two years of his naval service to the Crown, beginning their long engagement.

But Anna was bold and crazy and loved her sister enough to do it, even if she was to expeditiously face reprisals from their meticulous father, the King of Arendelle, for her undermining duplicity, however well-intentioned it was.

"Yep. She did." With pursed lips at the daring madness, _never mind his **wife** sending secret missives to her ex-fiancé without her new husband's knowledge_ , Kristoff Bjorgman must have been feeling quite resilient again to rat out his plucky bride now after his extensive burn wounds had been healed by Anna's song.

The ginger rather unladylike immaturely sticks her tongue out at her conscientious mate, unable to hold back the mirth at seeing her hunky blond wearing Minister Kai's donated, ridiculously oversized dark teal green, stuffed shirt jacket.

 **Slap!**

Anna lets her other hand lash out to connect with Kristoff's thankfully mended tight bum as the trio were last to exit his Snow Queen mother's majestic Throne Room.

The new ruler Winter Ice Queen cryo-magically closes the door where the last glimpse of the iridescent Northern Lights had immutably restored the land with the light of God's Love.

"Wow. It's all go here in the great White North, with you Arendelle females, isn't it?" Prince Alonso of Córdoba comments idly from where the lazy-eyed brown haired young man had been standing by while a happy Olaf the snowman had been showing his personal snow flurry to Boninite the Fire Troll. The better humored young troll, in full control of her innate fire energies, was no longer in fear of the cold now that she had been freed of that all-controlling devilish fire crystal.

Together with Sven the reindeer they had been watching portly and plump again Kai and Gerda, kindly instruct the blue and red sprite friends of the Snow Queen to keep alert and watchful for intruders, and out of that room themselves. The vigilant pair of servants of the Snow Queen had been told that if anyone should ever enter the Snow Palace again, unbeknownst to the newly inducted Northern Queen of the Winter, the keen mystic creatures must ring this special magic ice windchime to alert Elsa. The Snow Queen had left the chime with Gerda to provide to her loyal little companions, who had learned their lesson of consequences for being mischievous long ago, and would serve the Ice Queen as her faithful sentinels now.

"A man has a lot to live up to here." Alonso asides, as Elsa who was clad in her body-hugging, ice diamond studded iridescent gown elegantly saunters past him.

"You'd better believe it." With a glint in her true blue crystalline eyes at the memory of her own heroic lover's stunning sleek features, a contented Elsa was more inclined to give the visiting Argentine Prince her coquettish smirk now that she had already ascertained Alonso's more sanguine relinquished intentions. They paled in comparison with that of her resolutely intoxicating lover who bested Alonso by sword, deed, and determination this day.

Although Prince Hans may not have even have been present, this playboy South American Crown Prince still felt those verdant green eyes reflect in this pale woman's orbs, plainly burning holes in his own mind's eye, as if Hans were still here.

 _I never knew there could be such a love, brimming of fire and ice shared…_

Cavalier Alonso even felt pangs of guilt now to ever think he could intrude on such a passion as this on fire between the ravishing Queen of Arendelle and her fortunate red-hot Danish Prince.

Besides, title or no, Casanova Prince Alonso had a pair of Prussian blue gray catty eyes now ablaze in his sights that belonged to that mesmerizing guardswoman who currently bewitched the rogue Córdoban to make a play for on the hunt's horizon.

"As the Throne Room is now sealed, is everything else in order for your departure, Your Majesty?" Minister Kai gives a sweeping bow and a jacket-less shiver from where he was inspecting and tidying up the Snow Queen's now empty secret chamber to ensure it was locked up tight as well. Kai was as perfunctory in his duty here in the farthest reaches of the North of Norway in Svalbard's Snow Palace as he was in their home down at southernmost Arendelle.

"I believe so, Minister Kai." Elsa responds, nodding regally to her loyal regent.

Olaf and Bonnie and Gerda give out warm hugs goodbye to the smiling, cheerfully waving farewell Blue and Red Sprites who were playfully standing guard in the hall as they hang their new magic wind chime above with messy salutes to their new Winter Queen left in charge.

Then the six humans and three enchanted friends follow her purposeful lead down the long Hall to the great entrance, as Ice Queen Elsa's fully blossomed cryo-powers cause the kingdom she was bequeathed to respond to her every unspoken command.

Even just the approach of her stunningly tall figure and stylish elegant heels of ice cause the very snowdrift coated frozen palace doors to miraculously whisk open before her without a single thought.

The group snuggle close to one another for warmth as the Ice Queen leads them out into the no longer blizzardy, but intrinsically beautiful pristine white Snow Palace's courtyard, and into its impressive crystalline stables.

There, the golden dun horse friend of Prince Hans, named Sitron, had already charmed his way, taking on the role of mimicking his master's persuasive and convincingly engaging characteristics. Sitron credibly leads the Snow Queen's stable of lovely white prancing fillies and impressed mares to saddle up into the Queen's magical carriage's rigging on their own.

Anna races into the stable, dragging her blonde muscleman with her effusive glowing smile when she catches sight of something decidedly smaller, but more familiar, beside the Snow Queen's large carriage she had been privileged to already have ridden in before.

"Whoa, Baby! I'm glad to see my other 'Baby' is still in one piece after all she's been through!" Like an excited teenager playing with his suped-up new vehicle, Kristoff makes a quick inspection around his small and speedy sleigh he personally redesigned for speed and maneuverability, pleased as punch his prized vehicle was still intact after it traveled through all this trouble up North.

"Yup, Buddy. Looks like by some miracle Anna didn't crash your brand new sled on the way here. Whew! Not even a scratch on her pearly white chassis!" A whistling 'Sven' gives the comical comment in his woefully wobbly 'voice' (courtesy of Kristoff) purposely in the ginger princess' hearing range for effect.

"Hey! I heard that, Mr. B! I'm a safe driver now! Just ask Papa! He let me do most of the fast sleigh driving, through the heavy blizzard, mind you, on the way here… Well, some of it anyway… Oh, I hope his eyesight is better and he and Mama are all right at that awful glacier mountain, so we can all be home soon in time to celebrate Elsa's party, day after tomorrow. And then Christmas a few days after that…" Anna's pinched face turns more serious nearing the end as she rushes from one thought to the next at dizzying speed.

The buoyant princess had been assisting older seniors again, Kai and Gerda, to get on board the Snow Queen's carriage, with her secret concern for her blinded parent aching at the back of her mind, coupled with the swiftly imminent, double birthday and Christmas festivities soon upcoming.

"Your folks are doing fine, Anna. Ragi's with them getting that fissure just about sealed up in ice, and he says your Dad's eyesight is improving under those Northern Lights snowflakes Elsa sent and your Mama's healing song. So don't sweat it, Baby." Kristoff pauses in his constant petting of his beloved petite vehicle to both physically and mentally reach out and assuage the fears of his other lively girl with assured, strong caresses to the back of her neck that a smiling Anna was grateful for.

"I thank you for setting everything in order with the carriage so responsibly and fluidly, 'Prince Hans-some.'" Also pleased to hear the good news, Elsa tickles Sitron's smoky hued muzzle in gratitude with the fond nickname she had applied to the horse Hans left behind before ever knowing 'Sitron' was the equine's real name.

To Sitron's delight, the Ice Queen embellishes the reamed frozen hoarfrost and thick ice carriage body with a few artistic touches of her own creative design, fleur de lis and ice crocus swirls. Right down to dressing lead horse Sitron in a tasteful ice armored helmet complete with the plume of a soft snow puffed feather, making him look rather regal.

" _'Prince Hans-some'_?! You've gotta be kidding me! You even named your horse after that guy? Besides. isn't that just a common fjord stallion? How could it be the lead of this magical carriage?" The skeptical Argentinean sniggers under his breath incredulously at the over-romantic young monarch of this land's penchant for overemphasizing.

"My stud stallion can accomplish anything I wish him to, your Highness." Elsa teases with a raised brow and flagrant memory of her Danish man's physique's finer points that the impressionable young woman had unforgettably witnessed on that pirate ship what seemed an eon ago.

"Sitron **will** lead my flying Royal Ice Coach home. I believe you ladies will find his leadership satisfactory to stimulate your swift voyage." Elsa pets the muzzle of one of her white ice mares, in decidedly a more jovial mood, causing a few feminine equine titters among the dozen snow white fillies in full agreement with their coy new younger Queen's flirtatious terms.

"Right…" Feeling somewhat defeated, the urbane, considering himself more sane, young foreigner Prince just then notes the location of his own pair of racing steeds all the way at the furthest placement of the horse team, directly before the carriage.

"Hey! It seems my Fuerte and Rapido also have been consigned to join this snowy cavalcade at the rear of your troop of lovely fillies. Not a bad place for sightseeing, if you get my drift, boys. But the vista is all you'll probably get to enjoy, too." Facing rejection here made the overconfident Prince revert back to his crude, devil-may-care persona now that there were no more tangible engage-able royal targets in sight. Prince Alonso found he enjoyed being coarse-tongued again. After all the many years he had practiced being naughty had paid off in making him both renowned and reviled by the nobility classes in South America.

So why not Europe, too?

 _All part of my 'highly overrated, indisputable charm', eh, Valentina? I wonder if you have learned by now that it doesn't get better than me, chica (girl)!_

A vision of Princess Valentina of Paraiso wearing her trademark fuchsia pink puffy gown, clad in gold and silver finery and fancy jewels, strangely passes through Prince Alonso's mind. He suddenly remembers quite clearly how that pushy, prissy, _prima donna_ Princess had the audacity to not only shun his romantic advances when he traveled to her kingdom, but tell him, of all people, right to his gorgeous face, that **_he_** was _not good enough_ for her.

 _As if! I'll bet ten to one that spoiled brat Princess from_ _Brazil_ _will happen to be in attendance at this State Dinner Masquerade Ball of Elsa's. It's that flashy, loudmouth, pinky girl's kind of thing… Perhaps when I'm hailed as both important dignitary' and 'hero of the nation' she will get her chance to finally recognize how charming a Prince I really am._

Narcissistic Alonso couldn't for the life of him figure why he found himself once again pondering about that showy, self absorbed Brazilian Princess Valentina of Paraiso, whom he did not at all fancy for being so conceited, self-important and vain, always saying her country is better than anyone else's.

Plus, she was the only female who ever dared to dent Alonso's wide self-esteem without batting a one of her mascara-laden eyelashes by publicly announcing he wasn't charming enough to suit her frilly pinkness.

 _Ha! I've got more charm in my little finger than any-man-you've-ever-met whole body!_

Just the idea of re-engaging with that combative young princess brought Alonso out of the doldrums and back to his conceited senses, smug arms folded over his still invariably yet protesting, wounded ego.

But Valentina's competitive nature and vanity rivaled Alonso's own so complementary, that she was the very reason he may have left Córdoba in such a hurry to find more amiable, greener pastures in Europe that were decidedly not so… hot pink.

"Guess I'll stick around to see if that girl has learned the error of her past ways…" Pompously vain and irksomely insulted Alonso bristles at just the thought of the bronze tanned Princess of Paraiso.

Yet, he couldn't explain why he'd even want to see this Brazilian beauty who seemed to have wounded his pride more than all the rest of his unsuccessful conquests in search of a proper Princess bride.

 _Maybe absence does make the heart grow fonder…_

"So, yeah. I think I have finally figured out how to grant each of these terrestrial equines special flight attributes after Ragi, through Sven, showed me how to unlock that ability." Trying out some new unfamiliar verbalization that went with the territory, Kristoff speaks out, interrupting Alonso's inexplicable daydream, muttering to himself.

"Your two brave horses, who, FYI, prefer their original names – _Lento_ and _Estable_ – gave me permission to make them flight capable, too. There good steeds, Alonso, who only try to please you, their Master. Day in, day out, they drive your chariot as fast as you want, though they would prefer their namesakes ' _slow_ and _steady'_ more themselves. So go easy on that whip sometimes when you're in a mood. They don't deserve, and sure don't appreciate it." With the stern warning, the Wind Whisperer, at his full towering 6'5" height, stands head and shoulders above the shorter prince.

The two scribed patient steeds were inclined to put up with Alonso's twitchy switch and callous demands all these faithful years of being driven hard by him, because they were loyal by nature. But that didn't mean they liked being maltreated.

"'Lento' and _'_ Estable', eh? Hmph, it seems there're a lot of things I had to learn in this magic land here. Maybe it is time to grow up and turn over a new leaf. May impress some…" Alonso swallows his hot temper that was about to flare up at Kristoff for being called out on the handling of his own horses. But that's when the Argentinean caught sight of Boninite's big pools of dark guarded eyes carefully listening into their conversation.

"Wow! You're so smart, and clever, and brave to listen and translate to Alonso how his horses feel, Kristly." Anna had long forgotten any annoyance at her blonde muscleman as she congratulates her Snow Prince's inherent man of nature abilities that seem to have expanded alongside Northern Winter Queen Elsa's majestic ice prowess on this adventure.

"And you're all mine mine mine!" The younger princess of Arendelle was practically drooling at her tall, ripped muscleman beneath that funny borrowed fancy suit jacket. Embarrassed Kristoff rolls his eyes, but there was a satiated smile etched on his features as Anna tenderly massages his healed lower body injury.

"Aren't newlyweds adorable, Kai? I remember our bridal tour as if it were but yesterday… Ooh, soon it will be your turn at romance, Elsa, my dear! Mark my words! The sweetest of times will be yours to taste the joys with your Danish Prince!" Going all misty-eyed with remembrance, Gerda coos as her chubby fingers lace into her mortified mate's.

"Ergh… Yes, my dear. Those were indeed fond memories. But marriage is a serious undertaking of a long-term partnership between man and woman, not necessarily categorized for romance alone." With the sourpuss expression on his dour face that hoped to dissuade the idea from Elsa's impressionable mind in her father's stead, Minister Kai was more aghast at his wife's insinuation that the pure and delicate current Queen of their nation would be ever wed that criminal Danish Prince of the Southern Isles.

"Oh, don't be such a stuffy old fuddy-duddy, Kai! Young love is a splendid thing! Full of warmth and caresses to remember through all the days of their lives together! Every creature on God's green earth needs the right mate!" The undiminished exuberance of the spirited woman who still had rosy cheeks gives a contagious giggle as she is helped by her large-set husband to enter into the Snow Queen's carriage. Just as he had when Kai had been a very young child of nine and Gerda was the little girl of eight who never gave up on their friendship, almost fifty years ago.

And through some miracle, this special pair was able to experience again the sweet opportunity to feel young once more, if just for a little while, here in the Snow Palace that Gerda would call an extra blessing.

"Gerda and Kai are such a dear couple." Contentedly smiling, Elsa remarks as her little sister nods in agreement at their lifelong friends and guardians.

"That'll be us when we're like a hundred years old and Sven'll have to drag us around in Baby up to Trollheiman for our seventy-fifth honeymoon anniversary!" Prone to exaggeration Anna squeezes her Kristoff's hefty hand clingingly with the outlandish contemplation as she showers him with way too many indulgent sappy kisses for Alonso's taste.

"Don't encourage them! Eww, yuck. I just hope I don't have to sit next to any of you gross honeymooners in the carriage ride home." Spoiled Prince Alonso, trying to be cool and flippant and unaffected, scrunches up his nose at the sight of both old romance and new.

Particularly since neither applied to him with his own reduced-to-friendship-romantic-prospect here in the Great White North.

"Kristoff will be traveling by his flying reindeer sleigh with Sven, as the rest of us journey by Royal coach with your skybound horses and my Prince Hans-some Sitron whom the Snow Prince had taught to join the Snow Queen's team." With a proud nod to Kristoff, the platinum blonde Queen of the North, not untouched by romance's glow speaks down to Alonso in a somewhat haughty tone that had grown more familiar to his type of needling. "Let us be leaving immediately in order to catch up with the King and Queen, who will be currently escorting the Fire Trolls on their way to see GranPabbie somewhere between Svartisen and the Valley of Living Rock." Elsa completes her rounds of the carriage after equipping the Snow Queen's centuries old coach with updated ice reinforced elliptical springs and coupling undercarriage rigging, designed for greater speed.

Then the elegant, tall Queen of the Ice reins in her feisty ginger sister by the arm away from her long, luxurious lip lock with Kristoff, who had a hard time, it seemed, tearing away from his aggressive little wife's osculation.

"But what if Kristoff needs me to take over when he gets tired? It's a long, _lonely_ , cold drive down the air streams to Svartisen and we have to share warmth!" Creative Anna contrives how to stand by her man rather petulantly after catching a breath.

The free-spirited Princess knew she should obey her older sister and ruling Queen and join the group, but the mountain man she had been away from for so long was like tantalizing catnip.

At the option to either sit with Kristoff and Olaf and their open-air flying sled or stay with strict Kai and Gerda and this whiny, snobby foreign Prince enclosed in the claustrophobic cab of the Snow Queen's antique magic coach – the choice was easy.

"No way am I sitting next to _her_." Alonso equally cringes to see the younger Arendelle Princess come bounding towards their carriage after slobbering over her brawny, obviously working class, uncivilized, big man.

"If Kristoff starts becoming drowsy, you will know it up here, won't you Anna? And he can contact you, right? I was thinking you wouldn't mind sitting next to me, so we keep each other warm flying this Brougham together, just like when Papa put us together in the front bench when we were little, driving to see the Northern Lights." Elsa taps her lovely pale skin forehead with an inviting smile that accompanied the rare, pleasant childhood memory.

"And then maybe you could take over the reins here of the skybound carriage when I glide my ice slide on the cool air streams to relieve Kristoff and Sven for a respite when he tires. After all your experience on 'Baby', you do think you can handle this larger carriage flying southward, don't you, little sister?" The Ice Queen had come to know her plucky younger sibling well enough by now to be certain how Anna would jump at the chance of such exhilarating proportion.

"Wait. _Me_ drive the Snow Queen's cool flying horse plus magic coach through the sky on my own? Whee! I'm there, Elsie!" Excited at every new, bold, thrilling endeavor and loving every chance she was given to drive on her own set of 'wheels' like a responsible adult, Princess Anna agrees with a hearty hug to her big sister as they snugly mount into the driver's front seat.

"But I'm gladdest of all that my big sister/best friend/soulmate wants me beside her on this amazing journey! Elsa! We're on our way home for your birthday – which is going to be incredible, I just know it! And to top it off—our first, real, whole family, happiest Christmas in forever!" There were tears in Anna of Arendelle's eyes at more than just exhilaration of flying anticipation with the upcoming holidays and fun times ahead. Her glistening turquoise eyes were more filled with the emotion of the love and trust and devotion to one another that no Devil could ever take away from these adoring sisters.

As Elsa and Anna look deep into one another's eyes, they see the laughter amid the tears as they share a hug under the colorful glow of the Northern Lights streaking above their heads.

"Yes! Yes we are, Anna! We are going to be chasing happy rainbows together from now on, I promise you!" Her own excitement was reflected in the dancing aurora borealis now at her command, as Elsa turns to where Kristoff and Olaf salute from where they were on the swift snow cutter sleigh behind them. She neatly encases them in a temporary ice vortex of the Ice Queen's own elegant design.

With Alonso giving his horses a gentle pat and some kind expressed words of encouragement for a change, he lifts Boninite to be safely tucked inside the coach, as Kai and Gerda aboard the Snow Queen's luxurious plush coach.

"You ready for the ride of your life, Anna?" Taking Anna's hand, as she revels in her sister's contagious smile, Queen Elsa entices Anna with an ice telekinetic float upwards to join her on this new little adventure of theirs.

Elsa's matured cryokinetics start the elongated cavalcade of horses and reindeer sleighs from where she and her ginger little sister were alighted upon the elevated carriage's front perched seat bench.

"Are you kidding?! We need some proper sister time, Elsa! You and I were born ready! To do anything, together at our favorite time of year!" With a shared laugh that Sitron turns to join in his whinny and lead all behind him, along with Alonso's steeds, Lento and Estable, in some horsey titters, bubbly and exciting Anna now, hand in hand takes control of the carriage train.

"Tickle bumps!" Like tiny little girls again, the sisters felt extremely lucky to be enjoying one another's company in the sheer joy of being together on this chilly December morn, still feeling warm in this most northern part of the world as iridescent snowflakes tickle under their skirts.

As the entire carriage they were in command now hovers up to reflect the glorious Northern Lights of their Scandinavian land, Anna and Elsa now realize why they loved, as children, to witness it most – because they were together.

With Kristoff and Sven and Olaf behind them, Anna and Elsa travel in the Ice Queen's magnificent, now enhanced to be elegant as well, carriage within its own vortex bubble of maintained temperature.

Under the beautiful gift from Heaven, the glorious Northern Lights give a stunning ride back from Svalbard's far North to reach down towards the mainland of Norway in the breathtaking cold.

But in the affectionate embrace of love, if felt more like a blessedly warm winter in the final holy days of December, with Elsa and Anna side by side, homeward bound…

* * *

 _"Will you remember the day, when we were happy in May, my dearest one?'_

Maytime greetings, Frozen friends! (Call me a silly old romantic, but you've got to see that beautifully touching old MGM classic movie with Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy at least once in your life! It's our family tradition to enjoy each Spring and watch the bittersweet and funny operatic drama together to welcome in the season!:)

This was just a small section of the chapter I've got planned for Mother's Day next week, but I thought it was getting long and would start better a bit slimmed and trimmed, so here you go!

Peaceful times after all that angst are starting for Elsa and Anna and those remaining in the Northern Snow Palace. With the Mirror of Love now safely in place, the girls and their friends are ready to catch up to their parents and Ragi with the Fire Troll clan now, to reunite with the Rock Trolls and GranPabbie back home.

Then there'll be a birthday party to remember soon already planned as a Masquerade Ball for Queen Elsa! I have a feeling there will be a special Hansome guest behind one of those masks… So many story plots full of romance and drama coming soon!

But first before the boys arrive in Arendelle, there's a very special chapter to swing by in Corona to go up next week for Mother's Day you can't miss!

Thanks for reading this sisterly fun start to Act VIII! And don't forget to make your Mama something special!

God bless til next week!

Your Frozen friend,

HarukaKou


	31. Chapter 30 - There's More Within You

_We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

 **"Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act VIII**

 **Chapter 30**

 **"There's More Within You"**

 _This is the story of the day my heart stopped. Twice._

 ** _The skies above the mainland of_** ** _Eastern Europe_** ** _,_** ** _Corona_** ** _,_** ** _Prussia_** ** _…_**

A pondering Flynn Rider, along with his little brother Hans Westergaard, had been flying nonstop for hours on end atop a millennia or two old Magic Carpet, that once belonged to another lucky in love thief who had beat the odds, named Aladdin.

 _Oh God, please let me be that lucky tonight…_

As Carpet zips through the empty Corona downtown street, a pensive Eugene Fitzherbert gives a sigh of relief. The wily thief had reached down to the local newsstand of his hometown Corona village square to lift the morning's latest copy of the Corona Gazette that old Gerhardt, like clockwork, had just put on his outdoor kiosk minutes ago on this early predawn morn.

"It'd be splashed all over the papers if Rapunzel had…" His heart caught in his throat with that sinking feeling butterflying all over his stomach for endless sky miles on end as the master thief's catlike eyes in the darkness had scanned the black and white pages like a mad speed reader.

"Your wife is a strong lady, Storbror." Prince Hans had been reassuring his big brother for hours now after Eugene was startlingly driven to bouts of deafening silence during the two men's airborne voyage onboard swift Carpet. Hans was there to luckily give aerial direction to Corona during the older man's more fretful, contemplative moments.

The anxious husband was grateful to read an article in the news how the local pastor had reported in the most recent edition, that the country's precious perky Princess had been featured for lighting the fourth Advent candle even in her confinement just this last Sunday.

The Danish Prince, though he had twelve other older brothers—the majority of which had a multitude of children and wives to have survived innumerable births over the years— felt Eugene's anxiety for his bride's first pregnancy deeply. Perhaps that was because, as an outcast pariah, Hans never held such fondness for any of his older brothers previous to the recent reconciliation in Egeskov palace.

Or maybe it was more due to the fact that the redheaded Dane had realized, in between, that his aloof, clever, calculating manipulative demeanor was incongruous with the warm and caring palpitations of love which Elsa of Arendelle instilled in his now opened heart.

Hans himself considered Princess Rapunzel a dear friend, more akin to the true sister he never had. That sentiment was coupled with the fact the curious young man himself wanted to greet his closest brother's new children in good health, with the chance to witness God's miracle of birth outside of books and the horse stable. Yet the cautious, responsible leader in him insisted Hans must not endanger this blessed event.

Not with the debauched Djvælen troll trapped inside that phenomenal Genie's mystic lamp that weighed more heavily in his leather pouch the closer they came to the peaceful country of Corona.

"As not to incur any misfortune of this wicked Devil to befall your growing family, Storbror, Carpet and I will drop you off at safe distance from the courtyard. With your kind permission, I will borrow Carpet and return him as soon as possible after I drive this monstrosity to the captivity prescribed in the South Pole. Please give the Princess my heartfelt solicitudes of full health to her and your babies and well wishes for a happy Christmas to spend together as a family. God bless you all, my dear brother. I hope you will hear word of my connubial bliss soon, and we can meet again on more sanguine terms for us both." Hans begins to make his lofty farewell and direct Carpet down as he calmly explains his concerns to the pursed lipped, brow creased Flynn Rider who was not about to let his favorite little brother off scot-free.

"Yeah, sure, mi Carpet es su Carpet, Kid. But if I don't bring you in to say hello to my Sunshine Liebling up there, she will undoubtedly scream bloody murder at—"

But that's just when an unexpected shrill screech indeed penetrates the midnight darkness of the wee hours, followed by several men's raised voices and a consequential foreboding thud coming from the balcony level above.

As if on cue, her familiar voice, filled with terror, stops a petrified Eugene's heart beating in his chest, stone-cold.

Without another thought, Hans silently urges Carpet to fly straight up at incredible speed to the location of the source.

 _Rapunzel!_

The frightened out of his mind thief stumbles at all haste across the balcony into the darkened, strange smelling of something weird smoked, stifling bedroom. Eugene clumsily bounds straight into the suite of rooms he normally shared with that certain bubbly precious Princess who had changed his sorry life to something different and beautiful and new, these seven years ago.

Only to find his precious bride lying on her left side upon her special 'delivery bed' that stood in place of their normal Queen sized furnishing.

Princess Rapunzel was beneath a chaotic multitude of blankets and pillows, bags of melting ice cubes, razor shaving brushes, and bizarre tubs of lard. There were also pots of boiling water, plates of burning sage, a bowl of creepy crawly leeches and oyster shells inexplicably gathered on the table.

Among the collage of sharp bloodletting tools, forceps and various sized surgeon's knives, were an assortment of gory injection needles strewn across the end table and floor.

Not to mention the angry old royal physician who was laying limp limbed contorted on the ground with his vicious blood-letting razor tool still clutched in his skeletal hand.

The gaunt and bony, pallid long faced, gray haired old man was aghast at being shoved back by some low class dark muscle man, backed up by those irksome proprietors of the repugnant 'Leave You in Stitches' small-town clinic.

"I am warning you. I will no longer suffer such uncouth brutality from you ruffians! I have tolerated your plebeian and ill mannered attempts at medicine and uneducated artless techniques – merely at the Princess' behest – for long enough! As the King's appointed Royal doctor, I have overseen far more imperial births than either of you common Neanderthals. And as for this scalawag _boy_ inventor who once threatened our kingdom, I would not trust him with a lab rat, never mind our precious Princess and the future successor to the Crown, for all the modern science in birthing procedures he proclaims to have studied." The indignant Royal doctor with the haughty Germanic accent stands to his feet with the help of his equally ghoulish looking midwife nurse, brushing off his long, dark apron with his incensed skeletal fingers that point at Varian accusingly.

"Herr Struive Vectis has been the premier Doctor to all Royal families across Germany for decades, Mr. Bruiser! **You** do not tell **him** how to run his practice, you untidy tavern thugs!" With a poke to Bruiser's messy chest, the old midwife Nurse Krankenschwester was up in arms. Queen Arianna, Rapunzel's mother, had hired her to be a live-in nurse in the final month of her daughter's first pregnancy, and she had unequivocally fulfilled her duty to the letter, without ever breaking a smile.

Frau Krankenschwester was an exacting, intractable, real sergeant major when it came to directing her ladies through the birthing process. But Arianna found Krankenschwester's strict and severe adherence to authoritarian rules for diet, rest and visits somehow soothingly helpful nonetheless, during her own hard pregnancy over a quarter century ago.

The much older (and much grumpier) sourpuss woman took special umbrage against Bruiser and Killer's unorthodox methods. She had grumbled and glowered at all the interfering, inexperienced with childbirth 'general practitioners' who mostly fixed up broken bones and patched black eyes of those lesser classed citizens who visited their lowly establishment at the Snuggly Duckling.

"Nevertheless, though I hold great esteem for my learned octogenarian senior physician, I have done extensive research into the rationale behind modern childbirth versus the traditional primitive procedural modus operandi. Through these new methods, I have found the mortality percentage rate much diminished beyond those classical measures." Running a wiry hand through his thick spiky black hair that had a striking teal streak in it, the perceptive young man adjusts his orange tinted scientific goggles.

Many times in the course of the past few weeks, Varian, the resident scientific inventor of Corona, had come to visit his good friend Rapunzel in her missing handmaiden Cassandra's place.

Finding Dr. Vectis' outdated methods archaic to say the least, the forward thinking genius boy had sought out and employed Bruiser the pub thug's more hands-on, general remedial knowledge that the big guy kindly shared in many deep discussions of modern technique with the curious man of science.

After much study, Varian found himself surprisingly eloquent when his expertise in the scientific field turns to dabbling in medicine with the help of Bruiser and his buddy Killer in their new chosen profession to ' _heal not steal life'_.

"There are more modern methods to relieve the pain beyond Stone Age bloodletting, which only instead promotes general physical weakness, and therefore the patient's chance of survival." The slight framed, dark-haired boy genius, just out of his gangly teens, excelled at creating automatons and mixing chemical potions like an expert. But this human birth process was a new field for him entirely.

Nonetheless, after all sweet Princess Rapunzel had done to befriend the headstrong inventor and bring the wayward boy back to the side of right when he sunk pretty low and turned down the wrong path, Varian would put his hand at anything to help his dear Princess make it through her toughest battle yet.

"What are you saying, boy?! Are you questioning my years of honed medical knowledge? I have never been so disrespected and insulted in my entire career in medicine! And by such cretins and rabble claiming 'higher learning knowledge'—which they know nothing about! I have long been practicing medicine on women before you were unfortunately even born, you odious child! Get out of my way! **I** am the Palace Royal Surgeon, and **I** will not be thwarted by you or the likes of your cohorts, even if it takes several needles of sedatives put you out of my way and your misery!" The malicious doctor shows his anachronistic true colors with his verbally and physically poison dipped needles aimed at the younger man.

Dr. Vectis lashes out at being challenged by Varian and the pub thugs standing between him and 'treating' the weak and feeble Princess of Prussia with his usual bloodletting operation to 'relieve the birth canal pressure' since her contractions began hours ago.

"Hey, I'm not altogether sure what that word 'odious' means precisely, but it sounds pretty bad. And there's no way we're letting this old pile of bones get at our sweet 'Punzie again with those sharpie gravedigger tools of his. Varian, you want us to eject this jerk once and for all, so you can get to real work on helping our gal out? He's really getting on my nerves! I'm just itchin' to see how much of a real man is behind those deep, dark vampire pockets full of needles and razor-sharp knives, when he doesn't have a vulnerable damsel in distress at the mercy of his repulsive clutches. C'mon, boys! You know that's what Eugene would do if he were here!" Big Lance Strongbow, Eugene's oldest childhood friend and fellow orphan-turned-thief-turned-upright citizen—ahem, had shoved the evil-eyed physician away from a dazed Rapunzel's bedside.

Talkative charmer Lance was never one to shy away from rubbing somebody the wrong way, and Eugene had kinda left his best buddy in charge of watching over his pregnant mate while he was gone.

"Am I right or am I right, Eugene?" In the darkened bed chamber, Lance didn't actually recognize his fellow thief's arrival, so preoccupied was he with attending his best friend's pregnant wife, but he was so accustomed to chattering, his mouth runs on auto-pilot.

At the Princess' own request, Lance had patiently stood by in the shadows as Rapunzel's bodyguard of sorts, when the poor young mother-to-be had been for hours at the medieval mercy of this spooky quack. A concerned Varian had brought Bruiser and Killer in, and soon a heated discussion of proper procedural birth practices of science versus tradition versus natural methods for birthing ensued.

For so long so that a delirious Rapunzel no longer was able to perceive the arguments of her opinionated friends and her doctor in her now populated lying-in chambers, she just wanted the intense pain to end.

"Eugene?" Somehow through the noisy quarrelsome melee, though no one else noticed, the woman sensed her husband was near.

Her pretty brow soaked with sweat after hours of pushing and pushing, her brown hair dampened flat, the deep bags under her eyes worn and drawn, but to Eugene, Rapunzel never looked more stunning to her lover after the torturous ten hours spent in her first stage of childbirth labor.

"Thanks for having my back, fellas, while I was away on another vital, life or death, save-the-world mission. Now you heard my friends, Count Dracula. Stay away from my wife!" Tapping on his decrepit old shoulder, Eugene waits for Dr. Vectis, after defending himself from the pub thugs, to turn to face him. Then the virile, young father-to-be squarely delivers to the grisly old witch doctor a quick left hook punch that knocks out his chattering false teeth.

"Now, beat it, Dr. Doom, before I get really mad!" The look on his face quite dark and threatening was a change from his normal blasé teasing mode, as Eugene takes the stance in front of Rapunzel beside Varian.

Bruiser joins Lance in escorting the skin and bones doctor and his sniveling Nurse Krankenschwester, still holding the sharpened scalpel and bloodletting tray full of needles and leeches at the ready to use again on the Princess, from the room under protest.

"Whoo! Now I know whose likeness they put up on the skull and crossbones poison bottles!" Eugene lets out a low whistle with the snide comment, returning to his normal humor that his wife was only too glad to hear.

"Eugene? Is that really you?" Rapunzel weakly holds her hand out towards her fantasized oasis of her husband, she just about to faint after her scream had rejected another go of bloodletting and needles she despised to see through hazy eyes.

"Here, allow me to check." Killer uses one of the clean sharp needles he had been sterilizing which had been knocked to the floor in the kerfuffle between Lance and Varian and the old practitioner Dr. Vectis to give a poke to Eugene's backside to verify his corporeal presence.

"Owwie!" While still rubbing his own sore knuckles that connected with the old geezer's wooden chompers, Eugene goes through a spate of emotions at the gaunt pub thug who dared stab his tight backside with a pointed needle.

The growling, good-looking thief's eyes instantly slit in to glance behind him in anger, as the reactive thief was ready to hit the roof at the unexpected prick in his—

"Yep. It's the genuine article, Princess." As Killer slips out the crack in the door behind his partner, the grinning teeth of the dark-haired former felon were the pearly whitest things in the darkened room. Those and the shiny metal forceps Varian had knocked away from the more experienced older doctor's hands after Dr. Vectis had approached a terrified Rapunzel with the archaic torture tool. The young scientist strongly believed forceps were way too harsh and rudimentary to yank out either of the slow to arrive twin neonates.

"I knew it… Pascal! He came home! I told you my Eugene would come to me in time…" In the throes of deep labor pain, a shivering Princess Rapunzel was rambling with joy and relief combined in that her beloved mate had returned home to her, just in the nick of time. Her chameleon friend, constantly wiping her perspiring brow and wet dark hair back with a cool cloth, turns a shade of joyous pink with a thumbs-up to Flynn.

"That's right, Liebling. Your handsome hero is here now." Smirking away his own fears, Eugene rushes to quickly cross the room to fall to his knees at his precious wife's bedside.

"You okay, Rapunzel?! What have these clods been doing to my Brownie girl?! Don't you worry. Our babes will be just fine." Eugene's changed tone was surprisingly tender and soft as the anxious father-to-be strokes her cheek tenderly.

"Oh, Eugene! Eugene…Thank God…thank God. I knew you would get back in time… We've been been praying… irk… urgh… Eek! Yes! You can come now, my babies. Daddy's here… Owww…!" Rapunzel's usually vibrant green eyes were all dilated and whirling in her head, cloudy and unfocused as she whimpers. But her hands that had been holding tight to something plush - tied tight the bedpost for the expectant mother to tug on in her extreme pain moments - passes over her full, pulsating stomach on her way to grip her husband's large hand in exchange.

At his kneeled peripheral vision, Eugene's brow quirks strangely at the cloth figure that had been arm-tied positioned at her bed's headboard. The poor stretched out item was still clutched in her hand, her nails dug into its soft backside so deep, it was hard to extricate them.

"Looks like I've been here with you all the while. _Du bist mein herz_ , _Liebste_ (you are my heart, my love)." Eugene dramatically touches his wildly pounding heart and leans in to kiss Rapunzel's dry lips that were itching to let out another breathtaking scream.

But instead of the pain filled wail, the Princess of Corona manages a small wisp of a smile for the first time in her long and protracted going into labor ordeal, Eugene's real, strong warm hand gave her something tangible to hold onto that she badly needed.

"Now that's our trooper girl! Didn't I say she just needed a good incentive to smile, Ari? The right man – _even the wrong one for that matter_ – can do wonders for a girl's physical condition." The Queen of Corona's youngest sister, Princess Wilhelmina, had come for the Christmas holidays. The tall, long brown ponytailed, spirited woman also joined the Royal family of Prussia's great distress at news that her niece Rapunzel's already difficult pregnancy had worsened drastically these last days.

Worldly Willow gives a flirtatious smirk to the dark Caribbean named Job, who had gone to fetch the King and Queen during the kerfuffle. The strong silent type redeemed pirate had been quietly in the background watching over his delicate little Princess friend in her difficult plight without her husband which may prove fatal to both fragile mother and child(ren).

At least according to that old stick in the mud Royal physician/ _accocheur_ who insisted his old tried-and-true methods were for the best with sharp tools of force and bloodletting.

"Eugene!" Queen Arianna calls, joyful to catch sight of her son-in-law. The tired-eyed older woman was just on her way back to the birthing room from comforting her worried husband down the hall.

The Queen races in and squeezes her sister's hands in the dark room that was purposely left dim by the old-fashioned, traditional doctor.

Aunt Willow was the original rebel without a cause herself and outspoken suffragette ahead of her time, so, even though they were strangely all males, she was glad her older sister's little girl was surrounded by good friends. They were more forward thinking in scientific research and modern techniques other than some of their past ancestors' arcane birth ritual that often resulted in the mother's or child's – or both – deaths.

Willow shares a nod with the local inventor/scientist friend of Rapunzel's who had devotedly been standing in place of the absent lady's maid, Cassandra. The concerned young man had himself learned from experts and been instructing his friends Rapunzel and Cassandra on the psychoprophylactic method of natural birthing exercises these past few months during the pregnant woman's cautionary late term.

King Friedrich had been pacing all night in the Throne Room, upon hearing his beloved baby girl was in another life-and-death struggle moment when it came to bringing a new child into the world. Now without any remainder of hope for the mystical Rapunculus petals to help the little flower-girl born of it with her own difficult childbirth this time, the taciturn king knew not what to do.

Soon, even King Friedrich could no longer keep himself from peering into his beloved child's delivery birth room at her earsplitting – and heartbreaking – scream earlier that echoed through the castle, no matter how that unspeakable doctor told him not to come and cause complications for his frail patient.

"Thank God you're here, son." King Friedrich never would have believed he could become so excessively fond of his roguish son-in-law, to the point that the criminal thief may have rubbed off more on the once stoic monarch than the other way around.

Friedrich had summarily disobeyed the snobbish Royal doctor, who had just waylaid the King by way of lodging a complaint to the Corona guardsmen in the palace courtyard. Dr. Vectis had made an attempt to defame those disrespectful uncivilized rabble upstairs causing nuisance for the monarch's pregnant daughter.

However, King Friedrich had shocked old Dr. Vectis by siding with 'the rabble', when the eerily silent ladies' maid Freborg had piped up on their behalf as the weird maid had quietly accompanied Job to fetch the Queen and her sister.

He recognized that his girl loved and trusted Eugene above and beyond question these past seven years since this former criminal brought Rapunzel home to them. The fatherly King had learned to trust the relationship between the young couple more since those first, less convivial early days with the abrasive thief. The older man, as his own great love for his Queen never abated, saw that his child needed her mate, too, at this critical juncture where the fruit of their love was about to come to fruition.

"I wouldn't miss my kids' debut performance for the world, Granddad." Eugene squeezes Rapunzel's hand that suddenly digs her short fingernails into his palm in a shared painful agony he silently endures.

King Friedrich grimaces at seeing Rapunzel in such pain. Seeing flashbacks of twenty-five years ago, witnessing Eugene standing in his shoes now, the monarch of Prussia holds a large hand over his palpitating with hypertension chest.

Touching his son-in-law's shoulder, Friedrich turns to his wife with the memory of this terrible, stressful occurrence.

Understanding a husband and father's anxiety for the first time on equal terms, Eugene meets the worried King of Prussia's eyes as Queen Arianna leads her emotional husband back out to a nearby sitting room in the suite. The wise mother knew it would be best to spare her heart-weary older man from this strenuous hour, and keep him out of the way of this new team of doctors.

"I trust your methods are sound, Varian?" The strong, accountable woman gives the okay to the young man to take charge of the childbirth after the old dreadful Dr. Vectis – whom she personally never warmed up to in her crucial time then, though the highborn woman never complained _-_ had been escorted outside the gates by Bruiser and Killer and the rest of the Snuggly Ducklings, alongside the guardsmen.

"I have comprehensively cross-referenced with my colleagues at University on the subject of most advantageous natural procedure for both mother and child, Your Majesty." Varian responds directly to the Queen and mother he had once kidnapped and threatened in his heady younger days in search of a remedy for his endangered father, Quirin.

"Then, please, do all you can for our Rapunzel. I know you are a true friend. She is so precious to all of us." Queen Arianna says with a forgiving smile and understanding calm nod to the boy, as she pauses to give one last maternal pet to her only daughter's creased forehead before joining her husband to wait in the sitting room.

"When the contractions come next time, push as hard as you can, Princess." The black and teal streaked spiky haired alchemist, bolstered by the Queen's supportive forbearance, takes control of the chaotic situation.

Varian, maybe more than anyone, wished to help the Princess of Corona survive the ordeal as some atonement for his past misdeeds, particularly since he was the one who unwittingly destroyed what remained of the original Rapunculous flower, and whatever healing it may have had left.

After all Rapunzel and her family had done for him in that terrible episode with those ebony crystal obelisks popping up all over their lands. Though he had been but a impetuous petulant child then, impatient to find a cure for his Dad, even willing to sink to extremes, Varian had come to then recognize that it was this special girl named Rapunzel's light of kindness and unwavering friendship and love that brought him out of that rancorous bitterness.

With every fiber of his being, Varian now pledged himself to never let Rapunzel down in her moment of crisis because she came through for him in the end.

 _Stand up and be a man now._

On top of their friendship, the learned young scientist had been anxious to be considered an adult, for an unrequited love towards the Princess' beautiful handmaiden. He had proposed to train together with Cassandra Schmidt to prepare Raps for the frightening, mysterious childbirth process as friends, just in case all went haywire and he and Cass were the only ones available in the storm.

 _Can't let the light of ours named Princess Rapunzel ever go out!_ Varian pushes himself and his nerves away to look Rapunzel straight in the eye.

"I'm going to get you through this, Princess. You and both your babies. Do you trust me?" Varian had changed so much for the better from that angry loner of an adolescent teenaged boy. He had now become a promising young man of twenty-one, and would do anything to help his friend who had taught him so much about life which science alone could never fully explain.

"Of course I trust you, Varian! You're one of my dearest friends in the whole wide world. And the smartest person I know! You can do anything you set your mind to do. But it hurts so bad… I don't know if ** _I_** can do this…"

 _Oh Cassie, I wish you were here with me now to steady my hand!_ Trying to seem self-confident, Varian truly missed the guardswoman's tough, yet tender, control of every situation that gave the whiz kid some stabilization in life.

 _I will give my all for our dear friends in your place, Cassie… But since you're not here, I guess I'll have to do this with some of that Divine assistance Rapunzel's always talking about. Then maybe I can make you proud. And you might deem to love me, as I love you, if I succeed in proving myself a man in your fantastically stunning eyes…_

"Eugene! Help me! I can't take it anymore!" The never confident cocoa brown haired Princess bursts out in tears of pure fear and self-doubt as she bites her lip until it was pale and bloodless.

Rapunzel's eyes flutter closed, her breath growing fainter, sending everyone's face around the room to go into some state of panic, even the one vigilantly watching through the balcony terrace shadows.

"She mustn't lose consciousness, Storbror, or the dire situation could grow demonstratively grave." Prince Hans, unable to simply abandon his dear brother and 'sister' Rapunzel behind with the uncertainty of her condition at risk, steps in from the balcony entrance where Carpet had deposited him. The intellectual Prince of the Southern Isles fluently puts in his two cents and offers to Eugene a bottle of smelling salts he extracts deftly from Dr. Bruiser's left open medical kit.

"Hey! Stay awake, Darlin'!" A wild-eyed Eugene urges his wife, placing the uncapped inhalant bottle beneath her cute little nose, shaking her cold shoulders and rubbing her hands with all the arousing warmth he could muster.

Varian turns and softly instructs Rapunzel's helpful Aunt Willow to prepare her niece's blouse and constricting under vest that the midwife had tightly fitted her with, to be loosed with the help of quiet, obliging maid, Freborg.

"Get rid of that foolish petticoat!" More practical than orthodox conventional, levelheaded Varian gives directions for Rapunzel's petticoat, hereby left on for conservative modesty's sake, so no eye contact whatever occur between the doctor and patient – to be completely removed.

"Agreed. It will simply hinder the newborn from relating to his mother if the Princess does not see her bairn. Contemporary studies articulate it is important a new mother makes that essential visual bond." Scholarly Prince Hans states in full concurrence with the younger man in the tan and blue-grey overalls.

A grateful to be justified Varian then gives Hans a nod to join him to take the place of the delivery nurse and birthing doctor. Hans wordlessly nods and removes his white silk gloves he always donned as Varian pulls off his usual thick blacksmith gloves. Both sterilize their nimble hands with the soap and boiled water the original nurse had prepared for Dr. Vectis earlier at Varian's insistence.

"How long has this been going on?" Hans whispers to Varian in the chilly cold room where he could almost see his breath on this winter early morn. Job wordlessly goes to start a fire in a nearby fireplace after helping them silently whisk away the remainder of the older doctor's scalpel, knives and forceps as well as every other bloodletting tool.

The intelligent Prince of the Southern Isles recognized the younger man to be educated and calm, with good reason and scientific knowledge. Varian was ingeniously mixing some chemical compounds of basic substances to use as a dry cleansing salve to sterilize some towels and bedclothes areas rather than normally wet and scrub them with ammonia, soap and water that would take far too long to dry.

"There have been far too many hours of unnecessary pain for her to endure with that old doctor who wouldn't listen to reason and allow me to employ scientifically proven natural ways to induce labor. I have, to a great extent with my good friend, Cassandra, visited and studied the methods thereof from obstetricians at Halle, Königsberg, Kiel and Jena Universities."

"From many female anatomy research books imported from medical scientists more knowledgeable than I in this field, together we gained much instruction on the nature of the body's reproductive organs to be ready to perform the delivery, if an emergency, such as this, arose for our Princess Rapunzel." Varian begins to speak low to Hans so only the redhead could hear his tense warning words while the dark-haired young lad finishes preparing the birthing area at the bottom of the delivery bed.

"Say, what kind of smutty stuff have you and Cass been pouring over in those thick books of yours? No wonder you two have become _pretty_ tight of late, if that's your type of reading material." A pricked up ear Eugene didn't know if he was going to laugh at or slap Varian for intimating those delicate feminine mysteries concerning _his_ little wife's body that only he was allowed to know about so publicly.

Nor did the once loner thief expect to be so intimately partaking of the birth process where usual men in this day and age were expected to stay aloof in another room for decency's sake.

In that light, Freborg shoos the other men away to tend the fireplace while the women change the delirious princess' under clothing into something less formal and more accessible as Varian and Hans begin to discuss the best, least invasive, labor inducement after the woman's currently over ten hour tribulation.

Fortunately, Rapunzel's body in question – perhaps due to her beloved's arrival, and despite all the noisy raucous arguments and upheaval in this cold room that had stunted the second phase of labor – suddenly begins her final contractions naturally.

"Now that she's begun again, and the Princess' husband is finally present to support her, even without having Cassandra here, we can presume to attempt it now since you have agreed to assist me in this delivery, sir. But in the more modern and rational Lithotomy position, rather than utilize the basic, favored older Sims. The forceps utilization to force contractions by pressurized thrusts to the internal womb when, after long, protracted hours, labor must be induced is quite barbaric." A scientist at heart, though still a young man in his head, Varian found it far easier to speak openly, on equal medical terms he had recently gleaned to the Danish Prince who was more his age. This Danish man seemed to possess an intellectual inclination, and a profound faith that the younger man acknowledged immediately.

"Yes, I agree the more natural knees up position, with deep breathing, muscle contractions and gravity should aid the birth process more than any harsh tools of incision or force. God created the female body giving birth to be a wondrous path, meant to produce beauty and reward her after the endured pain, to hold the honored title of 'Mother' – nurturing giver of life. _'Children are a blessing from the Lord; the fruit of the womb a reward'_." (Psalms 127:3)

Smooth Hans graduates from conversation to Varian as he approaches the delivery bed, to speaking terms of encouragement, punctuated by a gentlemanly bow to the woman lying upon it, along with his attractive smile as he finishes his inspiring speech.

"Wow. So this is that refined, much sought after Vise _Admiral_ Prince Hans of _the_ _South-ern_ Isles that Raps sent you and Cass down south to bring back to marry that sexy Icy Queenie of Arendelle, eh? Mmm-mmm! No wonder, he's just like the Snuggly boys said! This good-lookin', smart fella with a silver tongue must _really_ be not bad with the ladies! _How_ is he _your_ brother again, Eugene?" An irreverent Lance nudges the expectant father at his wife's bedside with a friendly, snidely teasing elbow that Eugene did not find so funny at the pensive moment.

"Ha. Ha, funny, Lance. I thought you left, Kid." Deadpan Eugene comically simpers and rolls his eyes at how his Lillebror - _everybody liked!_ \- always managed to impress and show him up, even to his supposed best friend. Nonetheless, Eugene was secretly glad capable Hans was here to add some sanity to the madness in this nuthouse.

"Hans… You're here… Did you get back to Elsa yet? Have you seen her? Did Uncle Agdar relent any yet?" Amid her own pain-and-suffering, struggling to keep conscious as her weary head continually flopped back down to her pillow, compassionate Rapunzel still found a place in her overwhelmed heart to recall her brother-in-law's own romantic tryst with her cousin in the North. Learning that being selfless was an imperative trait in a true friend, Princess Rapunzel had sent her Eugene away in the midst of her own trials to assist the reunion of her friends, for she desperately wanted for them to have a happily ever ending, too.

"Yes, Princess, thank you for your concern. For her birthday in less than a week's time, my Elsa and I plan to rendezvous, thanks to your willing benevolence to send me your husband, who significantly aided to make miracles possible. My Storbror is an amazing, selfless man to have almost missed this irretrievable moment to help me be there for my love when she needed me most. So, now that Eugene is here for you, I can safely attest you both deserve all the Lord's blessings that I'm sure He will shower upon you now in _your_ moment of need." Hans approaches Rapunzel's bedside, taking Eugene's position of squeezing her sweaty, restless palms in his grateful, slim ones.

"Now you must very calmly and serenely only focus on yourself and try extremely hard, as I know a strong brave woman such as yourself can, to bring forth those wonderful miracles God has placed inside of your womb, as they are ready to come out to see the world, full of your love."

Glad the Danish Prince was there to be the motivational speaker the alchemist decidedly was not, Varian smiles as he relocates Eugene to bodily squeeze in at the top of the bed. He had read through much sanative medical research that it was best to place the father behind the mother-to-be, so her head, was upon his lap, close enough to hear the beats of his heart for her. Her wracked with pain shoulders and writhing hands and stretched arms, reaching for something to hold tight to in her suffering, were there best situated for her trusted husband to stabilize the distressed, weak woman about to bring his offspring into the world.

"Eugene! They're coming!" Doing just that, a hyperventilating Rapunzel squeals out in agonized joy when the intervals of her contractions become undeniable.

"They're coming!"

As Varian and Hans, in composed and collected unison take their positions at the base of the bed that had been prepared for this urgent moment, Lance Strongbow, adds his own panicked echo in a shrill, high pitched shriek.

He gets a whack on the back of his head from Willow who had been running back and forth between rooms, trying to calm her older sister anxiously waiting just outside the door in the connected sitting room.

Queen Arianna had been torn between her loved ones in the conjoined rooms, but chose to trust in her daughter and all those lovely friends, while she consoled her overwrought King whose poorly heart condition was not unencumbered by this harrowing event.

" _Squeak_!" Rapunzel grips her own husband's stubbly chin and neck that was tilted so close to her face so fiercely that it was almost as stretched and misshapen as the now bursting open plush 'voodoo doll' Cassandra had stitched together mimicking Eugene. Raps had been strangling it for the previous ten hours, as plushie Eugene had been tied to the bedpost for the expectant Mama to pull with each birth pang at old Nurse Krankenschwester the midwife's direction.

 _Who sick idea was that?_ Eugene's overanxious mind still allowed his narcissistic thoughts to wander in this terrible moment with some modicum of levity.

A white as a sheet Pascal turns his wobbly webbed paws up innocently when an emotive faced Eugene catches sight of the now demented looking, stuffing knocked out of him plush doll version of himself.

"I'm right here, Liebling. Go ahead and squeeze the stuffing out of me. I daresay I probably deserve it." Trying to gain her lilting chuckle, and succeeding, Eugene whispers all the right words in his gal's ear. He tenderly grips all of Rapunzel's flailing fingers tightly in his large ones that caress her forehead softly with his lips.

"Yep. All your fault, man." That little macho barb was the last straw for motormouth Lance, as Aunt Willow had a ' _don't mess with me anymore'_ expression on her face and stern finger pointing to the exit door, which Mr. Strongbow almost happily complies to leave the tense area.

"The contractions are starting again to be only seconds apart." Varian reports succinctly, causing another uproar from Lance just about out the door.

"Only seconds apart!"

 _Out!_ Aunt Willow threateningly mouths the edict and chases the mischievous thieving pal out with a slam, not allowing any of the eager Snuggly Duckling boys and excited guards gathered in the Corona Palace Hall to peek in.

"Just breathe, Princess. Breathe normally. And push as hard as you can between each breath. Everything will be fine because you were born to be strong—stronger than anyone ever expected _."_ Calm in the sea tossed storm, like every proper ship's cautious captain should be, Vise Admiral Westergaard gently, but firmly, steers Rapunzel's frantic tempest. Hans smoothly reallocates the young woman's arm that had been suffocating and choking her husband who was perched at the bed behind his pregnant wife, head upon his lap, for stabilization.

 _"A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world.'"_ (John 16:21)

The Princess with the wind in her hair hears her reliable friend's Biblical words as Hans begins to brotherly share the applicable verse, soothing away her pain with his golden voice that urges Rapunzel to softly let her fear go under the hope of God's protection.

Rapunzel hears Hans' prayerful eloquence, feels the tender touch of her lover's close embrace all around her, and sees a light with the sun blessed embers of the Rapunculus flower glowing in her blood faintly stream through the door under her softly humming mother's supportive beaming smile and song.

' _Watch by the sick, enrich the poor_ _  
_ _With blessings from Thy boundless store;_ _  
_ _Be every mourner's sleep tonight,_ _  
_ _Like infants' slumbers, pure and right.'_

The Queen of Prussia and her husband were standing in a loving embrace at Willow's back, peeking in the connecting door to let some much needed light in.

And under that light and love and soulful supplication, the first of the two miracles that had been growing within Princess Rapunzel's womb emerges, thankfully headfirst.

"It's a girl!" _Dr._ Varian joyously announces to everyone – particularly the Caribbean friend named Job, who was beaming his white teeth in the darkness from ear to ear in delight at the first girl child promised to be named after his dear, deceased, beloved Muma.

The alchemist holds the baby high up in the air after cutting its umbilical cord, separating the infant from her Mama with the pair of scissors Hans had sterilized at the ready.

The young alchemist was extremely happy about being the one privileged - and trusted - to bring the firstborn child of Princess Rapunzel and Prince Consort Eugene of Corona into the world.

"And she's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, Princess." His own eyes were filled with emotion.

"Thank you, Varian… My…Anxelin…" Rapunzel murmurs deliriously, recalling the pledged namesake of their firstborn girl as she watches in awe alongside Eugene, how Varian and Hans quickly clean out the baby's mouth of any superfluous liquids and gently wipe her little wobbly, naked body down with the cleaned towels, finally laying the babe in some new white swaddling sheets.

"I like girls." Eugene states with a weak smile up to the King and Queen and a nearby glowing Job as he strokes Rapunzel's exhausted cheek and congratulates her strenuous effort thus far with a wet kiss to her forehead.

"Yeah. Our girl, Anxelin, Brownie. And a brunette at that. Did I ever tell you I have a thing for brunettes?" A shellshocked Eugene sexily whispers in signature relief with another kiss to his wife's forehead, running a hand along his just as emotionally drained mate's exhausted cheek and drenched locks, pleased that their new child had similarly colored, sparse tufts of chocolate hair, too.

The delivery pro then hands the cleaned and checked over infant to a helpful Aunt Wilhelmina.

"Never thought I'd be holding one of these, did you, Ari?" Undomesticated Princess Willow chuckles nervously at the dark brown haired fuzz on the baby who seemed to be smiling up at her, obviously fascinated by the bejeweled golden medallion of Egyptian treasure around the woman's neck.

"Beware, Friedrich. I think she's going to be just like her father. Already she likes gold sparkly things that don't belong to her." Garnering Eugene's smirk at the snarky comment,

Willow teases the curious child of the disreputable man her niece brought into the clan. But really she was trying to get her doleful, drawn-faced older sister's mind off the traumatic moment for her, only half-accomplished.

"And look! Someone finally got my nose right. You really are quite the artiste, Madame Fitzherbert." Eugene catches onto Rapunzel's free-spirited Aunt's idea, giving Rapunzel's shoulders a playful squeeze at his vanity's running gag.

But Queen Arianna, in her own, harrowing experience of the birth delivery process, had almost, if not for the inextinguishable love of her man whose sheer determination drove the nation to the magic sunflower's discovery, lost both her life and her child's.

Rapunzel's mother was glad her youngest sister was there to take charge of the newborn. Though overjoyed for her first grandbaby's successful birth, Arianna was increasingly more anxious as the seconds tick by. The fragile life of her one and only baby girl was still currently struggling to become a mother for the second time herself.

 _But what if my Rapunzel, after that pushing, has been too stretched out by the first child? What if, after those torturous ten hours, she is unable to generate strong enough contractions for the second? What if my baby grows too ill – or even worse, **dies** – before she gets the chance to be a mother, as I was robbed of partaking in my own baby's precious infancy? A part of me died back then…What if…Nnngh-nngh! Get hold of yourself, Arianna! Rapunzel will be fine! Remember what you yourself said to her: **'Plus est en vous.'** It means 'There is more in you'. Life is an adventure that you write your own story to. Take heed of your own advice, you worrywart old woman!_

"Can you see the other twin?" Cool as a cucumber on the outside as she dares herself to be calm, the wrinkle lines creasing Queen Arianna's forehead are increased exponentially when a breathless, gulping Varian comes up from visually exploring the birth canal's heavily contracted womb.

"The twin is in breach position. It's as if something…strange…is wrapped around it and it's too… _tangled…_ to progress! I don't know if it'll make it, unless we cut through…" Having amber-hued flashbacks of some mystical things surrounding this enchanted Princess he'd witnessed in his young life, Varian was beyond alarmed as he glances down at the surgeon's cutlery he, as an experimental scientist, was well versed with.

But this wasn't one of his botanical experiments, and Varian's awakened compassionate humanity was more in fear for his friend as the panicked man apprehensively views this odd anomaly. All of his study and research and talks with experts about the normal birth process had never encountered anything like this, now plainly found within his good friend Rapunzel's womb.

"What?! No!" Petrified at those terrible words, weak from the bloodletting of Dr. Vectis earlier, a weeping, emotional Rapunzel was beyond sentient as she faints in Eugene's arms at the amount of torturous hurting her painwracked body was going through just to hear the dreaded news one of her children was to be stillborn.

"No no no no! Not again! Rapunzel! Listen to me! The baby will make it! And so will you! Our story does not end here!" When no amount of shaking or calling seemed to affect the dispirited young woman, whose pulse was so weak and her breath so shallow she seemed dead to the world, it was Eugene's turn to panic, his heart on his sleeve.

His distraught wife's breath had become so hoarse and shallow from all the strain of painful effort to deliver her second baby, just the thought of losing the child before ever holding it in her arms was too much for Rapunzel to bear.

The amazing young woman could be tough and strong about many things—brave many adventures. But this loss would be too terribly upsetting. Even though the first baby survived, each time Rapunzel looked at her solitary child, the lonely twin's eyes would always remind her Mama that Anxelin was meant to have a partner in life, a perfect sister like her cousins, Elsa and Anna, were to each other.

Just the thought of that immense disappointment makes a hysterical Rapunzel start to fade from consciousness at all the trauma.

"Hey! No bailing out on me, Woman! This baby needs her Mama! **I** need you to stick around! Remember: _'If you die…I die!_ ' We've got so many more happily ever afters to live for, Brownie! All of those years of new dreams we're gonna be making together!" There were unashamed tears in Flynn Rider's normally nonchalant unaffected eyes as he shakes his wife's shoulders slumped against him with such passion that his great love was evident to all.

Eugene looks up desperately from face to face, finding sympathy and similar devastation, even in Varian's panicky gaze that drives the thief almost mad with dread, until he sees the drive within certain pair of determined green eyes he was glad to see not giving up.

Not by a longshot.

"Varian! You must listen to me carefully. While I carefully hold the first baby's placenta out of the way, you must physically go in to turn the second baby in between contractions until the child is headfirst in the birth canal." As if he too had studied a course in female anatomical parturition, cool, collected Prince Hans steps up to lend his aid to the obviously mentally distressed young scientist.

"But how?! There seems to be a great amount of… Oh no." Trying to be clinically proficient, young Varian had just about separated his affection for his patient from his curative quantifiable detachment when he spies something his steeled nerves never thought they would see again.

"What is it?" Hans whispers, not wanting to alarm either stressed out new parent again, as he too must set aside his attachment to his sister and friend, Rapunzel, and peer down inside her cervical dilated womb to whatever distressed the science nerd.

"Flaxen hair?" Hans murmurs quizzically, recalling the rumor, some quarter century past retold, of the lost princess of Corona, a witch in a tower, a handsome jewel thief and an amazing length of seventy feet of magic, golden, healing hair…

"This baby is going to be born with a lot of blonde hair! Unfortunately, it's tangled up with her own umbilical cord!" Both men's curiosities were piqued by this interesting factoid as Varian too remembers how Rapunzel's magical golden blonde hair connected them before the black crystal rock and amber enigma which had besieged the land of Corona had been solved.

Unable to think of any scientific method beyond daring sharp knife butchery, like the Princess and her unborn child were some freak experiment that would no doubt prove fatal, Varian looks helplessly at the astute redheaded Prince whose head was bent close to his, for advice and counsel in this moment of need.

Prince Hans' eyes seem to glaze over into himself, as he responds quietly, in this time of dilemma in the soft, tender words of a heartfelt hymn:

 _"Come, Thou Fount of every blessing_ _  
_ _Tune my heart to sing Thy grace_ _  
_ _Streams of mercy, never ceasing_ _  
_ _Call for songs of loudest praise…'"_

"Rapunzel, listen to me. You must sing for this gifted child's enchanted hair to react." Hans speaks the urgent words to the delirious woman, but Rapunzel, near unconscious, could not hear. That is, not until the voice of her true love slices through her pain and anguish to prompt her as well.

"Sing for me, Rapunzel. Tell our little one how to let down her hair." With these special magical words whispered right into his wife' ear, penetrating deep into her jumbled mind, Eugene is able to break through the barrier of intense, personal pain Rapunzel was going through.

A sweet soft voice begins to musically murmur from the Prussian Princess's dry lips. Even after all these hours of torment and terror, she was still able to add her own soft soprano to the holy song full of peace and strength.

And most of all, **_Love_**.

 _"'Teach me some melodious sonnet_ _  
_ _Sung by flaming tongues above_ _  
_ _Praise the mount, I'm fixed upon it_ _  
_ _Mount of Thy redeeming Love'"_

Princess Rapunzel's lyrical soprano was strengthened in chorus by Hans' strong tenor, accompanied with Job's deep bass, and finally coupled with her own mother's loving voice, to which a weeping Rapunzel smiles gratefully.

 _'Here I raise my Ebenezer'_  
 _Here there by Thy great help I've come_ _  
_ _And I hope, by Thy good pleasure_ _  
_ _Safely to arrive at home '_

Physically and symbolically letting some more precious light into the dark chamber, Queen Arianna, the original partaker of the golden flower, crosses the room to sing in perfect harmony with her daughter. There were tears in her eyes for her beloved girl as Arianna prayed fervently she would not lose twice in her lifetime.

And with that prayer, the original patient whom the infused water of the Rapunculus flower healed during her own fearful childbirth, causes a scant degree of restorative magic to be harkened by the child yet in Rapunzel's womb.

There within, the baby's tangled blonde locks softly glow by magic before Varian and Hans' surprised eyes. Like a flower opening its petals, the strands of golden curls of hair unravel from her and her sororal sister's umbilical cords to free the trapped second twin from Rapunzel's womb.

That small opening gave Varian the chance to do as Hans instructed and gently maneuver the baby to spin almost 360° around.

"Here she comes!" Varian cries out in unmitigated joy, never imagining he'd be so touched by what he previously thought was a merely organic event.

"One more great big push, mein liebste." Coaxing his exhausted lover as he tenderly strokes her feverish head, Eugene was grateful that second problematic baby, all rosy and Ruby red in the face, was quite lively and wriggling as she pops quite naturally from the birth canal.

The proud as a peacock stubbly man was indebted to his capable Lillebror to be there to assist the scientific lad in extricating the more vivacious baby girl who already possessed a copious amount of curly golden blonde hair atop her reddish pink ruby complexion.

After Varian clears this second child's mouth and nostrils of the excess blood and amniotic fluids, the bright red rosy cheeked baby lets out a happy laugh unlike that of a normal infant wail.

Unable to keep from smiling himself at the babe's contagious grin, Hans cuts the umbilical cord of the second child. He does so quickly, to allow his exhausted sister-in-law the opportunity to conclude her mental and physical exertion with the knowledge she accomplished a woman's finest triumph, and doublefold welcome two more tiny lights of God's precious miracles into this world.

Queen Arianna takes charge of the lively younger girl from a relieved Varian, as her sister Willow brings her brown fuzz haired fraternal twin, who seemed more of an inward, introspective nature, to their young mother and father.

"She looks just like you did when you were born, my darling Rapunzel. _Plus est en vous **.'**_ I knew there was more within you ** _._** " Queen Arianna whispers their shared life's motto in awe, having lived this indefinable moment of pure joy before twenty-six years ago when another vivacious, tiny baby with bouncy blonde curls was handed to her and her husband after a difficult pregnancy that almost ended her life too, back then.

But as every new mother realized after the struggle was all over, Arianna would not exchange a single second of that blissful joy of the gift of motherhood, even to take away the months of horrendous pain.

 _"'Children are a gift from the Lord. They are a reward from Him.'"_ (Psalm 127:3) With a firm shake to his shell shocked brother's hand, Hans quotes the Old Testament, as no other words were necessary to express his happiness for the couple.

The Queen nods at the well spoken Danish Prince, in full concord with his well-timed Scripture.

Just then, Lance and King Friedrich, who had been clutching one another in anxious fear at every scream and silence in the melee, come rushing in when Job compassionately opens the door to assuage their uncertainties.

"Amen." Unable to speak further, the King with tear stained cheeks wraps his large arms back around his Queen's, looking adoringly upon the future of his kingdom in his growing family.

"Blondie, you've given me the greatest presents a lonely man could ask for. A real home, a real family, and a real love—now with added bundles of joy to treasure for all the years to come." Drawing her tenderly to his kisses, Eugene showers his girl lying in a pile of exhaustion with his full attention. The two fairytale lovers revel in the overwhelming moment as the enormity of it all sinks in.

In her husband's loving smile and tender stroking, Princess Rapunzel of Corona lets the floodgates open and begins to cry tears of pure joy.

She was weak as a kitten, and feeling like she went through the wringer – twice.

Just as her mother before her felt, Rapunzel did not regret as single moment now. Not the anxiety nor the mind-boggling pain, as she leans against Eugene.

The mere glimpse of her husband's loving eyes spoke volumes to her that he believed she would be a good and loving, generous and sweet, maternal hand to her newborn babes. Not at all like Mother Gothel, the selfish, plotting woman who stole Rapunzel from her real mother when she was a baby.

Though fatigued, Rapunzel smiles sedately to see her parents, her poor dear parents who lost the chance of bringing up their own baby girl when it was their chance, were now looking so excited to enjoy bringing up this new pair of grandchildren.

As Lance and Job open the curtains from the windows to let the fresh morning sunshine in, at Hans' bequest, the new parents get their first look clearly upon their two fraternal twin children's cute little baby faces.

One had her father's enviable tan skin and short brown hair; the other with blonde long curls and rosy red cheeks, and both with amber golden eyes. Comparing the twins, cautious Queen Arianna was carefully instructing her non-baby-ready sister Willow how to properly clean and hold a newborn infant without dropping or shattering it to pieces.

As they watch the frolicsome sisterly squabble over their babies, Rapunzel and Eugene silently make a pledge to one another to never forget to cherish these most precious gifts they would ever give or receive from their mate.

"We did it, Eugene. They're here. Merry Christmas, my _mann (husband)…_ I'm a mother! I'm a mother…" Inutterably relieved, the Princess of Corona leans into her husband's strong chest, reveling in his comforting scent, his heart beat so near that his stubbly chin rubbed against her forehead.

The long and arduous journey of pregnancy – where imaginative Princess Rapunzel had envisioned so many catastrophes and calamities which might have happened to her or her babies that she had sleepless nightmares for this past month or so – was finally over.

Two little miracles of life were now part of their world, so soft and sweet and tiny and needing their mother and father's love. Sitting side by side on the bed now, Rapunzel and Eugene, as new mother and father, each take receipt of their respective newborn fraternal twin girls from Queen Arianna and Aunt Wilhelmina as King Friedrich looks on, full of proud tears.

"And you're going to be a stupendous one, Little Mother. _If_ you can teach our Anxelin here not to have an affinity for sparkly things, like you did for her rascally Dad." Eugene chuckles with a nod to Job at the Caribbean ex-pirate's mother namesake. He observes their firstborn twin's tiny little hand – which paled in comparison to his large one - was content to reach out at the golden wedding band on her _Vader's_ (Father) finger.

— And almost succeeded, as the thief struggles to retain his golden wedding band from the petite purloining pilferer he obviously fathered with his filching genes.

"Now, as for this cheeky little gem of a Ruby…" Bewildered as to how a throw-away dreamer like him could have uncovered such pure happiness, Eugene then pets the flaxen blonde curls of their bubbly, bright rosy red cheeked second twin whom Rapunzel was doing her best to hold still.

"I think this one'll keep her sticky-fingered big sister straight with that infectious smile. Just like you've always been my smile, Sunshine." Eugene proudly hands over the other half of their miracle placing Anxelin to be cradled in the nook of her young Mama's other arm.

Her face all aglow, Rapunzel was pleased as punch that her infants were both healthy and safe and sound. Princess Anxelin and Princess Ruby were sure to be beautiful and charming, attractive and smart, as their well-matched parents.

These princesses were to be heralded and applauded throughout all of Prussia, indeed all of Europe as descendents to the Crown of Corona's future.

And more importantly, they would grow up in the loving bosom of a wonderful family dynamic that neither stolen, kidnapped, and lost Princess Rapunzel; nor discarded and orphaned and unwanted bastard child Eugene Fitzherbert ever had when they each started out in life.

But unlike most, these special twins had been blessed to be born of parents who felt true love for one another. When Rapunzel touches for the first tome each tiny, tiny hand, feeling the soft pinkish warm digits wrap around hers, she begins to cry.

"A brunette and a blonde. The story of our lives together, eh Liebling?" Eugene carefully strokes their quiet firstborn's beautiful nose, looking deep into her little sister's soulful golden amber eyes that reflected an immeasurable treasure that truly belonged to him at last.

"I love you, Rapunzel." Flynn Rider had finally found all the treasure he ever wanted in the pools of her glistening green eyes full of motherly love for the children he gave her.

"I love you, my Eugene." The Princess of Corona reflects that same, amazing fairytale story of their lives shining warm and real and bright.

The happy couple award grateful smiles and nods to the King and Queen, Willow and Varian and Job and Lance, and Freiborg and Pascal. Bruiser and Killer wave back as the well-meaning thugs reenter the room after they and the other Snuggly Duckling boys had seen the back side of an indignant evil eyed vampire rival Doctor Vectis and his pinched face lackey nurse, Krakenschwestr, out the Corona Palace town square gates with the help of Captain of the Guard Schmidt and his Royal guardsmen, Pete and Stan.

All gathered were eager to see the new babies, even Maximus, and Fidella, who had finally made it back from their long expedition up the continent after the mare had recovered enough from her injury.

The faithful horses had trotted up into Rapunzel and Eugene's apparently free-for-all third story palace bedroom to see where a twin pair of little miracles had descended like pure sunflower drops from Heaven…

Indeed, as the sun rises over Corona, its rays reflect snowflakes that sparkle as they melt away like a soft kiss to the magical land. The enchanted kingdom was now ready to sleep in rapturous peace with a bright future for its precious lost Princess, who by no coincidence, love found and brought home.

Free at last to be the mother she had never imagined herself to be, Princess Rapunzel knew this was her chance at last to take her place in this world that she, for the first eighteen years of her life, feared would never be able to come out of that tower.

Together with the handsome man who stole her heart, free-spirited Rapunzel would now embark on a new adventure called 'motherhood'. With those she loved all around supporting her, the lost Princess would learn more about herself while discovering for certain that her life had truly begun.

The once lonely young woman never felt as alive and liberated and loved as she did now as a new mother lying there with both arms full, holding these two brand-new angels her Eugene had given to her as the greatest gifts of all.

The young mother couldn't wait to show Anxelin and Ruby the big wide world out there waiting for them to run and splash and roll and race, taste and savor the freedom of the sun on their faces, the wind in their hair, and a song in their hearts, full of endless horizons…

 ** _'_** _Come, my Lord, no longer tarry_ _  
_ _Take my ransomed soul away._ _  
_ _Send Thine angels now to carry_ _  
_ _Me to realms of endless day_ …'

* * *

"Come, Thou Fount of every blessing" - hymn written by Robert Robinson 1758

'Here I raise my Ebenezer' – The term 'Ebenezer' is contextually interpreted as 'Comfort'. In 1 Samuel 7:12, the prophet refers to a memorial stone that signifies ' _Hitherto the Lord will help us'_ because it reminds God's people how He delivered Israel from danger. The hymn reminds us that God is truly the fount of every blessing. The words 'Here I raise my Ebenezer' express the sincere attitude of gratitude we should have to God Who is our help in time of trouble.

"Sun of My Soul" – hymn written by John Keble 1820

* * *

 _Plus est en vous **– '**_ There's more within you' in French

 _mein mann –_ _my husband in Germanic Prussian_

 _Liebling_ _– my Darling in Germanic Prussian_

 _liebste - my dearest_ _in Germanic Prussian_

 _'Du bist mein herz' –_ _'You are my heart" in Germanic Prussian_

* * *

Happy Mother's Day weekend, my Frozen friends!

So, was this a great timing salute to Mom's everywhere, or what?! :)

Rapunzel is a brand new Mama! Times two! Congratulations, girl! There certainly **_was_** more within you! 2 times the fun for you and Eugene with your new twins!

Rapunzel and Eugene now have a bigger family, with Hans and Varian (I love bad boys who eventually turn good ;) safely delivering a pair of healthy, miraculous bouncing babies, without the bloodletting and forceps and strange rituals of antiquated medicine for childbirth in those dark days in history! Scary biscuits! (I did a great deal of research into birthing practices of the early-mid 19th century era where new moms with childbed fever deaths and stillborn infants ran rampant due to lack of knowledge of proper sterilization and methods of cleanliness during the difficult birth.)

Good thing we had some forward thinking young medical men on hand! Our handsome hero Prince Hans is getting so much experience in the healing surgical field, maybe he should take up medicine! :

With their harrowing near-death prior experience with birth, I felt the King and Queen's anxiety greatly! Arianna's inscription in Rapunzel's journal from the series was the inspiration for this chapter title. I think it says a lot in a few words, with much maternal wisdom to teach, as Rapunzel's relationship with her Mother progressed into a deep bond, though they were strangers.

A Mother's Love is eternal. after all. ^_^

I'd love to hear your reviews on this monumental event for our beloved Eupunzel! It was a populated birth room, but kinda nice having so many dear friends around to show how they care for their dear Princess becoming a Mama for the first time!

So God bless you all, and have a wonderful day with that special Lady in your lives who brought you into the world! Thank you Okaa-san! I love you forever, Mama! Thank you for always believing in me, always being there, showing faith in God as my example, and teaching me 'there's more within you', too!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Love, Haru-chan

 _'Every good gift and every perfect gift is from Above, and cometh down from the Father of lights with Whom is no variableness, nor shadow of turning.' James 1:17_

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P.S. Thanks to the Guest who sent us a message of advice on Wednesday. Your comment is appreciated and the deed had already been done last month! Thank you for your concern! Bless you!


	32. Chapter 31 - Counting the Days

_We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

 **"Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act VIII**

 **Chapter 31**

 **"** **Counting the Days** **"**

The double peaks of the Svartisen glaciers were quite a sight to see from the bird's eye view that Anna and Elsa Bernadotte had been sharing. For the past day or so of travel, the girls had been enjoying some much needed sister time, laughing and smiling together, singing favorite tunes side-by-side in the front carriage seat.

All while they were reminiscing memories of the incredible lives they've lived thus far.

Though their formative years had some rough patches leading separate lives back then, Elsa and Anna now found common ground as best friends as well as sisters. They may have glimpsed the other from a safe distance in the same home of their youth with zero interaction, like silent ghosts living alongside, but both still cherished the knowledge of how the other had yearned to be together with her sister through it all.

That had certainly all changed when Anna and Elsa had grown up, finding peace and forgiveness loving each other, and every minute of their shared experiences with the joy of being together. Through that bond, they also discovered room in their tender hearts to include two special young men with a love both were finally willing to accept.

The pair of Arendelle sisters had been chattering for endless sky miles, akin to squawking chickens to Prince Alonso of Córdoba's bored stiff ears. From where he was inside the coach below them, the visiting Prince dignitary had been mildly listening in (between Minister Kai's loud snoring in the opposite bench seat) on the Queen and Princess' giddy walk down memory lane—which generally included some longing reference to a certain redheaded Prince of the Southern Isles that made Alonso's stomach queasy, rolling his eyes.

 _Ungh…That darn guy still gets all the attention, even when he's not here…_

With his soulmate leaving their psychic connection wide-open, Wind Whisperer Kristoff had been privileged to hear nearly all of the girly conversation, also. He too was wishing to zone them out a few times when Anna and Elsa began talking about Hans and how 'amazing and brilliant and brave' he was 'to have helped defeated the Djvælen Troll' in such drooling depth.

 _I may have had a thing or two to do with that, too, ya know. Let Elsa have the honors of handing out all the compliments to your ex, Feistypants._ A smirking, _not-at-all_ -jealous Kristoff had made the critical error of allowing his curious bride to traipse through his own recent firsthand memory of the battle underground as spunky, energetic Anna kept her guy from resting much of the journey.

The Ice Queen had to midair traverse the polar winds she commanded to relieve the battle worn Snow Prince in the smaller carriage named 'Baby' – that he had been patiently flying alongside them with Sven – only once in the twelve hour period since they left the Snow Palace.

Not that Kristoff achieved much sleep even then with his talkative Feistypants little gal's mental motor mouth still going, either to psychically prod him to pass on to Elsa some nonessential tidbit of information, comment or joke. When he was just about to drift off, and she promised to leave alone for a while, the happy-go-lucky, oblivious girl would loudly yell across the airwaves to her sister in all her excitement of their new adventure together.

If just to let Elsa constantly know how much she loved and cared for her.

"This is so nice! Like our own magic enchanted adventure exploring our homeland like the little birds do!" Anna announces, giddy with cheerful tears when Elsa returns, all smiles, to the carriage front bench via her skybound ice slide. With warm hugs galore, the once lonely Ice Queen's little ginger sister tugs her down back to the safety of their shared bench seat with one hand, her other still around Sitron and his multi-paired team's reins, ready to discover so many new things together neither knew possible before.

"Hey, what's that blue and gold and ivory thing on that mountain peak over there? Kinda looks out of place in all the snowy whiteness." A little ways into their laughter, Anna squints her eyes with the comment as she passes the driving reins of the long, horse-drawn caravan belonging to the Snow Queen, with Sitron in the lead, back to her big sister.

"It appears to be a small vehicle of some sort…" It was Elsa's turn to strain her eyes, shielding them against the bright sun until she realized exactly what it was perched atop the tall snowcapped mountain peak.

And so did Alonso.

"Is that my chariot down there!? How the blank did it get at the top of that precarious ledge!? Hurry up and get me to it! I need my wheels! They are made of the finest heat-treated teakwood and genuinely gold-plated, you know!" The blustery young South American Prince extols the quality of his well tuned royal vehicle as his face was plastered out the side window to see where his brightly painted chariot was dangerously balanced against the high-altitude polar winds.

"What a good idea, Alonso! We should take Baby down for quick-paced sleigh ride sloop on that cool slope, Kristly! You have to practice a little before the big annual mountain man sled race in Flåm, if you're gonna win this year's big prize!" Anna recklessly yanks the reins of the horse drawn flying carriage and aims the confused multiple white steeds in the direction of that precise mountaintop area.

"Calm down, Feistypants. The tournament is probably almost over by now. It's all right. We'll catch it next year." Kristoff calls across the sky, trying to be responsible and appearing as though he didn't mind. But Anna knew deep inside how much participating in the competition with his sleek racing sled he'd been working on for ages meant to him and how disappointed he would be to miss it by just one day.

{ _"We'll see."_ } Feigning calmness, Anna sends the complacent thought to her husband while she muses to herself secretly in a more determined manner.

 _The sled race is at the grand finish of the Games! I bet we can make it if we step on it! I like going fast!_

"Anna! Slow down!" Elsa would have been giggling, fully aware that her powers would not let anything go amiss with her irreverent sister's unlicensed steering techniques, but she had just then noticed that the thick glacial mountain peak where Alonso's chariot strangely sat upon should have been split in two…

 _Papa, you didn't have to go to this extreme!_

"Whew! Your dad doesn't do things by halves." Also noting the altered landscape since last they were here, Kristoff had quickly pursued his little wife's crazy landing to set upon the single mountain top. The mountain man was also aware that the deep crevice between the twin Svartisen glaciers of Aust (East) and Vestre (West), which came to the perpetually frozen Lake Ranelva below where a mirror fissure led to and from the Snow Queen's Palace subterranean levels, had now been entirely filled in with a thick layer of snow and ice.

"Too cool, Papa! He filled it all the way up to the top! This'll be a great place for sledding now! …Safer, too." As if she held caution to any regard, the ginger girl lets out a whistle of excitement to see how impressively the Ice King, though blinded, had erected a barrier of thick packed ice beneath the Bergshrund precipice. The fresh ice and snow filled all the way down the sheer drop between the parallel peaks of the mountain's twin sister glaciers that had existed previously untouched for millennia since the Snow Queen crafted them.

"Yes. Papa apparently made certain to seal this portal from the Djvælen forever now. Prince Hans has defeated and taken away that monster so that the demon can never again hurt anyone in our land." A wistful Elsa was grateful to both of the most important men in her life for their heroic roles in guiding her heart which loved them both so dearly.

"Whee! No more nasty chasm to suck you into the mirror lake shadows below. I. Love it!" Olaf chants happily after Boninite– with Alonso's unwitting replay – retold to a curious Anna and Kristoff about how Elsa had been transferred to the Snow Palace in Svalbard from here through the mirror portal of this special hidden place in the folds of Svartisen glacier.

"Papa and Mama and Ragi must've already caught up with the Fire Trolls by now and are taking them to reunite with GranPabbie and the other Rock Trolls. I wonder how they're faring..." Elsa was certain her similarly cryokinetic father would not let temporary blindness stop him from protecting his land, his family, his citizens of all races from the evil Devil's columniation.

"Yep! Papa's for sure got that end covered! So I'm sure we can swing by and make it to the Annual Mountain Man Challenge, if we book it! Flåm is not so far from Trollheiman! Come on, Kristly. Time to practice! Hop to it!" Once the carriage team lands, Princess Anna giddily jumps off and skips up to her blond husband after he had driven his sleek black sleigh in a more sane, careful way to land parallel parked on the now single Svartisen mountain peak.

"The Annual Mountain Man Winter Challenge has been going on this whole week before Christmas, Anna. Forget the climbing and skiing, there's not even time to enter the big sled race." Obviously kicking the idea over in his head, Kristoff speaks in a vague, detached way. The responsible mountain man had been quietly tending to each of the Snow Queen's pure white team of horses with food and water at this sudden unexpected break, although that excited glint was unmistakably glistening in his chocolate brown eyes as Kristoff looks down at his indeflatable, effervescent gal.

"After all the serious stuff going on, I hardly think that we will have the chance to stop for some little local competition that keeps the working classes occupied with their silly seasonal celebrations." Alonso brushes his fur parka off dismissively while inspecting his thankfully unscratched chariot which the Ice King had obviously had the prescience of placing atop the newly created fresh snow peak. Prince Alonso had stepped outside the carriage to stretch his legs after their day long voyage to inspect his shaky vehicle.

"Careful! Careful… Don't want any scratches on the gold-plated varnish on those wheels. Good… Your father must've recognized its value and took care to put my vehicle on the pinnacle peak, deserving of its polished shine."

Alonso sees his chariot safely arrived intact to the mountaintop as Elsa cryokinetically floated it down from the cirque's arête. With a tickle to his horses' chins, the hot-blooded Argentine Royal instantly wished he could return to the warmth and safety of the carriage coach, for all this talk of sledding and skiing and mountain climbing winter competition he had no interest in whatsoever.

"The bi-annual mountain man cross country triathlon of sledding/Ice Harvesting/mountain scaling is one of the highlights of our Winters here in Norway, Prince Alonso. We locals believe the hard-working men and women of our nation deserve this much warranted day of exciting sports competitions, now more so than ever, to bring them back into God's wondrous outdoors to enjoy His crisp nature's wonders at this joyful Christmastide." A patriot-proud and reflective Elsa states with queenly pride in her country's replete athletic events. She and Anna, by personal connection with a certain local peasant boy, had become more acquainted with mountaineering and the rugged outdoors it involved in recent years.

"Point taken, Your Majesty. I just didn't expect someone of your regal status and delicate sensibility to be this enthusiastic about spectator sports—involving big burly sweaty men, Elsa." Alonso murmurs with a smirk as he saunters over to Elsa's side of the Snow Queen's flying sleigh itching to get back in.

"To show no prejudice or hard feelings, perhaps my team and I can enter this little winter competition of yours with the special sleigh runners you installed on my superlative chariot now returned to me. You're the type of bonita who likes to be impressed by an intrepid champion, are you not, Elsa?" Alonso says half sarcastically, half flirtatiously irreverent. He did not like to work hard, but the hot-blooded young man in him did enjoy a good competition every now and then. Especially one where he won certainly, whether or not he deserved to. "I'll try not to leave you in the dust, Christopher." Brash Alonso throws the overconfident words over his shoulder at the tall blond mountain man considered more as background scenery than someone worthy of learning his proper name.

" **Ha!** It takes years of honed skill to master the intense mountain climbing, speed Ice Harvesting and swift sled racing up and down the treacherous Gudvanga mountain pass! My Kristoff is **so** **good** at all the physical sports! And with his specially customized sled ready and rearing to go for the match, he will wipe the floor with you in the Ice Harvester Winter Games, Mr. Prince from South of the Equator." Giving her puffed up with pride Kristoff a thumbs up across the way as his biggest fan girl, blunt Anna pipes into the aggressive men's conversation.

Alonso's expressive come hither eyes and flirtatious advances towards Elsa always rubbed her little sister the wrong way, so Anna was eager to speak up against him with the saucy challenge on behalf of her less belligerent husband.

{ _"Anna. Calm down."_ } Ever the cooling balm to cool her off as Ying and Yang to the fiery girl's ginger temper, modest Kristoff mentally tries to tone down his competitive wife's bragging.

"After all the experience I have had in driving in the crazy weather North of your wondrous land's beautiful countryside, I'm sure I can win first place in your quaint little local race. And if I do… you still do owe me at least that personal tour before I sign any dotted lines about any trade deals or treaties, Queen Elsa. " The Prince of Córdoba breathes with his fur poncho arm extended across to lean against the Snow Queen's carriage near Elsa quite intimately with his victory's demands.

"Yeah, don't plan on any blue ribbons just yet, pal." It didn't take much of his infuriated wife's nudging for Kristoff Bjorgman to take the defensive stance against the aggravating Argentinian Prince trying to strong-arm his regal sister-in-law. "This race isn't just a normal run-of-the-mill one about speed. It does require intensive skill training and not just bravado to be able to compete with some of those extremely experienced mountain men up there on that steep Old King's Path on the Sandvikfjellet Prussia Kjosfoss Pass in Flåm." Stepping in at his six foot five towering height, Kristoff throws down the gauntlet after his ginger Princess's undeniable pride and attitude urges him to flaunt his mountaineering prowess more than a little. He finishes, with Elsa's cryo-help, attending to their entourage of flying snow horses and gives Sitron's golden rump a resounding smack to prove his point.

"Yep, Kristoff's good and fast! He's like a funky, pungent reindeer King on his new sleigh! And I'm an expert at freestyle tobogganing! Eliana, Bonnie! Just watch and learn, girls!" Showing off his own swagger in front of his female counterparts, Olaf leaps out from his perch in Baby to recklessly launch his snow mound body across the freshly erected ice monolith now bridging Svartisen's twin peaks.

"Right… I'll have to consult with Lento and Estable if they're even interested in entering this little sports competition you have going around here. Besides, what's the rush anyway? I suppose we should take it easy. After all, we _are_ still on vacation before getting back to the old grind of trade talks and negotiations once we return to Arendelle Castle. And we wouldn't want upstage the Snow Prince at his own game, would we, boys?" Alonso did not wish to look weak in backing down from his conceited bravado throw down.

Though just the glimpse of Kristoff doing some Anna supervised warm up push-ups, sit-ups, and weight lifting heavy water barrels straight up in the air with one arm, the Córdoban Prince has some second thoughts which he promptly blames on his reticent equines.

"You are learning, Alonso." With some gleaned erudition of her own, Boninite the Fire Troll gazes up at her friend with a rare smile that Alonso returns with a smirk of his own.

"A wise decision, Your Highness." All the noise from Anna's exuberant numerical counting encouragement to their resident athlete had awoken Minister Kai from the nap. He and Gerda had been snuggling in the carriage now that it had blessedly made a stopover rest from Anna's reckless driving, and windy midair turbulence that high speed flight entailed.

"I see that King Agdar has done his duty here well." After giving Alonso a nod, the astute older man approvingly peers out his window to take in the manifest changes to the dangerous Svartisen landscape which he had himself personally witnessed the precarious plunge of the carriage previously.

"Only the grace of God could have intervened to allow us to witness this miracle for a second time, Kai." Gerda stirs to squeeze her husband's hand with blessed assurance behind her smile.

"Yes. Papa has succeeded in sealing up this exit portal which led from the underground catacombs beneath the earth if any latent evil remains dormant there to escape hereafter." After sharing a smile with her sister, Elsa returns to the carriage to put on her ruler hat – or crown, so to speak. She quite comfortably converses with Kai after inspecting the subzero area her gifted father had cryokinetically established a barrier over the very spot through which the Djvælen had lured Elsa into his deceitful darkness.

"Ooh! Elsa! Come see! Looks like there's a ton of nifty Fire Troll footprints over here! Guess the King and Queen and Ragi did manage to get them through here before plugging up the chasm!" Olaf calls out from the other side of the now conjoined mountains to the much treaded path leading down to the Svartisen Valley going southwest.

The Ice Queen lightly steps over the mountain chasm that was now thoroughly covered in still and calm, pure white snow and ice to where Olaf was beckoning. As if in another world, Elsa could faintly hear and yet remember the swirling darkness that fear and loneliness had torn in her heart which nearly brought the world to face an eternal winter once again.

The Ice Queen shivers, standing where the precipice once existed. Dizzy at the still vivid recollection, she shuts her eyes tightly trying to ward off the self recriminations of what she had done—and might have done.

Elsa involuntarily glances down at her bare engagement ring finger and hugs arms around herself, wishing she had some personal memento of her beloved Prince to cling to in moments such as these.

She floats on her ice sled over to where Olaf was on the ground examining the multiple foot tracks of the liberated Fire Trolls' march. Up and down the hill and mountainsides, the Ice King ingeniously created ice enhanced escalators to augment the walking trolls along the way in the direction of Trollheimen where King Agdar had surely taken them to reunite with as a people with GranPabbie and the Rock Trolls.

 ** _HUMMMM…HUMMM…_**

As the rays of the morning's Northern Lights sparkle on the conclave of carved rocks and stunning geological artwork surrounding the iridescent granite wall above, suddenly, a familiar, friendly voice brings Elsa out of her inward reverie.

{"Rest assured and be at peace, Queen Elsa. My people are safe because of the tenerity in your heart. And now, our cousins have returned to live in the sunlight the Creator had intended for them since the beginning, all owing to you and your love for your nation, your family, and those dearest to you."} The ancient wrinkled troll leader's visage appears on the ages-old granite rock hewn by the great Hand of God eons ago when the original Snow Queen was very young and this land was new to her granted wintry gifts. GranPabbie's breathy, gravelly voice speaks through the stone carvings on the painted boulders that had been cleaved in half long ago and were a Saami cultural landmark now.

"GranPabbie! Is the Djvælen no longer here truly? Will he forever haunt my memory?" Glancing around warily, Elsa whispers to the kindly wise figure she had come to understand with his cryptic words of yesteryear more now as she had matured. Through Anna re-introducing the sagacious older troll to the young Queen as part of Kristoff's dear family, Elsa now cared for and respected troll elder GranPabbie as she would a dear grandfather she never knew.

{"Elsa, memories are never to be confused with haunting fear. Memories are precious records of where you were, what you have done, who you were with, who you were before. Some memories are good, some are bad. They cannot control you, but what you have learned from them will be your strength to conquer all past fears. Through that wisdom, you will be the one in control, with your memories to guide you, fortify you, only remembering the love – not the fear – true memories bring. Look to the future now, with love, my child. You have achieved so much and have the potential to become the finest leader of our country, through your great love of God and those He has blessed to surround you. You have gained their love back and it is sparkling in your eyes as bright as the aurora borealis above us now. Remember, you are not alone, Elsa, and will always be free of fear if you keep the light of love in your heart. Just as freedom at last has come for our lost tribe through the compassion of your blossoming love which you never gave up on, Queen Elsa. I can never express my gratitude – _our_ eternal gratitude – or what you have done for we Trolls. You truly are a great and noble leader and have earned all our respect and veneration for millennia to come, your Majesty."}

A smiling GranPabbie finishes his heartfelt speech to the special young woman who overcame all odds to be the great sovereign of their nation and righteous redeemer of the least of her citizens, the lost troll tribe of the Nibelungs.

"Watch out for my butt!" Just then, an overly rambunctious Olaf's largest body part comes crashing into the carved boulder, dissipating the old Troll shaman's visage projected by the Northern Lights as a discombobulated Olaf nearly knocks the blonde beauty off her elegant high-heeled feet. Olaf's over excitement had caused the clumsy snowman to accidentally slip and crash into the rock face. He was split asunder, parts of him flying in all directions towards where a solitary Elsa had been psychically linked with the elder Troll through the historic Saami carved rock formation at the edge of the arête at the Vest Svartisen Summit.

Elsa deftly manages to avoid her snowfriend's rolling backside from where he comes catapulting in his 'sport' out of nowhere.

"Hi. I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs. It's our favorite Christmas tradition." The dizzy snowman's jiggled brain head lands right at Elsa's feet and glances into the flickering holographic rock surface, seeing his own dismembered arms wiggling around the carved raised drawing in what appeared to be a face on the stone carving he thought was a real living being.

"Hehe hee. Yes, Olaf, you are our precious holiday tradition. Maybe I'll give you your Christmas present a few days early so you can practice competing for the Winter games, too." Awarding Olaf with that requested warm embrace and a brand-new child sized sled of his own, Elsa lets the tears forming in her eyes be filled with only the fond memories of the blithe snowman named Olaf she created through her bond with little sister Anna always brought.

Elsa was glad never to be afraid to let emotion overflow again as she could feel the light of GranPabbie's gratitude and caring through his wise advice, see the warmth of Kai and Gerda's pride in her, and hear the sunshine her giddy sister Anna and Kristoff happily 'training' – more like play—in the winter snow.

Smiling with the good memories which overrode all the fears, Elsa expertly commands her gifts to make Olaf a small ice sled of his own.

"Yay! I bet I can go even faster now!" Olaf wasted no time in hopping on board and zipping around with his new toy, once again nearly knocking the pale blonde beauty off her elegant pins.

Elsa deftly maneuvers to avoid her snowfriend's swerving sled. But in her fluid movements, something tumbles out from being tucked inside her fur cape mantle.

"Prince Ferdinand's report to Papa about Hans." Elsa breathes in the frosty high-altitude mountain winds. During all the settling down excitement and fun times driving the flying horse drawn carriage of the Snow Queen's beside Anna, Elsa had quite forgotten the winsome Frenchman's report of his findings to her father.

It was all rather confusing a recollection now that the bold and daring crown Prince of the French admitted to being both confidante friend and undercover spy to her dearest Hans. All along their long and arduous journey North from the wilds of India to the dangers of the passage Red Sea crossing and the mysterious Mediterranean in between, to return to Europe, Ferdinand Egalité had been secretly surveilling.

So Elsa could not be more curious as to what he had to say in this diary sized amount of pages.

 _After all, Prince Ferdinand had given me explicit permission to not only read, but also amend the grammar and edit any linguistic mistakes in his chronicled account… I do wonder what all these pages could say about my Hans?_

The Ice Queen muses to herself in breathless anticipation as she kneels down to pick up the dropped folder that had come undone from its ribbon seal to spill some of its paper content to the snowcapped ground.

Elsa uses her cryokinetics to swiftly intercept the floating on the wind pages of the French Prince's scribbled missives to King Agdar. Elsa furiously glances around making sure she hadn't missed any of the precious papers that the chilly winds may have absconded with.

That's when her snow bedazzled eyes alight upon a certain small article which had sunk its approximate two inch hand-carved ivory conch shell and glass oval form onto the frosty ground.

 _Hans?!_

From his indescribable celestial nose to his unmistakable handsome profile intricately carved in ivory shell, to the inexpressibly brilliant titian red hair sealed within the glass backing of the artisan crafted pendant pin, Elsa could not have been more elated to hold the prized cameo in her hand.

By now on her knees rather unbefitting a Royal Queen of her stature, Elsa delicately scoops up in her cool hands the precious little item depicting her gorgeous Danish Prince. The small cameo had been carved and painted to evocative perfection by some artistically talented hands in the romantic Italian style, in the likeness of her beloved fiancé.

Barely able to tear her eyes away from the gorgeous profile cameo, Elsa sees how the precious memento had been secretly clipped to one of the Frenchman's diary pages – that were now obvious to her to be not in some stranger's penmanship, but in her dearest Southern Isles Prince's fine strong writing hand. And the pages appeared not to be reports, nor diary entries at all.

But they were rather a collection of letters addressed to herself as penned by her älskare Hans Westergaard himself.

Several minutes go by, as a stunned Queen Elsa of Arendelle remains knelt down in the snow, trying not to tremble as she flips through the diary of letters she was keeping dry on her lap. Prince Ferdinand must have had stealthily collected the naval journal and bound together the loose pages with the cameo pendant brooch he had somehow contracted for Hans on this journey here, most likely where artists who made this type of jewelry keepsake popular, on the Italian coast. Unable to refrain any longer, Elsa skims each page with utmost curiosity…

* * *

' _My Dearest Elsa,_ _Though you are probably unaware of what incredible request from the Admiral for my shore leave return which has transpired between myself and your sister Anna's correspondence, I write this to you with the foreknowledge that you will not receive it before I arrive… scores of other letters recounting my daily life…the future…settled…God willing…Anna's letter…imminent birthday event…21 December…my expedient arrival_ … _impending conversation with your father…face-to-face meeting…transferred command of the Nidaros…Tonight we leave Tranquebar to begin an ambitious excursion… overland route…my new itinerant companion, Prince Ferdinand of Orleans… back to Arendelle…my zealous heart … too enthusiastic… my dreams of you and I in wedded rapture…soon to be realized…my hidden moon…you have ever and all my love…Your devoted Hans…11 November'_

* * *

 _'My Darling…I feel something terribly amiss in the north where you are… the yearning in my heart so intense…I love you, Elsa Bernadotte, as I have never loved any before, and never will again...As your father King Agdar requested…_ _…Princess Anna insisted..._ _I promise I will be there with you to celebrate your birthday, my darling… stay for that first Christmas… the only Christmas gift I will ever need…_ _Your Prince Hans…14 November'_

* * *

' _M_ _in Kæreste_ _Elsa_ _...Crown Prince Ferdinand prefers I call him 'Egalité'…avant-garde character…We are currently at a French Expeditionary outpost to change horses and perspiration-drenched clothing..We now chart a course along the River Kaveri…May God bless and watch over you and your family…Your devoted fiancé Hans…15 November'_

* * *

 _'_ _My_ _P _recious min ædle__ _… I would feel remiss in not relaying to you…the complete full account of my indiscretion…I was dotingly attended by three ladies in a brothel…venom of a poisonous spider on the road of our swift journey…house of ill repute… tender nurses, nothing more…I pray that you believe … adoring and loving only you, from the day you accepted my hand in matrimony, until the last one I spend on earth…Elsa, min ædle… ever constant and true, as you deserve nothing less…Your loving, grateful and humbled Hans_ … _18 November, 1841'_

* * *

 _'My Darling Elsa_ _..._ _Bengal_ _Tiger territory._.. _alone and restless… road trip … foreign sights and sounds… splendor of nature pales in comparison to your entrancing eyes…_ _With all my deepest love and affection,_ _Hans Christian Alexander Westergaard_ … _20 November'_

* * *

 _'My Elsa..._ _We have transferred…steam propelled paddler named the 'Berenice'…record time… resist the charm and lure with every fiber of my being… deserving of you, min kaereste... all the seven seas together are not wide nor deep enough to stop me!_ _Until that blessed day we meet again,_ _Your devoted Hans Westergaard, 26 November'_

* * *

After wildly scanning the many pages' lengthy content, wanting to relish them all, but too overcome right now and with little time, Elsa holds his cologne fragrant missives beneath her cute little nose to drink in his rich scent.

 _You wrote all these for me, Hans? All this trouble you have gone to, all the places you've been and seen with the sole intention to please me? You have been dreaming about me just as much that I have been fantasizing of you, my love? How could I ever have doubted how lucky a woman I am?! Someone loves me so much to have faced such danger and difficulties, simply to attend my birthday celebration? You hold me so special, my beautiful knight?_

The emotional moisture behind her azure blue orbs was only abated so that Elsa could read her Hans' words clearly. Greedily she again drinks in one favorite part of her lover's romantic addresses, written in his naval diary for her eyes alone as she savors each word:

 _'Good night for now, Snowflake. May I selfishly aspire for your dreams to be of me tonight? I can assuredly say that you will be the heavenly body of mine._ _God bless and keep you safe, Elsa, as I prepare to embark tomorrow to cross the first of two oceans that stand between us, with exactly one moon left until your special day…'_

"Thank you for loving me, Hans…I, too, am counting the days…"

Elsa whispers, biting her lip so as not to cry. She was addressing both her absent Hans, who felt so very nearby through his love letters, and the hand of God who believed in second chances to bring his love near to her. Elsa felt so completely adored and spoiled as tears of joy spill unkempt on pages she never meant to smudge as she gazes at the beautiful man with the stunning profile in her new cameo.

With a cool kiss to the ivory carving, the Ice Queen pins the cameo over her heart within the white fur of her blue velvet ice jewel studded gown. Then her eyes gaze out over the crystalline white landscape, bright and sparkling with the optimistic future awaiting her beyond the valley below as they travel southward and eventually home to Arendelle.

There, her brave and noble Prince Hans, who loved her so completely and cherished her so heartfully, as the countless words of those love letters inscribed, would surely come to see her again just as he promised for her birthday ball.

A hopeful Elsa would wait forever for her handsome love to sweep her off her feet to make beautiful new memories together…

"You okay up there, big Sisty? We found a hamper basket of food Johanne had packed for you and Alonso in his sled –" Anna begins to explain all the excitement of the hungry travelers at the lucky find.

"Chariot! How many times I have you it's not a sled or carriage, little girl? My vehicle is called a chariot!" Irritable when hungry, Prince Alonso snaps at the ignorant younger Princess testily where a starving Anna was ransacking his beloved vehicle.

"Right, right, right. Touchy, touchy." The ginger smirks sardonically, rolling her not so tactful eyes at the grouchy foreign Prince. "Come down and eat some of these yummy cheese wedges Gerda and Johanne churned, with this mouthwatering smoked sausage you love! It's all still good because the whole **_cha_** _-ri- **ot**_ was frozen solid!" Anna loudly proclaims in Alonso's shellshocked ears where the displeased, deafened Prince upon further inspection was frowning over his interior plush velvet drenched, crackled paint chipped chariot coach's poor state of ruin.

The hungry group had paused to gather some nourishing food from the basket they found in Alonso's chariot from the hamper full of frozen goodies before they travel down the glacier crevasse to the green lichen uncovered Svartisen Valley below. It was still cold but no longer so bitterly engulfed in a fierce blizzard where the horses were peacefully grazing.

"You'd better hurry before Kristoff eats it all! He's a growing boy who needs to eat hearty to be in tiptop shape for the tournament tomorrow!" Anna slaps another toasted sausage and cheese sandwich in front of her big boy with the big appetite over the sizzling fire that Bonnie, at intelligent Kai's idea of her flickering to life with the natural Troll fire crystal at the base of her tail, was fascinating Olaf with, under Eliana's not so friendly, jealous gaze for a change.

"Eat more meat to build muscle mass, you veggie-man!" Reading in the Arendelle Gazette somewhere about a manly diet of red meat providing muscle energy and vigor (though fatty sausage hardly was example of a rich source of high biological value protein and essential nutrients) whereas her _unmanly_ blondness fella often preferred raw carrots to anything, mess Chef Anna confiscates Kristoff's chewed on carrot and slaps a roll of the smoke sausage in his large hand instead.

She takes a big juicy chomp of it before Anna hands the rest to a slobbering Sven the reindeer as all three friends symbiotically share in the frosted orange root snack.

"Ewgh, gross." With his nose up in the air, Alonso comments snidely with his nose up in the air at the dizzy trio disdainfully as he pecks delicately at his congealed sausage chunk, piece of stale bread and moldy cheese like a finicky bird.

"I'll be right there in a minute, Anna." Elsa guiltily squirrels Hans' handwritten unsent letters away back into the French Legionnaire issue folder that Ferdinand had passed to the Arendelle Queen before he joined the underground adventurers in their courageous fight to defeat the Devil Troll what seemed ages ago now.

"Why's your face all red, Elsie? I thought the cold doesn't bother you anyway." As she dishes out some freshly seared, smoked sausage rounds, the younger Princess presses a makeshift plateful of the warm vittles over to her flustered sister when Elsa finally appears at the base of the receding glacier's terminal moraine with her eyebrow raised at Anna's calling her 'Elsie.'

"—I mean, El-sa." Anna sheepishly corrects, noticing her sister's dislike for the diminutive.

"She was busy reading something in that folder that nice Prince Ferdinand gave her at the Snow Palace. Mama Idun makes the best oatmeal cookies! Yum Yum mmmmmm." Olaf tattles quite innocently as he was blissfully chewing on some warmed oatmeal cookies and baked apple chips that Gerda had sliced so thin that they were crispy. It seemed that Olaf's swaying attentions were being vied over by Snowgirl Eliana and Fire Troll Bonnie who were tripping over one another to serve an indecisive Olaf the cooked sausages, bread, cookies and baked apple slices.

"Ooh! Did that juicy report the Frenchman was snitching to Papa about say something scandalous about Hans crossing those no man's lands and the untamed seas? What did that Red do? Thievery? Pirating? Women? **Cannibalism**?!" Imagination gone wild at Hans' expense as she was just about to chomp the rest of her sausage and cheese sandwich in one big bite, Anna giggles in glee, her pitch rising with each suggestion. She was salivating to hear all the shocking details of all the dirt her favorite ex-fiancé/once enemy/former attention rival may have dredged up on his worldly travels between here and far-flung Tranquebar, India with his sophisticated new friend/insider mole unbeknownst spying all the while.

"Anna! Hans is a Prince!" Aghast at the outlandish accusations, Elsa gasps at her saucy sibling, her hand inadvertently grasping at her new cameo pin of that certain handsome, infallible to her eyes Prince in question hiding in the folds of her furry breast mantle.

"Now don't be upsetting your big sister with your foolish notions, Missy. Behave yourself, little Princess Anna. Elsa has every right to feel a little winded after her ordeal and subsequently this wondrous voyage she had undertaken to facilitate on our behalf with her magic powers. Poor dear must be drained dry. You just go back to tending the apple chips before you scorch them, young lady. I don't wonder your pale cheeks are rosy, Your Majesty." Eternal optimist/responsible maternal figure Gerda protectively pats Elsa's mussed platinum blonde hair strands back place as the caring older woman draws the pair of sisters away from the keen eared menfolk in a confidential whisper.

"Sowrwry. Just teasing my favorite target. My bad. Hans is our superhero saint now, right Elsa?" Anna rolls her eyes as she reaches out to touch her sister's hand in sincere admission of guilt. As the effervescent girl apologizes in between chewing, she notices the polished ivory shell and glass cameo clutched at Elsa's heaving breast.

But for once Anna doesn't blurt out a word, simply lacing her fingers into Elsa's encouragingly over Hans' cameo profile and lock of red titian hair.

"The cheese we churned back home with Johanne is really good melted on the bread Gerda and I just toasted! Really high-class!" The ginger haired girl offers her quiet sister a grilled cheese sandwich Kristoff delivered to her after Boninite fired up the burner for Gerda to grill a second batch to warm up their hungry tummies before they prepare to set off on their journey again.

"Oh, yes. Fine dining cuisine and table setting for the visiting royal emissary you've been totally ignoring. He even gets served last! Lento, Estable and I give this restaurant only two stars." Craving more attention than he usually commanded with the snide smirk, Alonso gripes from where he had been sitting pretty all alone draped across his chariot between his pair of Criollo steeds. All three turned up their snobby noses at every offered treat except for the few carrots the horses and Sven and Kristoff were all vying for.

"Well, when we get back to Arendelle, Mister, get ready to be wined and dined like never before for my sister, the Queen of Arendelle's 23rd birthday celebration Masquerade Ball! Won't that be a blast, Elsa?! You love getting dolled up pretty in costume! Maybe you can be an angel with filmy ice wings! Or a period piece fairytale Princess with a big poofy gown that trails all over the floor! You're sure to be the belle of the ball, whatever you choose to wear, birthday girl! Birthday Countdown time!" Trying to get Elsa in a better frame of mind, lively Anna felt she needed to cheer her fashionable sister up from mooning over that Danish dimwit who left without a concrete message to say he would indeed be there for Elsa's important event in three short days' time.

But Anna needn't have worried, for Elsa was already soaring on cloud nine, assured her handsome Prince would move Heaven and earth to arrive as promised in many secret love letters kept pressed to her heart, right alongside his stunning profile cameo likeness…

* * *

 _"'Holy holy holy! Lord God Almighty! Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee.'"_

"Oh what a glorious bright sunshiny morning to be alive, min älskare!" Vibrant Queen Idun pauses in her spinto lyrical soprano hymn from where she had been holding tight onto her Ice King husband upon his created ice sled.

Affectionately Idun massages Agdar's shoulders, pressing her warm, thick fur coat body to his thankfully returned to full human form.

Yes, the King of Arendelle may have possessed supernatural gifts with the ice and cold, but that didn't mean he had to look like an ice cube in the shape of a man _all_ the time.

 _Although, your so very enviable fine physique was rather deliciously on display in those moments I glimpsed you in your full ice form, my gorgeous man. Mmm-mmm, good._

The yet frisky middle-aged woman runs her elegant hands up and down her man's cool chest on his velvet tunic of the kingly Royal Naval Sjoforsvaret uniform he had reverted to in the aftermath of the battle.

There her warm hands seemed to have the most effect as she sang in his enraptured ears to keep Agdar calm and grounded at all times on their swift ice sled journey. Idun had become his eyes and ears and navigator now that a reinvigorated Wind Whisperer Ragi and his faithful wolf Holger had left to rejoin the Snow Queen.

Together they would undertake the building of her new realm in the South Pole to keep watch over the captured wicked demon to be buried in the depths of a fathomless ice cage for the next millennia. Young Ice Queen Elsa would be entrusted to monitor the now peaceful Northern Hemisphere's winters in her place.

"You indubitably appear to be enjoying our scenic landscape on this voyage, my love." Though he was still feeling a degree of weakness in body and faintness and dimmed eyesight, King Agdar was contented to have been given the chance at life yet again by a merciful Heavenly Father above. "Alas, I cannot equally proclaim the vagaries of my view to be as stunningly picturesque as you seem to witness at the moment." He mildly complains with a wry simper as the hazy at best vision his recent near-death experience in surviving the Djvælen Trollden's inferno.

"It is not only your dear Lady wife, Sir. I too must admit to have been extolling the lush _paysage_ (vista) _decouvre_ (view) for these many beauteous kilometers myself, Admiral Bernadotte." Prince Ferdinand's thick French voice accentuates with intentionally amorous words that the Français Prince associated to describe his own curvaceous riding companion seated in front of him as he scans her sleek _arrière_ and tight _fesses_ (rear and buttocks) for the thousandth time during their cozy passage.

Cassandra rolls her eyes, feeling his lecherous ones burning holes in her backside. Her companion's constant flirtations and wandering hands had grown more annoying as the day wore on and the serious woman's worries for her friend Princess Rapunzel back home increased.

Maybe having a background in her youth spent in a convent made the rebellious girl not have much patience left for praying, but deep inside she still believed in a Higher Power enough to offer a heartfelt supplication for her best friend in Prussia's welfare.

 _If You're listening, God, see that Raps makes it through this childbirth to give her that happily ever after family she's been dreaming of for so long…Hopefully that slacker Fitzherbert made it back in time to be of some use…And maybe You can somehow let Varian know I rely on him to have my back. After all that preparation training, I know he's got it in him to not let either of us down._

Cassandra recognized that Rapunzel's difficult twin pregnancy was at its due date, and she as her handmaiden/ best friend was too far away to do anything to help now.

But Cassandra had come to rely on a certain clever young man, who through trial and battle and hardship had become one of loner girl's most dependable of friends. Maybe even more than that now, with a bond that ran deeper the more intimately steadfast and trustworthy their relationship became, as together they studied scientific medical research into modern birthing procedures in their shared anxiety to be ready for anything.

Colonel Egalité and Lieutenant Captain Cassandra had been sharing the ride on Svala the flying reindeer's back, keeping pace with the Ice King and his Queen as the Norwegian sovereign's magical ice slide had ushered the liberated Fire Trolls to be reintroduced as citizens of his nation with the other members of the Troll Valley back home in Trollheimen.

"Careful with the eyes, _Monsieur_. And remember what I said I would do with the hands." With a warning touch to her easily produced dagger at her weapon belt, prickly _Lady_ Cassandra makes it abundantly clear over her shoulder to the flirty Parisian that his roving gazes – nor ticklish fingers for that matter – were not welcome.

Sure, Ferdinand's persuasive kiss down in those dark catacombs in the sultry stifling heat of battle may have been intoxicating to the then winded young lady. But the tough as nails swordswoman had regained her logic and balance and senses in the light of day by now to bat off his frisky advances from where the French Prince sat in the saddle behind her lead.

"You had better watch your step, Egalitè. It sounds to me like you're getting a tad rusty with the ladies, old friend." His keen hearing making up for any cloudy vision, as a man, Agdar would have to have been half blind not to know how this saucy handmaiden of his Prussian niece, Rapunzel, was not so taken in by the young French Crown Prince's romantic wiles like other females were usually.

"Touché, Admiral. My Helena oft warns me of the same. We can all only hope to be as fortunate as you, to be so adored still by your yet stunningly lovely Swedish bride after, what is it, twenty-five years of blissful matrimony? _Mon Dieu_! (My God!) I shudder at the thought, mon ami. _Pardone_ , Madame Bernadotte." The charming 29-year-old French Crown Prince awards Queen Idun with a churlish wink and roguish smile under his wavy brown coif that he then flashes liberally back over his broad shoulder to the dark-haired young woman.

"What an attractive concept for your future bride, Colonel _Egalitè_." Cassandra makes the sarcastic swipe at the man with the debonair moustache riding in the seat behind her.

"Whoa!"

In teasing response to this cat and mouse game she was subconsciously enjoying, a smirking Cassandra urges Svala to make a sudden swooped decline to rattle the self-admitted roué off his high horse.

Nonetheless learning not to invade her safe space, Ferdinand sanctions his tongue and hands. The physically fit Frenchman manages to hold tight to the reindeer's saddle straps rather than make any bodily contact that he instinctively knew would set this hellcat's hot temper afire.

Acknowledging he won this round in keeping his hands off at great length, Cassandra rewards her, at times trying, other times attractive, flight companion with a vixenish smirk.

 _Alluring as you may be, you'll have to learn I'm not the type to play that easy to get._

"I believe we have led the last of the freed trolls towards the Trollheiman Valley below, but Egalité and I will double check, if there may be elderly stragglers, your Majesty." Dutiful as ever a good and proper soldier, Cassandra recognized the similarly dashing and sophisticated, but legions more domesticated King Agdar's authority as the responsible leader of this mission.

"Thank you for keeping me informed, Lieutenant Captain Schmidt. My Queen and I will ascend the peak with the cold mountain breezes to inform the Troll elder of our arrival before we escort the Fire Trolls up the rest of the way. If the two of you please can keep an eye on our new friends as they rest before starting their climb up the ice staircase I will create, until we return?" Already strategically thinking ahead and not wanting to storm in with the hundreds of Fire Trolls after the terror the Rock Trolls went through that chased them up this mountainside without notice, King Agdar shows his leadership as a ruling monarch that both Cassandra and Egalité respected.

"You can rely on us, Admiral."

And with that, King Agdar accepts Egalité and Cassandra's affirmation as he shares nods with several of the leading members of the Fire Trolls who were cautiously, but hopefully, peeking around the abandoned Rock Troll cave housings, starting to get a feel of the home and hearth built there.

"Let us go speak to GranPabbie, my love. Come. This way?" Eager Agdar was ready and rearing to travel up the steep Trollheimen Mountain to converse with the leader of the Rock Trolls.

"More like, _this_ way. Just follow the sound of my voice, min älskare." Idun chuckles lightly as she re-steps dainty feet upon her husband's created ice sled that the half blind man had been directionally confused to have been heading to scale straight up the wrong hilly peak.

The older Queen of Arendelle boldly moves forward to the edge of his projected ice and takes lead point of her partly sightless man. With great trust her lover would always cryokinetically create enough ice to keep them both aloft, even as his ice proficiently climbs the craggily ledges and ridge protrusions to rise up the precipitous high-altitude.

 _"'Holy holy holy! Merciful and mighty_ _! All Thy works shall praise Thy Name, in earth, and sky, and sea.'"_ Idun begins again to sing encouragement in low tones for her husband's keen ear to pick up and follow her visual guide up the mountainside.

In awe of the majesty and romance of this adventure, Idun smiles as just the two of them, together, hand in hand, quickly ascend the sky. The woman was so proud of her Agdar's determined spirit in adversity that she was just about to praise his iron will, when something they encounter high near the top of the rise might cause the plucky woman to change her mind on the matter.

"Eek!" Hardly expecting to be waylaid on the peaceful route to see old friends, usually collected Queen Idun nearly jumps out of her edgy skin at the emerging sight of the humongous humanlike creature that had been previously frozen in place leaning so silently against the mountain tip that it appeared just be part of the scenery.

"Idun!? What is it?!" The cloudy eyed Norwegian King could not make out in the snowblind mists what was going on when his Queen's sweet song was punctuated by her high-pitched soprano shriek. He was only able to respond by pulling her into a tight embrace under a quick dome shield of covered ice.

" **VARðA** **!** (HALT!)" Again speaking in ancient Old Norse, that intimidating twenty foot tall, sparsely clothed, long legged, hip shapely, large breast endowed Warrior Valkyrie in her voluptuous curass bust armor, a scanty subligaculum covered by meager ice leather pteruges rises to her elegant enchanted high heel leather greaves and boots to block their path entry.

"I think I should be asking **_you_** that question, your _Royal_ Majesty. I sincerely doubt our Elsa would have been the one to create such– shall I say, _extremely_ _detailed_ in certain sectors from the anatomical looks of it – figure of _skaldic_ mythology that has enthralled and excited many men to avidly study in depth, imagination afire, over the centuries their ancient Eddic history. Is there anyone else I know with ice magic abilities who fits that description?" The small Queen mother asks with an accusatory raised eyebrow at her guilty faced historian of a hubby. She takes a purposeful step off his ice sled to declare a standoffish distance. "What was that I heard before about respecting women?"

"Idun… I…" Beset with shame, Agdar swallows hard. He attempts to construct some feasible answer to his wife's unspoken allegation of his mental infidelity the poor man heard loud and clear, without even having to witness her flaring eyes in anger.

Her resentment just as quickly evaporates after the petite woman looks up into the too sweet face of the sword wielding Valkyrie and sees a familiar reflection beneath the warrior woman's long flowing tresses.

"You _modeled_ your imaginary skaldic Valkyrie warrioress in my likeness, Agdar?" The dark brown haired little Queen levels the accusing monotone query at her chastised mate with softer indigo eyes he could not see. Her stifled chuckle was muffled by a hand over her mouth, as it was all she could do to constrain her merriment.

"Well… not… _exactly_ …my lovely, munificent Queen… None could ever measure to your beauty and splendor I treasure." The caught speechless King was trying to weigh his best tact for getting out of the sticky situation most advantageously by waxing a touch poetic.

"Hmmm…? You always have the right words when you need them, don't you, Agdar Bernadotte? Although, I must admit to be somewhat flattered you imagined me in such a risqué costume, though she is certainly more endowed in some areas where I am rather lacking…" Idun dangles the kittenish opening for her distraught man to regain his confidence she had almost flattened with a single cutting word.

"Idun, you lack nothing! This mere creation of a faulted man hails from old Norse mythology, my flower, where this level of… lusty endowment…was more favored than it is now in our properly conservative era. Whilst your lithe little figure has been created by the good Lord above with ample degree of heavenly perfection, upon your face the _eyes of doves_." Hiding behind the Victorian sensibilities that ruled the day, citing the Holy Bible truth and banking on his wife's good humor to win the day, a truly repentant King Agdar smiles in his fluttering eye dim sight with an entreated blush that Idun found absolutely adorable.

"Since you put it that persuasive way, min älskare, You. Are. Forgiven." With a teasing tapped finger to his tall nose, his creased forehead and both of his flushed cheeks with each syllable, Idun ends her King's self-torture with a gracious glowing smile that finally lands a passionate kiss on his parched-dry-for-being-caught-red-handed lips.

"My _'lithe little figure'_ will no doubt demand for you to make up for this infraction later when we return to Arendelle Castle, my King." She provocatively breathes out with the frosted ice puffed condensation passing between their hot and cold breaths.

"Like a listless ship, I am at your command to steer me right from now on, my Seraph." Agdar pets the silky brown hair of his real-life fantasy woman, reveling in her warm tender kisses pressed to his cool hands sliding down her soft features.

"I know, _minn_ _Konungr_. (My King)" Showing off some her own linguistic knowledge of the Old Norse her husband was so enamored of, Idun smiles at the influence she held over this prominent man with just one pouty countenance from her.

 _"Hrøkkva_ , _Hjörþrimul_ _._ (Stand down, sword warrioress. _)"_ Feeling quite empowered, a well enunciating Queen Idun turns her head to give the order to the monstrously tall sword warrior woman whose icy, self-assured smile mirrored her real-life inspiration.

 _"Já,_ _minn_ _Dróttning._ (Yes, my Queen.)" Ice Hjörþrimul recognizes and obeys the authoritative little woman and allows the pair to pass on the Ice King's sled into the encampment at the Trollheiman summit _._ She had been left to keep out any strangers to protect the Rock Trolls at the King's request from the Djvælen Trollden's attacks and the magmaite menaces that spewed from the fissures all around with her sword of ice ready to slice asunder any attacker in battle.

So now that her duty was done, her Master and Mistress giving her leave, the ice Valkyrie could now fade back into the mists of legend.

"Agdar. You really imagined tiny **_me_** as a tall, powerful warrior Valkyrie?!" Idun whispers in her lover's ear as they quickly slide along on his ice further up to the top of the tall, air-thinning peaceful mountain peak where a village filled with significant round boulders that slept by day were congregated.

"I'll be only too glad to illustrate some other of my wild fantasies of you, my Muse." With heads bent together, Agdar and Idun share a flirty, conjugal laugh on the cool mountain peak. Then the reconciled couple settles down within the folds of each other to wait in the romantic sunset, embracing while they survey how well his Ice Valkyrie protector had done her duty these past weeks from the peaceful look of the place.

"You are as naughty as your little Gingersnap Anna, when it comes to this sort of things, Agdar. And we don't even have the excuse of being newlyweds, min älskare. Although sitting out here, watching the sun set, wrapped together as one in your beautiful land, this does feel like our honeymoon tour all over again." A dreamy Idun first chastises her frisky man, then snuggles closer to hear his heartbeat where she was patiently perched on his lap in a cuddle, where they determined to wait for the Rock Trolls to soon awaken at nightfall.

"Yes…ehem…Speaking of which…" The fatherly King still did not take pleasure in the reference to his little girl being… _subjected_ …to this type of connubial situation with her own young man, though he vowed to be more understanding a parent if allowed this second chance. "Once we accustom the Fire Trolls to be settled with their kin here tonight, what say you if I propose we return North to meet our children halfway on their journey traveling south to Arendelle? Just so I could lend any help to speed along their return voyage home, and perhaps spend some valued family time in the process. Not that I don't trust Elsa and Anna's resolve on their own, they have proven to be extremely capable young women, but I recall how trying traveling with Minister Kai can be. And after all, we must ensure the girls arrive home in time for that celebratory Birthday Ball you have planned for our Elsa in just two days time. I'm certain all those prestigious guests we invited will be disappointed if the Birthday Queen, and guest of honor is absent." The blond-ginger haired father ponders aloud to his wife as they comfortably lounge arm in arm on a soft pillow of snow he created and laid his jacket so as not to freeze Idun's cute little rump upon.

"But how will we know exactly where they are by now? Elsa no doubt is utilizing the Snow Queen's—pardon me, the Northern Winter Queen's, still must get used to that title!—flying carriage entourage, and we most likely will not spot it at such high altitude. It could be anywhere between Svalbard and Arendelle. We don't even know when they left the Snow Palace to make any judgment guess. " The intelligent Queen Mother speaks with down-to-earth logic that seemed out of place in this whimsical fantasy of lounging in her lover's arms atop one of the country's tallest mountain peaks, waiting for magic trolls to stir awake by moonlight.

"I could pretend to have significant clairvoyance, but the honest man in me—after being justifiably schooled moments ago—feels compelled to remind you that there was a certain letter of invitation by appointment only to the Mountain Man Ice Harvester's Winter Tournament that is at its finale this weekend. As I recall, our Anna's young Kristoff had an interest in participating in the Winter Games so much, she and I intended to deliver the invitation before all this madness began." The still quite debonair King thoughtfully strokes his moustache, his memory always quite sharp as his intellect.

"Yes, that's right, it's still going on the weekend before Christmas! You are brilliant, _min stilig_ _älskling!_ (my handsome sweetheart) You really believe we will meet them all there?! Ooh, why do I have the sneaking feeling you have something further up your sleeve, Agdar?" With excitement behind her eyes, Idun responds as she raises her head from where it was pleasantly snuggled to her husband's chest.

"I don't see how I could. For I believe you are sitting on _both_ sleeves of my tunic, Idun, my dearest one." Refreshed, the King smirks, reverting to his superior tone. "Tomorrow marks the final tournament of the race. I'm sure our girls will be there competing with that shiny, suped-up, special black sleigh of that dirt covered blond boy of Anna's we left them with up there." Though his eyesight was still impaired, Idun was glad to see her husband's mind still in good humor and engaged in thinking about his children eagerly wishing to be involved after his great struggle with that abomination that would have doused many a weaker man's spirit.

"His name is Kristoff, not 'Boy'! Oh, Agdar, you are incorrigible! But perhaps that is one of the countless reasons I am still madly in love with you! You know how I have always longed to bring our girls on a proper family vacation up here in the mountains you have made so precious to me." Idun's conversation under the bright moon flits from one subject to the next, almost as fast as her heart racing for her amazing man and the incredible family he gave her.

Soon the Rock Trolls start to roll out of their makeshift tents in the falling twilight for King Agdar to eloquently explain how stellar successful this mission's outcome was that the land was now safe and back at peace. Owing to his daughter Queen Elsa's vision and pure heart which defeated the Devil Troll monster, they would have some surprise relations coming to stay, too.

The pleasant Trolls, under King Agdar's advice and GranPabbie's wise counsel, were soon just as exuberant to be reacquainted with their long lost Fire Troll cousins. The Norwegian Ice King shows the quickly ready to return home Trolls a swifter path down the elevated mountain from the top by way of the ice step escalator he ingeniously instituted that ran from the Trollheiman mountain base to its peak earlier.

"We greet you in peace, cousins. Welcome to the Valley of Living Rock in this beautiful new era where our Creator had led us to live in harmony beside humankind and one another in this glorious bright future under the sky of Heaven together from now on." With an ancient raised palm of generosity, the ancient shaman Rock Troll GranPabbie benevolently welcomes the feared 'Nibelungs' of old who had once betrayed their kind and massacred the entire race of Water Trolls.

The deep reddish rough skinned, ebony black-eyed, long tailed and clawed, pointy, orangy red haired Fire Trolls could not have looked more frightening to the more rounded and plump, green and grey, bright-eyed Rock Trolls.

Even the friendliest among the Valley Trolls were reticent to approach the smaller, dark and fearful looking Fire Trolls when they first arrive down at the mountain base, each Rock Troll Mama keeping her little ones shushed and hidden from even looking at the newcomers.

The Fire Troll mothers and fathers react in a similar fashion, their uncertainty turning to fear…

"Please, cousins. We are brethren. Let us embrace the future as friends as we welcome you as family to our homes." GranPabbie was good and wise and old enough to remember these frightened souls were the Rock Trolls' long lost brethren. They were refugees who needed a home now they had been liberated from the slavery that wicked Devil King Troll controlled them under for millennia. After all those years underground in the darkness, GranPabbie saw they needed guidance on how to live up aboveground now in the light of day. He recognized that was why the King had brought this freed race of Trolls to their cousins.

So they could, as a whole people, learn to live side by side, in the same land, the same village, the same home, day and night, and cohabitate as they were intended since the beginning, now in brotherly peace at last.

As King Agdar and Queen Idun stand proudly beside GranPabbie and the elder Rock Trolls, they watch Bulda and Cliff encourage Kristoff's friend, Little Rock.

Plucky and good-hearted, Little Rock was the first to be brave enough to walk up and shake the reddish mahogany pumice-like hand of one small, yet infinitely daring, Fire Troll boy about the same age.

After the two troll boys share a quirky smile and compare their odd but similar thumbs up and funny toes, they break the tension filled silence with laughter and words neither understood, but would soon teach the other in friendship.

Like the floodgates held back by apprehension and fear had been opened, many of the other children break free to run up to one another in sociable greeting, finding a smile did more than anything to break any language barrier.

Soon more than a few of the adult Trolls let go of the ingrained prejudices taught to them since they were born with the fear and hatred passed down for generations. Even the eldest, most reluctant among them eventually follow the lead of their children to reach out and shake the hands of the Fire Troll next to them in peaceful harmony.

The generous and friendly Rock Trolls show their crystals that begin to glow with the sparkle of the Northern Lights and even share that magic shine with their Fire Troll cousins, whose own, real crystals at their tails start to remember how to sparkle without the Devil Troll's influence, under the blessed aurora borealis.

The charitable Rock Trolls now wholeheartedly welcome the new race of Fire Trolls into their homes, into their families and into their hearts in the spirit of friendship and family. It was a bond born of love's Trust, Encouragement, Nobility, Empathy, Righteousness, Inspiration, Truth and Yearning: the Tenerity that Queen Elsa's specially-sent snowflakes sprinkle down upon them.

That gentle feeling sweeps over the land where crystalline snowflakes sprinkled down over Rock Troll and Fire Troll, King and Queen, Prince, handmaiden and reindeer alike with the last aurora borealis light of compassionate understanding that could bring all races together, if only they dared to believe in Love.

King Agdar and Queen Idun knew that special glow was filled with the complete unadulterated chaste emotion their Elsa could now embrace because of the unconditional love of God in this beautiful world He placed in her care and the supportive love in the wonderful family home her sister Anna had shown her.

Now to complete this soulful trinity, Elsa had been introduced to another kind of true love she was just on the cusp of fully discovering.

The devoted love of her destined partner Prince Hans, in a fulfilled life that expanded her heart wide open when she learned to forgive the faulted man who found the courage to perfectly promise her his everything.

Arm in arm, the proud parents gaze up into the showering snowflake iridescence, aware that this magic was all due to the beautiful heart that beat in harmony with all whom the new Winter Queen of the North undeniably cherished.

 _'Love can't be denied_

 _Love must have its way_

 _Once it gets inside_

 _Love is there to stay_

 _Once you let your heart awaken_

 _Love can't be denied'_

An irresistible, pure song was so melodically clear now within the first gift of their love – their magnificent daughter, Queen Elsa of Arendelle, who surpassed her ordeal with a rainbow of virtues to shine more brilliantly than the aurora borealis itself.

And that special sparkle of the Northern Lights illuminate brighter as she counts the days until their eyes of love will meet again…

* * *

Greetings, Frozen friends!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter full of bittersweet memories and a message of triumphant freedom on this Memorial Day.

I pray you have a wonderful time with your friends and family enjoying this weekend. May we never forget to be eternally grateful and honor the brave ones who have gone before us to keep us free and safe.

Have a blessed Memorial Day, where our memories shine bright with the light of love for those heroes who gave up so much for the ones dear to their hearts.

 _Lord, keep in Your loving arms all the brave champions who held the torch of light and love and freedom high for all the world to see, and paid the ultimate price for those they left behind._

God bless all whose lives have been touched by these heroes.

Love, your friend,

HarukaKou

P.S. Please review! See you soon!

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

" _Love can't be denied" – written by Alan Menken for 'Frozen'_

 _Hjörþrimul_ – Valkyrie from the  Prose Edda book "Gylfaginning"


	33. Chapter 32 - Fun and Games

_We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

 **"Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act VIII**

 **Chapter 32**

 **"Fun and Games"**

The small fishing village of Flåm, Norway had always prided itself on its breathtaking view. Flåm was enviably situated at the center of three of the salty sea's intersecting fjords of Sognefjord, Fjaersfjord, Naeroyfjord and the freshwater Aurlandsfjorden.

The nutrition rich habitat had remained virtually untouched by any modernization, with the ocean and river equally bountiful and fresh to keep Flåm's seafood one of the most sought-after areas of the nation.

The pristine land tucked in its own lofty mountain range seclusion had a quintessential untarnished attachment to nature, from its majestic cliffs, still blue lakes, and waterfalls that freely ran down the mountains. Its more challenging rocky and untamed rugged surroundings along its deep mighty mountains and the tight passes of the fjords that ran between them were ideal for fishing in the summer, and perfect for Ice Harvesting in the winter.

"Now that's what I call a view! Ooh! Look at all the pretty colorful flags dotting the snowfields down there! The girls and boys on their sleds and reindeer and horses and all those people! They all look like little tiny ants busily buzzing around. Or bees! No, bees fly. And are striped. And have wings. Bees, no good." In his expressive exuberance, Olaf nearly tumbles out from the front bench, had Kristoff's long arm not caught the eager snowman from plummeting the two hundred meter drop. The blond strongman hooks Olaf onto Sven's antler cage by the scruff of his ice bow tie that Elsa had nicely dressed him in earlier to attend the Winter Games.

"Don't be getting too nervous about slipping and sliding at breakneck speed down those deep steep cliffs down there with your fifty pound ice cakes, Kristoff! Doesn't just saying 'ice _cake'_ make you hungry, Sven?" Talkative as ever, Olaf was prattling now to the flying reindeer he was leisurely tangled in the antlers and reins thereof.

"Yeah. They're fifty- _seven_ pounds, _each_. But, thanks for the encouragement, Olaf. See that red checkered flag way down between the mountain pass back there?" The ice experienced mountain man points out a marker to the snowman dangling as the reindeer discreetly lands behind the mask of a hilly rise to use his powerful legs again on the ground of the snow-covered valley.

The compact racing single sled moves towards the small fishing village under the shadow of the Jötunheimr _(or land of the giants_ ) mountain peak. It was part of the highest range in all Scandinavia, and reached over 8000 feet at one point to tower over their target destination of Flåm, where this year's invitation for the Ice Harvester's Association inscribed would be the location of their bi-annual Winter Games.

There was a surprising amount of sleds and sleighs, wagons and toboggans, even dog harnessed vehicles of all shapes and sizes where many sporting folk had already gathered at the Flåm harbor and been occupied with their individual sports matches for the past week.

"Umm… You mean that tiny widdle red and white triangle thing on the pole in between the mountains blocked by that humongous boulder with the funky fungus mold grown all over it?" Olaf asks with one eye closed and the other peering to his rounded finger branches as he tries to telescope the landscape.

"Yep. That's the halfway mark flag. And if you look far down this road, there's a blue and white one at the valley entrance near the port at the finishing line." Kristoff patiently explains like a father to a young child at Olaf's curiosity.

"So Baby just has to be the first and fastest to drive between here and there! We've got that covered. Easy Street." The forever optimistic, wide-eyed snow creature had never seen so many different sights and sounds.

"Well…kind of. I gotta do some serious climbing and Ice Harvesting in between." Kristoff modestly clarifies to the snowman.

"And you're really going to do it with no ice magic, no flying reindeer, no super powered bow and arrow? Wow. You're really brave." Olaf relates when he overheard Kristoff explaining to his wife and sister-in-law about his own 'Fair play contest rules' earlier in the day.

"Sure, we gotcha, Kristly! This is real important to you to accomplish this feat of rugged mountain man versus mother nature alongside fellow worthy competitors, fair and square. I'm with you 100% of the way! But… Maybe we should stop to eat breakfast first? You know what they say about that starting the day off right!" Princess Anna was always hungry. Lately, more than ever! Heck, she was always, always hungry, part and parcel of the fully energized, nonstop go-getter gal kinda thing.

"Elsa told me she was going to stash the Snow Queen's carriage and hide the horses somewhere behind that misty mountain up yonder where you said the games wouldn't be headed. I hope Alonso's plush chariot makes it in time before the race starts. Either way, I'll be sure to reserve a good front row seat for all four of us." Anna says her where she was busily attending to something behind Kristoff in Baby's cramped back seat.

"Unless you wanna take Olaf as your mascot on your sled?" Anna speaks up for her hopeful, eyelash fluttering little friend who had been begging her all ride to be allowed to go mountaineering with the men for the past hundred or so miles.

Kristoff has to give her just a mere sideways glance for Anna to know the answer to that silly question.

"Sorry, Olaf. You definitely fall under the _'no magic to stay anonymous and incognito'_ list someone _brilliant_ made up so we have a tougher time belaying and rapporting and traversing the underclings." Anna enunciates the big covert meaning list of words as she calmly explains her honest young Snow Prince's request for normalcy in these games to be equanimous to the other regular participants.

"What do you even know about those words, Anna?" A tense Kristoff snidely comments to his argumentative wife while lumbering out of the small carriage to give Sven some nutritional energy boost bars which Kristoff had ingeniously stewed together, designed for this high speed, energy spurt demanding race.

"A lot, **_Kristopher_**!" The annoyed, peevish ginger spits out his purposely incorrect name like when they first met. A flood of memories from their first high-speed sleigh ride come back to Princess Anna of Arendelle in bits and pieces.

* * *

 _Hang on! We like to go fast!_

 _I like fast!_

 _Hey! Get your feet down, that's fresh lacquer! Seriously, were you raised in a barn?_

 _No, a castle._

 _You mean to tell me you got engaged to a man you just met, that day?_

 _Pay attention, Hans is not a stranger._

 _Okay, you frighten me! All I'm sayin' is when you go to climb a mountain  
You don't just jump to the top._

 _If it's true love you can!_

 _What do you know about love?_

 _There's scalin' and scramblin' and too many steps for countin'  
And the work doesn't stop.  
Love's not an easy climb  
You have to take your time._

 _Are you some kind of love expert?_ _  
_ _  
We get a whole life  
That's the plan._ _  
_ _  
That's not a plan.  
Love's not a thing you just get,  
It's work and tears and sweat._ _  
_ _What do you know about love?_

 _So says a sweaty smelly mountain man._

 _I'm not buying it!_

 _Anyone with half a brain  
would have worn some winter gear._ _  
_ _  
Anyone with half a life  
would have one friend who's not a deer._

 _Any fool who jumps headlong is gonna bang their head!_

 _Any fool who doesn't jump right  
Is gonna probably end up dead!_

 _I got this! Just don't fall off. And don't get eaten.  
Whoa. _

_But I want to help!_

 _No! I don't trust your judgment!_

 _Who gets engaged to a man she just met?_

 _It's true love!_

 _You've got to think things through in life and in love._

 _Touché_ _  
_ _I'd like to point out that we've come a good long way here  
And that you're...wow...really strong._ _  
_ _  
I lift a lot of ice  
You saved my life just now  
I guess I gotta say here  
My first impression was wrong_

 _With miles and miles to go  
I guess it's nice to know  
That I can trust you_

 _Though the question still remains  
What do you know about love?_

* * *

After she relives the colorful past memory set to her heart's embellished music, imaginative Anna's bad temper had subsided into a smile. She realizes that both a lonely Princess and a stubborn Ice Harvester discovered the answer to that pressing question in their incredible real true love for one another along the journey called life.

Anna then emerges from where she had been ducking down in the back of the confined rear seat for the past several minutes.

But it was what conspicuously sat above that vexed pie-hole of the firebrand vivacious Princess that got Kristoff to nearly drop the bucket he was watering Sven with.

"What in heck are you wearing under your nose, Baby?" A stunned Kristoff was caught between weirded-out appalled and tickled pink amused to see his headstrong cutie donning not only a full, wide shouldered, men's coat and slacks outfit, scruffy Russian trapper ushanka fur earflap hat and all, but she was donning a moustache cut out of her own orangey braids and applied with a bit of tar in sticky honey mixed as glue.

"I'm going with you, Kristly, as your coach! Dressed like this, I can blend in and stand at the trainers' bullpen with all the other guys to get a real up-close and personal front row seat!" Looks like they can watch the race with telescopes and maps and everything in that restricted section over there we passed, so I won't miss a second of the thrilling action when I say that you're my athlete entrant!" Beneath all the disguise was still that excitable Princess, appearing rather odd and off-balanced wearing all that fur bulked up, oversized male clothing thickened with wads of newspaper. She was swaying on a padded extra pair of Kristoff's boots she had bought in the store to make her taller during a call of nature stop in between.

But in Kristoff's pragmatic eyes, the resourceful young woman couldn't have looked more ridiculous to her blinking boy.

"You can't be serious, Anna. You can't mix in with all those rugged older men with bad manners and coarse language! It's too rough for my girl to see! Besides, those mountain men trainers are not going to believe you're one of them for one second!" In a hushed voice, her horrified young husband, who had grown up in the rough-and-tumble Ice Harvester's camp for many years of his life, knew firsthand how unsavory crude even the best of mountaineers could be. Especially when they were in their social element of just hanging out 'with the guys', no ladies present for them to even strive to display any manners at all to one another.

"Hmph! You should know by now that I am not some scaredy little girl, Buster! **I** know what it means to be an iceman! If I tell you to jump, you had better jump very high, without any lip, boy!" Anna tightens her jaw and puts on her meanest face in a lowered, gruff voice to be – if not manly – at least stern and demanding. With arms waving around and a bottle of akvavit sticking out of her pocket for attitude, Anna was doing her dandiest to mimic the masculine traits she had picked up on whenever they visited the Ice Harvester's camp, not to mention all the adventures she had with pirates and thieves and all sorts of men in between.

To top it off for good performance's sake, Anna hacks a wad of spittle masterfully to the ground between Kristoff and Sven's grossed out feet.

"Whoa!" It's all the big blond could say in astonishment of his brassy little wife's rough tough transformation.

"Ye'd better listen to what yer bossman says, Lil Kris! Urgh...Sounds like your tough new master might tan your backside with a fair whupping!" A bent over old man who had lived in the mountains all of his life limps up to where 'Coach' Anna was poking a finger in the eight-pack-abs chest of the cowed boy athlete being trained.

"This fella's a lot different than your last! Ole Ragi was so quiet ye wouldn't even know he was in the room kind of manager, Boyo. Maybe this one'll stoke more fire in your belly! You'd better be doing something good to catch up after arriving so late to the games! Don't know if me memory's slipping, but I can't quite place your face in all me years of traveling with the mountain folk, Coach…?" The old gray face searches Anna's baffling one, trying to place the round, wide turquoise-eyed, ginger moustache-ed mug, but coming up dry.

"Ole Jules! It's been a long time!" Kristoff shakes off his disorientation, taking the old gent's offered handshake in Anna's place, and replacing it with the bottle of akvavit from her pocket. He was glad to see a familiar face in this bustling mountain near camp.

Ole Jules was like a fixture around whatever mountain men encampment Kristoff had ever visited in the past. The fragile elderly gentleman had a cane, big ears, a long nose and single squinted eye and was as old as the hills. But he would always carry on a pleasant conversation with anyone who cared to give him a swig of a drink.

"Haven't seen ye in a long time, Lil Kris! Ye and good ole Sven! How the heck have ye've been doing? Seen old Ragi anytime lately? Haven't been around in a coon's age! What a guy. He could put away two mugs of the anti-fogmatics without blinking an eye for slurring a single letter. What a guy!" Old Jules knew everyone by name in every camp he ever traveled. Over the years Kristoff had spent with the Ice Harvesters, Jules always had a year-round tin cup out to take whatever form of fortifying liquid was offered by the generosity of his fellow man who all had a soft spot for their constant toothless friend.

"Didn't exactly catch the name of your new training coach, Lil Kris. I thought I heard you say 'Anna' before, but that be a woman's name! Maybes an old man's ears aren't always up to snuff, are they? Won't have Ole Jules be said to neglect welcoming a new face proper-like into our select group of border ruffians. Now if ye'd just give me a name to put that right?" The strangely interested, stubborn old coot wouldn't let a suspiciously unique specimen like this new friend of Lil Kris' slip by. Not without routing out the acquaintance of the equally wobbly on his unsteady feet stranger who had an odd shaped, pudgy around the gut frame, and face too pale to be a true mountaineer beneath that wide fur hood.

The elderly man with the big brimming smile holds a hand out to Anna for another curious try at a hand shake.

"… My name? Ahem…I mean, my name is…ummm…Ananias! Yep that's what my boys all call me. Coach Ananias!" She conjures a sonorous moniker, quickly shifting her soprano to a more scratchy deep voice. Anna furrows her eyebrows and strokes her blended ginger mixed moustache, copying how her Papa did when he was being all lordly pompous and in charge.

Looking over to a toothy Kristoff, then a dutifully frozen in place Olaf in the back of the sled, she purses her lips, trying to pull this one over with an arrogant, blustery air.

"Well, Ananias. Care to whet yer whistle before we get yer boy registered down there at the harbor?" The crookedly smirking man peeks over at her with the challenge beneath one peering eye.

A dared Anna, to Kristoff's dropped jaw, accepts a quick swig of his rejuvenating draught without her knees buckling for choking from the moonshine that could wake up the dead from the mountain freezing cold.

"By the horn spoon, that fixed me flint! (Wow! That settles that for me!) C'mon, ye stoutheated fella!" Satisfied in testing this new so-called coach, the squint-eyed old timer seemed thoroughly convinced of Anna's manly mannerisms as he slaps her on the back with a guffaw.

"Yep! That's good stuff, Ole Jules! It'll put hair on your chest! Where in heck do we sign up for registration? I feel ornery enough to bite open a can of corned beef now!" Flushed cheeks and warm insides were no match for perky Anna of Arendelle's resolve when she put her mind to it. Before Kristoff's wide, bulgy eyes, he watches her replace the crooked moustache dangling on her cheek after she wiped her lips with the back of her sleeve like some ill mannered drunk.

"I don't see no one else you brought around… Guess Ananias looks pretty strapping enough to serve as your ice catcher, Lil Kris, in this team-up last match! He's a bit weird in the face, and a ginger at that – but he looks sound solid and gutsy to partner up with ye! No girly men here, b'hoys!" Old Jules gives Anna a rousing slap on the back, causing the girl nursing the mouthful of bitter booze she did not want to swallow too much of all at once spit out most of the revitalizing 'elixir' all over the side of a sleigh of a repugnant and growling, curly-haired man they pass by.

"That's for good luck." With a thumb's up affable gesture, 'Ananais' salutes the dark-cloud angry muscleman who was several inches taller than even her Kristoff. Fortunately, the young man's grandiose father chose just that moment to walk up, and any ill-will skirmish was averted.

For now.

"But – no – I mean – I thought the last competition was a one man versus nature event! Ananias isn't going with me! She – **he's** better off staying down here with you other coaches cheering us on, right?" Kristoff sputters, not noticing Anna's near scuffle in his alarm, as the older man lets that undesirable cat out of the bag.

The blond Ice Harvester begins to freak out at the prospect of his feisty wife tagging along on his he-man nature hike contest of wills that _she_ didn't sign up for.

"Yep. Usually that's how it goes. But some newfangled ninnies wanted shake it up for a change this year and promote some no-account teamwork contests. Dang foolish politics if you ask me. But there it is." Glancing disdainfully at the nearby mayor of this county who also doubled as the Ice Harvesters Association chairman, the old man was too set in his ways to cotton to any innovations. So, he chews on a piece of tobacco and spits it out on the pathway himself in front of a montage of political signs.

He didn't care for this constant campaigning for the regular citizens' votes during these Winter Games in which politics weren't supposed to mess with. But something about Coach Ananias' winning manner made the elderly bloke eager to rubberneck this one he was going to sit out because the system was so obviously rigged for the mayor's varmint son anyway.

"Lead the way to the table to get us signed up for that two-man tag team contest, Old Jules! My boy and I will show those fellas how it's done! He'll wipe the floor with them in a knockout one-two punch for the big contest, and he'll definitely take the big prize in this last tournament of the Winter Games! Let's get going, Lil Kris!" P-tooie! _Spit_

Anna was really getting into her role as she speaks with such vigor that the hairy moustache nearly flies off her face again with her booze-pungent breath. She throws Kristoff's disliked, unpopular childhood nickname over her padded shoulder with a shrugging march forward punctuated by some top class expectorating along the sizzling snow dusted road.

"Now that's the spirit! Maybe you fellas riding in the sleek little sled number **can** best that rotten bully boy, Kaare Aall. He's a self-satisfied blowhard just like the biggest toad in the puddle, his Pops, Mayor Aall, before him. He's taken nearly every one of the other trophies by some perfidious trick or another, and has been boasting of making a clean sweep this year with the final tournament contest to put the icing on his dirty cake. The way that shifty gym rat swaggers around, if I were twenty years younger, I'd like to try to whip him meself. But these old decrepit bones are far too creaky for all the heavy lifting and moving around at such a quick pace." The elderly man looked so crooked and bent out of shape it was amazing he could still walk erect.

"Now, you two strapping young fellows look well up to the challenge! I seems to remember you had a run-in or two with that spoiled brat, dodgy politician's son Kaarn, Lil' Kris, when you were a wee lad. Wasn't there something about him tying you up to dangle off that frozen bollard all night, had Sven not pulled ye up when ye were just wee things learning yer ice anchors? Oh what I wouldn't give to wipe that superior expression off that smug politician's hollow-hearted face!" The verbose old man was getting pretty rambunctious himself, swinging his aged arms and fists around with some scrawny leg action to animate his volatile point.

Obviously having a beef with the local political father and son duo, Jules' shriveled fingers gesture to where an impressive looking lad with a curly mane of dark black hair and an even darker black beard was tauntingly whipping his pair of ebony black Dole Trotter steeds. He apparently was keeping them hungry in between competitions to unscrupulously keep the usually tame and sedate horse breed in a frenzy.

"Don't worry, old Jules. We'll take him down a peg. Right, Lil' Kris? Good thing you got me to partner up with so we can teach that bully a lesson he will never forget." 'Ananias' seemed to be enjoying her character upgrade as both promoter and competitor as she throws herself into the role, as Princess Anna always did, both feet first.

"Fine. Right. Whatever you say… Coach." With a head shake and a smirk as the frozen in place Olaf sniggers in delight, Kristoff throws up his hands and just concedes to Anna's superior will. He grins churlishly at his Princess bride acting all forceful and masculine like a steam engine, whereas the peak condition athlete was standing there slack-jawed feeling run over in unmanly blondness.

"Yeah! _Cough cough_ I mean, let's win this like real men!" Anna overemphasizes her act, smacking a big gloved fist into the other so hard they both smarted. But she silently hides her owwing in Olaf's direction. Then the mind-racing gal spies something in a moment of inspiration to see a young teen just finishing drawing some team-spirited signs and selling snacks for his folks.

"Let me borrow that paint brush, kid. I've got to reserve some seats for our adoring fans first, so they don't have to punch anyone out when the toughies get here." Not forgetting to keep the façade of a tough guy on, Ananias begins scribbling in large print letters across the table cloth after ripping off a long chunk of the boy's leftovers, just like she imagined a rude man would do.

"Come on, Sven. Looks like were gonna _not_ be alone in the race this year."

"HOMN!" The listening reindeer nods enthusiastically, for he loved sunshiny Princess Anna almost as much as his buddy Kristoff.

Before following Anna's lead like a faithful puppy dog, Kristoff, with a sigh, unloads Olaf into the upper bleachers for a great choice view of the mountain lake target, far in the distance. Then he guides his Rangifer and sled named Baby ( _in someone's honor_ ) towards the section of the harbor where all the other Ice Harvesters were gathered with their sleds and sleighs and other carriage vehicles, all ready and rearing for the impending annual Ice Harvesters Competition to start.

But not before an overdressed in men's garments Anna quickly waddles up the bleacher stands to decorate a perpetually smiling Olaf with something special.

* * *

The short days of the polar nights here in the mountainous midwest of Norway were crisp and cool, but not half as blustery as they had been last time Queen Elsa of Arendelle had come through the midsection of her country.

 _It seems like such a long time ago now, Hans. I felt like I was a different person then. Oh, how I miss having you hold me in your arms, without any reservation. I know now how much I am loved – how much you love me — and it makes me feel strong! But I still wish you were here with me to talk to, even just to be near you._

Contented to have her fiancé's love letters in the folder on her lap, now read and reread engraved upon her heart, the doe-eyed blonde gives a squeeze to the new hand carved cameo pendant at her neck. Elsa gazes over the wondrous winter wonderland that would never again be an Eternal Winter, for the peace and love in her assured heart.

With a smile, she overlooks the Flåm harbor where Anna and Kristoff had gone ahead with Sven and Olaf to enter into the Winter Games.

Her funny little sister Anna had already told Elsa about her secret plan to dress up and act as Kristoff's coach/manager, once the Ice Harvester explained how this three-part finale to the weeklong tournament usually went off.

The most experienced mountain men would pit their strength and speed and iron wills against one another in a mountain ice triathlon of sorts. With all due haste, the leading Ice Harvester would travel from the harbor, through the valley and up the steep mountain to the ice lake some eighty feet above on the lateral mountain plateau.

With a supplied eight tooth saw, the Ice Harvester would use his muscle to slice through the over seven inch thick ice to create a pair of perfectly matching sized 'ice cakes'. They split off the special ice shapes with the breaking bar to leave no lips or marks on the precise blocks which they would then lower down to be loaded onto their awaiting vehicle below.

Then, the cut twelve inch sized blocks, weighing over fifty pounds apiece, would be packed in sawdust and leather wrapping for safe travel, each tied down before being hauled back to the mountain as quickly as possible, while still maintaining the un-cracked non-chipped ice cakes. The pair of blocks would be judged by the Ice Harvesting expert panel for proper depth, squareness and unblemished product, all owing to the challenger's skill with the saw blade, care with the mountain lifting and transport descent, and smooth driving their vehicle to deliver the prized ice to the judges in the least time as possible.

To Ice Queen Elsa, this contest would have been a rather quick and easy fluid process of her mental cryo-kinesis. But she did realize how difficult a task, in fact – a feat – for the normal human being not endowed with magic ice powers to so rapidly accomplish in the specified limited amount of time.

To top it off, her feisty little sister Anna insisted on posing as her brother-in-law's training coach so she could be part of the action right in the thick of it, for women were not deemed either strong nor determined enough in this mid-19th century to train with the misogynistic Ice Harvesters. So, headstrong Anna decided to wear a more male outfit that Gerda had expediently crafted, with a customized pullover in the men's fashion once her pale blue velvet poofy skirt was removed on their journey. The clothing would easily cover and attach over Anna's more feminine and adorable Christmas goat and bell embroidered jacket.

Okay, it was a crazy, outlandish notion in this modest Victorian era. But if it was something Anna had a bee in her bonnet and wished to do, her big sister Elsa would absolutely support her.

No matter how undreamt and unheard of an idea it was to the shy and reticent Ice Queen. But with sweet bubbly Anna around, you get used to loving 'crazy'.

"Earth to Elsa. We're all settled up here. You done poring over that book report and finally ready for me to take you to the races, chica?" Prince Alonso's scratchy voice flirts as he leans towards Elsa with lowered eyelids, dismissing her hours spent reading – _of all the wasted efforts_ – rather than soak up his proffered attentions. The wavy brown haired Argentinian saunters up to the platinum blonde beauty who had been delicately seated in his chariot she had disattached from the Snow Queen's wagon train after they found a safe and secluded place to land.

"… Oh… Forgive my rudeness… Prince Alonso… I…" Elsa was so absorbed in thinking about Anna and Hans in anticipation of rereading one of the spicier diary entries she had been perusing in the passenger seating, that Prince Alonso catches the Queen of Arendelle off guard.

"If I may interrupt your Royal Majesty? Your Royal Highness. Ahem." Kai takes this awkward opportunity to speak up for his Queen. "Prince Alonso, we are entrusting you to drive carefully and be vigilant while you are responsible for the safe transport of Her Majesty Queen Elsa to attend these Ice Harvester Winter Games." Kai speaks condescendingly in his snobbish voice at the visiting young South American Prince.

"Once in attendance, I expect you to upkeep her noble rank as best you can aspire that she is treated with utmost respect, even if Mr. Bjorgman requested both of you to remain unrecognized as to your Royal status." Knowing what his friend King Agdar would do and say had he been there, it pained Chief Minister Kai to leave instruction for his Royal monarch's safety to the hands of anyone else, no less this reckless foreign rascal.

But Prince Alonso insisted that his small chariot could not safely house all three of them, particularly not the large-set man in the vehicle's insignificant backseat not designed for a third passenger.

It didn't help that Alonso viewed this sports outing as one last opportunity at some alone down time with the fetching young Queen.

 _Hey, you never know! She may forget that Dane and fall for my undeniable charms as yet…Maybe a losing battle with that lovesick sailor boy roving around, perhaps…But this sparkling iced cherry is worth a shot in the dark, as they say…_

Alonso distractedly watches as Elsa's reserved grace and platinum beauty are covered up by a hooded cloak over her extremely clean and lackluster cotton dress. With a crinkled nose that matched his lopsided smirk down at himself, Alonso pulls up the dreadful drab collar of the supplied plaid shirt over his own black and gold trimmed, tailored jacket's always gorgeous style.

"Have no fear, your Majesty, I will ride at your transport's rear down to the harbor in order to purchase our final supplies and send a letter back to Arendelle, to inform Chancellor Esteban that the King and Queen – if not already present – will soon arrive, and we will shortly follow sometime late tomorrow. I will soon return, Gerda dear, once this little racing contest is accomplished and my letter to the Castle has been sent." The balding older man calmly explains, bestowing a tender kiss to his plump wife's cheek before taking great pains to mount the Queen's golden fjord horse, Sitron, who suffers the obese Cabinet Minister's immense weight bravely.

"Oo-kay. My privileged team of Criollo stallions will be sure to _safely_ take Elsa and myself down in my chariot to enjoy these quaint Winter Games. See if you can keep up, old timer. That is, if you boys don't mind a touch of acceleration down these exhilarating mountain paths in the few hours of daytime we have left." With a respectful nod to his horses came the snide little dare under his breath at Kai that only Elsa's ears were able to hear.

She raises an eyebrow at her naughty companion who simply responds with a flash of a devastating smile as he picked up the reins – not the whip – of Estable and Lento to direct them forward at whatever speed pleased them down the snowy hill.

Then the pair of eager Criollos exchange a glance and exert themselves to race Alonso's chariot at teeth-chattering speed along the Aurlandsfjorden, down towards the Flåm valley below.

"Yes… Prince Hansome – or rather, Sitron? – please do your best to follow that chariot. Just perhaps, at a less reckless quality of travel?" Intellectual bookworm, Councilmember Kai was not all that familiar with horses, and horseback riding without a carriage even less.

But kindhearted Sitron recognized that of his rider. So, the fjord stallion acquiesces to indeed remain stable to give a smooth ride while still keeping some modicum of pace with Alonso's trailblazing chariot.

As for Elsa, she clutches tight to her new cameo along the bumpy ride, finding a level of calm and tranquility in its physical attachment close to her heart, as memories of his romantic sentiment beats piqued palpitations hot and strong—emotionally speaking.

 _'I love you, Elsa Bernadotte, as I have never loved any before, and never will another, since the Lord blessed an unworthy man such as I with your merciful and forgiving affection.'_

 _'How I long to feel you in my arms again, min kæreste, and claim you as my wife.'_

"Oh, Hans, you are a rascal. Hee hee hee _…"_

The blushing, titillated smile tickling at the Queen's moist lips reflected her exhilarated sensation as the young woman feels the wind in her hair and her lover's sentiment in her heart. As she strokes the stunning profile of carved ivory depiction of her winsome fiancé, Prince Alonso is spurred to be envious of that lucky Dane once again, making the normally overconfident young man wonder what that Hans had that he himself was lacking.

 _Is that the 'missing something' you were looking for way back then, Valentina? Some twaddle about romancing a girl straight to the heart by making her feel like the most important person in the world, and not my handsome self in the mirror's reflection? Can any person honestly say the most important one isn't yourself?_

The conceited young Prince of Córdoba was experiencing some peculiar, novel notions entering his shell-like brain for the first time in his spoiled life. Alonso brushes his wind tousled bangs away impulsively, peering up from the corner of his curious eyes at his traveling companion who was oblivious to the world in a lovestruck, drooling gaze at just the mere representation carved in ivory, of a man she believed so selfless.

Maybe because Prince Hans had grown fool enough to live up to that entirely womanly dream.

* * *

 ** _"On your marks… get set… GO!"_**

 ** _BANG!_**

It wasn't long after team Kristoff and his new Ice Harvesting partner 'Ananias' had checked their names on the registry chalkboard to gain last minute entry, that the final two-man contest of the Winter Games began with a startling gunshot.

Like a smooth black bullet, 'Baby's' freshly polished runners and varnished chassis zips up the road and across the open field at a blinding rate. Its aerodynamics of springs and special rigging, that Kristoff had prided himself at installing personally, made the compact sled designed for a one reindeer pull, faster than any of the other competitors to pull out of the dirt road of Flåm harbor.

In that same harbor, Elsa and Alonso arrived just a few minutes before the last match began, deftly moving to blend into the foreign speaking tourists, colorful Saami travelers, and burly mountain men of all sizes and ages avidly watching.

This competition was the height of the Winter Games with many seaside visitors from their surrounding fishing communities joining the mountain men. There were many quiet Saami natives who had ventured down from the North country to sell their reindeer wears and vibrant blankets that were all part of the rustic charm of this village.

Amid all the excited cheering crowds and bustle and hustle, Queen Elsa, along with a constantly complaining, hesitant sports fan Prince Alonso had dressed much more modestly in the less fancy clothing of the citizenry rather than the ostentation of crown heads that would surely have the pair of royals stand out in the crowd.

As she searches for Anna, who promised to hold them some seats, Elsa did not wish to cause a stir or disrupt the regular flow of the fun and games the tournament represented. For just a few precious minutes in her life, the Royal Queen monarch of this nation wanted to share in her people's excitement and Christmas time joy of the season that the recent scare of the devil and foul weather did not douse, like any normal twenty-two going on twenty-three-year-old young woman could.

Gazing across the sea of happy faced children and men and women cheering with all the noise of festivity, the platinum blonde beauty secretly glances over at Alonso's not-so-stunning profile in the blinding sun of midday. She momentarily imagines that he could have been her Hans – with his beautiful chin, sharp celestial nose, gorgeous green eyes, and deep red hair aflame in the sun's rays – and what it would have been like if _her_ special young man had been here beside her.

Just the two them side-by-side, without any guards, nor entourage, nor chaperones, or work cares, searching for empty seats in the packed sports bleachers that had been put up along the finish line side of the roadway.

Elsa wished she was able to share this thrill hanging on her Hans' arm like so many of the other couples standing at the sidelines, cheering on their favorite competitors while enjoying their chosen companion's company in the sheer moment excitement of the seasonal local sports.

She lets out an audible sigh when the fleeting attractive vision flees and Elsa was left with just the dark-haired conceited young prince and not her beautiful redhead.

"I don't see Anna or Olaf!" Elsa had to uncommonly speak loudly for Alonso to even hear her over the thundering crowd that was just calming down after watching the four team competitors take off for this last thrilling race. One sleigh, two sleds, and one horse-drawn cart comprised the competitors to take on this exciting Ice Harvester Winter challenge.

"Up there! Deranged snowman alert." Alonso replies to her with a smirk, growing disturbingly accustomed to the trio of moving and talking balls of ice grinning maniacally down at him in a frozen smile. "And it's holding a message. For you, I presume." Viewing that colorful and yellow paint printed cloth draped across the snowman was, yet again, another oddity of this zany life.

"What on earth, Anna?" Elsa had to hold back the mirthful laugh as she was sporting a plain – yet still chic on _her_ shapely form – dull cornflower blue with dark trimmed shirt jacket over the plain brown poplin skirt Gerda had tastefully selected for her Queen to attend this public event incognito.

She had to succumb to the laugh the closer they walked up the bleachers at the fairly large strip of fabric where the hand-painted words atop a familiar little snowman were in the unmistakably messy handwriting of her little sister:

 **'It's my favorite place to be!'**

On the back of the billowing cloth between Olaf's spread wide branches were the scribbled words in Anna's less than best penmanship:

'Kristoff…coach…partner…match…me…races too! Yay! Wish us luck, Elsie!'

"Oh Anna, do be careful." Elsa says, sitting primly down among the growing crowd of spectators beside Alonso in the bench seat on either side of Olaf's statuesque seemingly inanimate mascot.

She was anxious that her cute little sister was not only dressed as a rough tough man, since she had convinced Elsa and Gerda to help her obtain clothing earlier so she would be able to hang out with Kristoff in the bullpen and stables.

 _But Anna would now have to perform like one, too!_

Knowing how enthusiastic Anna was about her travels with Kristoff up to the mountains in the North, helping him harvest ice last winter out in the bitter cold, Elsa still could not help but chuckle nervously at the unheard of idea of a cross-dressing Princess competing alongside the roughest of men.

 _It's a good thing Papa is not here. He would hardly approve!_ Elsa subconsciously adjusts Olaf's crooked carrot nose that Anna had bobbed askew when she had attached the sign to her snowman's two branches.

"Whoo! Thanks, Elsa! I've had an awful itch to wiggle my nose on right for over twenty minutes now!" Olaf's filtered, funny voice murmurs through a paralyzed, stuck toothy grin. "Ahh-ahh-Ahhchooo!" But the animated creature's twitchy allergy to pollen acts up when a pleasantly pump old local grandmother, wearing a dried flower bouquet atop her wide brimmed hat, plunks down at a cringing Alonso's other side of the snowman.

"Why bless you, dear! Such a big sneeze for a pretty little gal. Do you have a cold, child? I should make you up some of my herbal peppermint tea after the match." The elderly couple both blamed Elsa on the other side for the massive sneeze quite unbefitting a lady – never mind a Queen. But the normal citizens didn't seem to recognize their coronated monarch as anyone out of the ordinary.

"Thank you, no. It's only allergies. A cold never bothered me anyway." The highly amused blonde covers up with an inward smile at her double entendre phrase that again reminded her of when her Hans repeated those comical terms to her.

Alonso returns after scrambling to fetch Olaf's sneezed out nose that had fallen several bleachers down, before the dogs there chewed on it any further. Huffing and puffing from the unaccustomed exertion, Alonso plunks Olaf's orange carrot deep with a smug expression on his haughty face.

But the annoying snowman couldn't say anything about it, now in mixed company, where he promised to be as still and silent as a statue.

"Ooh. Brain freeze!" In a high-pitched voice mimicking her snow buddy's, Elsa chimes in with a squeak to cover Olaf's expected utterance as she looks from the man to the woman giving her and a sniggering Alonso strange looks.

"I must be allergic to all things frozen." Elsa feels for her poor little snowman friend as she sucks on the flavored ice fruity pop that Ice Harvesting peddler was selling to the fans in the bleachers.

"You folks gotta cut this milkmaid farm girl some slack. She doesn't get out of the barn much. Too many cows to milk." The Prince of Córdoba could not restrain himself from the tease of calling the Queen of this land a simple 'farm girl who milks cows in barns'.

"Saucy boy." Elsa mutters with a smirk herself at his laughter in her face, again wishing someone tall, red, and handsome was in his place being excessively saucy with her.

* * *

But Elsa of Arendelle and Prince Alonso of Córdoba weren't the only members of royalty secretly incognito present at these Ice Harvester Winter Games.

"Did you hear that percussion, my love?" King Agdar's voice in agitation stirs Queen Idun from where she had been lullabying herself to sleep in the warmth of her husband's jacket, pressed against the pervasive scent of him.

Alone, the pair had traversed hundreds of kilometers in a matter of short hours due to the Ice King's immoderate speed. He had already requested his friend Colonel Egalité and Corona's Captain Cassandra Schmidt to continue down to Arendelle to inform Johanne and the Council back home now that the crisis had been averted in the North. All parties would be returning to Arendelle Castle shortly for Queen Elsa's birthday celebration yet scheduled in two days time.

Queen Idun wanted to ensure that all preparations were yet underway and running smoothly with the attending guests arriving and welcomed in proper accord, with the costumes which savoir-faire mother Idun, with Anna's input, had imported to be available at their disposal for Elsa's masquerade birthday party.

A festive occasion where concerned and doting father King Agdar may just have set his own arranged plans into play, too…

If Idun and Agdar were to rendezvous with their children, who were no doubt in attendance to watch that mountain boy, the royal couple would have to hurry.

 _Yes, Idun I know his name is Kristoff. Can I help my euphemism for the 'choice' young man our Anna married?_

Cloudy vision or no, Agdar was starting to be able to make out large dark shapes now – mountains, trees, rock faces and such– enough to have allowed his tired wife to rest against him on their shared ice slide. The gallant naval officer assured her his instinct would guide him in the direction of Flåm harbor's fishing community where the Winter Games were said to take place this year.

So, when in the quiet stillness, the loud boom of a firing shot to signal the final match's commencement startles the thought provoked King to take notice.

"Hmm?" Idun's long lashes brush against her husband's once again strong chest, where she had been comfortably taking a nap against, to flutter awake. The Queen had only vaguely heard the firing shot in her hazy, sleepy mind, but her mate's reactionary temperature rise was perceptible enough for his wife to sit up and pay attention.

In the not too far distance to the east, there was a hustle about the crowd gathered at the harbor for the annual Ice Harvester Winter Games. There, almost all of the energized attendees were eagerly cheering on the final tournament on this last day of exciting Nordic activities.

To the west of the low-lying harbor's fishing center, the magnificent cliffs that towered on two sides of the crossing fjord tributary sported bright flag markers.

From their midair parallel vintage point, Agdar surveyed the lay out of the raceway path. Its wide road split into various lanes, just wide enough for a single competitor's sleigh or ice wagon. The trail extended from the field outside the port village limits and up the snowy incline that led to the moraine lake where the real ice harvesting action would take place.

"It was simply to signal that the games have already begun to commence. _Damnation blazes_." The Arendelle King was muttering some disappointed expletives under his frosty breath as he propels his ice sled forward at an even faster, reckless pace so as not to miss out on anymore of the competition.

"Slow down, min älskare! Last time I checked, your illustrious name was not entered in this tournament." Idun teases, knowing her King was still just a man when it came to participating in viewing sports of all varieties.

"Speaking of which… We had better make a discrete landing and physically walk the remainder the way before we are spotted in all of our mystical high-flying regalness. We surely do not wish to disrupt these last hours of the good people's unrestrained holiday fun." The diminutive Queen instructs her known to be insensitive ruler to a lesser than grand, non-intrusive entrance for the suddenly appearing uninvited Royal pair.

"But, Idun, we will surely be tardy then! My subjects need not interrupt themselves from any frivolity due to our attendance." Agdar intones defensively with a whine as he, albeit begrudgingly, surfaces his hovering ice platform under his wife's raised brow. The King dusts snow particles off of his long grey Naval issue cloak which Idun straightens over his gelid shoulders. She had placed it around his shoulders since last night when they stopped by an elderly couple's home, claiming to be a naval officer and his bride lost in the wilderness on a second honeymoon trip.

Which wasn't that far from the truth, taking into account the cozy cuddling the frisky pair had been clinging to one another all-night in the small, rural farmhouse that made the farmer and his wife chuckle.

"But nonetheless, my darling, they would be self-conscious to pay respect to their monarch King and Queen which may dampen their fun." Idun smiles, buttoning up his common man's pea coat and tying a knit scarf around her husband's defiant chin after she re-wraps her own long matronly shawl over her shoulders.

"At least I am certain our dutiful Elsa has enough sense to take precaution and not disturb the typical cycle of this event with any unnecessary pomp and circumstance." Idun nods affirmatively with the assurance of at least their ruling elder child's sound logic and common courtesy to her citizens coupled with the girl's own subconscious shyness among strangers.

"And our Anna?" The acquiescing father knowingly quirks a cure eyebrow down at his little wife, who laces her arm into his after a reflective moment's pause.

"Hopefully, our Elsa has enough sense to keep counsel for the both of them. I don't envy her **that** undesirable task." His children's mother joins her mate's lightly chuckled amusement at the mere thought of their gingersnap Princess holding her feisty tongue for long.

In a brisk walk's time which the impatient Ice King had speeded along a bit by mentally icing the hardened ground path so they could skate along with cryokinetically attached ice blades to their shoes. Giggling like teenagers again, the incognito King and Queen who always enjoyed pairs skating together, quietly ice dance into the village's stands.

"I do wonder where the girls are in that overpopulated crowd. They may be uncomfortable to be in such a questionably suitable place, Idun. " Agdar whispers beneath his pensive moustache, snapping back from the joviality of their harmonized ice skate once the pair enter the bustling village.

His dimmed eyes attempt to warily scan the bounty of brutish looking musclemen and competitive Ice Harvesters, not to mention the questionable peddlers at every quarter of the makeshift sports arena.

"Don't be silly, Agdar. _You_ are the only one who could be uncomfortable in such an invigorating setting, you unsociable recluse." Idun squeezes her husband's stiffened arm with the ribbing. "Besides, even if Kristoff is involved in the race, the girls will have Kai or Gerda or Prince Alonso to keep them company, no doubt. And they always have one another to watch their backs. I never worry anymore for my strong-minded, brave little women." The Queen tries to appease his fatherly anxiety as they passed by some disreputable looking older men taking bets and wagers on the match, while smoking and drinking in the seamier sidelines, eyeing Idun's petite lithe form lustily.

"Yes… There is that." Agdar agrees as they walk closer to the audience seats.

"There's our big girl! I told you Elsa would be incognito, min älskare. And looking rather fashionable, too, sitting beside Prince Alonso and Olaf. But where is Anna?" Idun squints her eyes to see her lovely older girl in the rear of the high stands modestly dressed as a local peasant farm girl in a cornflower blue frock with simple trimmings.

Though no amount of dowdy clothing or hairstyle could obscure her Elsa's radiant beauty.

"Good question. Perhaps fetching some last-minute provisions, if I know our fidgety, always hungry Flutterbudget." Agdar conjectures, his suspicious frown curled downward as his blurred vision had a tough time scanning the crowd for his missing younger girl who should have been present here in the spectator stands with her sibling.

"I wonder which path the boy – ahem, Kristoff –" The King hurriedly amends his demeaning address under his wife's pursed lip gaze. "– has taken? Ah, I think can see the sleigh from here now. " From their shaded side view of the road from behind the audience seats, the King could just about observe that familiar sleek polished black, compact sleigh he himself had driven for lengthy amounts of time.

Agdar always enjoyed the study of architecture and mechanics as a hobby growing up, and he appreciated how the specialized sleigh had been designed by his son-in-law for speed and agility much more than normal sturdy construction. His extremely limited gaze had been affixed in secret admiration on the swift sled of Mr. Bjorgman's fast paced drive.

But, as the sled whooshed by the fjord's edge of the westernmost left-handed path, rather than the clear-cut center route that the other contestants were headed, in the corner of his dodgy eyesight, King Agdar thought he saw something that did not belong in the passenger seat at all.

 _It can't be…_

Agdar squints circumspectly at the mad dash race zooming by. Three of the four competing vehicles continue to vie at varying rates of speed for that most advantageous center lane that held the shortest track between the harbor dock and the high cliff Jötunheimr mountain range where the choice ice lake was located.

But Kristoff, though purposely not utilizing his Wind Whisperer gifts, still had the gut instinct to take the road less trodden, even if it was more steep and rocky a path incline. The Western trail's waterfall peppered, rock strewn landscape eventually converged with the treacherous 'Old King's Path' of legend that was flanked by the two sheer mountain ranges where Flåm was ideally secluded between.

The dark double horse drawn sleigh belonging to the aforementioned entrant named Kaarn Aall was hogging most of the road on the icy path. The cutthroat, dark curly haired young man had his sights on claiming one more easy victory to put under his egotistical belt.

Kaarn aggressively takes full control of the road right from the start. Even so far as to violently whip his large, belligerent stallion team to cut off the sled of a young competitor who the bully boy son of the county's mayor believed was his top competitor.

With an overtly antagonistic illegal driving exercise just over the rise where the judges could no longer see, Kaarn railroads his nearest rival into a bevy of cattle grazing nearby in a farming field. He maneuvers the poor ice carriage into the soft ground until its muddy wheel spokes were so sledged down they had to come to a complete stop.

"Did you see that reprehensible display of unsportsman-like behavior, Idun? Intimidation and unscrupulous behavior is not permitted in any sports competition in my kingdom!" The lofty King indignantly announces, his ginger ire up at the uncouth tactics of that curly headed young man and his rampaging horses bullying his opponents on the race course.

"Yes, my love. But I doubt there is an official rulebook stipulating the just premise of chivalry in this rugged terrain competition that goes back hundreds of years. Even before _you_ were King." Probably the only woman on earth able to laugh at the Ice King's righteous indignation and survive, Idun tries to cajole her irate husband down. She looks up from where she had been quietly paying tribute to the scores of tombstones going back hundreds of years in the Flåm church graveyard the couple were just strolling past.

"Well, there should be one. I will make an edict when we return to Arendelle. But for now, you continue down to the viewing stands there to sit with our Elsa whilst I monitor this presumptuous lad's further altercations in the sport designed to test skill, not unsavory techniques." The King speaks low and enraged under his debonair moustache.

"Now Agdar. Stop being a King for once and just sit back and enjoy the game. This is a local tradition. You must not interfere." Idun starts to warn, not that her headstrong lover ever listened to anyone's counsel but his own when he was in this righteous mode.

"Yes, yes Idun. I already said I would simply 'monitor'. I will strive to be inconspicuous as ever, but I sense there is something imperative I must look into and also to ensure this cur does not harm any of the other competitors." The King says testily as his hard face softens into a smile which plants a kiss on Idun's cheek on his way up the hill.

"Either way, a jaunt up the mountain should prove a good exercise for my improving vision. I would like to see some decent ice harvesting again. It is been a long time since we visited the mountain men and I would enjoy seeing their display of hard work efforts in action. I promise to be considerate of all, my wise little woman, and will return to you soon, after I look into this."

"All right. You go and enjoy your sporting match, min älskare. I suppose all men do it every now and then. Just be careful, please." The sweet faced Queen nods with a pat to her exasperating man's cheek.

"You are a delightful creature, Idun." Agdar takes her warm hand kisses it to his frosty lips.

"You'd better believe it, _Your Majesty_." Idun responds coquettishly as she watches her svelte Ice King surreptitiously hasten his step with the swift conveyance of ice beneath his feet into the deep snows.

Agdar takes the tree sheltered path along the mountain's kettle and ridges to the extreme west of the field where no spectator would be observing, their attention more to the plateau in the mountain torrent center of the racing action.

As for Idun, she continues to briskly trot down the snow cleared roadside walking path in the opposite direction until she reaches the temporary stands where her girls were to be eagerly watching Kristoff's race.

At least one of them was.

"Min flicka!" Stopping for breath, Idun's soprano sings the sweet Swedish diminutive for her eldest child to hear above the roaring crowd.

"Mama!" Elsa explains in surprise when she spins around and her true blue eyes alight upon her little mother's figure waving up from the back road view below the bleachers.

With an amused Alonso taking a stand, with arms spread clapping to give her some cover, Elsa's keen eyes make sure no one in the sports festival audience was looking as the Ice Queen easily creates a platform to rise beneath her tuckered out mother.

When Idun reaches the height of their seating, the Córdoban Prince politely guides the older Queen of Arendelle to a nearby seat in front of a frozen smiling Olaf who was yet grinning broadly in a deranged kind of way.

"Why thank you, Prince Alonso. You are a gentleman." Idun thanks the young Argentine man was one of her winning smiles.

"Yeah? That's a first." The normally self absorbed fellow had apparently learned an unconscious lesson from his experiences here in Norway that had indelibly altered his exceptionally conceited psyche.

"Where's Anna, my dear? Gone for a snack, or better view of her racing here, no doubt? You look lovely in that simple, austere frock, my beautiful girl." The Queen Mother pets her daughter's arm as she glances around the packed area where the Winter Games are being held in search of her smaller child.

"Well, the tournament required a two-man team for this last contest, so Anna dressed up and went with Kristoff as his ice harvesting partner." Elsa explains to her mother in a half guilty whisper. Idun's eyes open wide in surprise at the startling revelation.

"Then your father is in for quite a shocker." Idun murmurs, a bemused expression on her grinning face.

"Why? Where is Papa?" Elsa asks, biting her lower lip until it was crimson red, when she doesn't see the King. She expected her other more mercurial parent to soon be along, thinking that her Papa was just seeing to some travel accommodation, or perhaps to greet some official here who recognized him.

"Somewhere up there on the mountain trails to watch the games and 'monitor' that they are being fairly played. Let's hope that he remembers the meaning of the words ' _monitor'_ and ' _fair'_." Idun's head motions up the steep majestic mountains and the quickly moving vehicles charging up the difficult paths between here and there.

The two Queens then look to one another with shocked gazes as they grip one another's hands and uselessly scan the snowy hills for their unpredictable father and husband.

But finding some much needed levity in the situation, Elsa and Idun see the humor in the predicament as both begin to titter with giggles at the whole affair.

Alonso looks to the paralyzed snowman and gives a can't-stop-from-chuckling Olaf a rolled eyes shrug and a sigh at the pair of women before them whio were now laughing until the tears rolled down both their pretty cheeks at the hot fireworks sure to ensue at the frigid snowy peak location.

* * *

 _"What Do You Know about Love?" - song performed by Patti Murin (Anna) and Jelani Alladin (Kristoff) from the musical FROZEN._

* * *

 _anti-fogmatic_ – term for raw rum or whiskey in 19th century slang

 _chica_ – pretty girl in Spanish

 _min kæreste –_ my darling in Danish

 _min flicka_ – my girl in Swedish

* * *

June greetings, dear friends!

Here's part one of the much awaited Ice Harvester Winter Games!

Anna certainly is making her mark in Ice Harvester history to serve as mountain man Kristoff's deputy second and partner ice-woman in this two-man team competition!

But with all the cheating and intimidation going on, does our Kristanna superteam have a chance at victory?

The exciting race of harshest conclusion is already written and will be delivered next week for Father's Day! (Good timing for my sports event two-part episode!)

We'll see who wins the Great Ice Harvester Race, so stay tuned for next week!

What better way to kick off Summer next week than with a Frozen inspired sports tournament?

God bless you and all those dear to your hearts, Frozen friends!

Love, HarukaKou

P.S. Did you spy the Kristoff and Anna duet from 'Frozen: The Musical' ? The fun and games lyrics of the song symbolize the argumentative pair's relationship at the time of the early movie, and our Anna now can recall the tension-filled, combative first scene of them on their initial sleigh-ride in a more fond, music-filled way, right?


	34. Chapter 33 - A Father's Pride

_We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

 **"Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act VIII**

 **Chapter 33**

 **"A Father's Pride"**

Kristoff Bjorgman had been raised in the mountains and lived in the mountains and worked in the mountains for most his life. He could feel the most advantageous spot on a climb by just looking at it. He had spent his entire youth learning the extreme sport that required the ultimate challenge of bodybuilding strength, hardened endurance, as well as a steady temperament of cool patience.

All three of which the blond boy had been physically trained and mentally challenged growing up alongside the rough mountain men Ice Harvesters. They may have been rugged and terse, and maybe not all that warm and fuzzy cozy all the time – if ever – but those rough and tumble mountaineers had showed young Kristoff by example how rewarding an outdoorsman's life could be.

It was a life where one used his hands and brawn to make something of himself from sheer muscle and hard work, not relying on anyone else's charity.

Luckily old Ragi was always there for Kristoff to answer the many questions the young boy had when no one else was there to turn to. Now that he had time to reflect on it in retrospect, Kristoff could remember all the times when he and Sven were caught alone on the weather beaten unfamiliar paths between the Troll village and the mountain men camp when Ragi would mysteriously appear.

He recalls fondly how this man named Ragi would encourage his boy's capable strength and rational ability to push past mental barriers, and always keep a positive attitude.

Between Ragi and the Ice Harvesters, over the years, Kristoff experienced basic training in ice climbing, cutting ice steps, glissading down with ice axes, crevice crossing, self arrest techniques, glacier walking, rope tying, and tool management. Kristoff was like a sponge, listening to all their learning in order to strengthen his own physical and mental fitness.

Everything and anything young Kristoff Bjorgman could, he observed from those fatherly figures to become expert in mountain climbing. He always felt equipped and confident because 'ole Ragi served as the young man's personal guide. The mysterious minstrel motivated the eager boy child on how to take care of himself and Sven, and in so doing the young man was enriched by his quiet older friend's unwearied experience.

So as he applies those well instructed lessons here in this challenging match, Kristoff remembers his first advocate, the one who promoted his learning as the tiny child's father figure over the years. Ragi's many visitations of clement tutelage, steady and self-possessed, gave the orphan boy, left on his own in the wild, a confidence with the reliable, invariably wise and illuminating guide like a true father.

Maybe, as it turned out, that was because Ragi wasn't just standing in for one.

 _Thanks for always being around for me, Pabbie._

Kristoff gazes across the breathtaking, scenic landscape as he pauses on his long climb up the Jötunheimr mountain to catch his breath and regain his bearings, thinking of his lifelong guide and father.

He suddenly begins to sing a haunting hymn's melody which he had heard Ragi singing in tough times when Kristoff was very young and the two of them were traveling together with the Ice Harvesters. The gentle spirited, honest man would often apply the plaintive song to whatever difficult labor or task they were doing, explaining to the young boy how the words had been written by a former slave named Wallace Willis, in distant America's land of the free.

' _Swing low, sweet chariot_ _  
Coming for to carry me home  
Swing low, sweet chariot  
Coming for to carry me home.'_

"Wow, that's so pretty wafting across the mountains, Kristly! I love how you croon when you're climbing and doing hard work! Am I glad I married a mountain man, or what?!" A totally impressed Anna was trying to be both encouraging and humorous to keep her blond mountain man in an upbeat preoccupied frame of mind, rather than focus too much on the overwhelmingly rugged mountain torrent he was quickly, yet methodically scaling. "You're almost there, big guy! Just don't look down! Unless you're looking at me, because that's all right." Her booming voice, full of praise, breaks into Kristoff's calm, clear and composed equanimity which was stirred by all of Nature surrounding him that Ragi instilled in the boy since early youth.

If he was so lucky to win this race, Kristoff secretly wished to dedicate his ability to climb this massive mountain and win the Ice Harvester trophy to his inspiration of a father, Ragi, who was always there for him, standing quietly on the sidelines.

Ragi was the man whom Kristoff looked up to more than any other, who he could still feel ever ready to be at his side, wherever the original Wind Whisperer was right now.

{"Anna, you've gotta keep your voice down if you don't want to cause an avalanche up here. I'm gonna break my own rules with this psi-link only once for the rest of this race, Baby."} Kristoff pauses in both song and concentration on scaling the steep cliff to glance down at his noisy wife below before he continues his psychic communiqué.

{"Against my better judgment and principles, you are supposed to be covertly disguised to impersonate a fellow mountain man. Remember, while I myself have absolutely no problem with your gender, in fact I respect it, knowing how much skill you have learned and how much you put into whatever you take on – the Ice Harvester Association may have a problem with you being a female. **_I_** totally respect that fact, Anna, and think you do just as good as job as many men I know at ice harvesting, maybe even better for all your daring nerve and plucky attitude."} As he continues to climb and mentally converse, Kristoff chuckles at his amazing preferred partner and bride. {"But this time you have assigned yourself to be my colleague and mountain climbing friend – not my marriage partner, okay? Sound echoes off these mountains, so you have to be more careful with your words, unless the other competitors hear and get the wrong idea."}

{"Right. Got it, partner. You really think I'm skilled, Kristly? Oh – okay. I promise to focus from now on just being your gritty, stalwart and durable buddy 'Ananais'."} After girlishly glowing with the compliment, the peppy ginger puts on her best tough guy face, straightened bushy moustache and all, as she glances around to where a secondary pair of climbers were giving her and Kristoff cautionary looks.

Some of their competitors were just a few meters away as the teams of mountaineers progress up towards the first blue and white checkered flag on the ledge where the challengers' shared ice lake target was up top its frozen glacial plateau.

As her supertalented climbing hubby disappears over the crest, Anna remembers what they had discussed on the quick trip across the valley to this mountain base.

 _"When I get to the top of the plateau, I'll need a few minutes to saw the ice cakes to the specified twelve inch squares to make them completely symmetrical and perfect without leaving lips on either of the cakes. Like the rules said, I'll traverse the precipice to grab the marker flag on the way down. Then I'll lower them down in the bags full of sawdust that I brought up here on my back. It'll be up to you and Sven to cautiously load and secure those pair of ice cakes in Baby's cargo bed. I'll rappel myself down the cliff rapidly so we can take off ASAP when I get back down."_ Kristoff had stated just minutes ago in a flashback memory as he and Anna had raced to the edge of the Jötunheimr peak.

Readying the fitted cargo bed rear of Baby for the incoming ice blocks, Anna remembers how she herself had fastidiously packed all of Kristoff's cool climbing gear back home in Arendelle. Her man's tools of the trade included that huge, elongated, eight-tooth saw he now had strapped to his back and was carrying up the incline.

Anna had visited her hubby's place of work several times in the past two years since they had met. She was always impressed at how skilled and clever and strong Kristoff could be with a saw cutting through thick rock solid ice.

 _"Ragi had taught you all about being a **sawyer** , didn't he?" Inquisitive Anna had asked of the new term in her ever-expanding vocabulary after an intimate mind perusal showed her those fond memories of Kristoff's along the bumpy road alongside the fjord._

 _"And more than that. He may not have been around 24/7, but Ragi was always around to teach and instruct, encouraging me when I felt bad or lonely as a kid. Which was a lot. Just ask Sven." Kristoff had shared a crooked smirk with his attentive best friend and reindeer when he gave the proud reply without missing a beat. His customized racing sled named 'Baby' then kicked up snow dust as the accommodating balanced cutter with its new running cleats and steering column glided like a dream over the trails._

 _"Sounds like my Daddy, too." The emotional girl could now smile with the no longer bittersweet nostalgic remembrances of her paternal parent's strong, yet gentle, hands that lifted his feisty child to reach treetops or pick her up out of scrapes and dramatic feints when he was teaching his baby girl Anna to both fence and dance._

As she was waiting, Anna reminisces as she shields her eyes to gaze up towards the noontime sun where she sat in Baby's locked and loaded sled bench. The gutsy gal and their super reindeer friend, Sven, were both ready and eager to load the ice in the made-to-fit cargo bed, then speed back to the judging table.

* * *

From a safe, unseen distance, King Agdar had been observing the race. The Ice King had shielded his cloaked presence behind a thin layer of ice that he kept as inconspicuous barrier.

Behind snowcapped rock formation on an opposing mountain crevasse at the plateau's level, the Ice King had tracked the compact black cutter belonging to his son-in-law. He had watched with impressed eyes how studiously the boy - _Kristoff_ _Bjorgman_ \- had not only expertly used his ice pick and ropes, but also employed the rock face by its natural handholds and underclings and foot landings to propel the sinewy athletic young man up one of the steepest, most challenging mountain precipices in Norway.

As he stealthily followed the sled, the King only nominally wondered who the other hooded and ginger moustached, large set man seated beside young Mr. Bjorgman could be. Agdar had concluded the Ice Harvester boy had been partnered with someone assigned by the Ice Harvester Association's choice for this daunting two-man section of the tournament.

Anna's father gazes upon the commendably determined blond mountain man after Baby's amazing speed had indeed bested the other sleds to be the first contestant to arrive at Jötunheimr mountain's base.

Agdar had watched with something akin to pride of the spirit God placed in man to see young Kristoff bravely traversing the steep mountain cols and edging the cliff's small handholds of the frozen waterfall with a boldness few men could attest.

 _Despite his lack of title or manners, perhaps this rough Snow Prince is not too bad a choice, my girl, after all…_

The Admiral who had spent most of his time at sea didn't have many opportunities to witness the beauty of the majestic mountains of his country. He had only last glimpsed these glorious peaks on his honeymoon tour with his Idun, a quarter century ago.

Daydreaming of those happiest, most blessed of times with his beloved, Agdar did not notice the other three sets of climbers' subsequent arrival.

That is, until the fair-minded King spotted some unseemly tactics of mountaineering that were unbefitting an honest gentleman, no matter how formidable and well-heeled an opponent the dark-haired brute was.

The spoiled, self-important son of the local mayor of Flåm, hardly counted as a gentleman by anyone's standards. The Ice King watches the dark brown curly haired muscleman use his broad shoulders to clumsily smash and kick so hard into the talus laden spur ridge he had already surpassed. His ham-fisted movements seem to purposely knock a great amount of heavy snow and loose rock right into the face of his competitor climbing up from just below.

"Aargh!" The young, rusty orange haired Ice Harvester, who was the owner of the other regular sleigh that had correctly chosen the path where the first red and black checked flag was hidden, stumbles backwards.

"Such a shame! Here, let me help you out, friend." His tether rope thankfully caught him from falling backwards, as Kaarn feigns helpful compassion, grabbing the harvester's shirtfront where the red checked flag was tucked.

No longer able to maintain his hold to his rope's grappling hook line with the amount of scree and wet slush now kicked in his eye burning way, the thwarted young man, his checkpoint flag, and trophy dreams, stripped from him in one fell swoop by this bullying creep, rappels back to the low ground surface.

"That was a foul cheat, sir." Agdar murmurs under his offended, frigid breath from where he held his ice magnified telescope to see the illegal action from clearly across the rise. He almost felt the need to interfere and call the brash trickster out for his misdeed, but he is restrained at the last minute by remembering his good wife's prior warning.

Now, there were only three teams of competitors left, each climbing the mountainside at a fair distance from the other. First to the top Kristoff hurries to scramble up to the ice lake's surface, where the blue and white and green marker flag at the center checkpoint was waiting to be claimed by the first to finish their ice cut.

The focused young man was just about to get to work, producing his massive saw that had been strapped to his back. He sagaciously chooses a suitable spot on the ice at a nearby section where the Ice Harvesters had previously snow plowed the lake to ice surface level with planks that left checkerboard grooves in it.

He kneels down to his choice segment at the ice lake where he would endeavor to take on the difficult task of delicately slicing, but with great strength, two perfectly cut, identically matching ice cakes.

But just as he was preparing to pierce his saw into the chiseled chosen area of ice blocks where he had crouched down with his sharp ice tool, Kristoff's space is encroached upon by his ill tempered opponent who was next to ascend the plateau.

"I lay first claim to this section with my pick! So move on, Lil' Kris! This is my turf." Just like when they were young, sinking his own ice pick deep into the blocks Kristoff had already expertly sectioned off, the nasty boy of nine then twelve then sixteen had turned into a real jerk of a man at twenty-four.

Kristoff recalled how his nickname 'Lil' Kris' was started by this bully son of the Ice Harvester president whose father's pride used more than a little nepotism to favor the spoiled brat to always win whatever competition was held.

"Fine." Kristoff sighs, knowing this was a losing battle. He abandons the preferred location just a hop skip and jump away from the nearby second marker flag where he already started to set up without confrontation, to Kaarn Aaall's smirking triumph.

Less even-tempered King Agdar, again, was just about to step in when a snickering Kaarn physically shoves off Kristoff's carefully laid out gear to the side. The long-suffering blond young man had to waste precious minutes to start all over again with a new set of ice blocks and cleaning up his strewn in the snow tools to boot.

More mild-mannered Kristoff Bjorgman had developed a tough skin when it came to being prejudiced against or looked down upon as an orphaned kid growing up on his own. He simply collects his large saw and packs up his other tools back into the leather cloth fabric tarp he had been laying out to load his heavy ice blocks on to ship down to his ice catcher below.

Kristoff and Kaarn were both well muscle endowed enough to manage to long stroke cut the full-length of their saws for quick, enviably clean cuts, unlike the third short and small framed competitor in a dark, salt and pepper-haired Saami old man who had been competing. He was smart and savvy enough to steer clear of the rival pair at the eastern far edge of the ice lake.

Kaarn, after conscripting the ice block area Kristoff had already tapped, had that bit of an upper hand edge. He finishes chiseling to split his seven inch deep, twelve inch by twelve inch ice cakes off with the breaking bar he grabbed before Kristoff had a chance to.

But in doing so hastily, the delicate edges of his second ice cake were incongruous with the first, causing the dark-haired man to grunt in disgust.

Kaarn jealously glances over to where Kristoff's patiently waited for bar, steady and strong, expertly breaks his pair of precisely sawn cakes that match perfectly.

The envious man slyly sends an 'accidental' ice pick flying down to the ground so hard that sinks and bounces into his competitor's top finished block while Kristoff was hurriedly wrapping the first ice cake in his saw dusted tarp.

"Hey!" Kristoff glowers angrily down at his chunked off piece of ice, but Kaarn simply shrugs at him.

"Did your ice get in the way of my pick? My bad." The stuck-up superior's curly head was holding back a victorious laugh which ensured if his ice cakes were imperfect, he had at least 'accidentally' damaged the flawlessness of Lil' Kris' entries as well.

Without further apology, Kaarn wraps his unbroken, _nearly_ identical ice cakes and loads them onto a tightly knotted gurney. Then he calls down for his partner below to expect the surely best, incoming ice blocks that would clinch his underhanded victory.

"See you at the loser's line, Lil' Kris." With this sniped salute, the over-indulged rich brat, with the seized checkpoint flag in taunting tow, takes off over the side to abseil down the mountain, fully expecting to claim his dishonest first place prize now.

King Agdar, as solitary witness to this all, had to count to ten to himself again to observe his wife's sound advice to not intercede.

"The angry polar bear may be vicious and strong. But in the end, the patient wind will eventually conquer him." The old Saami man just finishes his own quiet ice harvesting, unnoticed, and pauses before rappelling down his own rope's belay. The inscrutable dark skinned, greying little native man shares some enigmatic words of encouraging wisdom with a frustrated Kristoff.

Enlightened in some weird silent way, Kristoff doggedly begins to cut another ice cake, hopefully consistent with his remaining ice block to replace the damaged one. But it was hard to determine that now.

"As if an orphan nobody like Lil' Kris' wasn't bad enough… How did the likes of you get to enter our premier Winter Games, Samit?" The obviously pompously racist, musclebound Kaarn calls across the mountain base when he spots the extremely agile for his age, short little Saami. The indigenous man descends at much a faster speed than the big brute who started to rappel before the dark skinned, quiet little fellow did.

"Even the bright, hot sun will cry, when it underestimates the vastness of the stormy sky." The soft-spoken Saami elder indeed makes ground before his blustery challenger. Kaarn growls incensed at him when he lands, seconds later.

"Well, I think you won't get much further in this contest for all your fancy words and stupid rhymes, you silly old native! Grrr!" A begrudging Kaarn growls like a wild animal and startles his Saami competitor's reindeer team. The bucks back away, along with the boy helper and their team's only half loaded and secured ice cakes, to dash off in the opposite direction.

"That was a rotten thing to do, you nasty, ugly bigot! It's NOT NICE to scare reindeers!" An indignant Anna, on the ground floor to view it all, rolls up her oversized sleeves, ready to march over and pound the big bully for showing such poor sportsmanship to browbeat and harass fellow competitors.

"Oh yeah? You and what army, you weird shaped toad?! Get out of my way, old coot!" On the rampage now with a sure win in sight, Kaarn viciously retaliates to 'Ananias' by pushing Kristoff's trainer bodily out of his path to his own sleigh on the other side of Sven and 'Baby.'

Anna skitters to the ground, shocked and growingly more angry and red in the face at such rude behavior after the initial fright of being exposed posturing as a man.

"You jerk! Stay away from my Baby!" Kristoff's surprises his startled father-in-law by uttering his new wife's nickname seconds before propelling himself at incredible speed down with his ingenious winch and rope system as he had just completed loading his fresh cut pair of ice cakes onto the pulley. The forward thinking mountain man had fashioned the device so Anna did not to have to lift much, only direct the slowly lowering parcels to Baby's back cargo hold with Sven's reindeer power doing a lot of the work.

At a death-defying speed that gave little care to the pair of precious ice cakes still tied at his feet, Kristoff descends the mountain with a courage and protective anxiety that could only be for his beloved little bride.

"'Baby?!' _Anna?!"_ An utterly stunned Agdar squints his blurry eyes to scrutinize the well padded figure at the mountain's base valley nearby.

Sven the reindeer had defensively rushed up to rally around the figure scattered across the ground, who was thankfully so well padded, she bounced rather than hit the hard rocky surface.

All at once the King realizes Kristoff's ice catcher helper was none other than his daughter, Princess Anna of Arendelle. **_You_** _brought **my** little girl, dressed as a **man** , no less, up to these **perilous** mountains to compete with these **brutal** Harvesters?!_

The indignant Ice King and father seethes in anger at Kristoff, who was fortunately a whole mountain cliff away, scrambling too fervently to notice the cold wind battering a sudden flurry fiercely against him, making his job that much harder.

 _Once this competition is complete, you will hear of this again, Boy. You are fortunate Anna is unharmed this time. But my Queen will not restrain my wrath forever._ Agdar keeps cool and calm not to rampage an unequivocal ice tempest over Jötunheimr peak, as his wife made him pledge not to. He instead quells his bitter annoyance with future rancor directed at his son-in-law's slipshod dependability as the husband of his precious treasure of a child.

"Come, you worthless excuse for a partner! We've an open field! Step on it, man! But if you fracture either of my ice cakes, I'll break you in two!" The burly bully snaps at his terrified looking younger partner who was accustomed to the verbal beatings from his cruel master, but not so much violence as he had seen Kaarn go to lengths this far.

The Winter Games' prestigious grand prize was obviously going to the other man's curly head as the team takes off to return to the harbor judges at breakneck velocity with the second yellow marker flag at the midsection mountain pass next in sight.

"Anna!? Did he hurt you, Baby!?" Kristoff abandons his previously flawlessly cut – no doubt now cracked – ice blocks for something far more precious to him. He fearlessly plunges his belay rope down the entire eighty foot exposure without safety harness or any of the careful techniques he had learned in good mountaineering. He was merely relying on the assurance of his grappling hook and bollard snow anchor to get him down as rapidly as possible to his Anna's rescue.

"No. Just my pride. Don't you ever do that crazy maneuver again! Jumping off the mountain on a pulley like you're some superman, Kristoff Bjorgman! At least not without me along for the ride!" Anna witnessed her gorgeous hunk of burning love's incredible rope sizzling flight downwards to where she had been laid flat on her bottom at the mountain base looking up in awe at him.

"Are you okay?" Kristoff asks, dusting off Anna's funny male outfit and straightening her crooked mustache fondly as the young couple share a relieved smile.

"Yeah. I'm fine! And I bet 'Baby' can still catch up to that mean, cheating, nasty loser to win the big trophy out from under that _Rasshøl_!" Undaunted Anna, letting off steam beneath her wobbly moustache, throws in a feisty, mannish swear word to her hunky husband as he lifts her to plunk on the sled's front seat behind a comforting Sven.

"Uhh…Okay…We probably can. But it's no use, because I'm sure the two ice cakes required are all smashed to a – Huh? I can't believe it! They're still all in one piece?" Kristoff was about to write off any victory lap with doubtlessly broken ice cakes. He was certain they would have been destroyed, after all the rough handling of his cavalier gravity crushing pulley beneath his big square feet ride down the mountain.

But as the collected and down-to-earth young man unwraps the leather pouch to see the damage, the insulated padded in sawdust perfectly cut 12 x 12 x 7" blocks were in shockingly solid, flawless shape as yet.

"Wow. They made it." Kristoff breathes with a quirky smile on his comely features as he hunkers up with the rest of his gear loaded onto the back underpinning tool compartment of his resourceful sled.

In utter silent astoundment, Kristoff shakes his handsome head. Then he swiftly packs them back in a fresh layer of sawdust and chuckles, still in blind shock as he fits the two ice cakes in the specialized hold made just to suit.

"Of course! Put a fire under it, Sven! We can't let that nasty no good blankety-blank cheater get off Scottish free!" The dislodged moustache on her cute face full of vigor and vivacious verve nearly flies off again as Ananias takes control of the reins and asks Sven to hit the gas ( _figuratively speaking in such close quarters, Rangifer buddy_!) like a speeding bullet the minute Kristoff was yanked into the driver's seat.

Baby whips around the mountain base, and down the narrowing trail that ran between the massive Jötunheimr and its majestic sister peak, the Jötunfjell, alongside the rocky wild fjord which flowed through the tight mountain pass of the legendary Old King's Path.

"Can you see them, yet?" Anna squints her eyes in the western waning sunset that brightly blinded the trail in this direction. At this point, Kristoff takes control of the reins, slowing Baby down so as not to tumble into the rushing fjord from the exceedingly narrow path to the flatter, more level siding of it.

"Kristly! Why are you slowing down?! Go faster!" Anxious Anna liked to play a good game. And even more than that, she loved to win! If she were the one still driving, it would be with more reckless abandon than her stable, safety-minded mate.

"Because if we tumble into the drink here, nobody's winning _any_ trophies, Feistypants, except maybe some crutches for broken bones. This Old King's Path is pretty treacherous to drive if you're not careful. That's why this is a challenge, not just a race, Anna. Gotta know when to use speed, and when to take it easy. Slow and steady wins the race, right?" Though his own young testosterone was screaming out for him to not hold back, the sensible levelheadedness inside Kristoff answers his restless bride with one of his calm, disarming smiles.

"Okay. But I like _fast_." Anna clunks her feet up on the freshly lacquered black dashboard like she was raised in a barn again as a controlled Baby makes its way slowly along the winding trail overlooking the crashing fjord below.

"And I like you _alive_. Feet off the dash, Bab—" A smirking Kristoff turns his gaze for a split second to scold his girl.

But that was just when poor Sven loses traction and starts to slide towards the water below uncontrollably. The entire sled is sucked down by a sudden mudslide of a recently dug out, almost deliberately man-made design.

Baby is swept away down into the crashing waves of the fjord to be smashed against a massively huge, moss covered boulder wedged at the center of the tight mountain pass.

"Whoa, Sven! Hold on, Buddy! I can't steer the sled anymore! We're veering down towards that big rock! Can you fly, Buddy!?" But a waterlogged Sven, just managing to keep himself swimming with face above mud and water, was too bogged down by all the mud caught in the sled's runners and the weight of the heavy ice blocks in the rear.

Kristoff was not the type to panic. But he knew a 'designed for speed and not sturdiness' sled encapsulated in this unexpected mudslide, plus wild thrashing, crashing waves and sharp jagged rocks they were catapulting towards was no match for being dashed against the unforgiving rockface blocking between the pair of steep mountains.

The mountain man, thinking of Anna first, selflessly lifts her with his great might to perch upon his broad shoulders as he is the one to take the brunt of being submerged in the frosty waters, not his adored wife.

"Kristoff! There's the flag!" A dazzled-eye Anna reaches out for the third checkered flag, a cleverly masked yellow and green that was perched atop the huge moldy green boulder at the center of the fjords they were being washed into.

"Anna! Forget about the dumb flag and the silly Games! We're in serious trouble! Hold onto me!" Sensible Kristoff sputters, his golden blond hair soaked and dripping down to his distressed forehead and face. "When we near that boulder, I'm gonna toss you up there as high as I can. You grab on as tight as you can and crawl up with all you got in you, Baby! And don't look back down at Sven and me!" Having to scream loudly above the crashing noisy waves for a change from his mellow tones, the loving husband realized that if he had to die, let it be saving his Anna.

 _God, please give me the strength and Anna the toughness!_ Kristoff begs his Maker for the upper body muscle capacity to aim his hopefully sturdy gal and essentially accomplish a vertical throw to the mossy boulder looming ever closer to his most treasured possession.

Gritting his teeth, the determined and focused man in him was certain he could, even if it was to be his last task on this earth, borne of pure love for his funny girl…

With wide eyes, Anna, set upon Kristoff's shoulders that were silently preparing for her upward heave from where he was clinging to a mud-drenched Sven and the turbulent sled, watches in terror as their watertight ride rapidly is thrust by the merciless waves forward.

Baby is carried at bone-crushing speed like an out-of-control boat towards the certain doom of that winter snow coated, moldy green ancient boulder, wedged directly right in the middle of the fjord dangerously blocking them…

Seconds before the horrified Ice King, hearing and watching this all from the far rear distance where he was behind an ice shield to maintain anonymity, was about to throw off any hesitance or convention and rush forward to magically intercede this time for sure, something else quite unexpectedly supernatural occurs.

 ** _R-RUMMMBBLLEE!_**

As if a giant earthquake was suddenly awakened, the very ground at the fjord starts to shake and roll, waves tossing the shipwrecked sled and its dizzied occupants to and fro.

First an arm. Then a hand. Then a head. The fjord, the shore, the whole world shakes until the giant boulder blocking the rushing water itself begins to move out of their endangered way.

The enormous green moss covered rock that had been primarily covered by snow at this December wintertime reveals itself, in all its bulgy, massive, mossy and gleaming fungus to be a humongously large Rock Troll.

The monstrosity was covered from head to toe in fungus, with a long grassy moustache shoved out of his nostrils that, in retrospect, had been quite decoratively adorning the hilly stone wedged in the midst of the fjord between the tight mountain pass hikers used for crossing on foot.

"Flemmy! It's Flemmingrad the Fungus Troll! The one you sang that ballad to us about, two Christmases ago, Kristly! It looks just like him." Enlightened Anna fills in a dumbfounded Kristoff's speechless dropped jaw as the hundreds of years old giant Flemmingrad, the jolly old Troll legend, rolls from his back onto his rotund, roly-poly stone stomach.

Laughing for joy in a booming, ebullient bellow, Flemmy zealously manages to exert his immense Trolly hands and toes to lift upwards off the fjord's shallow rock bed and high up into the air.

That left just enough space for a desperate Sven and Kristoff and Anna, all attached to the compact sled, to safely flow under and past Flemmy upon the rushing fjord waves.

Then the waters carry the astonished trio to the west and back towards Flåm's village center, down the rapids of the hill. As for the midway checkpoint flag atop the boulder wedged between fjords that had been mysteriously obscured from Kaarn when he passed this way, it floats on Flemmy's final rolling wave right into Anna's hand.

"Nice roll! Thank you, Flemmy! Glad to meet you! Take care! And Merry Christmas!" Not at all perplexed by the uncanny weirdness of it all, Princess Anna giggles the niceties with cheerful holiday glee at her new friend.

She blows a kiss and a respectful wave of the red and yellow checked flag clutched in her hand to the renowned giant troll of Rock Troll lore.

Then the growingly calmer currents carry her and her 'sled-boat' friends away at incredible speed nearly all the way down to the safety of the Flåm port.

"We love to watch him ro—oll! Ro–oll, Ro–oll! With laughter he would ro-oll! Ro–oll! Roll!" A glowing with pure happiness to have experienced such a miracle beside her gorgeous guy, Anna sings his traditional, sing-songy joik giddily, remembering the words Kristoff taught her vividly.

All the while, Sven returns their sled to solid ground and wastes no time shaking off the mud before taking off at incredible speed back towards the Flåm harbor finishing line.

The beyond relieved father in Agdar, at full speed of his own ice propelled sled, had raced toward the amazing sight as he the lone witness beheld the inconceivable enchantment of from afar.

The grateful father and reverential King gives his own royal salutation of gratitude to the ancient forgotten Troll of legend that the human ruler himself had only read tales of.

 _"Our Snow Prince treasures his Princess."_ The gleaming Fungus Troll's deep baritone rumbles low to stir the icy waters, so in tune with Nature, he knew Wind Whisperer Kristoff Bjorgman's heart well.

And for that he was glad.

Then Flemmingrad the Fungus Troll once again blends right into the fjord, immobile and mute again.

But Agdar could've sworn he saw the trace of a smile on the ancient Troll's great big fungi-covered face which settled back, to have had some heroic use after all these hundreds of years to this special Snow Prince named Kristoff who meant so much to their race.

 _Yes, I suppose he's a special young man to be so esteemed by the Trolls…Thank God for that._ Anna's Papa saw how the capable mountainman was about to maneuver his bride to safety, prepared to give up his own aspirations and, perhaps life, for her security.

 _"'Wedged but not forgotten.'"_ King Agdar softly recalls his favorite line of the storybook legend of the Trolls. Old GranPabbie had passed the tale on for young Agdar to understand the oldest Norwegian race better when he was having difficulties growing up different himself.

And maybe through that awareness, he could understand and accept the love between the dirt-covered mountainboy and his sweet Anna, too.

For that one sparkling moment, Flemmy had awakened from his deep sleep to be the legendary grandfather of all Troll heroes he was. Now he could return to that peaceful rest until the time came when he was needed again to roll.

 _And roll. And ro-oll…_

Agdar gives the dormant, enormous boulder of old a full naval salute and unspoken honorary knighthood for saving his little girl. He himself felt privileged to be one of the few who witnessed this miracle that would no doubt add another verse to the Ballad of Flemmingrad for Troll generations to come…

 _…Beloved by each troll girl and ev'ry troll lad…_

* * *

"Flemmy is real." Are the only three words a shellshocked Kristoff could utter for the rest of their unbelievable tournament ride. He quite totally forgets about the race when the waters recede enough for Sven to return 'Baby' to the main road.

And **_without_** using one ounce of his flying magic, as Kristoff originally specified to his reindeer pal.

"Yep. And it looks like he's given us a shortcut straight down the mountain rather than around and around the downhill path! Serves that jerky Kaarn guy right. I think he sabotaged the road to collapse after he passed it, wanting to make sure that we were sucked down in a mudslide! He should go to jail for what he's done! Anyways! We're all good, Kristly!" Her screwed-up face riveting from contemplative to angry to uplifting, Anna looks at her dazed blond lover and smiles perky right in his face with an encouraging grin.

"The rushing water has cleared Baby's muddy runners proper like. So I think we've still got a chance to win this race! Flemmy wants us to! Step on it, Sven!" Along with the true heart of an adventurer, Princess Anna possessed the enthusiasm of a passionate competitor as she wildly grabs hold of the reins out of the big hands of her shellshocked, still trembling in place husband.

"Oh, Anna! What if I lost you or Sven back there because of this stupid race?!" Kristoff's evident emotion spills out all at once to big bear hug his partner in the front bench, buried somewhere in that funny costume, tight.

"But you didn't!" The ever-optimistic gal sings and straightens her guy's creased worried brow. Kristoff smiles his troubles away in relief they made it through unharmed. "Flemmy made sure!"

Then the trio, with the condition of their cakes unknown, perhaps melted in the dip of crashing water they and their sleigh had been immersed in, charge down towards the finish line.

"Whee! We're beating him!" To Anna's squealing delight, Baby was a good half mile ahead of the rascal who would stop at nothing – treachery, duplicity, plotting, possible manslaughter, and downright meanness – to win the big monetary and mountaineering trophy honor prize again this year.

However, just as Anna and Kristoff were driving at top speed across the finish line before the cheering crowds – they realized someone else already beat them here.

"Forgive the racing experience of an old man, _Andagassii_ (Snow Prince). But my reindeer have traveled the mountains for decades since my youth and my father and his father before have passed down the knowledge for generations, around the secret nameless mountain where souls come to rest in peace." The short and squat man of pure sinew and muscle, the dark skinned Saami grandfather, walks slowly up to Kristoff .

He bows his aged head deferentially to the special blond boy after the Saami begged pardon for his double Svalbard reindeer team to be the first to cross finish line, recognizing along the trail just who the tall blond mountaineer was.

"You don't have to apologize, sir. You – _unlike others_ – ran a good, fair race. Congratulations." Kristoff shakes the Saami elder's fat little hand in his big one, giving Kaarn's sled which had just rolled in at third place, a decidedly dirty glance.

It took Anna's surprisingly composed arm holding him back to prevent the irate blond lad from marching over and giving the dangerously disruptive bully 'what for.'

"Christmas is too good a time for fighting, Kristly. He's not worth it." Anna says with a grimace and pent-up scrapper sigh of her own. Her big, blue-green eyes travel up to where her best friend soulmate sister was sitting in the bleachers above, looking so calm and regal with a bolstering smile beneath that dark hood, so Anna finds peace in herself too.

 _"Bagadit du cappet eadmit, Vahla Radien Gaanda, oktage."_ (Listen to your wise pretty wife, Reindeer King.) The Saami man's eyes crinkle as his gaze travels between Kristoff and Anna with almost paternal pride.

"What'd he say, Kristoff?" Anna stands on tippy-toe to whisper in Kristoff's ear at the foreign Saami phrases being spoken while the dark little man was looking in her direction.

{"Umm… _'Listen to the advice of your pretty wife,_ _Reindeer King_ , and nobody else's.'"} Kristoff translates, distractedly passing his words on through their reopened psi-link.

"Oh, I knew I liked him. I'm glad he won then, I guess." Though at first vexed at being beat by this dark horse – or rather, _dark reindeer_ – sleigh, the ginger Princess with the heart of gold quickly warms up to the older man who had somehow seen through her disguise.

"Do not be fooled, good townspeople of Flåm! This old Saami obviously snuck in by some evil black magic to be first to cross the finish line! But who cares!? He doesn't even possess one of the marker flags!" Kaarn viciously attacks his opponent, whipping two of the three checked marker flags that he had ruthlessly gathered to wave in the air triumphantly.

When everyone in the crowd applauds for their reigning hero's triumph, Kaarn awards them with a sweeping, braggadocious bow. "See, even the rabble know the race for speed is the least important part of this tournament, is it not, Ice Harvesters? It's the quality of the cut of our ice cakes brought back to the judges that is the true measure of a mountain man! Any fool can hastily drive a sleigh across a field." Bitter Kaarn was not so conciliatory as Team Bjorgman. He was still clinging to his entitlement of victory with a demanding stare to his powerful father of a mayor standing at the trophy platform.

"This is true. It is the skill of collecting the flag markers and ultimately the toil of an Ice Harvester with his ice splitting technique which holds more weight in the points system than that of the simple contest of mere speed between here and the mountain. With that in mind, let the real Ice Harvesting judging begin!" The founder of the Ice Harvesters Association, Mayor Aall, lays down the law as he saw fit. It just always happened to be in favor of his son.

Soon, Kaarn, Kristoff, and the Saami man fittingly named 'Ahccejohtalet' _(Traveling Father_ ) all produce their amassed flags and cakes on three of the four cleared tables before the judges of the Ice Harvester's Association.

As first to arrive, the old Saami and his young son carefully unload one of their ice cakes, but find that it had been bashed slightly, probably due to the frightened start of the poor reindeers caused by that bully boy Kaarn earlier at the mountain base. Unfortunately, the ice cake did not at all compare to his second well-cut block, thus achieving a below average score for his hard work at the ice, and no bonus points for capturing any checkpoint flags.

Next, Kristoff and his invaluable partner 'Ananias' rather carefully unpack their ice cakes from Baby's specialized cargo hold. The cakes were buried in so much sawdust but Kristoff was sure they would be in a worst state of condition than the Saami's, for all the young blond's reckless plummeting down the mountain, crazy sled diving into the tumultuous fjord rapids and wild racing by Sven to catch up in the home stretch.

Kristoff tried to be a responsible husband, more than a mad racing driver or ruthless competitor at any cost, but Anna was relentless. Despite her prodding, he had to forgo speed and precaution at times for the precious cargo of this contest's fragile ice, in trade-off for his far more prized Anna and Sven's safety.

After helping Kristoff carefully unload, Anna looks up to wave their single flag up to Elsa, but finds a frozen smiling Olaf still on the high bench was now alone, gritting his teeth and blinking down at her. Anna frowns beneath her false moustache, scanning the nearby area on the ground level for her sister, or at least that snotty Prince Alonso, who would surely stand out in the working-class crowd.

The ice cakes Kristoff Bjorgman was absolutely certain had suffered from not only being smashed about, _if_ they even survived through mudslides and rapids, were unlikely to match precisely anyway. And that was because he had to go back and re-cut a new second cake not simultaneously in line with the first, due to Kaarn's cruelty.

But to his surprised pleasure, they were both perfectly intact and precise.

"Wow. They both survived." Kristoff reels with a whistle under his breath at his good luck. His down-to-earth mind could not believe his carelessly battered ice blocks survived the crazy tumult without a little help.

 _I wonder…_ He glances around, pretty sure that Elsa would keep her word of honor and not do anything to give him an upper hand in this competition.

Even if it could be justified, due to the fact he was unfairly treated by the other competitor.

"Of course they did! Because we made the trip together, Kristly! I mean… _ehem_ … Sure. Don't sweat it, boy! I taught him everything he knows about ice and mountain climbing. The Kid just gets a little overcome after he does a good job." Boastful Anna, waving their checkered flag, modulates her girlish voice and deepens it to be more blasé manly, with arms folded over her dilapidated, padded 'strapping chest'.

A smiling Kristoff rolls his eyes up to the heavens. In doing so, he spies in the indistinct crowd a certain pair of usually stern, exacting hazel eyes with only the slightest bit of a iciness behind them. Behind the throng in the distance, the Ice King just coming in for a discreet landing. King Agdar was gazing dimly back upon his son-in-law with a nod filled with something Kristoff never expected to see.

 _Was that fatherly pride? Does this mean Anna's dad finally accepts me?_

Sensitive and sweet Kristoff could sense the same look in Agdar's gaze as he saw in Ragi's old crinkled eyes as he feels King Agdar's fatherly approval at long last.

His insides well up with that knowledge worth far more to him than having this contest's victory that was now in sight. His flawlessly cut pair of ice cake specimen's points stack up much higher than the first entrant's allowingTeam Bjorgman to pull into the lead, despite their second place in total speed returning.

"Well, don't get your hopes up too high, Lil' Kris! I'm sure my truly symmetric, identical ice blocks, plus my greater amount of marker flags will give **me** enough points to take the victory that I deserve!" Kaarn pronounces, as he throws the weight of his words around mildly like the blowhard he was. He self assuredly shows off his two different-colored checkpoint flags to the counter of judges in a dramatic flourish. Then the chairman's son unties his well wrapped wares onto his table –

Only to find the pair of them, quite identically freshly crack right in half beneath his grubby saboteur's hands, as if by some inexplicable Divine justice to pay for his dishonest cheating crimes.

"What?! **NO!** I'm supposed to win and be victor of this entire tournament! Damn blast, that idiot driver you partnered me with, Father! This is all your fault! Not mine! All your fault, for letting those lowly cretins into our prestigious Winter Games! I tried to edge them out and keep the sanctity of our sport for those of us rightly ordained, and this is my reward?! *%#*# !" The audience, at first gasps at the foul language expressed by the last year and the year before's champion. Then the crowd begins to laugh as the stuck up, arrogant and egotistical young man Kaarn picks up his ice cakes and they utterly disintegrate in his fingers.

"It was Kaarn who purposely almost got me killed trying to grab the flag up top away from Bjorgman! Kaarn's the one who should never be allowed into another competition, and do some time for attempted murder!" The young rust orangey-bearded mountaineer, just then pulls up with his partner, back from their sabotaged unfulfilled trip to the ice lake in this supposedly good faith, test of courage sporting event. Bandaged and bloodied and bruised - and mad as hell to point a blaming finger at Kaarn - the fourth contestant had barely survived the 'entitled' rotten blackguard's blinding scree sediment attack that almost cost him his life.

"Get out of my face, you dang # *&% # son of a #&% !*!#$!" He violently rips up one of his flags over his traitorous partner's head, along with any chance to take home this year's grand prize.

The spoiled brat, always sheltered for bad behavior by his doting, indulgent parent, is finally taken down a peg as his cuss words ring throughout the family oriented sports event from the supposedly civilized politician's son to make the appalled mothers cover their indoctrinated children's stinging ears at this awful display of poor sportsmanship.

"It's all true! And I had nothing to do with that! I even tried to stop him!" Even Kaarn's assigned mountain man partner abandons his defamed former friend, moving to the side of the angry crowd and the injured victim he witnessed his boss transgress.

"Put Kaarn behind bars!"

"Punish him! He's a bad example for our boys!"

"I'm never going to let my child watch any sports match that horrid man is involved in!" Several of the aghast parents in the crowd nod in agreement with that public consensus as many of the mountain man who were fathers and good men walk away to shun their former strapping self-aggrandized hero.

"Lock him up! Lock him up!" The mob of good people cries out for justice to be served to even those of high rank and favor for the sake of equanimity for all.

Kaarn's own shamed parent hangs his head and moves away from the discredited and disgraced young man. The mayor of Flåm and Ice Harvester chairman Mayor Aall steps up to the awards ceremony podium and interrupts his cussing son pounding on his poor partner.

Kaarn is dragged away by the local _lensmann_ (sheriff) and constabulary police, kicking and screaming on the cold main street of the port village, with only himself to blame for no longer being anyone's favorite athlete.

The throat-clearing Mayor changes the unhappy scene from further crude disruption of the supposedly family attended event at this Christmas time to deliver the more pleasant part of the ceremony outcome.

"Good citizens, if I may have your attention here at the center stage." Mayor Aall watches with an indulgent father's eyes and politician's detachment as his spoiled rotten son is carted away to the local jail cell to cool down and possibly face consequences for his serious violent crimes.

"Without further ado, after conversing with our fine panel of judges as the scoring, the First Place Winner to these Winter Games to prove the true meaning of honest grit and hard work, with unprejudiced skill rewarded –" Capitalizing on the good sentiment such grandiose words aroused, the elected official smiles, unaffected by any personal unease, to the silent throng surrounding. "– the recipient of the First Place prize and new titleholder of the 'Ice Harvester King' for our Winter Games 1841 – is… **Master Kristoff Bjorgman**! Let us give a hand to our new champion and his fellow mountain man friend, going by the single name 'Ananias', for their worthy teamwork, speed and skill that does credit to our great Ice Harvesting profession!"

Kristoff's cheeks blush to a deep crimson as his large fingers wave tentatively to the swooning young girls in the crowd, much to Anna's smirky dismay.

"Hip hip hooray! Hip hip – Ohh!" In all the celebratory enthusiasm of cheering and back smacking their newly inducted heroes being roughhoused all around, Ananias' already shaky shoulder and widened stuffed chest slips down. Her false moustache is unconventionally knocked off halfway to droop crookedly across her cute, guilty face, particularly when her hat is knocked off and Anna's ginger braids are revealed.

"It's a girl! Our new Ice Harvester King has deceived us with a disguised _female_ partner!"

Was it Kaarn in the far distance who started the trouble? Or was it another intolerant sexist in the crowd of rough and tumble mountaineers, who vociferously cried out the prejudicial comment to the gasp of the horrified onlookers.

Just itching to withhold the prize his son deserved, Mayor Aall begins to draw back the silver trophy engraved with the ice harvester badge of the _Julbukk_ Yule goat hauling an ice block that he was about the place in a stunned Kristoff's hands.

"It's a woman!"

"Unheard of!"

"Shocking!"

"Revolting!"

"A female Ice Harvester? The end times are near!"

But that's when a singular voice booms out all over all the uproarious noise of the shocked crowd.

"And exactly what is wrong with that? Why can't a qualified woman participate in your Winter Games, if she works hard and learns and trains to do so alongside her husband? Is that not the God-given role of a wife since she was created to be Adam's helpmate?" A petite, dark brown haired, woman with her head held high boldly makes the gender inclusive statement to the hushed crowd.

But they were more than of half a mind to start booing her modern feminist ideas in their small village traditionalist mindset.

"A help mate? Ha! What sane man would bring his wife out on the trail? That kind of a brassy female would only get in the way in such a rugged sports competition! She's only fit to stay home and cook and clean for the young'uns!" Some old-fashioned men even begin to titter the stereotypes to one another with sneering chuckles.

"Is that so? Though disguised so as not to disrupt your holiday festivities, is a female not good enough to be your monarch Queen?" With her mother Queen Idun gathered at her side, these profound statements boldly ring in a coloratura soprano with decided truth more than serious inquiry.

Queen Elsa of Arendelle removes her hood from covering her regal blonde head as she shakes off the cloak that she had been covertly disguised in the audience under to strike silent the crowd upon the awe-striking revelation.

But no one, not even the blustery Mayor knew how to answer his sovereign Queen's pressing modern question.

"You would do well to heed the said words of my better half and worthy daughter, who have both proven to me over the years to be more clever and adroit and perspicacious than many a man. **And** certainly up to any challenge or task set before either of these brave, wonderful women, than perhaps even their humble King." With eyes clearing more than visually, Agdar gives Idun and Elsa a respectful nod apiece.

"These superb Winter Games of yours, designed to challenge the salt of the earth – which, I may add, includes us _all_ , according to the Good Book - in this breathtaking land should be open to all who wish to participate, without prejudice to class, nor race… _nor gender_." Surprising all yet again for a third time, though the last words personally pained the old-school raised man, Agdar takes this flabbergasted moment of the unsettled crowd's uncertainty to step forward and clear the waves of prejudice and sexism he was disturbed to have witnessed to be so moved in a propitious direction for all concerned.

As a proud father of two vibrant, strong-minded daughters, Agdar, though at first startled and angered that his headstrong Anna was not acting in her place as a woman in the mid-19th century Victorian age where the female sex was honored yet misunderstood, and participating so flagrantly in the guise of a man no less in these northern Winter Games.

If he had not had moments to pause in the quiet silence of the majestic mountains that humbled even a Royal King, an irate Agdar - at Kristoff mostly, to have allowed little Anna in such humiliating male garb participate in these dangerous ruffian Games - may have responded in much the same way as his fellow misogynist man on the streets of Flåm harbor.

 _However…if my child has shown the reflection of her mother's passion and spontaneity to be half of the rightful recipient of this well-earned prize that I personally witnessed her role in, then I see no reason on God's green earth why she, as a full citizen of Norway, should not be permitted to enter a tournament of yes, great strength, but also tenacious intelligence and willpower that all females and males alike can aspire to, and be lauded for, from now on._

In his blindness, the King was again learning to listen to the quiet voice inside him that the Lord put there that most who see and hear more of the world's tempting offerings often ignore. He meets the wise dark eyes of the now smiling Saami older man standing on the sidelines of the crowd to nod at the King's sagacity. The native who had seen bigotry and intolerance in his day, appreciated this noble recognition far more than any race's victory.

"Why – ahem, yes, of course, Your Majesty. Your _Majes **ties**_. The Ice Harvester Winter Games in the future will be open to all who wish to participate, by your Royal decree. And may I say, sire, that your citizens are elated to have you and your good lady Queen – who is, if I may say looking quite lovely, in complement with our beauteous Queen Elsa – returned to our country and attending our humble sporting event." The pompous mayor gives a reverential bow to his King and _Queens_ , and all three of the Royal monarchs unexpectedly present in their small fishing village town nods back to him after the King made that bold, new proclamation.

"Thank you for that, Papa." With a soft whisper, Elsa rather demonstratively opposite to her normal shy reticent behavior plants a cool kiss on King Agdar's surprised cheek, making her father blush and smile to remember the happy childhood days which he and his wife spent with their two children. The precious times when his little snow Angel were as close as father and daughter could be before his ill-advised decisions for their family to be split apart.

"We love you, Papa!" Anna too felt the need to reiterate her affection for her paternal parent who had suffered so much and shines through it all now be leader and father more every day that they knew he could be again.

As Kristoff hands Anna the winning trophy for her to revel in the moment he knew was hers as much as his, in the back of his mind Kristoff had a sneaking suspicion that his father-in-law may have had a small role in maintaining his unscathed ice cakes not to break in that sabotaged race.

Though the honest man in him was disturbed by such preferential treatment, the grateful son was glad for the justifiable help from his secondary father.

"Congratulations, ' _King of the Winter Games'_."

To the real King's hilarious address of him, Kristoff quirks a funny smile as King Agdar dutifully takes over the ceremonial role from the bowing and scraping Mayor. Anna's rigid father places the Ice Harvester King 'crown' – which was really a crafted _Julbukk_ antler embossed ice block Ice Harvester emblem - on the top of the blond boy's scruffy head.

"Thanks. How do I look?" A nervous more than self-conscious Kristoff tries to feel out his at times unreadable father-in-law, while Sven gives out a humored **_HOMN_**! and rangifer-y laugh along with a reanimated Olaf at their ice cube and seasonably Christmas Julbukk goat antlered best buddy.

"Ridiculous. But, after all said and done, I am glad our little Gingersnap treasure chose you." Deadpan Agdar answers in soft tones, recalling how this brave boy had forgone all and was prepared to give so much to protect his little gingersnap back there in the fjord. To Anna's delight and Kristoff's stupor, the previously chilly Ice King confers a warm pat to his accepted son-in-law's powerful, musclebound arm.

That look of undeniable fatherly pride reminded the younger man of what he saw long ago in his own father, Ragi's unspoken, encouraging dignity.

 _{'This one was for you, Ragi… Pabbie. I hope I've done you proud.'}_ Kristoff sends the long distance greeting to his father half a world away where he and the Snow Queen were starting a new life for themselves in the South Pole.

 _{'I wish you and Muthir a very Merry Christmas time in your new home, too…_

 _Maybe you can say 'Hi' to Santa Claus and his Julenissen (Christmas elves). You can tell him I've already got everything I want for Christmas, right here…"}_ Kristoff, wearing his Christmas yule goat crown proudly with Sven's neck hugged under his arm, gazes over to the festive scene all around him.

{' _Well done, Son. Well done.'_ } The man of few words, who possessed a calm, serene voice and a father's pride for his child, psychically enters Kristoff's open mind in simple, yet profound response from miles and miles away.

Kristoff smiles, awarding his first Christmas gift of Sven a fond noogie.

After the upsetting hubbub of the hardwon competition dies down, the buoyant, cheerful villagers were again full of holiday excitement. Festive wreaths, decorations and bells all come out and were rung by King Agdar _and_ Queen Elsa's consent by children and adults alike for the Winter Games' conclusion.

And that joy was now coupled with the honor of meeting their beloved sovereigns, as Elsa, Agdar and Idun do a lot of handshaking and schmoozing with the regular folk of their great country.

There was his Anna in the midst of it all, unraveled as his cutie Princess again by her magic ice, fancy-dressing sister Queen Elsa, reunited with their happy parents, all smiles and togetherness. The Arendelle royal family was willing to fully share that love with the lonely orphan mountain boy—the gift of this precious family vacation Christmastime they only all dreamt of before, as visions of festive Julbukks prance around in their heads...

* * *

 _Julbukk_ – Scandinavian Christmas Yule goat

 _Julenissen_ ** _-_** Scandinavian Christmas elves

 _Pabbie –_ Father in Icelandic

 _Muthir –_ Mother in Icelandic

 _Joik_ (also spelled yoik, or luohti in Saami) - a traditional Saami form of song. A joik is one of the longest, living music traditions in Europe, and is the folk music storytelling method of the indigenous Saami people.

 _'Swing low, Sweet chariot'_ \- hymn written by American freed slave Wallace Willis in 1830

* * *

Happy Father's Day weekend, my Frozen Again friends!

Yeah! Team Bjorgman won, despite all the sabotage and cheating by the formidable opposition!

Maybe with some surprise help from the legendary giant Troll 'held in highest esteem, whose manner was kind and his fungus did gleam…' to get our Kristanna out of that nasty jerk's precarious scrape!

I've been singing Ballad of Flemmingrad of Kristly's for a solid week now! So cuuutttee!

This family bonding episode was full of fatherly moments between Kristoff and his Papa-in-law, King Agdar! I think the King has finally come to terms with his Gingersnap Anna's choice of mate, appreciating Kristoff's true devotion and care for his daughter.

We'll see how Hans _Westergaard_ fares in much the same category in the episodes to come. (That sly, clever Red Prince of the Southern Isles has a wee bit more baggage than stalwart friend and hardworking mountainman/ Snow Prince Kristoff– i.e. willful deceit with ex-fiancee Anna, attempt to usurp the Crown of Arendelle by marriage or murder with Elsa, he's a nation-grabbing Dane, etc. :) So, we can't exactly _blame_ the overprotective father with all those reasons, for preferring to settle his delicate Snow Angel with a less controversial, more mundane normal royal match Prince to marry, can we?

Papa Agdar means well and wants what's best for his girls. He can't help from being pigheaded and biased against all young men- _particularly Hans –_ now that Elsa's _potential_ future nuptials are still in the works. It's a good thing Queen Idun is there to smooth the worried father's icy waters…

Always well intentioned, rough edges or soft cuddly bears, be sure to spend some quality time with your first hero and valiant knight, dear Frozen friends! And thank your dear Papa for his devotion, protection, and how much he watched out for you growing up, as I thank God each day for mine.

God bless all Dads out there!

Love, Haruka

 _P.S. I've included the full lyrics of our catchy fun joik about Flemmy for you to sing along and brighten up your weekend! I know I will be singing in mine!_

 _'We love to watch him ro~ll! Ro~ll Ro~ll!'_

* * *

 _"The Ballad of Flemmingrad" -_ _written by Elyssa Samsel & Kate Anderson_

 _There once was a troll held in highest esteem_  
 _For his manner was kind and his fungus did gleam_  
 _The ballad of old Flemmingrad_  
 _Beloved by each troll girl and ev'ry troll lad_  
 _They gifted him berries and moss cake and stew_  
 _He gobbled with zeal as he zealously grew_  
 _To such a large old Flemmingrad_  
 _He always felt full and for that, he was glad_

 _They loved to watch him roll, roll, roll_  
 _With laughter, he would roll, roll_

 _Then one winter's day, humans crept up so fast_  
 _The trolls had to roll through a tight mountain pass_  
 _But dear old giant Flemmingrad_  
 _He tried to go through, but got stuck just a tad_

 _The people were frightened and pulled out a sword_  
 _So, Flemmy, he blended right into the fjord_  
 _The ballad of old Flemmingrad_  
 _He never got out, and for that we are sad_  
 _Wedged...but not forgotten_

 _For Flemmy couldn't roll, roll, roll_  
 _Oh, Flemmy, won't you roll, roll_  
 _And that's why we have this tradition_

 _Every December we all gather 'round_  
 _To pay our respects to a troll so renowned_  
 _In remembrance of the friend we had_  
 _A jolly old soul we called Flemmingrad_

 _We all dig deep down and we uproot the past_  
 _We shove up its nostrils a fist full of grass_  
 _In resemblance of the dear old lad_  
 _We forged a mold of Flemmingrad_

 _We shape his likeness, bless his soul_  
 _Oh, Flemmy the Fungus Troll_


	35. Chapter 34 - Independence Day

_Do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

 **"Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act VIII**

 **Chapter 34**

 **"Independence Day"**

By nightfall, after some celebratory shopping in Flåm, Elsa had taken her parents, Minister Kai, Gerda, Prince Alonso, Olaf and Boninite on the Snow Queen's carriage for an overnight stop-off at her North Mountain Ice Palace before the last leg of their journey home.

It took more than a little reassurance for a worried sick Marshmallow, who had been dutifully keeping vigilant watch over the errant Snowgies all this time, to allow the enemy Fire Troll girl with the dark mahogany skin and fiery tail into the Ice Queen's sanctum.

King Agdar nodded his assent to the cautious twenty-five foot tall icy bouncer, while Olaf displayed the Troll's trustworthiness by taking the once non-tactile and unfriendly, now smiling tentatively Fire Troll by the hand to walk across the Palace threshold Marshmallow was physically blocking.

Elsa's bodyguard finally relented to allow Bonnie entrance into the Ice Palace Great Hall after the Ice Queen explained quietly to him of the previously possessed Nibelung's reformation.

"See, Marshmallow? This is how we make new friends. With warm hugs, not growling ice spikes." Olaf demonstrated his more joyful greeting. His steamy snow was only melted a little bit by Boninite's caught-off-guard tail end flame during the unexpected embrace.

Soon, Elsa's ornate Ice Palace front entrance was crawling with Snowgies who had slid down the staircase banister in enthusiasm to see their creator Mistress – and torment whoever was in their collective mischievous path. Unlike Marshmallow, the Snowgies appeared to have no apprehension or innate fear whatsoever for the Fire Troll female. Instead, they all soon swarmed around her in playful curiosity, making a game of bouncing one another over Boninite's swishing blaze ended tail.

"That means they like you, Boninite." Elsa interprets the unintelligible 'snowgese' clicks and squeaks sympathetically to the confused Fire Troll girl before the Ice Queen ushers her frail mother towards the kitchen where Gerda would make the suddenly worn out, petite woman some warm chicken soup.

"The little men of snow are… friendly. Boninite is not accustomed to…playing…touching." The young Fire Troll explains her awkward position about her normally solitary lifetime spent alone in the dark catacombs with a smile, in her best broken Norwegian from her native tongue of Latin.

"Well, Boninite, up here, most male creatures are apt to be friendly to females who take up their offer to play 'touching', rather than those who leave them out in the cold. They thrive on encouragement—not timidity—and often just need a little boost of forthcoming persuasion at the right moment." Queen Idun had paused before entering the insulated kitchen from the Ice Palace's populated and playful Great Hall.

The savvy mother was in code speaking more to Elsa then she was the Troll girl, with Gerda's store of frozen chicken soup now thawed and heated.

As she attended to stirring the pot over the wood stove, Gerda smiles inwardly at the motherly advice shared over the steaming hot soup which Idun insisted her lissome, too dreadfully tall and thin daughter partake in as well.

But the shy platinum blonde, knowing where her assertive mother was going with this, merely swirls the carrots around in her bowl, blowing an icy breath over each hot spoonful of potatoes that reminded her of her Hans and their unforgettable second encounter in the shared bedroom/kitchen down in the pirate ship galley—what now seemed a lifetime ago.

"The right moment…" Gazing down at her currently barren engagement ring finger, Elsa inwardly sighs before changing the subject.

"Your Prince Hans is a very brave man, I think, your Majesty. He will do nicely to join our family." Gerda adds to the conversation with a sweet smile directed at Elsa, who blushes, but was glad to hear Hans' name spoken aloud in such a familiar fashion when she dared not speak of him at all these past months in her father's presence. But the honest servant woman, who had known the family for years, puts paid to the question burning on both the Royal women's minds while tidying and setting up the Ice Queen's bedroom for the night like she always did when the princesses were little girls.

"Yes, min Flicka. Hans is an exceptional hero. That was excellent broth, as usual, Gerda. Thank you." Finishing her soup, Queen Idun steadies her own frayed nerves as she holds onto Elsa's stable arm. The older Queen takes a deep breath, not wanting Elsa to worry or fret just one day to her birthday about her exhausted mother still recovering from that torturous ordeal in the Black Ice Queen's frozen dollhouse.

"Looks like the men have made a mess out there. Let's sneak past them and head straight to your room before they insist upon us helping to clean it up, shall we, my girl?" Idun chuckles at how men could be so prone to untidiness when no women were present as she leans on Elsa to exit the east wing kitchen.

"The Snowgies really respect Papa, don't they? It's amazing how he is so very skilled at gaining utmost respect and obedience from his soldiers, isn't it, Mama?" It was Elsa's turn to address/not address the subject pressing on both lovely Arendelle women's minds as the two leave the kitchen arm in arm after finishing the quick late-night meal.

Both mother and daughter look to where the pale ginger haired King had been reprimanding several of the overenthusiastic Snowgies who had gone too far. The messy amber evidence on the Great Hall's stained ice marble floor proved they had nearly emptied out the accidentally spilled bottle of a good year brandy when the irascible creatures tripped up obese Minister Kai as he was hurriedly returning the bottle to his hiding hole when Elsa and Idun were spotted.

"Your father is accustomed to doling out orders and expecting them to be obeyed without question. I suppose it comes with the territory being solely in charge of so many officers and sailors aboard ship as Captain and Admiral of the Navy.'' Idun recollects her own young wifely anxieties during late-nights spent alone with her messy, tiny babies at home while her heroic, young lover was off battling at the sea with his ship in the past.

"Naval men are _renowned_ for their compliance to the chain of command." An amused Idun quietly answers Elsa, giving her guilty-faced, busted husband a raised brow for sneakily going at the sauce again behind her back.

The pair, arm in arm, walk towards the icy staircase, avoiding the sloppy scene as the stern Ice King instructs the snowgies to clean up. A strict order to which the threatened miscreants rapidly obeyed after Marshmallow supplied the soft snow mop which Elsa kept under the staircase for him to clear away the naughty snowgies' daily messes.

"But it was always the delight of his coming home—a feeling like none other—that a woman can ever experience. A good marriage comes with the knowledge that no matter where he's been, your husband has kept his cup full just for you, like that first delicious taste of water on your tongue after a long drought." Idun admires the constancy of her yet handsome and svelte husband, standing tall and strong and commanding again as she licks her lips with some sage motherly – and woman to woman– advice for her elder daughter.

"You'll understand what that feeling means yourself, my girl, when you're naval man strides back through that door to you." In Elsa's boudoir, the Queen Mother goes to work busily refolding the new bedding and some of the sleepwear she and Elsa and Anna had purchased in Flåm village's local general store when the three ladies had gone for a celebratory spending spree.

"But hopefully your handsome Prince will never have to come home to see you wearing that! Oh, Elsa! What happened to that lovely lilac négligée you selected? How did _this_ one get here?! I thought I convinced Anna _not_ to choose it for herself. And here it is with you. Gaudy, brght yellow and orange sunflowers are hardly the way to encourage a young man to your bedside." The petite brown haired Queen holds her flabbergasted hand over her aghast mouth when her tall platinum blonde child emerges from behind the elegantly decorated icy screen. Elsa was donning an extremely plaid and overtly big and yellow sunflowery night dress suited more for an eight year old than an attractive young female about to celebrate her 23rd year.

"Well… Long story short, Mama. Remember how Anna and Olaf were pulling shadow faces with that lantern Papa insisted Kristoff hook up to his sled during our night driving?" Elsa began her long and drawn out excuse of this inexplicable fashion switch.

"Yes. I'm listening." As she fingers upon the glassy ice nightstand the original French author Charles Perrault _'_ _La Belle au bois dormant' ("The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood_ _')_ 17th century folk legend fairy tale book she recalled giving to young avid reader Elsa as a birthday present in years gone by, the mother had a feeling the direction the story was going, smelling scorched earth disaster with her predictably klutzy Anna involved.

"It burned a hole in that filmy pale pink négligée we helped her pick out." Elsa says with a little bitten lip guilty look on her pretty face for her trouble making dear little sister.

"Oh no! And she was so excited to wear it for Kristoff tonight as a – _ahem_ – **_special prize_** for winning the race! But how on earth did _you_ end up with this monstrosity?" Idun clamps a hand over her mouth that was just itching to giggle at her baby scapegrace.

"Yes, I know. That's why I had to lend her the lilac one of mine. When the road split off for us to come up here, Anna and I secretly exchanged shopping bags along with the supplies when we stopped the carriage to say goodbye, while Anna and Kristoff went to the Valley to see the Trolls. I found in the bag Anna traded me this nightgown that she must've ran back in and bought anyway even after we convinced her it was… a little less than alluring." Elsa giggles to her mother as the dainty Ice Queen attempts a graceful, clumsy curtsy in the restrictive, loud and colorful flannel dress.

"You must put that in the church charity box the minute we return to Arendelle! Neither Kristoff nor Hans will ever have the _privilege_ to see either of my girls in that eyesore! Now you march right back there and take the wretched thing off, my gorgeous girl!" Idun plops back down to Elsa's bed of soft snow mattress, trying not to get motion sickness from its flowing, moving waves.

"Now, why don't we consider what costume you wish to dazzle your subjects with at the Masquerade Ball. I know how you love to dress up, my pretty kitty, so we planned this special party with your love of fashion in mind." Idun recalls young Elsa's fondness growing up for the annual Christmas 'dress up' the townspeople of Arendelle included in their door to door caroling as part of the holiday tradition. Oh how her prim little miss enjoyed wearing the new clothes from exotic parts that her young Sjoforsvaret father would often bring home after long trips visiting distant foreign styled continents.

"Then, after we decide, you can show me some more of the icy trousseau ideas you have planned for your honeymoon bridal tour min skonhet ( _my beauty)_." The proud mother chases her lovely daughter back behind the changing screen, prompting her slender and stylish elder child to rather try out some of her own artistic designs they had discussed last time they were here, rather than suffer that ill-matched fashion _faux pas_ a moment further.

"Just imagine you are free as a bird, creating an exquisite, elegant, icy meltable négligée meant for the eyes of your one and only handsome redheaded, red-blooded Dane." Setting the romantic mood with her own fetching form draped across Elsa's bed, Idun grins dreamily. She knew she was pushing the envelope for her skittish girl, but that feeling of teasing mischief prevailed over the nausea, and she would be remiss as a mother if not to start to prepare her naive daughter for that first special time.

"Mama!" Elsa squeaks as she was physically down to her skivvies, bringing her long fingernailed icy hand over her heaving chest at the suddenly disconcerting heady thought of Hans ravishing her. Now that she had time to consider it, the mere idea was a terrifying unknown as the rattled young woman settles down with a sadder, less confident contemplation.

"What if he doesn't make it in time for my birthday tomorrow? The South Pole is so very far away. What if something went wrong to delay him? Should I be thinking of frivolous dresses and parties while he may be in danger? What it the Snow Queen needed Hans' help to contain that Djvælen Troll indefinitely? What if Papa shoos him away when he does arrive? There is still over a year left of our trial separation. What if we never get the chance to marry—?" The chill temperature of the bedroom was dropping as the young woman worries her hopes and reservations aloud, getting herself into a tizzy.

"Elsa, be calm. Your Prince will be there for you, if you have faith in his love. Please stop worrying so much, my little girl! 'All things work for the good for those who trust in the Lord'." With Bible truth spoken from her heart, Queen Idun leaps up from the bed she was lounging to squeeze both of Elsa's nervous, wringing hands. "Trust in your Hans. You will realize with maturity, as I did, that part of being a good partner is never doubting. I know it is hard now since you are both still so young in your love, but patience is a virtue, my darling girl." Idun pets Elsa's thoroughly flustered head with a sympathetic smile into her pensive child's glistening wavering eyes.

 _"_ Remember _: 'Love is patient and kind…Love always bears up. Love always trusts, always hopes. Love always endures_.'" Idun prompts Elsa to remember the wisdom of one of her favorite Biblical verses.

 _"'Love never ends.'_ " Elsa finishes the Bible's beautiful 'Hymn of Love' that meant so much to her and Hans' hearts linked together so cherished—it was _their_ verse, _their_ motto, engraved forever in their souls—as a happy tear springs to her cool eyes.

"Now, be inspired and show Mama the stunning beauty in the costume you will proudly wear for your birthday ball, dazzling us all while waiting for your Prince to sweep you off your feet." With a soft kiss planted to Elsa's forehead, Idun changes the subject, wiping the sweet moisture from her first baby's pale cheek.

Under her mother's warm encouragement, Elsa nods and closes her eyes. She almost subconsciously recreates the gorgeous dress she had seen once upon a time in the fairy tale of old that Elsa adored best as a child.

The demure young woman transforms herself, complete with bejeweled masquerade mask and all, into a breathtaking iridescent 14th century stylized, low neck gown. Its full skirt's long train swept across the ground with pleats and peplum as multihued and color changing from purple to pink to blue to violet than back again at whatever chosen angle as the 'Aurora' she, as Ice Queen of the North Winter, now commanded.

"Once he sees you in that, I have a feeling you'll be needing that trousseau very soon, if I know my Westergaards right…" The older more experienced woman murmurs under her breath, beginning to hum a Strauss waltz she could envision her elegant child dancing with her handsome Danish Prince—the Viennese _'Döblinger Réunion-Walzer_ , Op. 2 (Dobling Reunion Waltz).

 _Perhaps you and Papa should brush up on your waltzing a little when we get home…  
_  
Gazing at herself through the exquisite crystal gemstone mask as her favorite Sleeping Beauty Princess of yore, Elsa violently blushes all over her pale body that shivers in the mirror behind the screen.

It was not from the cold, but rather from the visions of her exciting birthday event and the future ahead that her Mama put in her spinning head just imagining what Prince Hans Westergaard would say if he saw her in the complimentary glittery royal purple hued aurora borealis infused gown she magically illustrated over her body.

Swaying in the full length cheval mirror in this glowing ice inspirational off the shoulder Princess gown, Elsa couldn't help but fantasize ceaselessly of her gallant Prince Hans being the dragon-slaying hero of the beloved story. Her handsome Prince would go through any danger, face any obstacle to seek her out and discover his Beauty locked away in a romantic bedroom scene where her one and only love would awaken her with a true love's kiss…

* * *

Downstairs, King Agdar, in his dim eyesight over the din of snowgies vying over Boninite with Olaf under Marshmallow's feet, had watched his little woman and daughter walking up the stairs of the elegant Ice Palace Elsa had magnificently built in a single night.

"Do you think there's something amiss with the Queen, Kai? Doesn't she look tired?" His vision might be failing him, but Agdar still had a lover's sense that his drained mate was not at 100% since they left Svalbard.

"Queen Elsa is an extraordinary young lady, bearing up well considering her recent tribulation, with barely a trace of her usual melancholy." The intelligent man comments, speaking about the other, younger Queen of Arendelle whom he and the rest of the nation were concerned about during this second strain of Eternal Winter.

"Yes, she is that. But the melancholy…? Can we do nothing to solve it?" Agdar meant the other queen, but as a father, Agdar placates this strange new anxiety with a headshake. He returns to considering his dutiful disquiet and his role as a concerned parent with many plans ahead for his child to secure her future happiness.

Kai attends to the fretful King some shared glogg along with added ample brandy he knew young Bjorgman had stashed in an icy sconce along the staircase when Kai had come to help supervise the building of the kitchen addition wing of Queen Elsa's Ice Palace last summer.

" _'For emergencies only',_ of course, Mr. Bjorgman said, your Majesty." Trying to relieve his sovereign and friend's unease with comedy, snooty Kai rubs his well-padded stomach, fondly recalling the last 'emergency' which required the amber bottle to be produced for the older cabinet minister gent who was growing less fond of the bitter cold in his advancing years.

"Of course. A wise young man." King Agdar smiles wryly, giving his reliable son-in-law silent credit for shrewdness – if not prudence – every married man required when the subject of drink was approached in the presence of delicate ladies.

 _Though our spirited Anna would hardly be classed as a delicate lady by anyone's standards, would she?_ Thinking of his little girl, her father wondered of his wisdom in not accompanying Kristoff to drive his champion speed sled with his sleepy bride down to inform GranPabbie and the Troll Council of their success in the North.

Agdar sighs, hoping the newly liberated Fire Trolls were doing well and being welcomed by the kindly Rock Trolls into their new family dynamic in the Valley of Living Rock together.

 _Idun said that we should give them time to naturally settle in, and leave some flexibility to the dependable Snow Prince who grew up with the Trolls firsthand and knows their culture better than any of us. I suppose I should be grateful for the boy's familiarity in this delicate domestic ethnic situation in our nation at this critical time…_

* * *

 ** _At the foot of the_** ** _Ice_** **_Palace_** ** _, in the_** ** _Valley_** ** _of_** ** _Living_** ** _Rock…_**

While the Fire Trolls slept by night, the Rock Trolls slept by day, making quite a harmonious community lifestyle for the new heavily populated Valley of Living Rock.

The two races were getting to know one another and working hand-in-hand with mutual trust acceptance that overcame racial prejudices and age-old fears with a new peace they had established.

"Brrr!" Another Princess straining in similar excitement in another decidedly different way suddenly shivers in the darkness. They had been so busy all day getting the Fire Trolls settled into new housing dugouts with Bulda and Cliff and the other Trolls that Anna and Kristoff hardly had time for each other.

"Are you cold, Baby? Where are you?" Hearing Anna's shiver – more like feeling it in his well tuned senses – Kristoff comes around the corner of the Troll cave he had called his 'room' for years.

"Sorry I took so long, but getting every Troll settled in is pretty tough! What a day it's been digging and clearing roughage to make some new real estate outdoors! I know you've been at it too, playing with the new kids and helping move them into abandoned caverns for the new folks to have some space to live in the Valley! Boy, every muscle aches after all that digging. I think I'm gonna just drop to the bed and never get up again." After a long day of plowing fields to make more room for Gamme turf huts and Goahti peat, sod and wood huts for durable, yet quickly erected, living quarters; having meetings concerning the food and water supplies for so many Fire Trolls and Rock Trolls in the relatively small valley area for such a massive influx of refugees; acting as translator, mediator and moving man intermittently when required by any and all, a used up muscle and mind, exhausted Kristoff returns to his room by nightfall. The poor man was plum tuckered out and ready to put up his aching feet to finally stop moving his busy hands, shut his hectic eyes and get a well-deserved good night's rest.

His eyes slowly adjust to the lowlight with the luminescence of the northern aurora borealis streaks across the winter dark sky in the Land of the Midnight Sun. Kristoff gazes quizzically at his little woman's strangely silent, skinny back to him, her silhouette sitting in the pale moonlight streaming down absolutely the most stunning thing Kristoff Bjorgman could ever see under that cavern skylight which he personally carved out of the hilltop as a boy growing up.

There, the skimpy chiffon flowing fabric fell just over the right places, with a palest lavender lilac nightgown adorning her slender form that took the virile young man's breath away. Especially when a jittery Anna turns to face him and the front was even more enticing than the back.

"I… burned the night dress I picked out with Mama at the millinery shop in Flåm, so Elsa lent me hers because it was supposed to be a surprise for you, kind of, 'cause it's our six-month anniversary and my congratulatory prize for you winning the Ice Harvester Games plus a special 'thank you' for always being so wonderful to me –" An uncharacteristically nervous Anna spills this all out in one breath, rambling, and oddly exhilarated to feel so sophisticated and feminine in the filmy little see-through slip as Kristoff silently skulks across the messy boyish bedroom to where his petite girl had gotten herself all dolled up in some frilly translucent nighty – just for him.

Her braids mussed from her own demanding day full of Trolly activity, Anna coyly tries to be the picture of sophisticated grace as she starts fingering his Ice Harvester King trophy at Kristoff's childhood worktable and accidentally drops it to the floor with a thud.

"Oops! Darn it!" Ungainly Anna trips on her own filmy slip's decorative scarf trail as she tries to pick up the reindeer horn prize, frustrated at her own ineptness to be sexy for one night.

The once loner boy who never interacted with human girls until he met crazy Princess Anna, all of a sudden knew just what to say and do to his girl who was feeling quite out of place in a silly, provocative female style not her own.

He was seriously glad now all his jobs outdoors were done and meetings with GranPabbie and the Council of Rock Trolls concerning the Fire Trolls concluded. Even as far as getting Sven already fed and watered and situated for the night in the nearby lean-to shelter just outside the cavern was done.

So a suddenly not tired at all Kristoff blows air between his lips and rolls closed the big boulder to seal just the two of them in from the rest of the world.

"Has it really been six…? Feels only like yesterday… that Troll wedding ceremony…here in this room on our honeymoon…" The blond Ice Harvester turns around and huskily breathes as he deftly crosses to the otherwise vacant room to her, unable to finish any coherent sentence or thought for that matter at the enticing sight of his braided beauty.

"Yep. Right here in this room it _was the first time in forever_ … It seems like that long since we last…" The dreamy ginger Princess of Arendelle gives her big mountain man a similar hungry look and wont for words. She watches Kristoff's quirky smirk on his good-looking face lit up by the aurora borealis as he sheds his thick outer clothing. He approaches her flimsy dressed small body that was trembling with so much more than the late December chill in their semi-outdoor northern hemisphere Troll Valley cave home.

"Sorry I'm a mess. I was too tired to take a bath yet in the hot springs out back." Kristoff self-consciously makes the apology that Anna shakes her head and ignores with a careless p-shaw! and invitingly draws him closer.

"So says a sweaty smelly mountain man. But you're **_my_** sweaty smelly mountain man! And I think your musky testosterone scent is a major turn on! Unless you're still too tired…? Or maybe you don't like my nighty?" Anna looks down at her herself, thinking that the filmy lilac camisole didn't really suit.

{"Hey. I don't care what you're wearing, Anna. Tattered sackcloth, fine silk or even that clunky old Ananias outfit – You shine so bright, you light up the world for me, living fearlessly, braver than brave. Your shine can't ever be covered up because your heart is so brilliant. **_I'm_** the one who should be thanking **_you_** for all you've given me, all you mean to me, Baby. I'd trade a dozen trophies for you, Anna of Arendelle. You're my greatest prize. All I know about love…is you."} Finding thoughts easier than words, Kristoff mentally whispers to his lover as he gently yet powerfully encompasses Anna in his beefy arms.

Lifting her acquiescent body so easily, Kristoff presses Anna to his bare chest, meaning each and every sentimental, sappy, overtly romantic phrase that the down-to-earth mountaineer never imagined he ever would utter to **anyone** once upon a time.

Anna drinks in each yummy word as Kristoff passionately kisses her until both were equally breathless. He stoops up and carries Anna's compliant body loosely to the feather mattress on his rock carved sleeping area that Bulda had amply re-feathered and stuffed since last the couple was upon its flattened form.

"I love it when you go all sticky like that, Kristly. _SMACK_! Let me count all the ways I'm thankful **_you're_** so mine. _SMOOCH_! I'm thankful for your brown eyes that remind me of chocolate pudding! I'm thankful for your ripped muscles that make me salivate to watch almost single-handedly clearing an entire field full of weeds and bramble all sweat drenched and manly. _SMOOCHIE_! I'm thankful for your glorious moon roof full of Northern Light beams showering down so I could see every one of my gorgeous hunk's studly angles! Makes me so thankful I want to run out there and soak up every inch of their light on our bare skin! _SMOOCH_! I'm thankful the sky's so awake, so I stay awake all night to show you my appreciation! _KISS_!" The enthusiastic for all games Princess Anna, aloft in her husband's strong arms, plants a sloppy kiss somewhere on his personage with each declaration as she shimmies out of that filmy nightgown. It drops to the cavern floor as she throws herself into the thrilling role of perfect mate for her mountaineer whom she loved so completely to be his partner in every way.

"All this thankfulness is going to your pretty head, Baby. You're nuts, you know that? But I wouldn't want to change a single sunflower seed about you. I love you, Anna. Thank you for including a nobody like me in your big love so much." In between Anna's hot kisses, Kristoff chuckles at her adorable nuttiness as he lays his frisky wife down as tenderly as possible.

"I wouldn't change a thing about you either, Kristly. I love everything about you, too." Anna giggles, counting a finger to each of Kristoff's ripped pecs and abs and intercoastals, utterly drunk with love. Kristoff presses his feisty ginger down to the feather and hay mattress Bulda had set out for the lovebirds celebrating exactly half a year anniversary of their happy marriage.

{"Then let's spend the rest of tonight saying ' _you're welcome'_ to each other."}

Kristoff wasn't sure anymore if that was his thought or Anna's surging through him intimately as both their basic instincts take control.

 _"Yes! It's true love!"_

A chewing his cud, smirking Sven could hear Anna's squeals of delight late into the evening from where he was outside the closed rolled over boulder under the in sync fireworks show of the aurora borealis lights streaking by.

* * *

 ** _Somewhere in the skies above the Skaggerrak Straits between_** ** _Denmark_** ** _and_** ** _Norway_** ** _…_**

 _"Ah, I have found my angel, with the dust the stars in her eyes. I have found my angel, and she's taking me back to the skies!"_

The Prince of the Southern Isles' perfect tenor soars through the nippy winter airwaves high above the choppy blue seas of the Skaggerrak Strait nearing the Norwegian coast.

Clouds race by the crisp chilled sky that encompassed the young man on a magic flying Carpet. The chameleon charmer was on his way back from one final mission concerning the Djvælen King Troll's capture that the man himself was instrumental in helping the Queen of the North Winter defeat.

"Does this cloud formation remind you of somebody, Carpet?" Hans' eloquent tenor allows himself to finally push down his tense guard to go all dreamy quixotic as only a romantic young man of twenty-six could, all while shaving his noble chin and trimming his debonair sideburns to perfection in this airy situation.

Trying to keep a smooth ride, the friendly Rugman turns his tassels upward in a shrugging _'I give up again'_ animated motion to the daydreaming young man with a fearless sharp razor at his throat while fantasizing of his lover back home each time he emerged from his steam moistened towel.

Carpet had a feeling the answer yet again was ' _Queen Elsa of Arendelle'_ in some model-esque striking pose.

 _I wonder what you're doing right now, min_ _kæreste_ _? Have you had time yet to spare a thought for me? Clearly and maddeningly, you are all I think about now that we have put that contemptuous creature behind us, my darling._

His last minute touch-up shaving complete, Hans smiles at the indulgent fantasies he was prepossessed to keep replaying in his head as he clutches the brilliantly glowing ice pendant yet around his neck in his Ice Queen's delicate shape and form.

Yes, he may have to endure much deserved verbal abuse and administrative consternation, and perhaps even a demotion of rank from his superior officer – namely Elsa's father, the Admiral – for abandoning his post of a ship's Captain in the Norwegian Navy. But Hans was willing to face whatever punishment, ready with the explanation of his honest intentions.

All he had to do was think of some way to come clean and still spare his future sister-in-law Princess Anna from bearing too much of the blame. Even though it **_was_** her scheme to exercise duplicity to call _him_ back early and perhaps jeopardize the cautious Danish Prince's brittle chances for leniency.

In due time of establishing himself to be an upright and trustworthy second-in-command Vise Admiral of the Sjoforsvaret, and Captain of the newly commissioned flagship HmNoS Nidaros, Prince Hans had been planning to make a request to King Agdar for a shortened separation trial period. The gifted speaker, in good faith, would incrementally urge his superior in subtle ways transpired in their business correspondence, until Hans could smoothly beg audience concerning the remainder of his two year engagement stipulation with the Admiral's daughter.

 _Surely Elsa's recent emotional ordeal must've illustrated to the Admiral of his daughter's explicit need for stability in her wavering heart? And that sort of forever security comes only with a lifetime union of two souls who can share anything, unquestionably, and without doubt._

Hans' only hope and prayer, now that his case was compromised by Anna & Idun's plotting, was that Elsa's good father would be more inclined to his heartfelt plea in real life than Hans' devilish past portrayed.

Just the passing idea of 'devil' in his windswept head gave Hans thought of another wicked malevolent—the Djvælen, giving the redhead shivers. He was thoroughly relieved to have been there to witness firsthand the Snow Queen herself open up the fathoms deep crevice beneath age-old glacial ice that surrounded an impenetrable deep ice cage in the Volstok South Pole area of Antarctica.

There he personally threw down the magic, all-powerful Genie's lamp his Storbror Eugene had donated his one wish for in brotherly love. It contained the iniquitous menace to be buried in subzero ice that would never melt until the end of time under the vigilant Snow Queen's careful watch. Down there, the evil Devil Troll King had no recourse for a heat source to power his mind games in this far-off distant corner of the world where his malevolent threat of domination could never escape again.

 _"Godspeed, young Prince, as you return to your Queen. Your true home is with my Northern Winter counterpart, Ice Queen Elsa of the_ _North_ _Mountain_ _. Be her strength in weakness, her voice in silence, her reason in confusion, showing her love is the answer…just as my Ragi has been the light in the darkness for me all these years. Once you have found that true Heaven-sent intimacy between two like souls, dear Prince Hans…never let it go again. May God send you prevailing warm winds and sunlit polar days…this blessed next generation will rule the wintry mighty land to the north as the Lord intended, hand-in-hand, two by two, side-by-side."_

Hans recalls the Snow Queen and Ragi's sapient words of wisdom as he marvels how, so as one, they were that the older pair finished one another sentences holding one another's hands with a tranquil smile on each wise face all the while they waved to him from the Snow Queen of the South Winter's newly erected dome Snow Palace.

 _Please God, give me the courage to ask for boldness of wise words and an understanding heart that will comprehend with forbearance all opposition and adversity set before me. I am determined to overcome all to hold my beautiful Queen close, just as they have, all the years of our lives._

"Soon it will be my queen's birthday. So her knight in shining armor must be presentable." The handsome Prince makes pleasant conversation with the flying creature. His nimble hands were now employed in threaded needle handicraft that he was adept at as a Naval born and bred man, trained to repair sail at any hour at sea.

However, the delicate work was made more difficult due to his lacerated hands still recovering after crushing the black ice crystal that had been controlling his Elsa. The bandages around the wounded deep penetrated scar tissue were rather an encumbrance to simple sewing a seam straight.

 _There's been worse pain_. But indefatigable Prince Hans persisted through the hurt and frustration as his gaze was invariably drawn towards the tattered plush named 'Sir Jorganbjorgen' which was winking up at him with the dilapidated stuffed puffin's one wobbly stitched crooked right eye. The cute black and white birdie toy had been Princess Elsa's favorite dear friend since she was very little when her not so stitch-worthy young Mama had hand-knit it together for the tiny little girl ages ago.

After all these years, the cherished redheaded yarn knight had been kept in storage in the attic of Arendelle Castle, until Elsa had discovered and reclaimed her dear plush buddy and brought him up to her Ice Palace bedroom. Sir Jorgenbjorgen always reminded the uncertain blonde princess of Arendelle of how she was loved by her parents and sister in all the Christmases of their youth gone past.

Clinging to Sir Jorgen's squishy body when she was unsure, stroking his sparse locks of yarn hair when she was scared, petting his pale blue cape and retying its glove fingers off and on when nervous, Elsa was never really alone as long as she could rely on her stalwart knight to stand at her side.

 _I think I'm a bit jealous of how much attention you received, puffin._

 _I swear to be your Knight errant from now on, min ædle, who's every bit as resilient as this valiant little fellow who emulated your besotted lover to jump straight into the pit of hellfire for you._

"He may be a tad worse for wear, but we will soon set him right, Carpet." Constantly addressing his ride to keep some sanity at this altitude, ever the proper gentlemen Prince never forgot the rug he was seated upon was sentient and tender of spirit to be merely ignored as dumb transportation.

"I am glad the milliner you suggested before we left Corona offered this shade of viridescent green button for me to replace his missing blue one with. It makes him look more like me, don't you think?" Hans turns around and holds up Sir Jorgenbjorgen's cute face close to his for light-hearted comparison.

When no response save for some unmindful, displeased grunting comes from behind him, the non-acrophobic of heights Hans acrobatically leans over the edge of Carpet at its whizzing by high-altitude. The Prince affably holds up the rerouted red yarn hair – perfectly coiffed and parted in the middle, for Carpet to see.

The fully stuffed again puffin now sported a reinforced green button over its neatly patched up holes as Hans holds it up close to his face for at least Carpet to compare.

The Magic Carpet gives his playful, gallant rider a tassel-ly thumbs up, recalling how the astute prince had stitched him up securely when his rug fibers were literally falling apart after being ripped to shreds by wolves and polar bears and possessed swordsman and the like.

"I realize it is wholly insufficient to offer such a reconstituted present to a lady – _much less to a Queen_ – but my benevolent Elsa will no doubt overlook the gift's inadequacy by proviso of the ample sentiment of my heart as recompense." The closer Hans came to the horizon of the precious far-off shores of his adopted new land, the more excited in anticipation he became.

Despite foreboding knowledge that the King of Arendelle did _not_ summon his Vise Admiral from his remote post in India and the China seas – discovering that this trip home was all a mere ruse of Princess Anna's doing, Hans was still secretly glad to be this much closer to the light of his eyes, the woman he, against all odds and reason, was madly in love with.

"How foolish must a lovesick man like me appear to be, eh, my friend? But you must forgive this weakness in me. I'm on my way home to her! My Elsa of Arendelle is the most magnificent soul I have ever been so privileged to encounter – Queen or no Queen. So I must keep my promise to her." The comely Prince lets out a self deprecating chortle at himself in this sorry state where a singular female's memorable come-hither glance and entreaty for him to attend her celebration, annoyed father and irate Admiral or no, reduced the clever man to submission and obedience to any of her whims.

The Prince of the Southern Isles then directs his gaze back to his thus far _other_ silent companion beyond mute Carpet upon whom they were sharing the ride thereupon.

The journey across the sea for Hans Westergaard was not a lonely one. Even amid her own trial of childbirth, caring and compassionate Princess Rapunzel made sure of that when she insisted her new super team-up doctors stick together.

"Hmm? Have you been talking to me? Oh, sorry. Zoning out again. My bad." A young man with a thick shock of dark hair that had an odd tuft of teal in his bangs glances up distractedly from where he had been welding a bolt into some odd-shaped metallic device.

Local Corona inventor Varian Gutenberg looks up from beneath his big brown goggles with wide eyes that were magnified even more comical due to the eyewear's large lenses.

"Umm…Ice Queen Elsa is magnificent? So I've heard. I'm looking forward to meeting your intriguing fiancée, Vise Admiral. There's a lot I'd like to study about her to discern all the secrets behind the mysterious science of her alleged 'magic'." Had another man uttered those quantifiable words, Hans would have hit the roof. Or, as there was no ceiling or floor on the flying Magic Carpet ride he had been sharing with this curious friend of Princess Rapunzel – the Danish Prince most likely would have throw down his glove for a duel by sword on the ill-advised, loquacious lad.

But Hans had come to know the spiky black haired younger man - who still appeared just out of his teenage pubescence – though Varian Gutenberg was nearly 21 years of age – through the nerve-racking delivery of Rapunzel and Eugene's twin babies, to be a decent intellectual, if just a tad eccentric.

So Hans' sword remains in its hilt. The bemused smirk on his tolerant, attractive face looks over to his indisputably _Magic_ flying Carpet shipmate's shrug.

"I assure you, sir, that Queen Elsa of Arendelle _is_ genuinely gifted of cryokinetic magic that is not to be trifled with, nor questioned like she was some freak test subject." Hans swivels his redhead that had been preoccupied with his own thoughts in the dark cloudy wee hours to send a warning shot glance over the bow of the curious young man's curiosity that could've killed the cat.

"Oh – um – sorry I didn't mean that – uh – I'd ever want to _dissect_ your fiancé like some lab rat. Wait. Your Queen is **not** a rat, in any way, I'm sure. And I'd never dissect a girl. Yikes. That didn't come out right either. I'd better just stop talking." Unaccustomed to speaking to strangers one-on-one beyond his dad, Princess Rapunzel, and his close friend, Cassandra, Varian stumbles over-apologizing for his apology. His busy genius hands were nonstop tweaking at his latest invention/birthday gift for said intriguing Ice Queen that Rapunzel had asked her favorite inventor to craft along this out-of-the-blue trip North to pick up Cass.

"Yes, that would be advisable." More amused than angered, the deft swordsman runs his skilled fingers across his blade's sheath in a semi-threat before he stands down his offended antagonism of the tactless alchemist.

"What is it you are you are working on, if I may ask?" Like the classy guy he was, Hans magnanimously changes the taboo subject of referring to Elsa as anything other than an angel Queen. His astute mind was more than mildly interested to know what this intelligent young friend of his sister-in-law could be inventing for Elsa's birthday present on Rapunzel's behalf.

"Oh!" Varian's bright sky blue eyes light up like Christmas trees at any interest shown for his brainstormed products that most normal folks go all dull-eyed bored over in seconds.

"This is my latest innovation of my take on the classic Belgian invented waffle iron. But this one is wind power motorized to be every handy traveler's cooking toaster for fast baked waffles, cookies, bread, even meats and vegetables and the like! My 'Wafflebaker' even doubles as a water boiler for tea or coffee or soup! It's also designed to serve as a glove warmer/ heater on cold vacations in the woods!" The excited, stick-thin young man looks as wild-eyed and crazed as his windblown spiked hair. Dynamic student of alchemy Varian 'sells' his latest, most state-of-the-art creation full of concisely crafted small gears and belts and heating elements cleverly placed in a compact flat metal waffle iron design complete with chemically treated fireproof handles and feet.

"Ingenious. This could be the wave of the future, my friend." Studious Prince Hans was always interested in modern development, his prescient intellect stirred by the self-powered, fire-less cooking and heating device that any homemaker, traveler or on the go workman would appreciate.

He turns from Carpet's front seat to compliment his passenger to look behind where Varian Gutenberg had been industriously holding shop with his backpack full of tools and tricks in relative silence since they left Corona for the South Pole on a mission to be rid of the Devil Troll trapped in the Genie's lamp.

"You really think so? I'm just working out a few bugs after something that Ragi friend of yours pointed out to me about the density of fired sandstone and the conductive current passed through resistance to graphite via the cupronickel wire I was using. He's quite a free modern thinker for an old guy, and seemed to know a lot about alchemy and natural elements. Quite futuristic." Inquisitive Varian had no idea how very wise the old Wind Whisperer was about many things in Nature the unobservant man could not see.

Hans examines the self heating device that would eliminate the necessity of fire and danger of searing flames that he was all too familiar with from recently battling the Devil Troll King in the pits of the earth.

But that's when his fine nose smells something onboard quite acrid penetrating the wind blown upper atmosphere they were zipping through.

"Yes, the original Wind Whisperer appeared to be rather visionary in his thinking. It is admirable. However, I believe something in the present is burning." Hans states calmly, yet urgently directing the gangly tall lad to look.

Varian was so busy perfecting his 'wafflebaker's' feet casing to not singe any of game Carpet's high pile but failed to remain alert on the contents of the new invention.

"Oh no, no no! Our dinner is wrecked!" The goggle eyed frazzled boy looked quite the part of a mad scientist when he, wearing his thick black leather gloves, lifts the lid of his flat iron wafflebaker invention. He crinkles his cute little red nose at the burnt smell ensuing from it.

Using his long handled tweezers, Varian extracts one extremely burnt piece of fillet mignon beef Hans had picked up at the butcher shop next to the tailor in Corona before he left. It was there that Varian had caught up with the Danish Prince, a.k.a. Eugene's little brother, collecting supplies before departing for the long, nonstop sky voyage down to Antarctica.

The alchemist pulls down his goggles to get a better look at the leathery tough filet's charred damage in the dim light between the stationary lantern attached to a strange utility hat on his ingenious head and the moon above.

"Cassie – ergh, Lady Cassandra – usually is in my workshop to watch that I don't do just that. I get so involved in my projects that I often forget to check on stuff brewing, let alone eat." The young man runs a frustrated hand through his thick mane of black hair as he fondly recalls to the conscientious beauty of the handmaiden.

Rapunzel's ladies' maid made it a point to visit Varian inventor's lair at least three times a week if not more lately at the request of the young man.

Actually, Cassandra Schmidt was the one and only woman other than Princess Rapunzel who was ever admitted into Varian's lonely scientist's workshop to help with his inventions which not many others knew about.

"Since the beginning of time every man needed a good woman beside him to survive this life. Believe me, I've come to realize this fact. You must work extremely hard to win her inestimable affection, be grateful for her forgiveness when you do wrong—which is bound to be often, and pray with all your might to not ever let her down again, so you may remain the noble man she deserves." Hans shares his morsels of wisdom of the fair sex that he had learned firsthand the hard way over the years. Speaking from personal experience and intense determination, Hans clenches his fist over his heart with the silver platinum snowflake engagement ring biting its sharp diamond crystals into his embedded skin.

 _I will never give up, Elsa of Arendelle, until you're mine…_

"Yeah… She's a _very_ good woman. Smart and competent and considerate. _Sigh_. But it's hard to know if Cassandra's even interested in me because she's so amazing, and I'm so much younger than her. And with my record, it doesn't help that she's so into law enforcement, does it? Her father's Captain of the Guard for Heaven's sake! Even if Cassie's forgiven me, **he** **_knows_** I was the bad guy who threatened all of Corona just a few years back. How can I get her to look past all that _now_ , and notice how much I care—way beyond just being a good friend?" Varian's frustration was more directed at himself and the romantic aspiration he was always too absorbed in his solitary scientific work to ever ponder much on, nor ever learn how to really treat a lady.

But this approachable young Prince Hans, not far from his age, seemed to exude a wise openness about romance to give inexperienced Varian some tips.

"Your situation and mine are more alike than you know…" Finding the young man in much the same complicated spot with his intended's irate father and all, Hans murmurs low, with more than a little guilt still behind all of his philosophical, witty smiles.

"But what if the girl I like doesn't ever show if she likes me back as much as I do her? What then? There's no mechanical invention I can conjure up that can make her fall for me. If a loser like me even deserves her." A dejected Varian wrings his hands over the scorched beef cut as he scrapes it out of his motorized wonder's cooking tray.

"Argh! If this is being in love, it's tough! I just want to be with my Cassie for Christmas…" Somehow, with Hans, the distressed twenty-year-old felt he could open up feelings that he never told anyone, not even his Dad – about the Captain of Corona's daughter. They had known each other for years and the two spent a lot of time together with serious talks and laughs, enjoying one another's company in many adventures, beside Rapunzel and Eugene.

Cassandra _seemed_ willing to forgive his reckless indiscretions of the past, though she was a tough woman to read who rarely addressed her feelings to anyone, let alone him.

And why should she trust an ex-convict like him anyway?

"Truly, Varian. I personally understand what entails with a woman who doesn't wear her heart on her sleeve. But believe me, to unwrap the complexity of true love in such a special creature, who keeps her tenderness locked up inside, will be the most rewarding adventure of all. You simply must find the courage to make your good intentions clear, and impress her with your resolve and determination, no matter what the adversity." Adaptive 'older brotherly' and wise, Hans bolsters Varian's irresolute emotion with a fair measure for his own self reassurance.

"Thanks for the advice." The dark haired young man gives a crooked smile to his fellow romantic warrior

"So…what do we do for food now? I ruined your beef. Sorry." Varian twists his lip with a smile to Hans as he pushes the button that automatically cleaned out his device's grilling surface into the evacuation tray underneath. His stomach rumbles down at the sight of the scorched piece of beef he had so been looking forward to as he had not eaten for the past two days in trepidation over Rapunzel's emergency pregnancy. But it was overcooked to a hard piece of leather.

"We make do with what we have to offer." Hans smiles his winning simper back at the stressed younger man, speaking of more than just the difficult piece of meat. The Prince of the Southern Isles produces a sharp dagger and expertly shaves off the black carbonization until the whittled down chunk of steak was a mere quarter inch thick.

Putting on his chef hat, Hans liberally salts the beef and expertly slices along the grain of the fibrous, more than well done meat into long, thin-cut strips. He then takes whatever meager juice meat drippings were caught in the wafflebaker's lower drip-tray and sprinkles a laissez-faire amount of freshly ground red pepper and some other fresh spices the nice old butcher had included along with the top choice steak. The charming foreign gentleman, with discerning taste for fine meats, knew how to compliment his way to achieve some freak herbs and spices from the shopkeeper.

Hans simmers the dried out strips in a bit of spiced water in a tin cup with the fresh ground pepper, salt and a touch of vinegar and Quaid honey the forward thinking Prince had thought to purchase as it was both medicinal and healthy to spread over bread. He then stirs the marinade over the wind powered hot wafflebaker until bubbles form around the super thin pieces of meat.

"Now we leave these strips to cool for one hour. That should be sufficient chill in the upper hemisphere temperature for the smoked meat to be cured. Perhaps not as high class as it could have been, but this rescued beef will be a Western-style American beef jerky –" The culinary chef in Hans was just putting the final seasoning on the hashed brown potatoes he had adeptly julienned, diced and seasoned with brushed on oil he had been grilling on the other side of Varian's cooking device.

Varian marvels at how the capable redhead had kept balance of the ingredients and cooking utensils and still was able to direct Carpet simultaneously to the best route to Arendelle in the Southeast of Norway, just across the straits.

"This is called 'beef jerky'? Wow. Americans know how to make good tasting stuff out of a mistake. No wonder the colonies declared their independence from Weselton. Wow. It's delicious, too." A famished Varian had already scarfed down his three of the six pieces of thin meat strips before Hans finished plating his potato course, causing the former cabin boy/ship's cook to grin at his impatience.

"Glad you liked it. Protein nutritious red meat does wonders for a man's confidence." Hans laughs at the banality of their situation with Varian, both shaking off the jittery nerves associated with soon facing the reality of the women they loved.

There was something naïve and innocent about this lonely young man that Prince Hans could sympathize with, particularly after recalling that Varian too had been rehabilitated from being a bad boy once upon a time, just like him.

"You can cook and be a soldier and a doctor and philosopher, all while being fearless of heights." Swallowing back his own fear of heights, Varian, his hunger satisfied, leans back on Carpet's plush seating to take a moment out of his nervous romantic and scientific jumbled thoughts to assess the capable Prince sitting in front of him. "No wonder you snapped up a Queen. Elsa will be lucky to have you as a husband, Hans. I wouldn't even know where to start to garner courage to ever pop that big question! I'd probably rather busy myself in some new chemistry equation or even discuss a seminar on quantum physics than talk serious romance. But maybe if I use some of your advice, I can get Cassie to notice me…" Varian comments as he accepts a pleasant Hans' offer of a crispy fried potato patty, cooked to perfection on his latest invention wafflebaker atop the high flying smooth ride of a Magic Carpet cutting through the sky.

"I have not ' ** _snapped up'_** , as you say, my Queen just yet, Varian. It is I who will be the inexorably fortunate one to secure her love. I don't intend to let this Providential opportunity to encourage and bolster our relationship pass by without offering her all my love, devotion and loyalty, without reservation and without fear of the consequences. Ladies do require to hear and be acknowledged in such things more than we men ever do, and I will not let my Elsa down in this department – now or ever in the future which I intend to offer her with both my hands. I refuse to leave it up to chance anymore!" Hans boisterously, if in part erroneously, imparts to an appreciative Varian the serious man-to-man pep talk both lonely ex-criminals seeking love required as the beautiful targets of their reformed hearts were imminently drawing closer.

* * *

 ** _Sunrise_** ** _at Cliff and Bulda's_** ** _Troll_** **_Valley_** ** _cave home…_**

 _"Come away! Come away, my love, and I'll carry you over the sea. Come away, come away my love, and I'll make you as happy as me_ …" Kristoff Bjorgman had been singing a lullaby to his sleepy-eyed girl who finally had succumbed to slumber.

"Hey, Baby. How's my trophy award-winning partner this fine morning?" With a tender kiss to her scruffy forehead, the blond man gazes down in the predawn glow where his totally askew bride was laying. Anna was all bare elbows and exposed knees draped over his similarly unclothed, muscle toned body on the bed of hay and feathers.

After all, every side of any bed they shared was Anna's.

Anna's normally tight orangey braids had come undone in the night – one wonders how – and her unkempt hair was a frizzy mass of ginger curls sticking up in every direction atop her carrot top head.

Anna yawns her big mouth wide right in Kristoff's face as the young woman unabashedly sits straight up. She uses Kristoff's sinewy tight body for leverage to inelegantly perch against her hunky husband's strapping bare pecs, abs, and anything that didn't get out of her clumsy way in between.

But in Kristoff's adoring eyes, his Anna could do not be any more beautiful than how she looked right now in the glistening first rays of the sunlight deliberately placed above the hay slab bed were young Kristoff had spent many hours gazing above when he was supposed to be sleeping.

But he was the type of curious child to stare up and wonder, never knowing that there would be such a great love somewhere for him beyond the freedom of the skies.

"Mama…I'm gonna see Kristly today…please fix my hair pretty…" Anna murmurs dreamily.

"Sure, I'll have a go at it. But I'm definitely not your Mama, Baby." Kristoff accedes to his languorous wife's demands with a messy, all-thumbs pair of uneven ginger braids as result.

"Hmm? Is that you, Kristly? What are you doing in my bedroom?" The yet half-asleep, droopy-eyed girl obviously was not a morning person as she props her elbow up on his ripped musculature and lets out one last snore before dropping back asleep totally with her frizzed hair draped all over his eight pack abs that sets a ticklish Kristoff giggling.

"Hee hee hee. Good question, Feistypants." The nickname never more true, Kristoff chuckles at his punch-drunk silly morning wife whom he still, even after many secret early morning rendezvous, never tired of her cute, bumpy awakening ritual.

Feeling his way down, Kristoff, as a proper husband, gets back into the swing of adding his daily tease for his lazy, drooling mouth open wife to come to full consciousness.

 ** _PINCH!_**

"Ouchy!" Anna squeaks wide-awake now when Kristoff's massive mischievous fingers playfully pinch her peachy –

 ** _SLAP!_** Anna had to resort in frustration with a mere resounding slap to his tight buttocks when a get-even pinch was nearly impossible to accomplish for its manly tautness versus her soft and squishy buns.

"So, how do you feel, Mrs. Bjorgman?" Her physical attack penalty rather roused him instead, as Kristoff's husky voice and toned body slides deftly out from under his punishing wife.

"Hot." But one single word from a sweaty, fussy, only half awake girl dashhing her hopeful hubby's daybreak ambition causes Kristoff to flop back down on the hay bed with a disappointed sigh. He scoots over, giving his overheated bride space in his stiflingly warm cave bedroom.

During the night his adopted mom Bulda must've turned on the fireplace in the connected utility room of the multi-plex cavern. The caring Troll parents, though their tough Rock Troll skin was practically immune to the cold, had specially customized the insulated cave for their human son to endure the long winter months out of normal civilization-type housing.

"I know…me, too." Kristoff agrees with a soft groan.

The panting, torridly hot and sweating frowning girl kicks off all the sheeting and pillows on the bed, then suddenly lights up with one of her more brilliant, if not rash ideas.

"Race you to the hot spring!" Inspired by some whimsical flight of fancy, an energized Anna abruptly hops up from their cozy hay-bed, slamming poor Kristoff in his vulnerable ribs pretty hard.

Without abandon – or anything else on her bare skin either – Anna dashes across Kristoff's childhood bedroom and uses all her assertive muscle to roll back the humongous rock rolled to cover the back door that he had dug out years ago to accommodate Sven.

It was left open in the Spring and Summer and Autumn for the reindeer to come in and out at leisure with the huge stone Kristoff would have to roll in place like a door only during winter months when he and Sven both stayed inside, all cozy like.

"I can't believe she moved that huge rock door all by herself. What a woman!" Kristoff mutters to himself, totally impressed by his nimble little woman's incredible spouts of strength, only outclassed by her amazing bouts of spontaneity.

"But wait! Anna! The Fire Trolls will be awake soon! What if someone sees you?! You're butt naked!" He had been admiring the rear view of his lively gal running like a young gazelle through the cold towards the nearby fresh spring water under the rising sun. Kristoff all at once realized that his impetuous girl who always said she'd love to run naked in the breeze, was doing just that.

"What? Are you chicken to run naked in the breeze? Bock-bock, bock!" Feeling independent and free, Anna flaps her arms in chicken fashion, laughing so hard as she runs full speed ahead.

Though Kristoff knew the Rock Trolls were all by now asleep for the daybreak hibernation he well remembered, the Fire Trolls, after a long hard day yesterday of working on settling in, would be awake with the sun.

The liiberated Troll race had been building themselves housing structures and getting acquainted with their cousins, and now would surely soon be on the move.

He grabs a sheet and some bits of clothing strewn all over the cavern floor as the similarly nude, lean man with the fine physique rushes out in hot pursuit of his windblown lover's wild trail.

Unrestrained Anna, as free as the wind was laughing so merrily that she was doing somersaults, skipping across the morning frosty ground with her arms waving out like some exhibitionist cheerleader.

"Catch me if you can, Kristly! Whee! I'm as free as a whippoorwill running naked in the breeze! Let the sunshine in, Sven!" The exhilarated ginger's liberated dash though the tree-lined brush goes right past the recently awakened Rangifer chewing his cud.

And when his best buddy Kristoff joins the uninhibited flasher in like fashion, the calm reindeer barely bats an eye, continuing to chew calmly his breakfast. After all, the reindeer bull knew all about the birds and the bees now himself with his love, the reindeer doe Svala, introduced to him.

Seeing Ice Harvester King Kristoff in the buff was nothing new for the reindeer buddy who had grown up with the boy, but witnessing Anna run independent and free was a new phase in their maturing lives together. However, Sven was getting accustomed to the eccentricities of the lovely wildflower named Anna Bernadotte who changed his partner of a loner mountain man's life forever, and for the better.

* * *

"Ah, what a glorious day in our vibrant kingdom at peace, is it not, my Snow Angel?" King Agdar calls out to where his daughter Elsa was riding in the passenger seat beside Prince Alonso of Córdoba in the Argentinean Prince's ice enchanted chariot behind Lento and Estable, his pair of mahogany Criollo horses at the Ice King carriage's rear.

"Yes, Papa! The vista of snowcapped trees and glistening hills leading down to the Valley of Living Rock overlooking Arendelle in the distance is quite breathtaking!" The Ice Queen was feeling rather excited herself in much anticipation of just another day or two to go before the scheduled birthday Ball in her honor.

It was then her dashing Prince Hans promised he would be in attendance and Elsa had the highest hope that they would meet together again. Elsa felt she had learned so much more about the truth of his heart through Hans' romantic – _at times rather racy_ – diary entries which Prince Ferdinand had kindly left with her to peruse in her lover's absence.

 _If only for a brief time for my birthday… Dare I hope for Christmas, too? How I long to see myself reflected in your stunning eyes once more, my beautiful Hans._

Elsa's yearning smile overlooking the pristine snow-covered landscape as they near Troll Valley is abruptly startled when a sudden frozen coat of thick flurry frost misted blind her dazzled eyes.

"Hey! Whoa, boys! What you playing at, Woman!? I can't see where I'm going!" Alonso accusingly grouses as he is forced to slow his already sluggish chariot to a complete stop at the icy barricade he could not see through as driver.

"It's… it's not me!" The astounded Ice Queen stares at her gloved hands for any trace of cryo-magic escaping. "Thank God, it's not me." Elsa sighs in relief for the tranquil peace in her serene heart that assured the ice storm which once raged inside there wasn't the cause of this sudden flurry.

"Then it must be your Dad. Is he having a bad day? Or is he always such an aggressive driver? I haven't touched your daughter, Sire… _damn it_ …" Alonso murmurs his disappointment in a guiltless confession of being a good boy for once. Through the allure of gorgeous Queen Elsa's replete many charms he got the chill yet again thanks to her overbearing, all-powerful icy parent.

"Papa? What is it?" Elsa calls over to her father whose glowing now ice pale blue eyes made it apparent he was culpable for the flash frost-veil coating of the nearby vicinity. A jostled Minister Kai was in the front bench while Queen Idun and Gerda hold onto one another in the backseat with Olaf as the Ice King brashly pulls the larger Brougham carriage over, cutting corners to directly sideways block the front end of Alonso's chariot's view.

"Uh… Nothing… It is nothing, my child. Just…urgh… Sun glare that I wish to spare your eyes from. It is a harsh sunrise that you should shield your vision from — it can quickly make you snow blind, I hear. You must cherish your gift of vision, as I do now expressively more than ever." Stumbling for words, King Agdar withholds whatever disturbing visual evidence that he himself saw with astonished blurry sight that had alarmed him to the point of disbelieving what his eyes told him was true.

Never mind that of his innocent and chaste little girl riding in the chariot behind his.

 _At least one of my daughters was raised to be a civilized and refined young lady of proper rank and decorum, befitting a personnage of our noble Royal house._

* * *

 ** _SPL-LASH!_**

"I win! Gimme my prize!"

 ** _SUPER BIG SPL-LASSHH!_**

"Whoops! I'm in trouble!" The second pursuant flasher's lean, musclebound form was partially shielded by a flurry of reindeer fur and hooves when the totally nude beefsteak of a Wind Whisperer at the last minute picked up Sven's mental warning.

The reindeer bull, who had spotted the pair of incoming carriages from his cleared tree vantage point, had his lifelong best Buddy's back, literally.

"We've got company, Anna." A suddenly shy Kristoff submerges his larger form beneath the warm waters of the small hot spring as best he could. He awkwardly hides behind some rocks with just the top of his blond head and eyes peeking out to guiltily scan the tree covered area facing the pathway.

"So what? We're legal. And I'm still gonna **claim** my **prize**!" Proudly holding her wedding band ring finger high up in the air, Anna shows off her playful boldness and total lack of inhibition, diving beneath the sloshing waves to taunt her young hubby's pensive frame cornered between the rocks.

"Grr! You're asking for it, Baby!" Kristoff growls, glad his honed senses told him that their unwelcome 'visitors' had continued on to the village center and were not stopping at the tree secluded hot springs.

"Yes I am!" Anna sings in complete glee, giggling as her strapping blond boy takes up her challenge amid the swishing warm waters all around their playful underwater lover's waltz in three quarter time.

* * *

Elsa was sure she heard Anna's piercing squeals of laughter and fun mingled with a man's voice she _assumed_ was Kristoff's more masculine deeper tones cut through the misty frost morn amid splashing sounds from some water source not too far away.

"I take back everything I said about that dirt covered mountain boy and his corrupting commoner influence." The indignant King mutters sourly to an appalled Minister Kai who was doing his best to put his dropped jaw back into place. The snobbish Arendelle council member pretends he too had not just glimpsed the younger Princess of Arendelle and her Prince Consort's shocking naked streaker run and laughing merry dive into a nearby hot spring's constantly soothing temperatures.

"I must have a serious talk with him about proper proprieties in my kingdom and perhaps return to limiting his… _relational time_ …with my precious little girl."

A red-faced Kai nods in agreement with his bothered King. The portly guardian glances back to Gerda, shaking his head gravely at the younger Princess raised under their wing who had chosen such a low class man – as obliging and useful as young Bjorgman may be at times – to associate with.

"Why's that, min älskare? Does this entertaining honeymoon incident not remind you of another certain young man who brought his newlywed wife to a secluded hot spring vacation spot much like this one?" Whispering in Agdar's ear breathily, Idun tickles under the nape of her irate husband's red with anger neck to soften him a bit.

" _You_ may have been as impetuous and untamed a girl of seventeen as your younger child, Idun, but _I_ was never so indecorously unclothed running through the open woods and splashing into a spring, like some ignorant, common wild man!" The hot and bothered King bristles at the excessive comparison his amused wife was making with the fierce whisper of denial for her ears only.

"Oh, Agdar? I almost recall a certain devilishly handsome young man with a budding brand-new moustache chasing his freezing young bride up to the North Mountain during their rather passionate bridal tour in his impressive country, and cornering her at its peak under the intoxicating aurora borealis lights. Or is my memory of a _different_ , overconfident, swaggering, irascible, tall, lean and sleek naval officer who, if I remember his words correctly ' _required no garment adornment as the good Lord first created man to be before the Garden of Eden fell'_?" Flirting, challenging, sentimental, prosecuting and nostalgic all at once, Idun smugly smirks in Agdar's thoroughly frazzled face at an indeed very memorable honeymoon trip not so far from here up the North mountain.

Idun cleverly evokes a clearing cough out of her bulging eyed, embarrassed mate who clearly remembered through the eyes of that impulsive lad of nineteen years of age, that it was all too true.

"Ahem – yes. That was a different era…ahem…But to please you, my Queen, I will overlook the machinations of young lovers still in their first year of wedded bliss. We will leave Adam and Eve to their own devices and meet with GranPabbie and his clan to see how the Fire Trolls are acclimating." The King concludes, making certain to maintain his icy barrier to keep his Elsa, at least, untainted and pure as he prompts their carriages to move forward past the many geyser hot springs towards the center of town.

 _Oh, why did they have to grow up so fast and want to associate with young men so soon, Lord? Obviously it's too late for me as father to steer my Gingersnap right. But I suppose if I **must** let go of my Snow Angel, this time it will be to a man of utmost character and nobility, not to mention honor and fidelity._

Agdar was determined to dispel the unwanted present with his now more pressing problem of the upcoming matrimonial question concerning his elder girl and that ever-questionable, dubious Dane she was somehow besotted with.

 _According to my fellow seamen who have encountered the Nidaros thus far, young Westergaard makes a fine officer in command of our Navy flagship in remote seas. So that is where I just intend to keep the dishonored Dane appointed Vise Admiral – my second-in-command in the Sjoforsvaret. That high honor should be sufficient reward for his distinguished service to our country in its time of need. I doubt our Elsa will **still** keep her foolish hankering for that young man after she fairly assesses each of the much more worthy potential suitors I have gathered for her coming out ball, yet…if she for some unimaginable reason **does** , then I will not stand in her way. But for now, I will take full responsibility for being father and guardian of the young woman whom I have mistakenly sheltered far too long and entice her now to dip her toe, as it were, in other waters, which I am sure she will find much more to her taste and good sense. I commend her control of her ice magic and trust in her acuity to be the responsible leader of this nation, but in this… our Elsa is too naïve and unfamiliar with the ways of men to so offhandedly choose the unlucky 13th in line Danish Prince—who, in not so trifling a matter, was once charged as a seditious criminal felon for regicide in our country—as her consort! _

_I can't overlook his being a power-hungry Dane, but Prince Hans, as a rather courageous soldier, capable sailor and God-fearing man, would otherwise be an impeccable choice of a match for our big girl. As it is, he is wholly unsuitable. Such a shame._

"You Norwegians sure know how to let it all hang out." His curiosity piqued, Prince Alonso had stood up on his chariot's bench to peek over the settling frost mist that clouded his view from catching the tail end of Kristoff Bjorgman's daring dash _au naturel_ and splashing dive into a hot spring to join his enticing corresponding and giggling young bride in the altogether.

"What's hanging out? I'm an expert at hanging out! Can I see it too, Elsa and Anna's Papa?" Olaf eagerly tries to stand on his tippytoes in the backseat between Idun and Gerda, as curious as ever. The dizzy snowman hops back and forth on his snow feet eagerly with the hope the Ice King would give him a cryo-boost to peek out over the unclear visage.

"Now I've got some great ideas how to spend _our_ honeymoon. Maybe another visit to your beautiful kingdom may be in the near future, Elsa. Say Summertime?" Confident Alonso flashes a devilish grin and a pair of racy raised eyes at Elsa that gave King Agdar an instant headache.

 _Matchmaking… What am I getting myself into? But I must endure anything to try to be a good father for you and do all I can to help you select a superlative mate, worthy of standing by your side and supporting you all through your reign all the days of your life, my Snow Angel, as your mother has been perfect for me._

 _My first promising contestant, this Prince of Córdoba, doesn't even come close to my standards. Even I must concede he is no comparison with your Dane… It is really too bad he's such a prime example of a Westergaard…_

"No dawdling, boy. Direct your beasts down the left-hand path that will take us to the center of the Valley of Living Rock. There, we will find the Troll Council where I proposed to meet with the Fire Trolls' designated leaders. Beyond that, GranPabbie impressed his concerns to induct a Fire Troll into their High Council that I, as King and translator of the ancient Latin which none of the Fire Trolls speak anything other than, must officiate over. It will be quite an undertaking." His lack of use of the dead language the past few years left him rusty, as Agdar seriously lets the more urgent thought of the welfare of this ancient race of citizens of his proud nation take precedence over his own personal quandaries.

" _I_ know one who does, King Agdar. I nominate Boninite here to be representative leader of the Fire Trolls! I don't understand the politics of it all, but I can tell you that she is a reliable friend and smart cookie who came through for all of us in the end." Alonso surprisingly pipes up, turning all attention to his equally shocked Troll girl companion.

Boninite had been carefully seated in the rear of his chariot. Her flame tipped tail pauses its rhythmic swaying up in the crisp December air at the unexpected offer presented to serve her people as leader.

 _Perhaps this young Argentinean does have potential… After all, as I first thought, Elsa, if you marry him, most likely he will spend most of his time in Córdoba away from you, while you as monarch must remain here as stated in our Norwegian Constitution… That's a definite plus on his part. He certainly **was** one of the most promising candidates of suitors on the list of princes and dukes which Kai and I have compiled to woo Elsa away from that crooked Dane to present her with finer choices at her party. Ha! These choice noblemen **all** hold higher education and pedigrees of grooming and manners than Anna's wild mountain man._ It was tough for the snobbish father of the chipper girl to look past the recent flash sighting of her strapping hubby.

"Hmmm." The pale ginger King glances over to his right-hand man in the carriage's passenger seat beside him, who likewise gives the king a sympathetic look, then focuses his attention back to his elder daughter.

"Elsa? You have spent much time with this particular Fire Troll during this arduous journey. What do you have to say on this matter?" Agdar had vowed to himself to include his sedate and astute child in more administration of their shared rule of this kingdom. What better start than here on this important matter of state concerning representative government?

"Oh…yes, Papa." Elsa was pleasantly caught off guard by the sudden political question put to her by her normally authoritative father who usually made all national decisions of this scale on his own. She looks down to the Fire Troll female whom Elsa had been on both sides of, and had come to respect greatly. They were getting to know each other better through Elsa's limited ancient Latin and Boninite's insightful linguistic gleaning of the regal, pretty blonde Ice Queen tutor.

The insecure young woman touches her gloved hands to the cameo affixed to the folds of her purple gowned chest. She strokes the silky red hair tuft affixed to its back, wondering what he would think and say, if her opinion truly made a difference to her father, and wishing her Hans was here to articulate for her as she was still at times, the reticent, uncertain girl of her youth.

But as he was not, and all eyes were upon her, Elsa knew she must not keep silent.

"Bonnie has proven loyal and true and courageous, showing a servant's heart in times of strife, and a diligent student with a good mind full of patient curiosity to learn more of this world above. All are traits of which I would categorize as admirable qualities for anyone striving to be a good and just leader. So with that said, I second the nomination for Boninite to be the Fire Troll leader and representative of her people." The shy young woman had to dig deep within herself for such a decisive speech with everyone's attention upon her, especially her Papa, who she would never deign to override.

But one look in Bonnie's now clear, dark eyes and grateful smile told Elsa she was making the right choice.

"A sound argument, your Majesty. I shall present this nomination to the Fire Trolls gathered at the Troll Valley town center amphitheater for them to make the final decision." Proud of his daughter's imperative, intelligent and sagacious words, the spry King leaps down and helps his wife from the stopped carriage just outside the Troll Valley town square to join where Alonso had already parked and escorted Elsa and Boninite from his chariot.

"Where are all the Trolls? It's like a ghost town where you can feel eyes burning in the back of your skull! Hey hey hey. I don't have a skull." Olaf chuckles his trademark banalities to Gerda and Kai who join their King and Queen to stand at the center of Troll Valley's moss covered stone amphitheater. But as the snowman previously stated, no Trolls – Rock or Fire variety – were in sight.

 _"Salvete, Ignis Troglodytae! Nos sunt animadverto tuam Petram Troglodytarum cognati abii ad somnum in hiberna latebra horae usque ad deinde luna, Sed in Deo cupimus ad varios civium liberavit vos nuper in re ab ortu solis gloriam momenti. Nuper in re liberi populi volo gloria Dei. Has liberati cives nuper,_ _refert rem volumus contionari._ _Quinque satrapas Philisthinorum, eligere tuo ducis._

'Greetings, Fire Trolls! We realize your Rock Troll cousins have probably drifted off to sleep in their hour of hibernation till the next moon. But newly liberated citizens under God's glorious sunrise, we wish to address you on a matter of importance. Namely, to choose your own leadership representatives." Translating fluidly these pertinent sentences into the dead Latin language that the studious King enjoyed zealously learning as a boy, King Agdar boldly projects his voice over all the rocks around. He spoke candidly to the misshapen, bumpy igneous and smooth and rounded metamorphic alike so all could hear his eloquent voice.

Though the igneous Fire Trolls were not very afraid of this human Ice King who heralded their race from the Djvælen's underground labyrinth slavery, they were a bit squeamish to see the Black Ice Queen, once possessed under the Devil Troll King's control to be their slave Mistress, enter their new homeland.

 _"Veni de latebris, populus meus, dicere audacius fortiusque amicorum precibus Regina Elsa qui viderunt faciem diaboli iniquis Troglodytarum regem vicit. Non est qui liberavit suis servientes nam facultas aperire novum clara huius mundi Stare per me nostra bona_ _Regina_ _Elsa, qui fecit hoc libertatis fieri potest, pro nobis! Nos non esse dispersos Nibelung amplius, fratres et sorores! Adsistit regina super Elsa flumine et salvete boni sunt, qui factus est nobis hanc libertatem fieri potest?_ _Ave super_ _Regina_ _Elsa flumine!"_

"Please come out of your hiding, my people, to boldly speak with our friend and benefactor, Queen Elsa, who so bravely stared into the wicked face of the Devil Troll King and defeated him. Did not the Queen liberate we who were enslaved for the chance to open up this bright new world's destiny for us? We need not be outcast Nibelungs anymore, my brothers and sisters! Stand by me and hail our good Queen Elsa who made this independence possible for us! Hail Queen Elsa!" Boninite, seeing this was the critical moment of make or break for her doubtful downtrodden people, throws aside her own natural timidity to call out and steer her race into the sunlight, to no longer be hidden in the shadows as they were forced to for millennia by that malevolent villain.

After a few seconds of letting her words – and the growing intensifying morning sunlight sink in – the liberated Fire Trolls heard Boninite's invitation and begin to timidly unroll from their igneous rock slumber by night to be suddenly standing in respect before the Queen of this land which they had been 'welcomed' back to.

They gather all around, blinking up at the pale blonde, wide-eyed tall young woman so beautifully arrayed in her royal blue velvet and white fur trimmed gown. The dark skinned Fire Trolls each look to Queen Elsa with a newfound respect for being the one ultimately responsible for setting them free as Boninite explained so succinctly and eloquently in their ancient Latin tongue.

Under the fresh morning sun, the Fire Trolls, young and old alike, lift their once dark black-red eyes. Their pupils had normalized above ground to different hues and shades of color that reflect in the soft light of the ice snowflakes imbued with the aurora borealis that Elsa's pleased heart now commanded.

With Boninite's clear leadership, each unsure, once embittered, angry, and resentful Fire Troll bows a head and unclouded eyes to venerate their new Queen. Not out of the enslaved fear of painful retribution that the Devil Troll held over them, but of the independent love of freedom's hope in this bright sunlit peaceful world she opened up for them to live and enjoy.

"Hail, Queen Elsa!" Following Boninite's lead, the multitude of gravelly, deeply foreign accented voices sing her name in a respectful unison of cheers that warmed a touched and tearful Elsa's heart no end.

But she knew she could never deserve such adulation, only be the conduit to direct their gratitude to the One who made miracles like this happen.

"It is not I alone, but by God's grace and wisdom granting me the support of those who love me and this land in order that you Fire Trolls can now come live freely in the light." She deferentially gives credit to the Creator who could move mountains and rocks and Trolls alike giving her helpmates abundant in her greatest time of need. "You must praise _the LORD_ for this gift of your first Independence Day spent under this blessed sunlight, not me." Elsa beams a grand smile over them as her proud Papa couldn't be any more pleased to share the Crown with such a wise and humble young woman.

"Our little Snow Angel has come a long way, hasn't she?" King Agdar gives a squeeze to his wife's hand.

Idun nods with a proud smile to watch their daughter – their frightened, withdrawn, introverted first child – so boldly and bravely kneel down to shake each and every hand of the endless stream of liberated Fire Trolls who were no longer afraid of the Ice Queen, discerning the light in her eyes was true.

These grateful Trolls, under Boninite's calmly and universally accepted role as leader, were all willing to show their appreciation and respect for this extraordinary young monarch who had the brave audacity and strength of character to take on their age-old enemy and set them free at last.

 **"PRAISE THE LORD!"** The hundreds of forgotten Fire Trolls who had known nothing but the torment of slavery and degradation and enforcement to worship a false god in that catacomb darkness beneath the earth, all rise to their feet at Boninite's beckon.

They follow her lead in raising their scaly clawed hands and formerly pupil-less red eyes – which were now clear and multicolored as the aurora borealis streaking above – to God in His Heaven.

Bonnie had heard of this loving, forgiving God and had seen His example of redemption and mercy from her friend, Elsa. The Queen wisely gave a curious Bonnie the precious present of a Bible – in original Latin – which the rector of the stave church in Flåm offered the royal family who visited in celebration of Kristoff and Anna's victory in the Winter Games there.

Through the Holy Good Book and Elsa's patient tutelage of reading and explaining it along the journey down here, the inquisitive and eager young Fire Troll girl had gleaned so much knowledge. It showed of what was and what will be, and even the question of eternal hope from He who created it all.

A God who loves all of His children so much He gave His own beloved Son to wash away the sins of all, king and slave alike, even the dirty and ignorant. Right down to each one of the lost sheep who had gone astray, with the promise of real peace and love extended to all who accepted it.

"She will be an extraordinary ruler of our nation. I could not be more proud of her." King Agdar murmurs low to Queen Idun, his trembling eyes filled with a father's tears. "Perhaps you can lead me to the shaman's shrine dugout, my darling? My vision is blurry at best and I do not wish to be gauche and trip on a slumbering Rock Troll, diminishing our Elsa's impressive spiritual Revival scene by falling on my face and causing a national incident, do I?" The still partially blind baritone King intones softly to his wife.

"We wouldn't want that, now would we?" Idun pats the high cheekbone of her winsome lover who was slowly learning to rely on others' judgment and decisions, and not be so male oriented take-on-the-world all on his own, all the time, at least.

As they weave through the crowd of respectful Fire Trolls, both survey their purehearted daughter warmly greet her new subjects, and even bear witness to God's precious truth to the uninformed race with the love of Jesus' great commission.

Idun quietly leads her husband to the elderly Rock Troll leader's built-up cave dugout shrine where she carefully directs Agdar to duck his tall frame inside the short doorway.

With the pen and paper Kai had provided him in the carriage, the King distinctly begins to scribble a brief, yet concise, note for the elderly Troll to later read. He kneels to the floormat table where GranPabbie's mossy caped rock form was dormant in the center of the room.

The aged wise shaman was surrounded by a pile of troll crystals he had selected for the children – Rock and Fire Trolls equally – to play with together when they awakened, and before they slept at that precious hour of dusk when both races of Troll cousins were awake.

 _'My dear old friend GranPabbie,_

 _We are pleased to check in to see that the Fire Trolls are settling in well here in the_ _Valley_ _of_ _Living Rock_ _. I thank you and your people for overseeing this great endeavor of caretaking for their needs during this transition period. As King, I'm proud to pledge my humble servitude to all races of our great nation and I am elated my Snow Angel, our Queen Elsa, has overcome this land's confused past. Casting aside her inward fears, Elsa was able to lead your cousins to the liberty all free peoples deserve and should cherish the God-given right of self freedom. May the Lord bless you and all your brethren as you stand side-by-side in brotherhood and sisterhood towards the future of true peace in the bright destiny in store for all citizens of our beloved nation. As preceding head of state, I declare this Independence Day for all Troll-kind, at long last._

 _— Agdar Edward Olav_ _Bernadotte, King of Arendelle, 20th December 1841'_

King Agdar signs his name with a flourish to the official letter of encouragement and patriotism intermingled with humility which he leaves atop GranPabbie's mossy green cape mound.

Then his loving wife leads the faint sighted, half blind, but all-illuminated King back into the bright rising sunlight where a radiant Queen Elsa was glowing at the center of her newly liberated loyal subjects on their first Independence Day.

* * *

 _trousseau -_ French term for the clothes, undergarments, and other belongings collected by a bride for her marriage.

 _min alskare_ \- my lover in Swedish

 _min spadbarns_ \- my child in Swedish

 _min flicka-_ my little girl in Swedish

 _min kæreste_ \- my darling in Danish

* * *

 _"What Do You Know about Love?" -_ song performed by Patti Murin (Anna) and Jelani Alladin (Kristoff) from the musical 'Frozen'.  
 _  
_ _"Loneliness of Evening" –_ song performed by Santino Fontana (Hans) from the musical 'Rodgers and Hammerstein Cinderella'

 _"Come away" –_ song performed by Jonathan Groff from "1001 nights: A Story about Loving Stories"

 _"Vuelie - Let the Sun Shine On"_ – song performed by Arendelle royal family from the musical 'Frozen'.

* * *

POP! Goes the Fourth! *!*!*!*

Happy Independence Day, Frozen friends!

This Freedom themed episode again fit right into the holiday, with a whole new race of Trolls enjoying their new liberation out here aboveground in the beautiful country of Norway, basking in the sunlight in a world at peace.

Besides the stirring, liberating patriotism, lots of hot romantic passion and feisty fireworks were flying in this enticing entry now that we are back to days and (nights;) of rest and relaxation! Kristoff and Anna have finally found a little time for entertaining friskiness that our starved-for-private-together-time newlyweds deserve at long last! (Anna finally made good on that wish to ' _run naked in the breeze'_ as she stated she wanted to do in the lyrics of the new 'Frozen' musical's fun ' _Vuelie'_ Arendelle family song!

That lucky dog Kristoff sure had a memorable red hot hot springs visit!

Our Prince Hans (with an interesting _'Rapunzel's Tangled Adventures'_ friend tagging along :) is on his way to Elsa's exciting Masquerade Ball that's next on the roster in the celebratory kingdom of Arendelle!

Please be sure to attend!

Thanks for reading everyone! And to my fellow Americans, be sure to try to get out after all those burgers and hot dogs to watch a dazzling fireworks show to share in the patriotism that the founding fathers and amazing men and women in the past fought and died for freedom to make this country great, Frozen friends!

God bless America, the land of the free and the home of the brave on this hot hot! hot hot! Fourth of July!

Love,

HarukaKou


	36. Chapter 35 - Making Today a Perfect Day

_We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

 **"Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act VIII**

 **Chapter 35**

 **"** **We're Making Today a Perfect Day for You"**

Tonight would mark the start of the Winter solstice and the Kingdom of Arendelle was a-bustle even before late morning's first daylight. The aurora borealis seemed to be twinkling particularly bright this year, even this far in the south of the magical country of Norway.

It was as if the purple and pink and green colorful rainbow streaked sky knew that today, the 21st of December, was a very special day for a very special young Queen of the North Winter who now commanded them.

And Hans Westergaard, as promised, was here at last to glimpse her kingdom's beauty.

Swift moving Carpet had flown for his stalwart friend at incredible speeds between Corona and Arendelle, to ensure the Prince of the Southern Isles could keep his vow to his fiancée that he would attend her Birthday Ball this night.

Upon pleasantly discovering he had preceded his platinum blonde beauty in returning home first, a pacing Prince Hans could not just sit back complacently and wait in the castle. Not after he'd heard reports from Chancellor Esteban that many of the people of Arendelle were not yet heard from in their outskirt farms. Some elderly were said to be hit hard during the recently stopped blizzard and were still struggling without food or vital medicine. They certainly would not be able to attend the celebratory day's events.

So, the dynamic soldier, full of pent-up love energy, found he still had time and opportunity to reach out and be a hero of Arendelle once more, in the faint dawn of the early morning. Against the belief of some, it _was_ because Hans genuinely cared for the kingdom's citizens and not that he only wished to make a prestigious name for himself in this world.

"This reindeer doe and I are frankly up to here with birthday decorating and _party_ _planning_. We certainly wouldn't mind getting out in the wide open countryside." An early riser herself, Lady Cassandra soon saunters over to the two new arrivals when her faithful Owl instinctively had flown in through her bedroom window earlier to alert the tactical woman of Hans' and Carpet's presence.

"We will appreciate your company, Captain Schmidt. Your shrewd know-how and ready combat attitude makes you a valuable member of any party. As a naval officer, I too fully understand your disdain in wasting your skills on frivolities." Hans accomplishes one of his chameleon transformations to suit his audience as he switches tone from tough Captain of the Guard Cassandra to eager Carpet to wise Svala in order to manipulate the guardswoman to do as he planned. "While I am grateful for your smooth ride, dear friend Carpet, I must confess I miss practicing my equestrian – ergh, rangifer in this case- form. Mademoiselle, if I may request to commandeer your attractive ride, while you lend your astute and invaluable assistance to our mutual friend and inventive genius on board Carpet…?" As he spoke to Cassandra and Carpet, charming Hans walked over to the tan reindeer and stroked her neck luxuriantly until the female doe was quite submissive to his pleasing touch.

As for the other female the handsome Prince was verbally coaxing…

"Whatever. Move over on that rug, Varian. And keep your rabid animal in the bag." No-nonsense Cassandra saw no point in arguing with the assertive Dane after Prince Hans opted to ride a swooning Svala. The hard-hitting young woman and her hooting Owl simultaneously give the suddenly shy and quiet Varian an evil eye that clearly stated ' _what are you doing here?_ '

Cassandra climbs her sleek body aboard the floating low Carpet where the ogling, goggle-eyed inventor was still modifying his last minute gift idea with Rudiger the raccoon's paw-ful handy assist.

"That sounded somewhat amatory to me. What do you think, my young friend?" A smirking, worldly Chancellor Esteban whispers to Prince Hans after the Avaloran Duke had come out of Arendelle Castle with directions for the farms, to see the trio off so early in the morning.

His comment garnered a shared adult mood chuckle as the athletically toned, svelte red-headed Prince mounted Svala.

"One can hope." With a quirky brow, Hans softly laughs away his own edginess at the young couple to have watched a nervous Varian end up landing his dizzied head in Cassandra's lap after Carpet was tickled by the Rudiger's claws to launch a wobbly take-off.

"Hi, Cassie." A winded Varian pulls down his goggles and cutely wiggles his gloved fingers up at the girl of his dreams after doing his darndest to keep his mischievous raccoon pet and her resentful owl at bay from killing one another.

Prince Hans, at their back, turns to salute back to the Kingdom of Arendelle he had only just arrived at, as the Magic Flying Carpet and the enchanted reindeer doe take to the darkened Norwegian sky towards the south.

* * *

A few hours later, another pair of vehicles comes thundering down the long winding road from the opposite northern direction that led into Arendelle Township, causing quite a stir, even at this early hour as the church bells ring for the finish of the 6AM weekday Mass.

The Ice Queen's steady focus and enchanted ice may have given the chariot she was standing at the command of a slight edge over Princess Anna's no holds barred racing attitude. Or maybe it was just that the sweet baby sister had let the birthday girl take the lead over her award-winning racing sled on purpose. But either way, Olaf losing his head when 'Baby' hit a hard bump and catapulting his toothy grinning features right into Alonso's grossed out lap in the victorious chariot certainly punctuated the thrilling ending of the fun race.

"Whee! That was amazing! You beat me!" Anna announces as her sled and Elsa's chariot had made good time to reach the bridge that led to Arendelle Castle.

"' _For Thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory forever, Amen_.'" Making a quick Sign of the Cross, she reverently whispers the last line of the Lord's Prayer as they swish by the churchyard, Elsa guiltily looks behind them to see how far the Snow Queen's ice carriage, led by Sitron and the white mares had been left behind in the abrupt race Anna proposed.

"Yes, it was fun, Anna." The platinum blonde Queen answers her perky little sister distractedly.

 _Papa and Minister Kai won't be pleased… But this is my birthday, right? So maybe they won't mind_ _ **too**_ _much._

The few local tradesmen hurrying back from the service start to open their businesses for the half-day national holiday of their current monarch's birth on this third Tuesday of December. They and their families streaming down the streets from church all explode in applause for their triumphant young Queen returning to her kingdom on her most special day they have all been working towards celebrating.

"Hip hip hooray for Queen Elsa! Happy birthday, your Majesty! You saved our nation from the wicked Devil Troll and stopped the Eternal Winter again! Thank you, your Majesty!" The proud, unafraid citizens clap and wave to their beloved monarch, as Alonso prods Elsa to revel in her adoring subjects' accolades.

"They're applauding for you, girl. Sit back and enjoy it." Feeling like a guy giving a tour, the Crown Prince of Argentina gestures from one lane of happy residents to the other side's path of content civilians, all obviously fond of their Queen.

So, shy Elsa gives her most demure smile with a small, self-conscious hand wave to her subjects. A smirking Alonso reclaims his chariot's reins from the introverted young woman.

There was a long line of citizens and servants alike streaming in and out of Arendelle Castle's front entrance and rear, all carrying some sort of decoration or present or homemade card for their Queen's birthday party today.

"Three cheers for Queen Elsa!" There was also a growing audience of well-wishers and thankful Arendelle citizens waiting in the Castle courtyard after they had heard of their royal monarch's heroic sacrifice and Mirror of Love that unlocked the key how to stop the terrible blizzard and keep their kingdom out of the feared Djvælen's hand for evermore.

"But why?" The change of a confused smile springs to Elsa's surprised face when she sees the countless citizens so early in the morning, some she recognized well from their shoppes in town, others her good memory only recalled spying a few times perhaps in the past two years at church service on Sundays.

Nonetheless, each were holding a present or decorated banner extolling their young Queen's celebration with gratitude in their genuine smiles.

"To welcome you home, of course, Elsa! I think every single person in Arendelle is here to wish you a Happy Birthday, big sisty! They all love you because you're the most wonderful person ever!" Even more vibrant when the joyful word 'Birthday' was uttered from her lips, Princess Anna spread her arms wide in her sled that pulls up beside Alonso's plush chariot.

Anna brought her own sunshine to her big sister at this 6 AM chilly winter morning from where the passionate ginger was currently driving Kristoff's fast sled.

The nerve wracked Ice Harvester, now left behind in the dust, had taken over as coachman for the King in the Queen's carriage when Kai needed a break and Queen Idun insisted King Agdar remain resting his eyes inside because of his pounding headache.

Loving the thrill of speed, Anna was rather _racing_ Baby through the streets of Arendelle than driving her though. The spirited girl had proposed a friendly birthday race with her sister Elsa in Prince Alonso's chariot to get the blood pumping on this normally cold – but gloriously not blizzardy anymore – December 21st morn.

"You're a pretty admired leader, Elsa. Don't you think two stunningly gorgeous, popular, well respected, awe-inspiring future monarchs have potential together?" Admiring their reflection together in his handheld mirror as his chariot slows, Prince Alonso gives Elsa an approving roguish glance after sprucing up his own windblown tossed brown mane of hair in his ever present handheld mirror.

"Modesty forbids me to answer that, Your Highness." Breathless from the race, but no fool, **a** prissy Elsa was becoming more accustomed to deflecting Alonso's open flirtations, knowing they were harmless by now.

"Modesty _and_ a certain redheaded Prince, eh? You still predict you're going to see your gallant Dane here tonight?" Prince Alonso was mentally taking odds that his rival Southern Isles royal wouldn't show.

But one glance in Elsa's crystalline true blue eyes full of belief and faith in the man she loved told him otherwise.

"Oh, I'm counting on it. Why, weren't you just referring to how much my 'stunningly gorgeous' Prince Hans and I complement one another?" Elsa states, giddy and catty after her exhilarating victorious win. She cracks the whip high up in the crisp air to startle a bored-stiff Alonso more than his pair of laughing equines.

"Ha ha. You're a real riot today. By the way, if I didn't say it yet – _because I generally only celebrate my own auspicious origin_ – Happy Birthday, Elsa. After all you've been through, I really hope your wish comes true. You deserve it, lady." Alonso sighs in resignation, his ambition to secure this Norwegian Queen's kingdom and/or heart fairly squelched.

"Thank you for your friendship, Alonso. I feel like we've been through so much in our short time together. I hope you find your soulmate soon, too." Elsa turns to honestly give the Argentinean Prince a genuine smile, realizing this narcissistic, self-absorbed young man had become a good friend, through her dark times, too, though he originally came here with other intentions.

With a tickle of her ice invisible fingers Elsa offers chilled sugar drops from the sample cookies on a table at sisters' favorite local bakery to the gratified horses' chins. Then the Ice Queen hands Alonso back his chariot's reins after she had raced willing Lento and Estable to victory.

Now the team slowly cantors their royal blue and gold vehicle across the bridge with Anna, Olaf, and Sven with Baby, close behind.

"We really left Kristoff, Papa and Mama, Gerda and Kai in the dust, didn't we?! Slowpokes!" Anna whistles in the dark. "Now let's beat them home and run upstairs before you have to be introduced to every single important person visiting the castle! I want to show you your special present first! It's a real doozy! You'll like it for sure! Ooh! We've got so many surprises planned in store for you today, I could just pop!" Anna was a bundle of energy, tickled pink to give her dearest big sisty the full birthday treatment. There were fun plans and surprises Anna and her Mama and even Papa got into with projects secreted away to celebrate the special day for their special, best girl.

"Queen Elsa! We're making today a perfect day for you!" The cheering crowds decorating the dawning landscape for their precious Queen continue to applaud with happy waves and smiles as a chuckling Anna leaps from her barely stopped sled and pulls Elsa out of the chariot.

"It's your birthday! Lucky you!"

"Sven! It's birthday time! I love birthdays soooo much, I am like the birthday expert!" Olaf claps so hard he accidentally dislocates his carrot nose to fly into a nearby snow bank.

There it stays lodged for several seconds before Alonso's Criollo horses, awaiting their master who had wandered off to fetch some help from the yawning stable boys, notice the colorful equine savory treat.

"Oh no! Lento! Estable! Not the nose! Not the nose! How do I say that in Córdoban?!" The frantic snowman starts to freak out at his lack of linguistic skills when he sees his orange carrot nose about to be devoured by the South American horsey team.

That's when the castle window above suddenly flies open as a flurry of white and pink makes an elegant slide into the snow bank.

 _ **PLOPP!**_

 _Rustle Rustle Rustle_ …

Suddenly Olaf's imperiled carrot nose is then sucked into the snow inexplicably before the disappointed horses' chomping teeth get the chance to claim it.

"Tada!" The skittish Criollos jump back when Eliana the snowgirl emerges like a dancer from a birthday cake. In triumphant glee she holds up her snow boyfriend's carrot nose that she had elegantly dived down from the second story to rescue for her own sweetie.

The prim snowgirl hops down from the snowbank and dusts her snow dusted poofy pink frock off while scooting up to her dumbfounded male counterpart.

 _ **SPLUNKK!**_

She lands a wet kiss on Olaf's blank noseless face which lights up like a Christmas tree at her show of affection. His eyes go all sugar rush swirling until Eliana shoves the orangey veg back into proper place to pull the dizzy snowman out of his blissful delirium after their first sloppy kiss together.

"Eliana! You missed me?" Olaf sighs dreamily as he trails behind the pink hem of his snowgirl dream's frilly lace as she leads him into the Castle.

"Of course, Olaf! If you weren't here, who would put the star on our Christmas tree? I couldn't possibly float all the way up there!" Not as romantic or brassy as her frosty counterpart, well mannered Eliana recalled the yearly Arendelle Christmas tradition. She considered the indecorous implications if _she,_ in Olaf's absence, was the one called into service to fly and place the crystal 'Olaf star' on the tree above the crowd all gazing up at the third annual Arendelle outdoor Christmas tree lighting ceremony. "Br-rr! Imagine, everyone would peek under my skirt! Good thing you came back in time."

"Doesn't sound like true love to me, Olaf." Kristoff snidely teases as he finally steers Sitron leading the Snow Queen's horses up the drive with a snoring Kai leaning on the beefy Ice Harvester's strong shoulder on the front bench.

"You're no love expert. What do you know about love, Kristoff?" An insulted Olaf dares to challenge Kristoff with a skeptical pursed mouth.

"Not ever enough. But I'll spend my whole life learning, for Anna." Kristoff modestly responds to the affronted snowman as he gently prods Kai and helps the big man down from the ornate Brougham carriage's high driver bench. The disoriented Councilor of Arendelle had missed that whole exchange, but someone else _was_ listening.

* * *

" _It's by God's Grace, that we're all together and on our way home now, Papa. Please don't be cross with Anna or Kristoff. You know how she's always been as free-spirited as the breeze? It's her way of releasing stress, like Mama singing. You and I keep it bottled up inside, Papa. But I've learned through all thisl that 'concealing, not feeling' is not good. Besides, I think it's nice that Anna and Kristoff are finding time to be young newlyweds for a change after all the heroism through danger and sacrifice both went through to help free the Fire Trolls and rescue me from myself as well. Since it's my birthday and Christmas combined, all I want – all I ever wanted – is for us to all get along with proper understanding and open compassion for one another's eccentricities like a_ _ **real**_ _family should. Please, Papa, try…for me."_

Feeling particularly infused then by the tenerity of the illuminated aurora to be brave as her birthday dawned fresh, the tender-hearted, blonde young Queen had been bold enough to approach her father earlier that morning, when the carriages stopped to rest the horses, to speak up for her baby sister. Elsa had squeezed her Papa's hand and taken on her role as big sister and spokesman go-between for her bright-eyed ginger sibling and her sulky, tersely standoffish father as the three sets of vehicles had at last pulled towards Arendelle's front gates.

"'Releasing stress in the free-spirited breeze' _,_ indeed? _"_ An amused King Agdar had opened his eyes that had been resting at Idun and Kai's insistence when the carriages stopped earlier for their last break before the town's limits.

The King had done his best to focus on those lovely true blue orbs of his elder child who had developed quite an eloquence as Anna's advocate. But he succeeded to achieve only a blurry haze of azure blue set upon a pallet of pale blonde looking up at him attentively.

 _Just like when you were a tiny little girl…_

Nonetheless, her dancing azure vista was comforting and strong as the half blind King was glad to at least be able to distinguish sizes and shapes and colors enough to make out his tall, elegant daughter was reaching out to him from across the bench seat and not, for instance, plump housekeeper Gerda.

King Agdar then appeared to lighten up, his heart softened at Elsa's benevolent request.

" _Of course, my Snow Angel. You can rest assured I will do anything and everything I can to ensure your happiness, particularly on your special day of days full of surprises, my beautiful child. I won't let you down."_

* * *

"Good man." With the reminiscence playing in the back of his mind, King Agdar now peers out the Snow Queen's carriage window, enhanced hearing had overheard the blond mountain man's true confession of the heart. The King had been temporarily vexed with Anna's new husband for his crude exposed nature and indiscretion with his daughter at the hot springs.

But that initial conformist, paternal resentment had cooled down as the King had time to think along the journey. Young Mr. Bjorgman had proven once again to be responsible and caring for his untamable young bride. The conscientious, big-hearted youth always considered his sister-in-law's welfare, too, as Idun rightly pointed out examples many times during their ride home.

Agdar observed how, without a shred of envy, a sharing Kristoff would silently stand aside and take second place for Elsa and Anna to have sister time together, unlike most possessive husbands of the day.

 _A member of the peerage he may not be, but this Kristoff is not a bad selection, really, for our windswept flutter budget. I can't see anyone else having such patience with my free-spirited, strong-willed Gingersnap. Besides, as my intelligent Idun inferred – all men do it._ _ **I**_ _simply have to get used to the idea that my babies are grown-up young women now, experiencing life in an unsheltered world, and that's that. Times are changing and my little girls too…sigh_

Kristoff smiles quirkily at how unpredictable his now pleasantly assenting father-in-law could be after the complex man had time to reflect. The mountainman was glad to be back on the vision injured monarch's apparent good graces, as he assists Queen Idun first from the carriage.

"That goes for your sister as well, I suppose..."

"Agdar? Were you saying something?" Queen Idun turns her head back to interrupt her murmuring husband's answer to his memory flashback of a heart-to-heart with Elsa from yesterday when exiting the carriage they had been traveling in for days now.

"Just that… Family is family, eccentricities and all." King Agdar concedes with a smile as he straightens himself to stand on the terra firma of the land of his birth right under his own flesh and blood power.

"Glad you can see that now, old man." Idun retorts with a whispered tease as she watches her poor husband stumble forward with a loss of equilibrium, tripping over the descending step from the carriage. But Kristoff's strong, steadying arm reached out from where he was tending to the horses to stop the King from injuring both body and pride.

"Thank you, son." Doing his best to erase from his appalled mind the previous morning's uncouth happenstance as Elsa's birthday request, Agdar awards a tentative Kristoff with a wan smile of gratitude, patting the boy's well-endowed arm to stop the vertigo and stand on his own two pins.

Kristoff shares a nod with Anna's father, looking him right in the eye to silently ask the older man if he could walk on his own. After all, Kristoff was still a little sheepish to face Anna's parents now that it was all over and his Wind Whisperer senses told him they both fully witnessed his bare necessities.

"Nice equipment." The older Queen, in passing, squeezes a hand to her strapping son-in-law's rippling tight biceps. She for one appreciated him in new ways as a blushing Kristoff flexed his impressive, bulging muscles to lift the suitcases and trunks filled to the brim from Idun's shopping spree with her girls in Flåm.

As Kristoff quietly brings in the luggage, the King and Queen pause to greet the Arendelle people who had turned out quite early on this dark morning. At Johanne's appeals for last-minute help at the previous Sunday's church meeting when the blizzard let-up, the good people had not shirked. On this busy day, some came to decorate, some be employed as servers and some just looking for choice gallery seats above the ballroom where Queen Elsa's exciting birthday Masquerade Ball – the most prestigious place to be in all the kingdom, open free to the public, too– would take place later tonight.

Anna had been in charge of party planning at the beginning and made sure all her friends in town were invited to celebrate at the castle first before any foreigners.

' _After all, Elsa is your Queen, no one else's, right?! As long as you each wear a costume of some sort – we know you have them from Julebukking, right?! –It'll add to the dress-up mystery fun tonight, and you'll be admitted to join in our Masquerade Ball! It'll be the biggest party EVER! Elsa will be so surprised to see how everyone cares!'_

The King reconciles himself that this Ice Harvester whom Anna had chosen – even though he may be uncouth at times and definitely not as polished nor well-heeled as other princes would have been – Kristoff Bjorgman was always there to wordlessly bail the royal family out, from simple stumbles to earth shattering dangers.

Both of which his little Princess Anna had an uncanny affinity for as she slides and skitters around the drive and front step excitedly.

 _Though he may not be my ideal, Gingersnap, your sister is right about the holy season being of compassion and understanding that a blind old man should open his eyes to._

"Perhaps this Snow Prince is the perfect match for our bull-in-a-China-shop baby girl, Idun." Agdar muses aloud as he, now safely moving forward on the ice with Queen Idun's arm on one side and Elsa's on the other, witnesses Kristoff's fast-paced chase of the out-of-control skating girl to his own sled once he deposited his in-laws from their coach.

There, the young man smoothly uses the ample muscles of one arm to halt the many colorful packages of Troll presents that were loaded on 'Baby' that ambitious Anna with Olaf and Eliana's 'help' was attempting to stack remove all at once. Prescient Kristoff's other appendage rushes to hoist up the split-leg, clumsy ginger Princess from where she was dutifully clinging to her packages, though her size 5 little feet were slipping beneath her where she was leaning on Sven's bracing antlers versus landing headfirst on the slick ice covered ground.

"Back off, boys! I've got this! Whoa-oh!" The occasionally overconfident, independent gal thought she was invincible and able to pull up herself without Kristoff or Sven's assist. But her awkward, askew legs which Olaf and Eliana were vainly struggling against were not cooperating until they are suddenly strengthened by the glowing light of ice magic.

" _ **We've**_ got this." Elsa corrects her little sister with a coy smile as her cryokinetics easily right the teetering, piled high packages about to spill all over the ground to now mystically float across the courtyard entrance and up the steps as if animated and alive.

As in a Fantasia-like magic spell, the brightly wrapped presents were dancing merrily to a cheerful holiday tune as they march in rhythmic step, floating on the crisp, cool air on this magical late December morn.

"That's kinda freaky. But mild after all I've seen going on around this kingdom… Hey! I spy with my little eye…" A jaded Prince Alonso comments from his lone chariot where he was staying out of the nutty family action. Then the lazy young man perks up when he thought he caught a chancery glimpse of a certain ostentatious pink and gold gilt carriage parked in the stable gleaming in the fresh morning sunlight which the sight of sent chills up his leg. "I knew you wouldn't miss this chance to try to get me back…" The egotistical Prince of Córdoba wanders into that stall to pet a snobbish pair of hot pink feathered and shocking pink blanketed white Arabian mares.

Fully aware from previous, _horrific_ experience that a certain persnickety Princess who preferred pink had the unnatural habit of rousting everyone out of their royal beds at 6 AM exactly to greet the sunrise— or maybe it was the other way around, that the sunrise would come up to greet _her—_ for a morning drive.

So the Córdoban Crown Prince starts glancing around curiously around the stall to pet the pair of flamboyant pink arrayed horses he recognized well.

"Lento and Estable will be pleased to see you ladies again…Can't say as much for the owner…" Alonso chuckles at his hushed horseplay suggestion as he recalled his stallions and _her_ mares hitting it off last time they were together at the Avalor peace summit.

"Come and see who I found for you to reacquaint yourselves with, boys." The brown haired Prince calls out to his pair of stallions whom numerous Arendelle coachman had finally attended to lead the Criollo steeds and golden chariot into the stables after the Argentinean Prince had wandered away.

But instead of an equine response, a dark-skinned woman unexpectedly tosses the stall door open with a flourish to have the burgeoning sunlight aglow artfully perfect behind her frilly pink fur shawled silhouette.

"What are you doing in here, Prince Alonso? Bothering my prize mares with your slow, dimwitted donkeys again? Interfering with my _extraordinary_ carriage once more just to prove your inferior little chariot is still so… tacky?"

Antagonistic Princess Valentina of Paraiso marches in her tight purple pants and vested riding suit through the stable to squeeze between the door and Alonso to separate him from her beloved horses and carriage.

"Oh, you are asking for it, pretty lady." An affronted, insulted and offended Prince Alonso was finding it hard to breathe for the intimate proximity this curvaceous, bossy Princess was putting him through.

"Am I? I thought _you_ were the runaway Casanova who had trouble with popping _important_ questions to poor, innocently naïve girls who _let_ you think you strung _them_ along." With the insinuating accusation and threatening horse whip in hand, the embittered-to-have-been-dallied-with-before Princess Valentina pins the vulnerable, gulping young man in his black and gold ensemble to the wall of the stable stall.

And despite their torrid recent past, Prince Alonso, all of a sudden, finds he didn't dislike the position as much as he thought he did before, so utterly intoxicated in Valentina's enthralling eyes and fresh perfumed scent as he was now…

* * *

"We're home!"

With many handshakes and well-wishes for her birthday from the already busy staff just emerging from the courtyard and stables, Elsa joins Anna with a stabilizing arm in arm gesture and encouraging sisterly smile that shone extremely bright in the crisp winter early morning.

"' _We're making today a perfect day for you!' We're making today a perfect day, all shiny and new!"_ LOL! With the jaunty song at hand, Anna and Elsa both recall that wonderful, special first birthday – Anna's 19th, over two years ago – when the BFSF (Best Friends, Sisters Forever) discovered the joys and perils of surprise planned birthdays. Elsa with a cold was trying her best to make a perfect birthday for Anna, until they discovered that, all along, every day was their perfect day because they were together, sharing love together again.

"I can't wait 'til you see all your birthday presents! Let's go and play with them now before breakfast! We're going to make this the most unforgettable birthday for you, Elsie – err, _Elsa_." Anna snickers, swinging hand in hand with Olaf and Eliana begging to keep up until they pull off their branchy appendages trying to race up the front steps.

 _Tickle bumps!_

Yanking open the double doors together as one, hand-in-hand singing and laughing, the two sisters dash through the front entrance and up the stairs as innocent and eager as joyful little girls again on this unforgettable birthday that would make up for all the ones missed being spent together.

The laughing sisters, who would never let another birthday go by lonely, rush into the Castle, swinging one arm branch of Olaf and Eliana each high at the tasteful lilac banners commemorating Queen Elsa's 23rd birthday inside.

"Race you up the stairs to see your super present! Then we'll get changed into our sparkly Winter birthday outfits and French braid each other's hair! Then have a big, big breakfast full of all your favorite yummies! After that, we'll play games and follow red strings and go ice fishing and eat sandwiches on the windowlift for lunch and **HAVE SO MUCH FUN** before we get dressed up in costumes for your Masquerade Ball tonight! There's so much to see and do for the party!" An uncontainable, ecstatic Princess Anna claps jubilantly, naming herself the 'Birthday Guru' since that wonderful day Elsa, even if she was sick with a cold, gave her.

Now it was a head-spinning Elsa's turn to get the full birthday treatment.

"I'll be your birthday date until you-know-who gets here!" Anna whispers in conspiratorial airs as she squeezes Elsa's hands. Excited and desperately wanting to keep her sister happy today most of all, Anna tosses back to splurt in place ( _Oops! Sorry already-cracked Italian statue guy_!) one arm each of the clapping snowpeople's swiped branches that she had been using for conducting batons for the wrapped packages of last-minute gifts cryokinetically airlifting up the staircase. The Ice Queen gives a dreamy smile to the optimistic thought of her young man's promised arrival that both sisters were counting on to make this birthday complete.

 _After all, I arranged it, so that Red better not let me down! Or else!_

" _Love is an open door~!"_ The sprightly ginger evokes her most potent melodic memory of Mr. Hans Westergaard in song form as she twirls her big sister in the same style as Prince Hans' signature dipping dance move.

"This celebration certainly should give our lovely daughter every opportunity for many new doors to open for her on this happy day. Hmm. There appears to be a fine array of equines gathered in our stables signaling the guests have arrived." Hearing Anna's loud soprano echo through the castle open entrance double doors, King Agdar nods a purposeful, knowing smile to Kai as the cabinet member leads his ready to get cooking birthday breakfast cook, Gerda, indoors.

Arm in arm, the King and Queen take one last deep breath of the cool crisp air at the break of day before entering Arendelle Castle.

There at the entrance of the castle of their dreams, now open to all, Agdar and Idun pause together in the beautiful dawning morn. They look around the castle entrance tastefully decorated with banners and bows. They watch servants scurry about with the kingdom's finest china within, see the good townspeople pitching in with decorating, from the courtyard to the ballroom upstairs, as well as observe Kristoff outside being conscripted to hang some ribbons even on the doors of the stable area where he was taking Sven in with his trophy-winning sled.

"Yes… It's always good to see old friends and make cordial new acquaintances to celebrate a party…" The quizzical Queen who had invited a few friends of friends her better connected big sister, Arianna, suggested would make fine company for Elsa's surprise Birthday Ball.

The Queen Mother though now wonders why her usually unsociable man was so eager for visitors and keen on peering into the stable, as if counting the carriages to try to decipher the owners thereof with some wily calculations in his whirring mind.

Idun leads her husband up the steps in to Arendelle Castle, wondering what her King was plotting for this special evening that she thought she had perfectly planned.

"How many invitations did you send out again, Agdar? When we left, I made sure to give Johanne the guest list I had made to be certain she would be able to provide accommodations for our visitors in our absence, had we not returned in time to oversee the party arrangements." The Queen asks her husband, never seeing their stable so completely filled before herself as she tries to gain his strained eye attention from peering out the side window.

"Hmm? Just a few friends, my love. I thought they may liven up the party for our shy girl. Now, while you rest, I think I'd like to stretch my legs in familiar surroundings after that extended carriage ride. It will give me a chance to reassure the servants and inspect the décor for Elsa's big night. Then if there's time, I will get right to work in catching up on my—no doubt thick piles of correspondence and communiqué— concerning our recent inclement trouble awaiting me in my study, my dear." Agdar responds as he whisks his petite wife into the Castle's front portico entrance where Kai was holding open the door for the Royal couple.

"I was not aware you had that many _friends,_ Agdar. Particularly not ones who to could liven up anything beyond an old naval compass." The Queen quips at her recluse of a husband who had little social relationships with anyone outside of the few Agdar had forged in the Navy. And those acquaintances were generally that of men older than even the youngest Admiral King of the Sjoforsvaret.

"On the contrary, Idun. Weren't you always the one saying we should 'expand our social standing in the world'? Over the years, I have made innumerable contacts and friendly transactions with other countries and their representatives. More than you know. So why not invite them to celebrate with us? Now you go get some rest before it's time for breakfast. You must look your grandest to hobnob with and charm all our guests in a few hours. I will see you in the dining room later, my beloved." With that, Agdar plants a kiss on Idun's forehead as dutiful ladies' maid Johanne appears to lead her mistress up the steps.

"But Agdar, you may need me to help you through –" A tired Queen Idun turns around when she remembers her husband's lack of sight and requirement to have someone at his side.

"Don't be silly, my beloved. I was born and raised in seclusion in this Castle for far too many years to not know my way around it with a blindfold on. You need to spend this precious little time resting so you can be bright and chipper to dive into all of your last-minute party preparations. The girls are no doubt playing upstairs with all those treats and toys Anna drove us crazy importing for Elsa, so they're fine. If I need anything, I'll call for one of them. Don't worry, for once, I will be good." King Agdar smiles to his wife reassuringly, both hearing Elsa and Anna's merry laughter mingled with Olaf and Eliana's squeals and giggles from the second story up the stairs.

"All right, min älskare. You just go slowly and look around at the party decorations which have changed the landscape of the Castle interior already. Everything so lovely, Johanne, but I can't see to keep my eyes open. ( _Yawn!)_ Forgive me, Agdar. I didn't sleep much on the road." The exhausted Queen apologizes for yawning practically in her laughing King's face.

"Yes, yes, I know, my pet. That is why I want you to go right upstairs and get some much needed rest so I can show you off to all my guests as the vibrant, still damn fine looking woman you are. As a proper wife, you made sure that I rested during our travels, so I must, as a good husband, do the same now for you. I promise to watch my step without you here as my guide."

It was Idun's turn to stand on her tippy toes and kiss her man's cool cheek while humming the Swedish birthday song's healing tune set to the 18th century composer Hayden's "Opus 76 Sunrise" to tide him over in her absence.

"' _Ja, må hon leva, Ja visst ska hon leva uti hundrade år! Hurra, hurra, hurra, hurra!'"_

 _(Yes, may she live! Of course, she will live for a hundred years! Hooray, hooray, hooray, hooray!)_

"Just remember not to get over excited, Agdar. Remember, it's our Elsa's happy day, so let's make it just that, okay? Don't overdo anything, my love. I'll see you at breakfast." And with that, the petite Queen and a chattering Johanne, climb the long flight of stairs together.

"Are the stairs getting taller, or am I getting shorter, Johanne?" A dispirited Idun asks after hearing Prince Hans was not hitherto seen in the castle by the ladies' maid. The Queen mother had not been able to sleep last night on the road back home at all and she felt a little drained as she trudged up the staircase with her maid at her side.

"I wouldn't mind being a tad shorter, M'lady. I've heard men prefer petite ladies to tall, imposing ones." While tall mountain man Kristoff salutes the ladies as he comes into the castle, stomping his snowy feet on the doormat as they stop and turn from the steps they were ascending arm in arm, Johanne affectedly speaks of her own nonexistent lovelife situation, rarely ever spoken about.

"That becomes moot if the man is incredibly tall himself." Idun encourages her friend with a soft smile, thinking she saw a mysterious flash of red and black dart across the hallway above.

 _Must be getting punchy, Idun. Too many nightmares of devils and demons lately. But sleep does sound heavenly…_

"But what if the man is not only tall, but an important and well-heeled fine gentleman and high government official, too? Those highborn men would not seek out a tall, plain-looking, dowdy old woman of awkward stature who was in servitude, to boot." The grayish, slim and gaunt woman who towered above Idun had shared the Bernadotte family's reclusive isolation for so many years that she had not much experience when it came to the ways of the world. Her one and only romance was a quarter century ago when she was young and vital and so much more…alive.

But now that that very man had been flung now back into her life, if just for a brief time, faithful Johanne had no idea what to do with him before her chance slipped away again, this time probably forever…

Yes, Johanne and Chancellor Esteban had been spending a lot of time together, flirting and in close proximity during the dire circumstance, for almost three weeks now. The older woman, who had already given up on romance, was almost sure she could still feel that spark between them.

But still, gentlemanly Esteban said nothing of their unspoken prior relationship, and made no move whatsoever now beyond polite niceties. His smiles she thought had traces of longing that never were acted upon, though Johanne found she was still willing to do anything to please him.

"Perhaps that's because the kind gentleman feels he would be taking that austere, unadorned, naturally beautiful woman away from all she knows. Because he _is_ such a high class man, he would never ask such a loyal, faithful servant to leave her friends and family. Not without the proper encouragement that she would be willing to travel the globe to be with him. Love crosses every bridge and conquers all barriers, if we invite it honestly into our hearts." The Queen Mother was not too tired to assist her maid, who was more of a dear lifetime friend than a mere servant, in this matter of the heart.

After all, Minister Kai's younger sister, Johanne Roservalen, was not much older than Idun when the young nursery maid, twenty-five years ago greatly helped the adventurous seventeen-year-old Swedish Princess in her, at times, difficult acclimation to the secluded kingdom of the mysterious Crown Prince of Arendelle she had just married.

After all her loyalty and service over the years, Idun could certainly exert herself through her fatigue to aid Johanne's second chance at love with her dear friend and mentor, Esteban Flores. The fine-looking, eligible bachelor seemed to have kept himself unattached all these years, perhaps because of this star-crossed, inequal, yearning love across the sea.

"Your Majesty?" Johanne wonders at what her petite mistress could be scheming up in that pretty little head as Idun swiftly rushes into her bedroom to open the latches of her newly bought trunk. The Queen rummages around frantically before she pulls out a brand-new corset of sorts that had come with extra padding for some less than well endowed feminine locations.

She hands it to an incredulous Johanne who just stares down at the feminine article in her hand, perplexed.

"You get yourself undressed and try this on, Johanne. I'll be right back to help you lace up. I just have to get something from the costume room for you to wear to the ball that will inform the Chancellor that you are not off the market yet." The feisty Princess turned zesty Queen under this good woman's care, would rise to the occasion and not let Johanne's last chance at happiness down either.

Just as the Queen Mother prayed her baby girl Elsa would not be disappointed on _her_ days of days, this Masquerade night later.

 _No, my girl. Prince Hans is a fighter, too. We can rely on him to be here, just he promised, mitt barn._

"But, m'lady–!?"

"Now, Johanne. Close your eyes and open your heart. Put that on. It is your Queen's order. I will be right back. _'Take courage and let not your heart be troubled.'"_ Idun lends a clipped bit of Bible study to her ladies' maid's frazzled nerves. But the Queen felt she must give the directive to her red cheeked maid, or else Johanne would shy off the enhancing undergarment.

But Idun's indigo eyes seemed to thrive on this level of scheming and mystery. Her fatigue of before disappears into a drive to pull all loose ends of her intricate plan of love – now raised to another level with a _second_ lovelorn pair – she had started months ago, to finally thread together.

Queen Idun quickly traverses the hall and ducks into the upstairs cloak room that she and Anna with Gerda and Johanne's help had turned into the costume changing room. It would be used just for tonight's Masquerade Ball for the Castle's visitors to select an outfit.

The Queen and her daughter Anna had specially imported so many varied costumes of the day, rented from theaters and opera houses and crafted specially by local seamstresses into all types and sizes that the guests would be supplied, should they not have furnished themselves with Masquerade gear of their own.

There were capes and fur tails, animal ears and goat horns, leather gloves and wings and feathered hats of many colors. Of course, masks of every genre imaginable were hanging from a long closet bar they had erected between some bookcase shelving.

After a moment of perusing through the Renaissance costume fare, tucking a piece here and there into her satchel after some particular tantalizing garb theme, Idun was suddenly certain she was not alone in the dark room.

"I had not expected to find the _Carnival_ masks of Comedia dell'arte here in quiet Arendelle, Madame Bernadotte. I applaud your flamboyant taste for the costume and theater." A decidedly French accented man wearing one of the said macabre Venetian theater black face masks, steps into the dim light, startling the busy Queen.

"Oh!" Idun may have tripped backwards on a furry toed pair of bunny feet had the quick man not reached out and grabbed her around the back with utmost balance and grace as if dipping his partner in a waltz.

"A thousand _pardones_ , your Majesty. I do not know what I was thinking to speak out of turn without proper introduction. Of course, I feel I do know you well, Queen Idun, for your beauty has not diminished a day since your wedding portrait, that my _mon ami_ Admiral Bernadotte kept hanging on his bedside cot in our shared cabin. Ah, the days of that tense confrontation in Navarino during my short naval stint before the Legionnaires dared to take me in." The handsome Frenchman with the striking blue eyes and wavy brown hair with matching debonair moustache that rivaled her husband's removes the black theater mask obscuring his features to make his apologies to the gasping Queen.

"Crown Prince Ferdinand Phillippe Egalité?" Idun recalled Agdar's oft mention of the French crown Prince had become a close friend during wartime battles at sea, and with whom he still kept correspondence with over the years.

"My reputation precedes me, I see. At your service, Madame." Looking quite fetching in a tight red and black bodysuit, Egalité gives Idun a shortened sweeping bow, given his tall height and the small accommodations of the overfilled cloak room.

"My Anna tells me that you are a good friend of Prince Hans? Is he coming tonight? Please tell me you know definitively that Hans is close to arriving! My daughter will be so heartbroken on her birthday, despite her best efforts to conceal her feelings, if he does not attend for even a little while." All these sentences spill out as a panicky-to-not-find-Hans-here-already Mama Idun urgently grips the arm of the comely Prince of the French who was wearing a half black/half red triangular interlocking diamond patterned, Harlequin outfit, sensing he knew more than he saying.

" _Oui_ (yes). On all three counts, Queen Idun." The Frenchman announces to the whispering woman succinctly with an affirmative nod as he slips back on the black three-quarter face covering Venetian mask over his flattened white neck frill.

"Really?" Idun smiles from ear to ear up at the intriguing young man, more curious than ever, with hope springing eternal in her dazzled eyes for Hans' and Elsa's reunion.

"We did not have a chance to speak to one another much before he left. I only saw mon frére Hans for brief moments just before daybreak. But no sooner had the Danish Prince stopped for coffee this morning, then did my gallant comrade hear of some emotionally disturbed citizens with weak little children and elderly aged parents who wished to also attend the Birthday Ball tonight of their adored Queen. Before I had a chance to discuss anything, _le hero_ and his _petit garçon_ (little boy) companion thieved _ma_ _chérie trésor_ (my sweet treasure) Cassie. Then they all departed away on that Arabian Nights Magic Carpet and enchanted flying reindeer into the countryside of your- _ehem_ -remarkably _picturesque_ land. May I say, Queen Idun, I find _many_ sights in this _incroyable_ (incredible) kingdom of _yours_ breathtaking? But perhaps sometimes such sheer beauty could use a little playful diversion…?" Irresistibly flirtatious Egalité insinuatingly compliments both the Scandinavian home of his old friend Admiral Bernadotte, and his wife too, brushing his wavy mane of hair back with a devilish flirtatious smile as he leans an arm over a growingly uncomfortable Idun in the increasingly cramped closet.

"Agdar did tell me you were a bit of a rogue. A charming rogue, but a rogue who nonetheless must be kept at arm's length." With a flippant flip up of his Harlequin frill in self-defense, Idun takes a step back from the lady killer's philandering overt advances, placing her bag of costume pieces between herself and the amorous rascal, pointy feathered hat and all.

" _Quel dommage_ (What a pity)." The glib Crown Prince of the French shrugs her rejection off with a smooth smirk, returning to their more serious conversation. "I believe Prince Hans left to fetch those stranded citizens and give them transit out from the rural outskirts and supplies to those who required medicine in this thankfully relented blizzard. However, if _my_ fiancée was as gorgeous as _le belle_ Elsa and was begging for _my_ presence so desperately urgent, I know _I_ would not go out gallivanting on this important day we worked so long and hard across jungles and oceans and deserts to achieve. But I, as a simple citizen prince, cannot speak for our selfless gallant knight, can I?" Unloading his humored aggravation to a totally mesmerized by his sing-songy romantic foreign accent Idun, loquacious Prince Ferdinand pulls on over his tight Harlequin guise the 14th-century, silver armored Black Knight doublet costume that he had been coolly assembling around himself as he spoke.

Prince Ferdinand, though raised a revolutionary man of the people, doubted that he himself would not have chosen - after a long month of dangerous travel and battle - to stay in a warm, welcome castle with fireplaces blazing and red wine flowing for the deserving conquering heroes. He, for one, would stay put where his beauteous lover was soon scheduled to join him, rather than be a lunatic and race back out into the bleak cold he just arrived from to collect some strangers who most likely merely want fan service of the Queen and all her Masquerade Ball guests.

But this was heroic Prince Hans Westergaard we were talking about.

"I realize you, _ma chere_ Queen Idun and your vivacious younger daughter Princess Anna have arranged for Hans to attend this important ball, but is the Admiral still not inclined to relent in this two-year long betrothal agreement between the Prince and his Queen?" Speaking on a more serious note, Egalité continues to put on the final touches of his second costume in these sparse minutes as he queries a mystified Queen Idun.

"Well… Not exactly…" In between the Frenchman catching his seemingly nonstop supply of breath and energy, Idun bites her guilty lip, seeing how her own and Anna's well-meaning, headlong foolishness in meddling may have jeopardized everything Hans and Elsa deserve.

" _Sacre bleu_! Then, it appears my audacious auxiliary plan may still be required. May I say, Queen Iduna, I like your friend the Chancellor very much. He has been an invaluable liaison in my scheme of fashionable subterfuge with ready seamstresses at hand to keep mon _frère_ Hans in the clear and still be able to rendezvous with his beautiful _je'taime_ Elsa. Chancellor Esteban instantly understood and embellished my plan, for we think so compatibly alike. We are comrades at heart for _certainement_ , just as Hans and I are blood brothers now, whom I, Ferdinand Egalité, will lay down my life for." And with that extreme loyalty statement, a fully costumed French Crown Prince dramatically holds up three perfectly matching crimson red satin capes attached to three equivalent English armored black tunics with three corresponding gold royal crests of the feathered crown badge of the 14th-century famous Black Prince costume he was wearing. His other hand held three identical bejeweled pewter-black three-quarter face masks which the French Prince was again roguishly sporting.

' _Ich Diem' – 'I serve'_ – was the Latin motto inscribed on the device borne by another heroic Prince of the past who faced a vicious fire-breathing gargantuan dragon, evil sorceresses wielding the powers of hell, a wall of sharp thorns and deadly vines standing in his dauntless way, not to mention irate possessive fathers.

All for the fairytale love of his beautiful briar rose Princess he met once upon a dream, the legendary medieval hero by the name Prince Phillip Edward, the Black Prince, would do anything.

Just as Ferdinand correlated Prince Hans of the Southern Isles would do now for his own dream lover.

 _Not to mention you will look drop-dead spectacular and irresistible in the sleek fit of this costume I have selected for you, mon ami._

"I take it, Madame that King Agdar's sight is still not yet that _excellente_ , correct?" Displaying one of his own stylish crimson red caped, silver armored black Prince Phillip ensembles with flair, Ferdinand asks Idun the odd question as he wordlessly helps her reach for a particular colorful feathered hat on the top shelf of the changing room, like any chivalrous knight should.

"No, it's not. Poor thing tries not to look foolish feeling along the walls, but my stubborn King will never admit that he is infirmed. Bless him." The Queen smirks at her proud partner who really was still such a little boy at times.

"Magnifique!" He goes from masked 14th-century Prince to red and black trickster clown again in a matter of seconds due to some well-placed, ingenious seamstress fastenings. The ever entertaining Frenchman provocatively tosses off the cape and shirt and attached leg armor in all of its exquisitely embroidered Princely outfit glory.

Before Idun's wide eyes, in a flash of black and red in the next second, Egalité shows off how he easily removed the ornate costume to reveal his tight, black and red Harlequin suit again. Egalité laughs, silently enjoying a bit of his own theatrical pantomime flair of the bizarre Venetian theater.

 _ **CLAP CLAP CLAP!**_

"Oh, you are clever man, Prince Ferdinand. Now I can see why both my husband and Prince Hans have been wholly impressed by you." Idun applauds the dapper Prince's change from knight to clown in less than sixty seconds flat.

"An _excellente_ reason for the two of them to get along as father and son, _non_?" Egalité smirks at the thought.

"Excellent, indeed. I'll show you where a safe place is to hide your enterprising costume initiative from the servants and other guests. This looks like it is certainly going to be a night to remember for my big girl, Prince Ferdinand. I thank you for being a friend to our young lovers." Idun excitedly finishes collecting the remainder of the costume she was accumulating for her own romantic matchmaking adventure. Then, with a quick peek around, she stealthily leads a cloaked Harlequin Ferdinand Egalité out into the hall and into the connecting lighthouse tower.

* * *

Elsa's Birthday has begun!

Hello Frozen friends! This is the start of a 3 part Birthday arc! 1st part: preparations in the morning, opening presents after the Arendelle royal family has returned; 2nd part: some fun with meeting intriguing birthday guests and matchmaking on the side for the party; 3rd part: Masquerade Ball with all these romantic twists and schemes and mystery for Helsa and gang!

I have part 2 already written and typed almost ready to go for next week at August start, and the exciting conclusion all mapped out, so hang on tight with all these plans and enigmatic schemes for Elsa and her handsome Prince and friends. Please enjoy this first installment of Elsa's incredibly exciting birthday celebration!

I'd love to hear your reviews!

Jesus loves you!

Love, HarukaKou

Countdown time! My birthday's in 27 days! :) (I'm a kid at heart like Anna for birthdays! heehee)


	37. Chapter 36 - Birthday Chills and Thrills

_We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

 **"Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act VIII**

 **Chapter 36**

 **'Birthday Thrills and Chills"**

 _With a blindfold on, eh, Agdar?_

The undaunted man was doing his utmost not to look incapacitated by any standard as he slowly moves down the front entrance into the right-hand hallway of Arendelle Castle while servants here and there bustled to and fro.

As he had previously stated to his wife, Agdar had grown up in this castle, isolated and alone by order of his own strict, frightened parents who were so distanced from the lonely boy he had an agonizing, friendless childhood.

The statues, the paintings, the architecture, in fact, the very hallways all had been his only friends in his formative years. So of course a calm Agdar could still walk through the rooms blindfolded.

But maybe confidence was the one thing the King of Arendelle was secretly lacking right now.

"Shall I swing you as high as the sky this morning, Miss?" Agdar smiles at his lonesome memories of the idyllic summery scenic painting by renowned painter Jean-Honore Fragonard, one of the many collected in the Gallery sitting room of Arendelle Castle.

What the bleary-eyed King did not see as he was distractedly striding towards one of his favorite old friends illustrated in the lively painting, was a newly erected tabletop desk full of flowers and birthday cards and decorations in the center of the room.

"Whoa! Watch your step, Sir!" Fortunately Kristoff Bjorgman had been prescient enough to keep an eye out for his debilitated father-in-law wandering alone in the castle. After peeking in the Gallery from the long hall, the intuitive muscular man raced down to deftly halt the older man from tripping over the leg of the ornate flower table.

"I am sorry for being such trouble, Son. I appear to be more rickety and rather debilitated even in my own home, just trying to get a closer look at my favorite painting of the Masters." Agdar apologizes with a small self-deprecating chuckle.

"It's your favorite, too? Just like Anna! She always loves to drag me outside to her favorite big tall oak tree and push her on that swing –" Sensing he wanted to talk, Kristoff begins to make pleasant conversation as he straightens his father-in-law's left shoulder epaulette that had been knocked crooked during the man's near tumble.

"– 'as high as the sky'. Yes, I remember the days of my baby's childhood well." The King says with a touch of melancholy that those precious days with his little girls were over. "When it's your turn to have a little girl who looks up to you to be her hero with those wide endless pools of bright eyes, and begs you push her higher and higher, Kristoff, please don't ever let her fall off that swing." The contrite father speaks advice from experience quietly to his son-in-law.

"Yes…sir." Kristoff didn't quite know how to answer this tender mood of the King who suddenly remembers his place and shakes off the uncertainty.

"I'm sure a quick peek in the Throne Room to see what all these decorators have done in there should cheer me up. If you don't mind, son?" The King nods to several bowing servants who had been hired just for this occasion, scurrying about on their hectic schedules with final birthday decorations and guest accommodations beyond normal castle duties.

Relying on Kristoff's strong arm to lead the way, King Agdar finally makes it to the Throne room, the one place in the entire bustling kingdom he was sure would remain untouched from this outlandish Masquerade Ball.

Idun and Anna had dreamed this special party up for Elsa and it was to be the center of attraction and not the usual pomp and circumstance of mere entertaining dull and pompous foreign visitors from all parts of the world –

 _Speak of the—! What is **he** doing sitting on sitting on **my** throne!?_

"Next interview in an orderly fashion, if you please." Chancellor Esteban Flores had been faithfully bringing in Arendelle citizen after citizen for days now to hear their complaints and problems caused by this especially elongated period of subzero temperature befalling the country.

The older man dutifully stifles a yawn as he lifts his chin with a cultured goatee and salt-and-pepper moustache that complemented the thick curl of his hair that framed his oblong face to look up from the Throne he'd been sitting on since the wee hours.

The tireless servant of the people who had been left in charge of the kingdom by Queen Idun during the crisis, had run Arendelle's governmental administration like clockwork, making decisions and rulings like a natural born leader from sun up to sun down and beyond.

Esteban had been making decrees for whatever issue or request the good citizens of Arendelle had with a magnanimous, welcoming smile for three weeks now. When the blizzard storm became too cold for the townspeople running out of wood to feed their fires, Esteban opened up the castle to all, sure the King and Queen would do the same.

And then there were countless more birthday Masquerade Ball preparations to deal with.

Fortunately for all, from all his years guarding over Avalor, Esteban became extremely effective at making preparations run smooth. So, while he dealt with governmental matters, the Chancellor delegated the courses of food, gift and flower arranging, as well as costume display in the dressing room – all in need of a woman's delicate touch for an exquisite celebration waltz as this– to Johanne Roservalen's capable hands, treating her as more a partner than a ladies' maid.

But that meant their mutual responsibilities kept them apart in the opposite ends of Arendelle Castle. Neither long-lost friend had much of a chance to spend some quality time together, beyond the general morning greeting and administrational discussions of the day's events here and there at mealtimes.

 _And yet… I have never felt this overwhelming completeness and compatibility since I have been here, my pretty little yellow poppy, Johanne. It's the same feeling as when we were dancing all night decades ago, which seems but yesterday…_

Esteban wrenches himself from his nostalgic romantic musing to be suddenly staring in the not-so-pleasant face of an irate King's icy eyes instead.

Agdar's ginger blond moustache was bristling at just who he finds had the audacity to so comfortably sit as replacement on his throne.

"Agdar! My old friend! It has been a long time!" Turning on the charm quick, a sleepy-eyed Chancellor Esteban wakes instantly, standing up from the wine velvet throne immediately with a hand extended to the stiffened Ice King only a few feet before him.

"Yes, Esteban, it has been." The ice hackles threateningly at the back of the previously becalmed Norwegian King's neck and the cold temperature creeps down in the room. Agdar stares at the cheerful rapport of the man he once considered a rival for his new wife Idun's attention on their what was _supposed_ to be their romantic extended honeymoon visit to the South American land twenty-five years ago.

A weirded-out Kristoff takes a few steps back from all the sudden bad vibes exuding between his father-in-law and this tall, dark Hispanic stranger. The King was on the verge of losing both his hot temper and cold control of his cryokinetics again to come home to find this well-dressed, _old friend_ of Idun's gallivanting as ruler, swilling wine and sitting on the King's throne of Arendelle kingdom as if he owned the place.

The Wind Whisperer glances down to see King Agdar silently seething ice smoke vapors from his hung open mouth and flared nostrils over his crispy moustache.

 _All good thoughts… All good thoughts…No road rage…_

"I am surprised to find you looking so very well, my friend, after that harrowing ordeal with that vindictive Diablo monster Iduna described in that letter Johanne and I received. She had informed us all was well with you in the North." Esteban addresses the King warmly and shakes his hand with a pat to the Ice King's tense shoulder in a familiarity greeting. "And may I say what a stunning kingdom you and my poco canora have here, Agdar. I am so glad to have endured the frigid waters of the sea to finally come and visit after all these long years. May I offer you a glass of this most delectable, scrumptious wine?"

" ** _My_** songbird _Idun_ did not even _mention_ you would be arriving, Chancellor Esteban, let alone tell me she placed you in full reign of the country. How long did you say you were staying?" King Agdar's abrasive masculine disposition when it came to the charming debonair foreign gentleman wearing a wine red royal jacket and frilled yellow tie had not been diminished over time as he stares Esteban down for several defiant seconds with a chilly eye.

Finally, with a little clearing of his throat, the tall gentleman puts his wine glass down to a table at the side of the throne. Then the tall, debonair Chancellor breaks the combative gaze with an amicable simper and raises his dark brow down to his younger, easily set-off, pale friend. Esteban twirls own coiffed moustache as he gestures for the King and Kristoff to follow him from the Throne Room and back down the Great Hall through the Gallery.

"When Elena heard of this voyage to the continent Crown Prince Alonso was making – _at your personal invitation I was told_ – she contacted our mutual friend, King Juan Ramos of Argentina. He then requested me to accompany his son to see that the boy did not get into any further mischief. You see, young Alonso does have quite a reputation with the ladies – so I thought I should come to warn you and Idun of that, at least before he became too involved with your delicate rare flower of a child." Esteban motions a gloved hand to the framed portrait painting of the two sweet-faced and innocent Arendelle princesses with Kristoff, Olaf and Sven too, which Elsa had commissioned for her sister Anna's summer solstice birthday two years back.

"I also thought it would be nice to meet with my old friends Agdar and Iduna in my declining years. And of course I would never pass up the chance to meet with my pretty little poppy, Johanne again. I must confess to you, Agdar, that she has been a fortress and anchor for your people in weathering this blizzard storm." Esteban answers more reflectively, receiving a small wave from Queen Idun's faithful ladies' maid who was changing the flowers in the gallery painting room.

"Yeah, Johanne is a good woman. She always has taken care of this family, from what I've heard and what I've seen. When we go out on adventures we can always count on her and her brother Kai to watch over the kingdom, without saying a word." Relaxed Kristoff steps forward to bring to the easily disturbed King's attention to the less controversial subject of the older maid whom everybody in the household liked well.

"Yes. Yes I remember now how close you and Johanne became when we visited Avalor all those years ago. I think she did always hold a soft spot for you, you old devil." At the mention of his old nanny, Agdar's hard line face softens as the men find mutual ground at last they could agree on.

 _That's a relief._ For a few minutes in trepidation, Kristoff thought he may have had to break up a scuffle between the two older gentlemen in the tense confrontational atmosphere.

 _{"What was that, Kristly? We're busy playing with the porcelain animals in the zoo you helped build in our play room! I can't focus on you too good for having so much FUN with this amazing sky diorama the kids in Sunday school class made for Elsa! Bring in the pair of pink and yellow earth ponies from their pen, Olaf! Eliana, you grab the purple and white unicorn couple. Watch their sparkly horns! The boy one has gold hair, like Kristly. Heeheehee! Elsa, you can make the pegasuses – or is that 'pegasi'? Whichever - fly with your ice magic! Aren't they pretty?! I've got the griffin chickies! 'Whinny! Neigh! Hoot-hoot! Cheep-cheep! Clip-clop-clippity clop!'"} Anna was busy making so many different animal sound effects to go with the cute detailed figures she and the snowpeople were animating that she had Elsa in stitches with her antics displaying her new mythical creature porcelain toys._

{"Glad _you're_ having fun, Feisty Pants. I managed to calm your Dad down before he went all ice crazy over finding this Chancellor guy sitting on his throne. They're going into the study now to greet some guests. Then we'll be heading to dining room, I hope. I'm a little more than hungry myself for breakfast, so you gals better start putting away your little ponies and start getting ready to come down, too."} Kristoff could mentally just see the two girls playing with all those new winged and horned fragile ceramic presents that Kristoff had carefully helped Anna assemble in the 'Queen's Collection Room' featuring imported dolls and porcelain figurines of all kinds that fascinated Elsa, particularly unicorns and pegasus.

{"Breakfast?! We'll be at the feeding trough when the gong rings! But first we have to corral the Yakyaks from Yakyakistan next, Elsa"} Anna sends her psychic message in silly creature terms to an eye rolling Kristoff, who turns back to pay attention to the more serious gentlemen's conversation.

"As I was telling Iduna, I do hope Prince Alonso was not too much of a gallivanting handful on your adventure, particularly concerning your beauteous daughter. Where is the boy, anyway? Did you need to dismiss him? I feel extremely remiss to King Juan Ramón for not keeping him in check. As well as to you, Agdar, for not warning of the spoiled young Argentine prince's bad reputation with the ladies in your initial correspondence. But I did not wish to cause trouble between your nations during any trade negotiations." Esteban strokes his curled moustache with an apologetic nod to Elsa's father.

"Not that I have seen, Chancellor. Of all reports I have heard and what I have - _ahem_ \- seen, Prince Alonso behaved as a proper gentleman and served to be a valuable member of our party, even in dire straits. So you need not reproach yourself in that." Agdar was feeling more in command as Kai, redressed and freshened up, comes to his leader's side, relieving Kristoff of his watch over the King, and to give Esteban his usual disapproving, snobbish look.

"That is a great weight off my shoulders. Though Prince Alonso displays a major conceited vanity failing, I find he is but a harmless pup, licking his wounds of a broken heart's status – at least according to my cousin, Queen Elena. I find Elena has become very wise in matters concerning the heart, much like Iduna. The ladies have an insight in this delicate subject we never will, eh, my friends?" The dashing Chancellor affably bows to Agdar and Kai both as he opens the door for them. At the same time, Kristoff makes an excuse to depart before entering the study he sensed was full of strangers he would not fit in with at all.

"No doubt this is why the several young gentlemen of royal lineage who fit the bill of 'eligible bachelor' recently arrived at the Castle were _not_ on the guest list Iduna provided me with when she left… I did not realize yourself or your daughter was so well acquainted with that many kingdoms, Agdar. Nonetheless, while you are becoming acquainted with them, I will sort out the kingdom's more mundane affairs with Minister Kai which occurred in your absence." Esteban calmly comments as he sweeps open the door of the King's study at the end of the hall where he had instructed the servants to gather the eager young visitors who all were chomping at the bit to meet the King – and moreover his daughter, who was the Queen.

Not wishing to display his visual disability before these foreign royal representatives, proud Agdar was glad his innate naval sense of direction and improved hearing had pointed the sight impaired man to walk straight into the study and not, for instance, crash into the pillars between the doorway or the moved coffee table soon within.

"Your Majesty! Did I not tell you boys that I heard a carriage or two approaching the drive earlier? It is a pleasure to finally stand in your presence, at long last, King Agdar. I have heard so much about your mysterious and magical kingdom from fellow princes and foreign dignitaries that have not done justice to extol its beauty of majestic flawlessness enough. I cannot describe your taste in your exquisite gallery of paintings of the Masters without giving you my salute. And I hear your daughter is every bit as stunning a work of art to befit this glorious setting." Flowery Prince Charles Auguste of Milan, a dark brown haired man of medium height and sharp wit was eldest of the group at the ripe old age of 29. He was also probably the verbally smoothest of these sparring royal suitors gathered, and quickest to deferentially bow to King Agdar.

The Italian royal who was highly interested in art was the first person in the full room to recognize the royal ruler whose coronation portrait he had been studying in the library for the past couple of days. He arrived over a week ago in anxious wait to meet the King who invited him personally to attend his advantageously regal – and unattached – daughter's birthday celebration.

Soon, the other five Royal Princes had swiftly raced into the King's study. Each wanted to be the first to impress the King the minute their footmen gave them the heads up from Charles Auguste's man. So their servants got them awake _tout suite_ at this 8AM hour and altogether presentable to go downstairs and vie to King Agdar for Queen Elsa's audience.

The half-dozen princes of all races and girth and sizes were all of the twentysomething range and had been arranged to attend this birthday event months ago at the King of Arendelle's personal request. The highly eligible bachelors were each eager to meet the beautiful, poised and powerful Queen of Arendelle now that she had returned home.

"Yes, I agree with Charles Auguste about Arendelle's incomparable majesty. But I would like to add that your kingdom also has a certain domestic appeal of hearth and home that all other nations – even those beyond the European scope – must envy." An especially assertive, especially tall, tan skinned young Prince Khalid of Khaldune was next to address the King, giving Agdar a flourishing bow from his green with gold and maroon trimmed jacket and white baggy pants covering his very tall six-foot five height physique.

"Oh, come now, Auguste. ' _Extolling the beauty'_? _'Incomparable Majesty'_ , Khalid? That sounds so corny! You've got to forgive my friends, King Agdar. They adore reciting poetry to women and tend to embellish their opinion on both. Don't get me wrong, they're really great guys. I'm Prince James of Enchancia. Just your average, all-around friendly guy. Thanks for inviting me and my family to your kingdom. It sounds like a great party. My sisters Amber and Sofia are nuts about great dress up dos, so I had to bring them along. Hope you don't mind." The down-to-earth, tawny gold hair, easy-going Iberic Prince of Enchancia elbows his old buddy Prince Desmond of Burgundy, both about the same 22-year-old age.

The pensive, more thoughtful young man from the Swiss-French border kingdom colors at the mere mention of the name of Prince James' audacious sister, Amber, whom Desmond always had a not so secret, unrequited love crush on since they were kids.

"Oh! Th–that-Tha-that that's r-r-rright, James! P-Princess Am-Am-Amber enjoys d-d-dancing very much." Ending in a sheepish whisper, the pale skinned, tan haired Prince from Switzerland was a stuttering top student who legitimately earned his scholastic awards. The timid young man glances up from where he had been devouring the entire history of Norway in books. The slight, skinny lad with spectacles was leaning in the windowsill to garner enough light to read in this land of the polar night's winter time.

"This bookworm buddy who likes to read is named Prince Desmond of Burgundy. He's kinda shy, and wouldn't say so himself, _because it's probably on his list of frights,_ but he also likes your gallery of paintings. We were checking them out before and he could name almost every one by painter and date." The ruddier complexioned Spaniard speaks up again, obviously accustomed to filling in the blanks for his quiet friend, who blushes under the compliment.

"I especially like the one Queen Elsa painted herself of her sister Princess Anna hanging upside down from an oak tree. It's so lifelike, she looks like she's having such fun." The non-stuttering words come spilling out all at once in an added-on whisper that Agdar found rather charming in this immature young Prince.

"Why, thank you, Prince Desmond. I'll be certain to pass that on to Queen Elsa and Princess Anna later." The King goes out of his way to be especially polite to the shy young man.

"That quiet dark fellow in the murky corner playing with your abacus is Prince Otho of Crete. We just met, but he seems really into numbers and super smart like Desmond is with reading, but rather at mathematics." Unaffected by any rivalry which the others seemed to be affected with, generous Prince James, had taken on the role of self-appointed suitor spokesman for the ones who were recalcitrant to approach the stoic, imposing King of Arendelle.

"It is very good to meet all of you, Your Highnesses. I thank each of you royal princes for answering my invitations to attend Queen Elsa's 23rd birthday celebration. I commend you all for persevering in your voyages, despite the inclement temperatures and rough journey here. I assure you that normally the Norwegian seas are not as… violent –" Agdar begins to formally welcome the five princes who had extremely different personalities and backgrounds already on display in the first few minutes of meeting them. But that's when he hears raised voices bickering at one another behind his back as he shakes his aching head wondering what on earth he was thinking a month or two ago inviting them all here to his castle sanctuary.

"Excuse me, Your Majesty." With a clipped bow, Chancellor Esteban smoothly ducks out into the Arendelle Castle foyer to run interference.

"I thought I detected the fragrance of roses! Was that Queen Elsa in the hall out there!?" Tall Khalid had the height advantage to peer over Agdar and Esteban's heads where he thought he saw a tall blonde holding a large flower bouquet at the base of the staircase.

"Where!?" The other four rabid princes cry out all at once, knocking each other aside after Esteban had made the mistake of opening the door to peek back in to say all was well.

"I envisioned her as being more… _ergh_ …petite, no? Maybe my spectacles are smudged…"

"Move out of the way, Otho!"

"They do say Scandinavian women are exceptional. Just maybe not as _delicate_ as I perceived."

"Hey, I can't see with all of you lugs in the way! Cut the girl some slack, it's her birthday. Maybe she's just not a morning person."

"Who is that man with the flowers that she's… attacking…? Guys, that's definitely not the Queen."

"Pardon me, gentlemen." Esteban turns on his heel to see to the kerfuffle. Wanting to get a better view himself, half-blind King Agdar and the others soon follow him in curiosity.

"Mr. Bjorgman? What is the meaning of this?" Chancellor Esteban wonders why on earth the blond Ice Harvester would be strong arm cuffing some twirly moustached, sepia brown slicked back haired man wearing princely clothing in an unforgiving arm-pinned-behind-back-arm grip.

"The meaning of this is that I found this peeping tom jerk trying to sneak into Queen Elsa's personal quarters with who knows what nefarious intentions in mind so early in the morning. He claims to be someone by the unfortunate name of 'Prince Vittorio Emmanuel of Sardinia' – _wherever that is!-_ with the sorry excuse of wanting to have been the first to present a romantic happy-sappy birthday bouquet to your daughter, King Agdar. But fresh roses in the middle of winter? I don't buy it. His eyes are shifty." Upon wandering outdoors, Kristoff did NOT take well _at all_ to finding this foreign jerk rummaging about at the window trellis and climbing up it to where the mountainman's wife and her sister were inside dressing for breakfast.

Ever in his role as suspicious royal husband despite being well attired in his tight fitting vest and pale blue jacket, Kristoff Bjorgman accuses the large set, presumptive, idealistic Sardinian man of skulking along the castle rear gardens and climbing into the window of the royal bedroom belonging to the idolized Ice Queen Elsa.

"Shifty!? Capo Tosta! _Iscassiadu!_ (stubborn hardhead) ( _Angry_!)!" The romance Latin language of the sporty Sardinian Prince explodes in bad temper at Kristoff, who was unperturbed being screamed at by any mad man he towered over.

In the irritated mountaineer's staunch clutches, the big boned and beefy 21-year-old young Italian had little chance of not being collared by the formidable muscleman, even without the assistance of Arendelle's guardsmen. They had been co-opted by the numerous hired servants and citizenry party planners to help decorate the castle's exterior courtyard at such short notice now that the blizzard stopped.

"I only have just arrived this morning from the sea, Your Majesty, and was merely attempting to bring the Queen this fine birthday bouquet I carefully preserved all the way from my country, to brighten up her day at the early start. But that is when this… _uomo sciocco_ (fool man)…grabbed me and destroyed my fragile floral surprise! Now I have nothing to give the Queen. Nothing." Emotional with his gesturing hands, Prince Vittorio Emmanuel of Sardinia was very upset as he gazes down at his broken-headed, colossal rose bouquet of Saint Efisio flowers he had his people carefully preserve to impress Queen Elsa and sweep her off her feet with his unparalleled floral splendor.

The young Mediterranean Prince now looked about as high-spirited as his wilting bouquet of hothouse flowers after he had braved the cold morning to go out to his formerly ice stranded ship and fetch the massive pink and red and white colored rose bouquet from its handmade greenhouse. But a ticked-off Kristoff had efficiently confiscated the spray to check for dangerous weapons or insidious bugs before returning the manhandled drooping bunch of flowers to the poor frustrated man.

"Yes, please understand, Sir, that my resourceful son-in-law merely overreacted because he did not recognize your no doubt, unintentionally, suspect presence. You must see how it would appear from the ground to an unacquainted person, peering in bedroom windows, seeing as you'd only arrived this morning and had not proper introduction yet. But I am certain Prince Vittorio Emmanuel will not make the same mistake again, Prince Kristoff. So please, son, loosen your grip on the good Prince now, and shake hands to show there is no ill will on this auspicious day. Then, I ask you both to join us for a civilized morning meal together." The peacemaking King gives the brash 21-year-old boy a pleasant smile and hand warning followed by an instructive nod for the Snow Prince to let the Italian youth's collar go, followed up with bringing an uncomfortable Kristoff in towards the dining area with a hand on his son-in-law's stiffened shoulder.

"I can only give you our utmost apologies for this misunderstanding, Prince Vittorio. Please, with your celebrated liberality, we ask pardon for this unseemly reception. Let us start afresh. I, King Agdar of Arendelle, welcome you warmly to our kingdom and beg your attendance to my daughter's Masquerade Ball later this evening. I will be certain to make special note to Queen Elsa of your well-intentioned greeting, which I am certain she will smile kindly upon its solicitous floral beauty as intended. Please do join us for breakfast now."

 _After all we must at least give the appearance of being hospitable to our guests, as foolhardy, brash as this ill-tempered Sard youth may be._ King Agdar smirks after giving his most benign smile to the youth as he looks over the half dozen princes from several various countries.

All were comely, all of recommended highborn breeding, and all of vastly eligible backgrounds, but certainly they all came in varied degrees of manners and temperaments.

 _But who among them could even come close to comparing to that fine-looking, charming and unfortunately utterly engaging, thirteenth in-line Dane? I am loathe to say it, but I wouldn't know which of these I'd prefer as a potential son-in-law over Prince Hans, at first impression…_ The concerned father was just about to let out a disappointed sigh when Kai waves the King's attention before he goes to ring the breakfast gong.

" _Grazie meda_ (Thank you much), your Majesty." Prince Vittorio nods, giving Kristoff a snobbish Roman nose up in the air and thickly growing moustache curl as he waltzes past the blond indignantly and marches into the dining room the King gestures towards.

"Cousin Agdar! I thought I was to be the only representative of my Prussian royal family. At least that's what Arianna gave me the impression of when she begged me for a visit to Arendelle in her place. You know, babies popping out at the most inconvenient time are too much bother. Nobody told me _Lady_ Cassandra had previously arrived, the insufferably domineering little chit. Where did she flit off to anyway? I have not seen her since I _charmed_ her last evening… Perhaps I was a tad too aggressive. Is she not joining us for breakfast?" Already in the dining room, obese Prince Waldemar, King Friedrich's younger, supposedly ladies' man brother had followed the scent of the breakfast fare. Rapunzel's finicky, snooty uncle complains of encountering the Coronan ladies' maid who obviously did not take well to his philandering dalliances here in Arendelle.

The tetchy fat man makes a great effort to rise from the dining room table and tear himself away from the savory ham and egg soufflé that Gerda had masterfully composed in the kitchen at the start of this nonstop all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet for the growing guest list.

"Greetings, Cousin. I must say this is much better than the inedible grub on that wretched ship that got itself wedged in the ice during a fretful blizzard halfway here. Thank goodness the water finally melted enough to let us pass. I was fading away from being famished." The wide-width bachelor bows his greying head and sticks out his sausage dripping greasy hand for the disgusted King to shake.

"We are doing our best to welcome _all_ our visitors, Waldemar." Wishing he was wearing his gloves that the Ice King had trained himself not to need anymore, Agdar smiles at the black sheep of Corona's royal family. When the Norwegian ruler was young and still courting Princess Idun, sister of Prussia's newly married Queen Arianna, he had met Prussian Prince Waldemar on several occasions in the Corona palace.

Agdar wouldn't say he ever enjoyed the company of King Friedrich's brother who had a sweet spot for cakes and drink…and Idun, in that order.

 _Oh, she's going to love seeing you again, Waldemar._ _But I suppose it's an even exchange for me having to deal with the charming Chancellor Esteban all evening…_

A churlish grin creeps across Agdar's jealous face as he glances in the fuzzy direction of the cool and collected Avaloran Duke who seemed to be in charge of the running of **his** kingdom. It set Agdar on edge, the way smooth Esteban was directing the breakfast service – and everything else in the castle for that matter – and with Minister Kai at his side, even more than the out of the loop, feeling excluded King.

 _I suppose Kai realizes I have much more important affairs to deal with today than the daily palace workings._ Covering his resentment, Agdar gives his councillor a grateful nod as Kai comes in, fluidly leading the half-blind man to his seat.

The large-set jack-of-all-trades to this kingdom serves his King a plate of the omelette soufflé as if it was a perfectly natural thing to do. The big man makes excuses of inspecting the cutlery to ensure the King had fork at left and knife at right.

Then the bevy of princes, all wishing to craft a winning impression on their prospective future father-in-law, each make some effort to be seated closest to the head of the table to make engaging, intelligent dialogue and conversation with the King.

Of course, the ones believing themselves the more clever of the princes – namely Princes Auguste and Khalid – observed that the special place at the center of the long table setting where a single crocus had been placed on a delicately embroidered lace doily was probably to be reserved for the Queen herself.

The two of them strategically placed themselves in the seating where each felt most advantageous to their benefit - one facing and one beside - where they were certain would be the Queen of Arendelle's dining room seat.

 ** _DONG! DONG!_**

With the visiting men gathered and introduced to the King already in place, the gong Kai now rings for the second time notified that the ladies present in the royal house should, fashionably late, take note to join their counterparts already settled at the breakfast table.

"Good morning." Though unable to clearly recognize the visiting ladies, Agdar rises from his chair to greet each highborn female who entered the dining room. Along with a few older women, several young royal princesses are introduced by Chancellor Esteban. He was quite comfortable in hobnobbing with each fluttering eyed lady, ranging from sprightly girls about Anna's age to older dowagers who always invited themselves to parties.

In a way, the King was envious of the smooth talking South American gentleman who possessed an affability that could charm the spots off a leopard.

"Their Royal Highnesses, Princesses Amber and Sofia of Enchancia."

Prince James gallantly stands to seat each of his sisters after Esteban rattles their esteemed names off.

"James! Let the footmen do it!" Through gritted smiling teeth, Princess Amber berates her brother who never would get the hang of proper royal procedures, even after all these years.

"Princess Valentina of Paraiso." Next, poor Esteban made the big mistake of abbreviating the long-winded styles of the demanding Princess of Brazil. But she would not let him get by without mentioning a few more exceptional adjectives about the ostentatious young woman's ensemble when it was her turn to be introduced next.

" _Pardon me_ , _Señorita_. I introduce her _most_ exalted, humble, kind and benevolent _Royal Crown Princess_ Valentina Montenez Tores of Paraiso." The patronizing Chancellor corrects himself to introduce the indeed stunning Brazilian Princess in all her pink shimmering grandeur until she was satisfied to be seated at the table.

There were some guffaws from the gentlemanly group who were forced to rise by Valentina's intimidating dark-eyed servant, Manuel, standing just inside the door. He was glaring at them to the show their respect to the entering Princess whom Esteban was reduced to grasping for agreeable titles to please.

"Oh, why are you so late to breakfast, Prince Alonso? In such a disheveled wreck, too. Hardly befitting having a meal with a Royal Princess such as I." Princess Valentina Montenez Tores raises a challenging eyebrow down the table at the Córdoban who thought he had snuck into the dining room unnoticed amid all the busy chatter.

"Eh, ahem – no. Just— _cough cough cough_ – a bit of _annoying_ crumbs caught in my throat. Must be the _dry_ toast." The faking, brown haired Prince chokes out, pointing an overdramatic hand to his clearing throat as quick cover up of his red cheeks that appeared to still have remnants of being slapped hard.

"Oh, poor boy. Here let me help. Luckily for you, Elena and I did a course in life-saving techniques as precaution for her growing brood always getting themselves injured last time I visited Avalor."

 _Shame those six wondrous children her Captain of the Guard – what was his name – Dave? Trabe? Whatever - gave her made the dear girl lose her hourglass figure at the ripe old age of twenty-seven entirely._

 _That is **never** going to happen to me._

Princess Valentina then suddenly – and rather violently for such a picture of a lovely young delicate woman wearing a lacy frilly pink satin and chiffon dress – takes the palm heel of her _genteel_ gloved hand to whack Prince Alonso's back in a punishing upward motion very hard indeed.

 ** _Cough! Cough! Cough!_**

Now the Argentinean was truly hacking up, his breath thoroughly taken away by this intoxicating beauty who was the main reason for his unexpected flight from South America to Europe.

"Oh? It always works on Elena's choking brats—I mean, her _darling kittens_! Maybe this cold Norwegian climate doesn't agree with you, Alonsy. Shall I have another go at it?" Seeming to have some sadistic grudge against ' _Alonsy'_ , Valentina's exotic green eyes flair as she flippantly produces a stylish parasol for greater hitting leverage ability.

" **No!** I'm fine now. Just need some water." Gulping down a glass of water as he shoots up to his feet, Alonso hurriedly finishes his faked for sympathy coughing with his hands defensively waving at Princess Valentina. He looked more like a caught animal who had been on the bad receiving end of the ill-tempered woman's parasol before.

He fights the urge to rub his still horse-whipped bum from their earlier encounter in the stable.

"I am pleased." Uppity sophisticate Valentina tosses her dark brown curls over her shoulder flippantly, as her eyes gesture towards the vacant seat next to Prince Alonso's right.

That makes the frustrated man run a hand through his own coiffed hair before rolling his eyes with a resigned sigh.

"May I have the honor of your company for breakfast, Princess?" With a smirk on his comely features, Alonso remembers his gentlemanly manner that this persnickety woman insisted upon, after feeling every eye in the struck silent room upon him where you could hear a fork drop for all the sexual tension and elevated drama from the high strung combative South American pair.

"Why, thank you, Sir, I thought you'd never ask. You of all people, Alonsy, should know how I like my breakfast fare. So get to it." She snaps her fingers, never one to avoid being at the center stage of anything. With a sugary sweet voice, diva Princess Valentina now tosses a smile over her flawless shoulder at him which rivaled that of the cat who just ate the canary.

"Umm… Right…" Quite taken aback by the forwardness of the assertive and bold young Brazilian princess in all her frilly pink glory, Agdar shifts in his seat uncomfortably. He had avoided society for the majority of his life. Such familiarity between the two sexes was unheard of in Regency era sensibilities he was raised in and made to adhere to by his strict parents.

 _Thank goodness our girls – well, at least our Elsa has more decorum than that_. The ginger King considers his children proudly as a cordially smiling Elsa and giggling Anna, arm in arm with iced poinsettias woven throughout their hair, enter the dining room with a relaxed birthday atmosphere.

Wearing glittering velvet gowns in blues, Anna's Julebukken embroidered skirt with pom-pom puffs stops short from dancing in with her sparkling glee. Elsa's sapphire dress and filmy cape also pause mid-sweep in, gasping with widened eyes at the awestruck young men who obviously approved of what they saw.

Their mother Idun, if not rested, was ready to celebrate the day after that certain reassuring meeting with the charismatic Frenchman, Ferdinand.

She soon joins her daughters to make their introductions to the honored guests of old friends she invited.

But Idun had no idea there would be so many obviously royal offspring strangers attending.

 _Agdar Bernadotte, you are the most impossible man! I knew you were planning something! But this?! This is not fair play! It's a good thing your friend Egalite doesn't play by the rules._ Idun silently stews, giving her husband a pair of dagger eyes that causes him to gulp down his orange juice guiltily.

"Oh." Elsa's pleased smile freezes in place when the reserved still shy girl is surprised to be confronted by so many new faces all staring at her expectantly.

But luckily for her, spirited little sister Anna was there to fill in the blanks as she gives Elsa's hand a reassuring squeeze and a smile that silently said _'I got this'._

"Good morning, everybody! Wow! Looks like this is going to be a big party! See all the guests who came for your Masquerade Ball, Elsa! We'll have to wrestle up some willing ladies from town to make sure that there are no wallflowers for the dance! You guys'll have to tell me if you prefer blondes, brunettes or gingers! I'll make sure there'll be lots of beautiful girls in costume for each of you." Anna takes a bold step forward and addresses the astounded gentlemen seated around the breakfast table.

"And don't worry, boys. I love to dance, too! My handsome hubby Kristoff here won't mind if I reserve a dance or two on my card for every one of you, so no one will feel left out! Just give me your names so I can jot them all down on the list." Bubbly Anna flashes a big grin to Kristoff, who was doing his best to blend into the indoor shrubbery near the buffet and stay out of this palace intrigue while he was still on the King's good side.

Like a cross between a noisy morning windchime and an out-of-control spinning Christmas top, the un-shy ginger Princess easily whips out her 'dance card' – really it was just the back of her birthday to-do list – and boldly scoots up behind each dumbfounded Prince. Her aggressive pencil and paper were at the ready after a quick and awkward handshake and discomfited name exchange.

"Anna! I'm sure these royal gentleman, who, I may add, traveled some distance in inclement weather to be our guests have come to celebrate the Queen's birthday with us, as friends. They do not need to make reservations for a dance with _you_ or anyone. I believe they and Queen Elsa will appreciate a less formal party experience tonight. It is a Masquerade Ball after all, which is one that should be full of mystery and excitement. We must let the Queen herself decide with whom she wishes to dance with or not, the point being to figure out the anonymity behind the costume façade by the end of the ball's unmasking. Please forgive Princess Anna, Gentlemen, she is merely quite excitable on her sister's birthday." King Agdar both chides and explains away his younger daughter who had embarrassed herself and him in an inhospitable first impression before the mouth-dropped visitors.

But that _was_ the spicy girl's intention, as brassy Princess Anna takes a protective step between her bashful older sister and the gaggle of young men standing before Elsa, ogling her back.

"Of course, Your Majesty. But we are only too pleased to meet _both_ of your fine daughters. Princess Anna is a charming girl indeed whom I will be pleased to share my first dance with. Just so long as her lovely older sister honors me with the next dance on her card, as well." Prince Auguste of Milan was first to accept Anna's dance card and sign his quick signature to it with a gloved hand then extended to Elsa in a respectful bow.

"But were you not listening, Auguste? King Agdar is one hundred percent correct! Dance cards and reservations have absolutely no place at tonight's party. A Masquerade Ball is one full of inscrutability and mystery where strangers may be thrown together under the veil of romance and secrecy. I am looking forward to attending this exhilarating competition myself with vigor, to be the one to unmask the Queen of hearts by the time the clock strikes midnight." Prince Khalid lays the charm offensive on thick as the tan skinned Arabian from Khaldune assertively relieves pushy Prince Auguste of Elsa's much fought-over palm. Khalid makes a sweeping bow of his own flavor as he guides Elsa to her seat at the breakfast table beside him.

"May I say, Queen Elsa, the exquisite beauty of your kingdom is as picturesque as a fairytale. Only comparable to that of the perfectly aesthetic royal family who rules it. I am Prince Vittorio of Sardinia, at your service, my Lady." The platinum blonde Queen turns her face to the young man on other side with the sepia hair and long walrus moustache who introduces himself with a complimentary nod to King Agdar and Queen Idun and a not-so-veiled flirtation to Elsa herself.

 _'Agdar. Do something.'_ With fuming eyes, Queen Idun mouths to her silent King who was pretty much the only one in the room who could respectfully interrupt this princely barrage without offending the royal visitors too much.

"Ahem, gentlemen. Please let us not overwhelm the birthday girl all at once. Your company is an _unexpected_ surprise for her. So, I will introduce you each in turn to my daughters and my wife in due time after breakfast is served and we can converse civilly." From the terrified look on Elsa's shocked and mortified face, to Anna's peevish ticked-off one, to finally Idun's furious gaze, the guilty father steps in, looking up apologetically to the birthday girl.

Agdar was beginning to seriously regret his foolish scheme to bring these princes here. But the idea to provide his sheltered naïve girl more romantic choices had been hatching for months after watching his poor child wasting way mooning over that previously dangerous Danish Prince.

But the princes were all here now and King Agdar was unable to stop their introductions even if he wanted to.

"The King is right! Why don't you give the lady some space, guys? Let her breathe a little and have the most important meal of the day before you all jump down her throat. By the way, I'm Prince James of Enchancia. I came with my sisters Amber and Sofia because they love Masquerade Balls. Right, girls?" The affable golden haired Prince wearing his laid-back, soft green princely suit smiles at Elsa and Anna almost brotherly with a look to his own female siblings.

"I've met Princess Elsa and Princess Anna before, James. Remember, I told you about seeing them many years ago in the magic fairytale book I read about the Snow Queen's land. That's when Minimus and I accidentally met Olaf after that evil sorceress put a spell on my Amulet of Avalor." Brown wavy haired, sweet faced Princess Sofia – who had more than her share of enchantment throughout her young lifetime – touches a hand to where her magic amulet used to take her on fabled adventures with a heart full of love and friendship.

"That's right, you're Sofia! I thought that was just a dream! Like when I got kissed by a Troll when I was little! Wow. You're a time traveler through that magic amulet? Too Cool! Tell me all about it!" Anna says, grasping the shoulders of the once little girl who had grown up to be this pretty teenaged Princess now physically visiting their kingdom.

"You always get all the attention wherever we go, Sofia. It's a good thing I never get jealous when nobody notices little ole me, despite my new lace finery." Princess Amber brushes back her coif of golden hair, while straightening her fancy chartreuse dress. Prince James' twin had been trying to gain Queen Elsa's attention, but that was almost impossible with the flurry of princes all trying to make their twitterpated mark.

"I always notice you, Amber." Prince Desmond quietly chirps up in a whisper with a smile on his sheepish round face. He was absolutely unwilling to enter the fray with the other competitive princes, due in part to his natural fear of confrontation.

"Aren't they droll, Alonsy? It's a good thing the Ice Queen wasn't interested in you, or you would have to have pretended to be more jealous." Princess Valentina, jealous herself, makes the nasty dig to which Prince Alonso tries his best not to show any reaction as he continues to slice his sausages in tiny little pieces with a knife.

King Agdar stands with Kai's help to serve the breakfast entrées to his wife's plate and that of his unattended daughter –

"Do allow me the honor, your Majesty!"

"I will serve the Queen her scrambled eggs!"

"No! She obviously wants the omelette!"

"Would you like ham or sausage with that, Queen Elsa?"

"I've got this! Sweet strawberry jam or savory melted butter on your toast? Or both? I prefer both myself."

"Tea with one lump or two, m'lady?"

In a feeding frenzy, the six princes (minus veteran rejected suitor Alonso who merely rolls his eyes) nearly trip over one another in their comical attempt to gain a flabbergasted Elsa's attention, approval and affection at first sight by waiting on the birthday girl hand and foot, as it were.

But bull in a china shop, clumsy Princess Anna and her new, eager friend Princess Sofia manage to tagteam intercept the clamoring boys nearly every time until a fawned over Elsa was left quite dizzy.

Anna happily secured the crispiest pieces of bacon for her demure older sibling as she fights her way through the busy, bustling buffet table while Kristoff silently holds her filling plate for her.

"Oops – sorry – It's yummy, but watch out for the saturated fat in that whole hog sausage, Tubby! I've heard hashbrowns are bad for fair complexions! Dropping salt is major bad luck around here, Mister!" On the suitor warpath, Anna rudely elbows and insults her way through the breakfast nook to Idun's delight as the Queen Mother was calmly squirreling away foodstuffs in her muffler's napkin-lined pocket folds for a hiding-out Ferdinand.

"Idun, your daughter." The King conceals his own amusement at his younger girl's obvious protective offense as he leans in to whisper to his wife to bring Anna in tow.

"Yes she is, Agdar. I couldn't be prouder of her." Contradicting her husband, Idun snarks back. Then she snitches the other half of the strawberry jellied piece of toast from her mate's plate to transfer to her own.

"I see you're hungry this morning, my love. That's good." Agdar smiles wryly, trying his best to ignore Anna's social faux pas and smooth over his beloved petite wife's irritated crispness. After all, Idun had already finished the contents of her overfilled plate and was starting to scarf off his.

"I'm eating for two now, dear. Sorry if that interferes with your plans, _Your Majesty_." The obviously chagrined Queen mother answers her husband, cattily cold. She raises an eyebrow with angry pursed lips, knowing that would get a rise out of her stoic, mulish man who deserved a kick in the pants about now for orchestrating this fiasco.

"W-wh-what?!" Agdar's cloudly eyes bulge back at her as his tense reflexes accidentally knock over a carafe of fresh coffee Kai was just placing on the table.

The Ice Queen instantly ices the hot java covered table in all the ensuing mess before it causes too much damage to burn her father or any of the guests. But as she displayed her cryo-powers in frosting the dripping hot tablecloth before the suddenly silent, gaping, gasping guests, Elsa was suddenly feeling claustrophobically trapped between all the visiting princes fighting over her.

So the distressed, thoroughly embarrassed young woman, with all eyes upon her and her amazing abilities, abruptly jumps up from the breakfast table with glistening eyes over to her mother for help.

"Excuse us." Distraught for her upset daughter as she awards her obtuse husband with a livid stare, Mama Idun throws all protocol to the wind and stands from her seat to claim a shivering cold Elsa's trembling hand.

"We have a costume fitting to attend to." Shooting Agdar a parting, vexed gaze, Queen Idun makes the flimsy excuse to leave the room with her tall, platinum blonde child in tow.

Her mother knew the timid girl did not like confrontation with strangers, nor performing her ice magic before inquisitive eyes, nor speaking with men in general at that.

"Ooh! Sometimes your father can be so pigheaded and insensitive, min flicka. I just wanted to give you one perfect birthday. But we ruined it…again, haven't we?" Idun vents her wrath on the poor slammed door of the conservatory and plunks down on the piano bench to start ferociously playing an intense melody full of angry passion and verve called _'Der Erlkönig, opus 26'_ by Schubert.

"No, it's alright, Mama. I know you both love me and Papa means well wanting to introduce me to new people." Wiping back her tears, Elsa could hear echoes of her own recriminations for Anna's 'ruined' special birthday she herself had high plans for two years ago in her Mama's sincere regrets. "And he's right. If I am to be a good leader, I must learn to be able to easily deal with other countries' representatives at social occasions such as this, and without hesitation." Never seeing her loving parents quarrel before, Elsa tries to steady her aggravated mother who was usually the unruffled, serene one in the family. In a reversal of roles, the younger Queen causes her steaming maternal parent to calm down enough to shift her piano music to the composer's more soothing _'Licht and Liebe'._

 _"_ You _are_ a good leader already, my darling girl. And you don't need those swooning young men to tell you that." Queen Idun assures in between chords she starts to hum tender words to the moving 'Love and Light' Schubert melody with lyrics by von Collins.

 _'_ _Liebe_ _ist ein süßes Licht. Wie die Erde strebt zur sonne,Un zu jenen hellen sternen, In den weiten blauen fernen, Strebt das herz nach Liebeswonne; den sie ist ein süßes Licht **…'**_ ('Love is a sweet light. As the earth aspires to the sun, and to those bright stars, in the far blue distant, the heart aspires to love's bliss; which is a sweet light…')"

"It's just...it's my birthday and I'm being a little selfish. I don't like to see you and Papa quarreling, but I don't look forward to the idea of spending my _whole_ party with a throng of foreign princes all desperately sparring over me like I am some side of prized beef. "

 _sigh That's me, 'Elsie, the cow'. Oh Hans, where are you? I need you here now more than ever. You **promised** to be here for my birthday…_

"Did I just call myself a cow?" Elsa ponders aloud incredulously, causing both hot and bothered women to find some humored serenity in mutual laughter. But then reality sets in once again.

 _"_ Oh, Mama. Why can't Papa understand that I trust Hans? That I will only love Prince Hans? No one could ever take his place…" Whispering to her growing increasingly uptight self, a chilled Elsa closes her tired eyes and slumps against the sofa in the Conservatory.

Knowing when to keep her own counsel of her thoughts on the tender matter, Idun simply smiles and continues to play in soft pianissimo for her anxious child's calming benefit—and her own as well as she thinks about woman's inscrutable mystery called 'love' and their trying partner in it called 'men', and how God created both to test and fulfill each other all the days of their lives.

"You just sit back on your favorite divan and relax your cares away for a while in this peaceful setting with Mama, min spadbarns. As you let the music of love sweep you away to a world of wonder and beauty, show me again that gorgeous costume you will wear tonight for the party, so we can get you ready." Idun prods Elsa to let her worries go and instead look forward to the night full of promise by displaying her vivid imagination's 14th century Princess gown of the fabled Sleeping Beauty fair in her lovely violet purple hues made of ice.

"Oh, yes, indeed. You will be the belle of your Masquerade Ball in that, my darling. I ask you to not fear or dread or overthink it, my beautiful girl - for you have proven you are strong. Rather revel in every second of it, Elsa. Let those young men doubtlessly preen and fawn and flatter and imagine they are charming and suave as they all flock to you, like foolish fireflies to an irrepressible, attractive flame. Enjoy it, don't fear it, my sweet 'Princess Aurora.' The light of true love will shine through like a beacon, overcoming all obstacles in the end of every fairytale – even stubborn Papas, if you dare to believe." Wise in matters of the heart, Queen Idun caresses Elsa's wet cheeks dry, harmonizing tranquility with her hymn. The loving Queen mother feels Elsa was ready and she herself able to finally assuage her daughter's qualms and uncertainties, as she should have done long ago.

"So, for now, rest here quietly, knowing everything will turn out right, my child. A little French birdie told me so." Elsa's petite Mother places a coy finger over her smiling lips in an encouragingly enigmatic shushing gesture that sends Elsa's cool heart thumping warm and strong. "Promise Mama you'll rest 'til then, Birthday Girl, anticipating tonight's promise, while I watch over that no one bothers you here until you feel you're ready to join the festivities your sister and I will be preparing out there.

"' _Fair are the meadows, fairer still the woodlands, robed in the blooming garb of spring: Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer, He Who makes the woeful heart to sing.'_ " In a murmured hymn now, Idun kneels down to rest her head on the divan's velvet pillow beside her daughter's weary one, to pet Elsa's creased brow soft and smooth again, just like when she was a wee little girl.

"Take your time and don't you worry your pretty little head about a thing, Elsa. Remember, ' _the best things come to those who wait_.'" With a sweet, patient kiss to Elsa's normalized temperate forehead, the motherly Queen collects herself to leave the peacefully tranquil Conservatory.

With a nod and wave farewell, Elsa leans back and starts to drift to sleep on the gold leaf corded blue velvet settee to the relaxing music her Mama had been playing and singing in that magically healing soprano still reverberating in her bestilled mind.

Even through all the mental distress, the recent trial and dangers, all the expectations and denials replaying in the depths of her heart, Queen Elsa was still a young woman. And this was _her_ birthday. So Elsa was absolutely certain her dashing Prince of the Southern Isles would keep to his pledge that he would return to Arendelle to attend her celebration, no matter what, and fulfill his promise of true love, just as her Mama said.

As she drifts to sleep, the past memory of the first nickname that the redheaded Prince called her when he was a mere cabin boy in the pirate ship's galley what seemed ages forever ago fills her dreams. Just the intimate thought of having her handsome prince that close gives the exhausted Ice Queen a small lilting smile.

Silently humming a tune that seemed to faintly glimmer an aurora borealis on her icy fairytale gown, Elsa of Arendelle starts to doze under the warming noontime sun streaming through the window, dreaming of her true love, knowing she would wait forever for her one and only Prince Hans.

 _'I'm waiting for my prince  
The one who's meant for me  
My dreams can't all be wrong  
I know he'll come along  
As handsome as can be_

And though he's very late  
He's more than just my fate  
So I'm waiting for my prince

Hmm, hmm, hmm, mmmm, mmm, mmm…'

* * *

By 2 o'clock afternoon's early sunset and dusk on this polar winter time of year, Svala had returned to Arendelle's bustling courtyard.

Prince Hans and Varian had spent the morning using their doctoring know-how for the health and safety of dozens of the kingdom's ailing and elderly as well as small children in the countryside, who had been trapped for weeks without food or medical supplies.

As the afternoon wore on, Lady Cassandra had convinced – more like ordered – Prince Hans to disembark with Svala back to Arendelle.

"It's your girlfriend's big ballroom birthday party tonight. I'm pretty sure she wants to see _you_ personally around a little more than these farmers. They're all fit as a fiddle now thanks to you two! Varian and I will see to picking up any stragglers who want to come to the Masquerade on Carpet here. You go make yourself presentable for that Queen of yours, Dr. Hero." Cassandra had pulled no punches when it came to laying down the law to this younger, more attractive brother of Fitzherbert's.

Prince or no, men often needed ordering around.

Hans felt his older brother's influence and Princess Rapunzel's kind heart through this tough lady Cassandra whom the Prince of the Southern Isles had immense respect for on the battlefield and now on the medical outpatient field as well.

So Hans had reluctantly waved farewell to the lip biting inventor boy he had befriended on the trip here. Hans clearly could see that his young friend was still nervous after the brotherly chat and advice the pair of lovestruck young men had discussed on the journey here.

Now Varian had Cassandra's attention to himself between airlift rides where they were finally spending some quiet, one on one time together. If ever there was a chance to fully confess one's heart and serious intentions, this was the moment for Varian Gutenberg.

And Hans Westergaard felt that same sentiment was coming soon for him, as well.

Flying Svala the reindeer stealthily across the Arendelle skyline in the waning hours of daylight which soon would turn twilight, Hans puts his courage to the sticking point. The dutiful officer of the Sjoforsvaret realized he must report to his senior officer before he did anything else, even before meeting with his fiancée.

And that meant the second-in-command of the Norwegian Navy had to first beg audience with the Admiral… _gulp_ … King Agdar, also known as Elsa's father, who had restricted their correspondence, never mind this premature reunion.

Hans had been informed by Ms. Schmidt that Egalitè was fairly sure, luckily for the Dane, that King Agdar had no idea in his blindness and subsequent chaotic circumstances during the battle with the Devil King Troll, that his conscientiousness Vise Admiral, whom he had specifically placed as Kommander of his new flagship Nidaros – had abandoned his post.

It would be just as easy for Hans to return the HmNos Nidaros, with the Admiral none the wiser of his subordinate's disobedience, albeit unintentional, at no fault of Hans' own.

But in order to fulfill another promise – one more pressing and precious to the true ruler of his heart – the handsome Danish Prince may just have to flagrantly disregard that good fortune.

So sleek Svala silently slinks through the early falling dusk to make a soft landing nearby the Arendelle stables.

Once he had secured her in the first vacant stall he could locate, Hans gives Svala a quick brush down of her sweaty coat, providing the reindeer doe with water and a grateful smile. Then the curious redhead looks around the stable, marveling at the number of horses gathered there.

 _This appears to be certainly a memorable night for you_ , _min kæreste (my dearest). After I speak to the Admiral, I will seize this moment and not let it slip us by again, my darling Elsa. We'll make it an unforgettable night to remember!_

Hans allows himself this determined thought for his Elsa as he pauses his purposeful stride back out through the overfilled equestrian housing of Arendelle's stable to afford a loving pet to the familiar coat of his golden dun horse named Sitron.

The fjord horse's striking black and white mane disparately stood out for Hans to notice in the field of whites, chestnuts, blacks, grays, pintos and every shade in between of the stallions and mares either resting or pacing impatiently in their visiting stall accommodations.

"I **_am_** going in to speak to the King about my request, right now. Wish me luck, Sitron." After one last comforting nuzzle to his steed's long nose and moist muzzle, the Danish Prince announces his frightening intention in what he thought the unattended stable area.

" _Audentes fortuna iuvat._ Fortune favors the bold, mon ami." A voice echoes down from somewhere above the tall ceiling into the equestrian enclosure.

Hans glances around in the disorienting stable full of noisy, pent-up animals to try to locate the thick accented French voice and its entering phrase salvo.

"Or perhaps it is better for me to say that Lady Luck, she favors the cunning and clever more." The enigmatic voice is soon joined by a tight suited red and black shadow adorned with a bejeweled black, three-quarter covered mask.

"Egalité?" Hans whispers incredulously, his automatically drawn sword returning to its sheath as he recognizes his French friend's presence, albeit strangely attired.

"Viva la France, Monsieur Westergaard." The Harlequin, in all of his crimson and ebony checkered glory, gives a white frilly collar sweeping bow to the astonished redhead.

"Why the devil are you wearing a costume already? Surely the Masquerade Ball is later this evening." With a chuckle, Hans looks his well decked out comrade up and down, never shocked by the French Legionnaire's brash ostentatious style to be publicly in such a formfitting, eye-catching red and black alternating diamond display.

"Some of us, mon ami, are prepared for an _incredival_ party night, while others are more than fashionably late. What have you been doing traipsing around Arendelle all afternoon, man? It is fortunate for you, that I, as your devoted friend, mon frère, have already not only chosen a stunning ensemble in which you will doubtlessly dazzle your audience in complement with your beauteous fiancée, but it is one the Queen Mother herself, may I say, quite tastefully highly approves of. The intelligent lady Queen and I have worked out the details of our cunning plan to maintain your anonymity from my good friend King Agdar. All accomplished while keeping your promise to _la belle_ Elsa for a birthday night full of daring mystery and romance spent together." The long-winded Crown Prince of the French had begun to explain his bold scheme to his flabbergasted Danish fellow Royal when a clatter of pails from a nearby stall is knocked over abruptly.

Prince Alonso steps out from where he had been catching his breath in a little nap.

After all, when the quickly adjourned post-breakfasters went outdoors, he and Princess Valentina were playing cat and mouse in a sideline skirmish while most of the other princes were showing off their skeet shooting skills to the King.

Trying to avoid the spirited Brazilian was rather tiring for the normally lazy young man.

"… Were you… perhaps, hiding… in there, Monsieur, from that vivacious, delicate Paraiso Madamoiselle of yours?" Ferdinand did not even disguise his mirth at the idea of a grown man taking shelter from his lady's advances, more than the other way around as nature designed the merry hunt to be.

"Believe me. Romance is not all the poetry and flowers you Frenchmen stack it up to be. With Valentina, it's more of a hard-core wrestling match! Ouch. I'm going to have scars from the body blows she landed on me today just so she could pretend she doesn't find me irresistible anymore. But I suppose it's all par for the course, because yours truly is so gorgeously astounding that all the eligible ladies are drooling over having the chance to dance with me at the ball tonight. Birthday girl gets first dibs on this perfect body in motion. By the way, nice threads." Pointing at his own sleek and slender dancing form that busts a move on the hay strewn floor, a smirking, eyebrow raising Prince Alonso then lets out a big yawn right in Hans' own 'gorgeously astounding' profile.

That careless act in an unspoken challenge causes the harried Southern Isles Prince to finally let loose with a small humored smirk curling Hans' lips towards his once imaginary rival.

"Maybe women are more honest than we give them credit for and they're just trying to whip self-centered, arrogant annoyances into shape out of pity, not attraction." Hans delivers the sharp side of his tongue to Alonso whose eyes pop open wide at ever being so verbally challenged.

"Ha ha. Touché, mon frère. This is very entertaining!" Prince Ferdinand leans back on the stall to listen to the macho rivalry between men over females who were not even present to appreciate it. Ferdinand always made sure in his past that any aggressive words which could cause a duel or violence were not wasted without the proper feminine audience.

"Well, at least if _I_ **_ever_** _did_ get snagged into a contract of marriage with a lady, I would hardly expect **_my_** future father-in-law to still be auctioning off my supposed betrothed with every Prince James, Auguste and Khalid he personally invited to her party. But don't worry, she'll realize she missed a real catch in me after she compares my excellent personality and charm to the lot of those more suitable suitors to her current fiancé. And, not to mention, **_I've_** never been a disgraced, disowned former princeling who tried to murder her!" Right after the angry, vicious statement came out of his mouth, Alonso looked as if he already regretted saying it from the wounded expression that comes across Hans' comely face before the anger flashes his freckled pale complexion as red as his hair.

"... _Grr!_ How dare you! My Elsa would never betray me for the likes of a conceited, self-aggrandizing, bird-brain twit who has to look in the mirror ten times a day to make sure his head's still on!" Moving so fast no one saw it coming, with a growl, jealous Hans then instinctively lashes out at Alonso with insults flying as fast as his fists. Grabbing the smug Cordoban Prince by the collar, an infuriated Hans thrashes him back against Sitron's stall door so hard the fjord stallion within cowers back away, never seeing his childhood best friend and master react in such an infuriated state.

"Whoa whoa whoa, mon ami! Those are fighting words, mon frère! I think it would be for the best if you two _civilized_ _gentlemen_ both take a few moments to calm down." Egalité hardly expected this spontaneous reaction from his up to this point otherwise ever calm and composed friend. But something about the irreverent Argentinean and his biting words obviously set Prince Hans' jealousy over the edge.

"What's going on in here, Hans? These guys bothering you?" Just then, armed with a quick produced mini flame throwing automaton in the palm of his hand, Varian the inventor boy comes wandering into the stables in search of his friend. He had left Cassandra with the shared Magic Flying Carpet delivering the last of the passengers they had brought in for the party to Princess Anna and Gerda and Johanne's care at the side door.

"No, Varian. I was just leaving to submit to my commanding officer." Spoken quietly in a frightening grumble through gritted teeth, Hans calms himself and lets go of Alonso's collar and dusts himself off as he turns to make for the stable exit that led into the Castle.

"Do not leave yet, mon ami Hans! To meet the Admiral in such a state without hearing my plan out would be catastrophic. Please follow me upstairs and I will explain everything wise Queen Idun and I have discussed to aid you." Ferdinand motions towards his studio above the stable where the Queen Mother had situated he and his costuming proposal. "You see, you are both refined, polished gentlemen who have nerves just a wee bit on edge due to each's own current romantic tribulations. That misunderstanding merely got a little out of hand, _nes'cest pas_ (am I not right), Prince Hans, Prince Alonso? Can we not agree to be comrades in this ultimate risk of life called 'love' you are both gallant knights thereof? You, too, appear to be a young man of tender heart, mon ami. Let us all bond together in _fraternite_ to accomplish much by way of moving the hearts of the remarkable women we adore tonight." The nonplussed, well spoken, winsome Frenchman massages Alonso's bruised arm as he blocks Hans' exit with a pleading hand while giving Varian a disarming smile that makes the dark-haired scientist put away his weapon.

" _Merci beaucoup_ (thank you very much) for joining us, Vari-an. Any friend of my good frère Hans is a friend of mine. I am Prince Ferdinand Egalité." The tall, brown haired Prince of the French removes his black mask to welcome the newcomer to the little group he was leading up to his stable loft workshop.

"You're the guy that Cassandra was talking about…" Varian's big blue eyes slit as he had subliminally sensed some degree of attraction when Rapunzel"s ladies' maid mentioned this morning about her and Hans' mutual new 'friend'.

And the guy looked like a perverted weirdo in that red and black clownish bodysuit.

"Oh? Mon chere Cassie spoke fondly of me? I am so pleased we have made so many cherished memories in such a short time of intimacy." Worldly Ferdinand Egalité smiles down at the shorter male in his teasing way that rubs Varian the wrong way causing the inventor to pull out his automaton again as Rudiger the raccoon scampers under Ferdinand's surprised feet.

"It is good we have some time before the party begins. Because it appears we are going to have to address some anger management issues, all around, _mes ami_ (my friends), before there is bloodshed on the dance floor tonight. Le Seigneur Dieu (the Lord God) knows we will need all His largesse to make it through this birthday evening…"

 _I shutter to think of the consequences of you encountering those suitors en masse, mon ami…_ Having a feeling an apparently jealously volatile Hans would live up to his fiery 'redhead' for once, in respect to reacting extremely badly to the mere idea of rival suitors for Elsa's hand, let alone actually be in the same room with them, Prince Ferdinand raises his eyes to Heaven for support.

 _What must you think about that, Helene?_

Sparing an incredulous thought to his own betrothed safely back home, Ferdinand never imagined in all his days that his revolutionairre rebel self would be the calm voice of reason in this combative crowd of lovestruck young men gathering up the ladder into his secret costumers' loft.

* * *

 _Min flicka- my girl in Swedish_

" _Fairest Lord Jesus"_ _('Schönster Herr Jesu') -_ from the 17th century "Munster Gesangbuch" in the "Schleische Volkslieder" is a Silesian folk song from 1677 that the movie 'Frozen' featured as being sung in Saami in the opening credits and during Elsa's coronation in the background.

 _"Liebe und Licht_ " – Franz Schubert piece from lyricist Matthäus von Collin's play 'Der Tod Friedrichs des Streitbaren' 1816

* * *

Hello Frozen Again friends!

Hope you enjoyed part 2 of Elsa's birthday celebration! We encountered several of the suitor princes from all around the world kingdoms that Papa Agdar invited for Elsa's birthday party! Several of them were featured in their younger days as friends of the kingdom of Enchancia from 'Sofia the First". By my 'Elena of Avalor' time calculations, they would be just about the right age to be Elsa's princely equivalents, so why not add some familiar Disney junior faces to the Frozen Again story fun?

Whew! Poor Elsa has been bombarded with thrills and chills galore this episode! Good thing Mama Idun has some sage advice for her anxious birthday girl, bailing her out of that sticky breakfast situation before any accidents. With our madly in love Elsa dreaming of 'Waiting for her Prince' in true Sleeping Beauty style, Hans had better to be ready to spar with these plentiful, charming and eligible royal rivals at the Masquerade Ball when he finally arrives! Our handsome Red's appearance is sure to be the ice-ing on the Ice Queen's cake!

That is if he survives the jealous quartet of young men plotting in the Arendelle stables under Ferdinand Egalite's scheming Harlequin lead! Viva la France! Yeah! World Cup victors! Hans and Alonsy sure had a drag-out, knock-down verbal sparring, didn't they! Neither prince minces words when angered! Frayed nerves and raw jealousy abounds at this relationship pivotal party!

One more Masquerade night episode to go for this birthday extravaganza! So hang on tight for all the fairytale romance, costume mystery and dancing excitement to come, Frozen fans!

See you soon with the exciting, game-changing conclusion!

God bless you all,

HarukaKou

 _19 days to my birthday!_


	38. Chapter 37 - Masquerade Night

_We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

 **"Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act VIII**

 **Chapter 37**

 **'Masquerade Night"**

As the midafternoon early evening sky darkens, quiet, staid Arendelle Castle had been transformed as if by magic into a bowery of candlelight and festive, decked-out finery in every one of its lively corners.

Even the servants, hired especially, or volunteers for this birthday party night of nights of the Queen, were already attired in the fancy dress garb of the 17th century Parisian footmen made famous by the Masquerade. Servants of all kinds, from doormen to serving maids to footmen were all scurrying about in matching, classy, frilled high neck costume of extravagant opulent days of yore. From embroidered silks, fancy brocades and posh white wigs, all signaled a tradition of elegance in all the drippings of upper-class intrigue and pageantry.

Knowing how enthusiastic Elsa was about her passion for history and fancy dress where the imagination was the only thing that could take flight during her lonely childhood, Idun and Anna had done all they could to make it reality.

Working together on the extravagant decor that would make fairytale ideals reality, the creative mother and daughter had plotted with local dressmakers and old family relations on the continent to import a vast wardrobe of costumes from a theater associated with the tradition of the Venetian Carnival or ' _maschera'_.

The ballroom begins to fill with visiting men and women who had availed themselves of the titillating costume changing room Queen Idun and her bubbly younger daughter had enticed each of their guests with the open invitation thereof.

From Gainsborough's Blue Boy, to Butterfly Princesses and Romeos in tights; to gallant bullfighters and pantaloon wearing clowns of the Commedia del Arte, and so many other costumes in between, the ballroom was aglow with so many sights that the secluded castle had not seen in decades.

The Queen Mother had even brought in a small orchestra of musicians properly attired in historic Masquerade clothes of the Baroque era. So, white wigged vivacious violists, chirpy classical clarinetists, accompanied by charming cellists and piccolo playing performers made the mood music of Mozart, Beethoven and Schumann as inviting as if one stepped into storybook days of the past.

"Come one, come all! The Masquerade Ball of the century is about to begin!" Princess Anna's unmistakable soprano voice rises above all to ring loudly throughout the bustling ballroom as its large double doors are swept open by a bevy of well-dressed, costumed servants.

Wearing a whimsical green huntsman outfit with foxy reddish-brown tights and carrying a real bow and quiver full of sharp arrows she had been practicing with in the courtyard this afternoon as a feather under her green cap, bold Anna was supposed to be accompanied by her helpful husband, Kristoff.

But the sheepish man rather opted to help the servers and carry in innumerable plates and saucers and chinaware behind her, along with an extra table cloth extended over his legs to obscure his meager costume Anna had chosen for him.

Kristoff Bjorgman did not enjoy nearly half as much as his boisterous mate this dressing up nonsense cavorting around on full display at this silly costume party idea of his enthusiastic bride. The six foot five Ice Harvester was donning a cerulean blue cape sealed with a golden medallion embossed with the lightning symbol of the Roman god Zeus slung over a gladiator-like leather copper brown tunic. The golden metal gauntlets were around his amply displayed muscular arms and calves in a costume that overtly exposed all the rugged mountain man's beefsteak legs.

Embarrassed Kristoff peeks out from between the darkened pillars where the blushing, leather skirt wearing, bare-legged man had immediately retreated upon entry into the RSVP ballroom.

The ballroom was slowly filling with people – important dignitaries and working-class citizens alike – all having fun hobnobbing and enjoying the food and festivity that the Queen's birthday bash brought to quiet Arendelle.

The entire town seemed to have turned out to attend their beloved monarch's birthday ball. In characters of Nordic legend like Nissen and Odin, timeless children's folktale protagonists such as Little Bo Peep and Red Riding Hood, to historical figures like Native American chief Powhatan and his daughter Princess Pocahontas, the Masquerade Ball was proving to be a real 'Who's Who' in legends or fact.

Plus there were more than a few furry animals – mythical and otherwise – that children and adults alike both were featured as, making this certainly a colorful gala to remember for all.

Young and old, all were wearing mandatory masks, from Grecian goddesses, Roman guards and seamen and sailors from all corners of the globe, mixing and mingling with elves and Julebukken antlered Santas. Many were sporting dominoes – wide shouldered, hooded dark cloaks with long billowy sleeves that covered the wearer from head to toe for that extra sense of mystery and fun that a Masquerade party imbued.

After all, at a Masquerade, introductions were unnecessary, so anyone could be anonymous to perchance to fall in love with someone they never knew they never knew. Plus they would have the opportunity of a lifetime to stand at a plentiful buffet full of victuals and punch and food and drink fit for a Royal ball where everyone – rich and poor, young and old, portly and slim, smart and dull-witted – were invited.

And this wasn't just any Ball—it was a birthday party, too, where many villagers who had come to know and love their young Queen these past two years, wanted to join in the celebration that many of them helped make possible.

Many of the older villagers, and the youngest ones too, had put on their traditional homemade costume creations that were used as a Scandinavian Christmas tradition during caroling at this time of year. Those older, less adventurous souls who chose to sit out the dancing aspects of the ball, were warmly welcomed by Gerda and Kai (wearing respective George and Martha Washington matching America's First Family presidential outfits) to the upper balcony Gallery that ran along the high ceiling's third story arcade above the dance floor.

From there, villagers could sit back and enjoy the party provisions provided up there in ample supply in the Queen's Birthday pale blues and purple and gold decorated gallery, while still be able to look down and watch the Ball as it was starting to take shape below.

"Yoo-hoo! This soirée looks positively scrumptious, Princess Anna! _Almost_ as good as the social dancing parties we throw in Paraiso." Clothed within a filmy gossamer cloud of pinks and diaphanous whites and lavender organzas and chiffons, the ostentatious Crown Princess of Paraiso composed a Fairy Princess from her own replete wardrobe. With flowers, peacock feathers and delicate gauzy fairy wings that completed her look from the Arendelle costume offerings, Princess Valentina was surprisingly one of the first to arrive at the growingly populated ballroom.

The Brazilian young woman was eager to make a splash at any party, and had brought her own lavish costume _– or was that just her normal traveling wardrobe?_ – Valentina was looking absolutely stunning herself in a great big puff of chiffon and organzas.

She magically flutters into the ballroom like the fabled Midsummer Night Dream's Shakespearean Fairy Queen she was portraying to where Princess Anna was checking up on last-minute arrangements with the servants and musicians.

 _ **GASP!**_

"What _are_ you wearing…?" Fashionplate Princess Valentina of Paraiso stops dead in her trendy tracks to grip her graceful throat and trace her elegant upper lip as she looks incredulously at the younger Arendelle Princess who just turned around to face her first royal guest.

"Great! Since you know so much about balls, maybe you can help me organize how to serve all those hors d'oeuvres and mini St. Lucia cakes Gerda just sent up from the kitchen on the like, eight-thousand salad plates they wanted brought up here for each guest! I mean, how are people going to eat with those masks and costumes – some with furry gloves and paws on?! They're supposed to be dancing, maybe snacking on finger foods, not eating full course dinners! Yeesh, Gerda! On top of the ginger cookies and saffron buns, she made Fårikål lamb casserole and fjord fresh smoked salmon?! Way too much food! But it does all look and smell so good. Wanna try with me one of those cucumber sandwich thingys? Mmm-mmm, they're as yummy as they look! Oh, and which dance and what music should be played first, in which order to best keep the rhythm of mystery and romance in this place? How are we going to tell them all to stay quiet and anonymous? Or will they just know?! And where's Mama? She was supposed to be here to orchestrate this all! Ooh! I never was in charge of such a big deal party before, how 'bout you?" As the only one in the royal family present to welcome the first guests of the Masquerade Ball evening, the excitable moustached wearing, cross-dressing young woman was practically pulling her ginger hair out.

Grabbing hold of Valentina's opera-length gloved hand like a lifeline, she bounces up from the ballroom refreshment center where she had been clattering plates and chomping finger food at the buffet table, generally spazzed out by the enormity.

"Well, I always considered Masquerade parties to be especially unique, because each costume guest brings their own distinctive sense of ambiguity and magic, some a little bit more than others. The choice of music makes all the difference! I would love to pick out which classical and contemporary pieces your audience would enjoy dancing to, Princess Anna! Just leave it to me. The mood music will be exemplary tonight." The exhibitionist Princess of Paraiso enjoyed showing off her talents, as well as her many other excellent features, principally when she had a stake in tormenting a particular young man attending this party who could dance _almost_ as proficiently as she.

"Have you yet seen Prince Alonso? He owes me a dance or two since the last Ball he skipped out on me." Trying to sound disinterested with a coy primp to her classy chin, Valentina smirks in quite an un-fairylike manner. Then she sets her exquisite hand to assisting the Arendelle Princess in rearranging the table setting of the entrée table behind the curtain more tastefully artful.

"No… Maybe? …actually…I'm not sure…heehee. What's he dressed up like?" Her fingers sticky from re-stacking the tall mound of mini St. Lucia cakes, Anna waves a gesture to Princesses Amber and Sofia, respectively wearing blue and yellow Princess ballgowns as they enter the ballroom, to join the refreshment sampling clutch.

"You're not supposed to ask questions like that, silly! It's a Masquerade party for heaven's sake! All is secret until the end!" Uppity Princess Amber puts her nose in the air at Anna. She too was repulsed by the young ginger Princess of Norway's strange choice of costume to wear when she could have been another fairytale belle of the ball.

Princess Amber was sure to choose for herself one such lovely costume depiction of Charles Perrault's classic French fairytale 'Cendrillon' ('Cinderella') to bring from her home in Enchancia to this intriguing Masquerade Ball in Arendelle.

"What a wonderfull party! You're such good sisters! Like Amber and me!" Sofia gushes, looking so sweet and bubbly in her buttery yellow tiered rosette ballgown.

"'Like _'Amber and I',_ Sofia." The more prim of the Princess stepsisters corrects, but Amber soon gives a sisterly smile to the younger blue-eyed girl afterwards.

"I'll be sure to tell Alonso if I see him that you want a dance, ma'am." Forgetting himself, Kristoff uses the extra table cloth he's been holding to wipe up some spills that Olaf made when he came by to 'try the punch' and subsequently knocked most of it over.

But the helpful Snow Prince was too responsible for his own good as he lets his eyes roll back with a sigh at the knowledge he was exposed in the ridiculously skimpy Hercules outfit before these wide-eyed and finicky royal females.

Kristoff swallows his pride and returns to fill the punch bowl with the aid of several other more formally dressed footmen he hides his Herculean curiass behind.

"Don't you **dare** say that! I am **NOT** begging that Casanova Prince of Córdoba for an audience in anything – much less a silly dance!" A humiliated, volatile Valentina spits out venomously, her feathers ruffled as she forces Hercules to back away from her vicious rancor, even if it meant him walking out onto the ballroom floor for anyone in the gallery above to gawk at.

"By the way, I like your guy's costume." Princess Sofia comments approvingly as the brown haired girl watches muscle bound Kristoff leave the refreshment table nook she approaches. The friendly Princess of Enchancia smiles next to Anna as she tries to imagine what her Prince Hugo back home would look like in a Roman mythological hero costume like that, as she ogles Anna's husband in bronze armor and breastplate, a bit.

"Yeah. I know. Isn't he dreamy? Kristly gets real shy about me showing him off. But how could I pass up the chance to brag?" Anna whispers conspiratorially to the other young Princesses who were helping their new friend make this party perfect for her big sister.

"Oh, hold on! Ogling Kristly, I almost forgot my speech!" Anna notices how only a few guests had tentatively followed Princess Valentina's brassy lead into the ballroom, with more villagers left outside the doors, peering in tentatively.

So Princess Anna clears her throat, never nervous in a crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Friends and neighbors and visitors from all over the world! Welcome to Queen Elsa of Arendelle's Masquerade Ball Birthday Party! There's lots of food and music and dancing to come before the precise moment of midnight for the start of winter solstice when the night's unmasking will take place! Until then, we mustn't reveal our identities, or do much speaking at all, to maintain the mystery of who is hidden behind each mask! Let's keep the excitement of mystery and fun the entire night in true Masquerade Ball style as we all celebrate my sister, the wonderful Queen of Arendelle! Together, let's give our birthday girl the greatest, most magical, most entertaining and fun party ever, to show how much we love her! To Queen Elsa!" Born to be a natural optimist and rabble-rouser speaker, she bubbles over with excitement for all their plans to fall into place tonight.

Anna holds her borrowed Saami bow and arrow high for those Arendelle citizens to join in her party girl enthusiasm. She nearly knocks off her hat with the birch wood end of her bow in her gusto, revealing her ginger orange braids pinned to the top of her head as her moustache was dangling off precariously.

"Oops. But you probably already figured out who I am, right? Forgot to change my voice where you would _never_ ascertain my clever disguise of 'Robin Hood and his Merry Men'. These are my merry men!" Anna lowers her pitch at the close of her culpable statement with an introduction to Friar Tuck Olaf and Maid Marian Eliana.

The pair of snow people waddle in front of the throne dais at the center of the ballroom beside her and wiggle their branches from beneath their cool, customized costumes.

"Hercules! From whence artest thou? It's time to dance!" Enjoying her role as the infamous 12th century rogue thief, Anna puts on the funny archaic speech pattern and an old English accent that she had read about in the aforementioned lore. The peppy gal calls out to her husband who had once again attempted to hide himself at the rear of the extra reserve punch bowl behind that curtain. "Or must I use my unrivaled archery proficiency to make you quiver, strong man?" The ginger shows off her bow and arrow skills as Robin Hood threateningly draws her arrow in Kristoff's semi-concealed direction.

"All right! I'm coming! I'm coming!" Knowing Anna to be dangerous with weaponry of any sort firsthand, Kristoff emerges from behind the punch and hors d'oeuvre reserve table. It had been stashed at the rear of the curtain to refuel the servers' trays after a round or two around the slowly filling court ballroom at this 7 PM hour where the blond had been feigning usefulness there.

Now he sighs and ignores the tittering girls standing around the buffet laughing at him and his immodest get up that Anna made him put on for this foolish ball.

"My, oh my, just look at this place. Why have a ballroom with no balls? That's the question I always asked some obdurate man. Now, Anna has simply outdone herself decorating and setting this enchanted Ball in motion for our Elsa." As she and King Agdar enter the ballroom, Queen Idun congratulates her younger girl for taking on a new task and succeeding brilliantly, from where her parents could see the busy little bee orchestrating servants and dishes and making last minute party planning details work.

"But what on earth is she wearing, Idun? Before the other guests arrive, shouldn't you have her go upstairs to pick out a nice dres—Oof!" Squinting at Anna's masculine clothing form's back as they approach, Agdar gets a rough elbow in his side from his demanding wife.

She glares at him from beneath her long queenly veil, so he makes a quick recovery pertaining to Anna's costume choices. "She looks fine _. cough_ Magical, in fact." He embellishes, trying to get in his angry mate's good graces again, though Idun barely smiles.

In a detailed, embroidered with gold finery, heavy red velvet cape, silver chainmail tall boots, and a long, solid gold plated armored fauld and tasset that befitted the 10th century King, Agdar touches his busy younger daughter's shoulder from behind with one hand, the long handled silver ax that epitomized King Olaf's peace through strength reign in the other hand.

Not recognizing her Papa at first, the startled girl accidentally lets loose her baited arrow. It just narrowly misses striking a quick stepping Kristoff to ricochet off his thankfully real metal armbands he throws up in self-defense which, in turn, stops the actual projectile from hitting any of the terrified females gathered behind him.

But the loosed arrow bounces back towards the unsuspecting legendary archer Robin Hood instead.

From its trajectory, the self-inflicted killing blow probably would have merely plunged into the shocked lively girl's feathered hat. But, taking no chances, her cryokinetically savvy Papa, still an Ice King beneath all that regalia, diverts the sharp arrowhead at a more downward angle to the left.

 _ **SPLUNKK!**_

"Masquerade Balls are sure highbrow. I think I've been skewered. Heeheehee." Cracking a joke where the pleasantly sleighing snowman had been nibbling on the pineapple and grilled chicken chunk barbecue skewer waved in his hand, Friar Tuck Olaf looks up cross-eyed. He then feels at his head with his branches between that brown ring of tufted hair fuzz in a monk-like, bald-shaven fashion.

"Are you done playing?" The beautiful when peevish Queen Idun proudly wears a long cream veil on her noble brow over her exquisitely embroidered teal dress guise of the founding King of Norway's beloved wife – Queen Astrid, who too was formerly a Princess of Sweden.

Idun walks up to her husband and plucks the driven arrow that had been implanted in Olaf's skull-less head by the Ice King, to instead shake its sharpened stone point under her kingly mate's nose.

"Umm…Before your not-so-merry man arrives, Gingersnap, may your mother and I have the honor of the first dance in this fairytale setting you have personally created? That should encourage the remainder of our timorous guests to come out on the dance floor to get this thing started properly." Agdar turns to his daughter to make another blundering attempt to quell his cross queen who had only spoken a few words since breakfast to him. He had tried to be especially amicable to his wife's choice of his ornate costuming, found coolly laid out on their bed after his bath, whether he preferred it or not.

The uncomfortable King even agreed to sport an extremely convincing long ginger beard and full gold crown relic believed to belong to his predecessor monarch, the famed 'Eternal King of Norway' who held the title of St. Olaf, _Rex Perpetuus Norvigiae_.

"Is it considered presumptuous to not even ask your partner if she wishes to go out on the dance floor before you propose it, O Eternal King?" Still full of vindictive fire all afternoon for his suitor stunt this morning, Queen Idun mockingly had been launching barbs at her now more docile mate. Cutting remarks as sharp as the honed arrowhead that she was currently waving rather dangerously under Agdar's King Olaf thick ginger beard at his neck area.

"Must I ask, Idun? Have you not said in the past that I am the most presumptuous man to have proposed many things to you – _including marriage, not two weeks into our courtship_ \- that required your forbearance to keep this faulted man on the straight and narrow, my lady Queen?" Having been on the receiving end of his wife's cold shoulder, silent treatment all afternoon while they dressed in costume in opposite ends of the uncomfortable bedroom, Agdar holds his vulnerable gulping neck in abeyance of his white masked mate's weapon.

"Are you all right, poco ave canora? Such weaponry may not be advisable on a dance floor at such close proximity with other couples moving in rhythm in the ballroom. Shall we relieve you of all those unnecessary sharp objects? Hmm?" Cajoling Idun to lower her threat, diplomatic Chancellor Esteban smoothly cuts across the dance floor like a true matador.

He was donning a sleek, black and violet with yellow and red accented Spanish outfit called a _traje e luces -_ 'suit of lights' - of the bullfighter he was portraying.

After witnessing the near detrimental incident from afar, Esteban anxiously motions towards the handful of arrows still in Robin Hood's quiver to Kristoff for him to confiscate them from his scrunchy-nosed little wife.

The King then silently hands a dumbfounded Kristoff his large axe right after the tall, leather bound Roman myth 'immortal demigod' curfews the use of someone's arrows, while still managing to balance the pair of cups full of punch that he had brought for himself and a thirsty Anna.

"I'm gonna put these behind that curtain in the sidelines for now, for safe keeping." Kristoff confiscates Anna's arrows and collects them along with the King's axe to securely place in one of the side vestibules, just for safety's sake.

"Aw-ww!" Anna grumbles, half of her Robin Hood mystique being stolen by these fuddy-duddy men.

("That guy's right. We don't need _weapons_ on the dance floor. Besides, the way you dance, Anna, you'll put someone's eye out for sure. Plus, I don't trust your father parading around with that massive, sharp bludgeon. Not tonight when you-know-who might just show up at any given second."} The Wind Whisperer teases his pinched face gal in asparagus green with Middle Ages brown booties.

"Why, thank you, Kristoff, what a good idea. Perhaps our Elsa, too, will appreciate some refreshment after her long afternoon nap to ready our birthday girl for an enjoyable evening. I will take it to her." King Agdar surprises Kristoff by accepting the Ice Harvester's unoffered new glass of punch before he could even lifted it to his lips.

"Do you think she'll be hungry, too? Elsa missed that light dinner buffet that everyone ate before. Olaf and I will fetch her some of those yummy smoked sausages and cheesy bits she likes." Sweetie Eliana was not understanding the bad atmosphere between the older King and his Queen, as she makes a suggestion to her nodding, less complicated snow boyfriend.

The two 'merry _snow_ -men' start to waddle through the increasingly populated dance floor of masked men and women surveying one another's avante garde and classical costumes while trying to assess just who was who. The string quartet's long oratorio recitation of Beethoven's Minuet Symphony No. five in C minor plays low and ominous in the background of the dim candlelit ballroom.

"My love, you said earlier that Elsa was already in costume and merely resting. Shall we go to escort our daughter to her…Birthday party… big night…?" Trailing off, the unobservant King strains his dim sight in the low lit ballroom to see his wife's long trailed queenly veil suddenly flow in the opposite direction instead.

"I am glad to see you have thrown yourself into the Masquerade mystique, to look so dashing and debonair, Esteb— _good sir._ Just in time, too. Please come with me. There is something you must help me upstairs with, that needs attending to." Amending her familiar address of her old friend due to the rules of the Masquerade, a smiling Queen Idun switches from her uncomplimentary glare at her mate in the doghouse to extol the Chancellor's bullfighter outfit.

To which, the classy showman, older Avaloran ambassador strikes a pose to flamboyantly display his red twirled ' _muleta'_ red cape and complete his look with traditional _'montera'_ black hat upon his prestigious head.

The elegant, articulate and beautiful Swedish Queen and wife of the Norwegian King dressed in aquamarine as her equal counterpart of the 10th century past, doesn't even give her contrite King a passing glance. Agdar's extended hand proposing a first dance is quite ignored as she leaves with the visiting ambassador of Avalor instead.

Although Agdar was looking quite regal himself in King Olaf Haraldson II's red cape and armor, Idun, in her long trailing veil and cape with her Spanish bullfighter at her side, dismissively flows past him and several of the suitor princes. They were beginning to mill around in their fancy costumes, dressed to impress in anticipation of their plans to be the first to engage the eligible younger Queen of Arendelle at her birthday soirée.

As for her Mama, Idun opted to drape herself on the debonair arm of the svelte South American companion who promised to accompany her to Arendelle Castle's upstairs interior living quarters.

"Hmmph…" The perturbed King stares in their departing direction for several uncomfortable seconds before he wanders off to follow Olaf and Eliana's chatterbox lead to the Conservatory. The regal King passes more than few curious foreign princes along the way, each trying to catch his eye to salute the man they were sure was the father of the Norwegian Queen they'd come to woo.

"Ookay. That happened. Wanna dance now, Kristly?" Her teeth on edge, Anna was unsure of all the bad vibes between her parents and the high tension that was palpable in the ballroom's thick air. The ballroom was pervading with so many scents and sounds and suitors as the orchestral music and voices rising from audience gathering above and below on the dance floor now.

So, Princess Anna holds on to her one constant in life named Kristoff Bjorgman.

"You got it, Baby." Though he was not exactly a consummate dancer eager to step out on a ballroom floor himself, Kristoff sees that Anna didn't need another argument just now. It didn't take the Snow Prince's psychic skills to know his gal needed a little mental and physical diversion to get through this first part of the all-important, imminently starting evening.

So to the ominous 'Tocata and Fugue' of the composer Bach in D minor, a shaky Hercules leads the frowning Robin Hood into the quadrille type dance form the two had practiced before at their own wedding which seemed way more than six months ago.

They are hesitantly joined in the group dance by several more costume couples who had little idea of whom they were partnered with, simply choosing those by fancy dress they fancied. So well designed were the Italian theater outfits of the Commedia del'arte that allowed fluid movements amid full cover that added to the mystery of this early Masquerade night.

{"Hans is here in Arendelle, isn't he? We worked so hard to get him here! Where is that jerk, Kristly? You said you were sure you felt his presence in the Castle before! Elsa's not going to be very happy to find that Red has not even shown up at her party yet!"} An anxious Anna communicates via her telepathic bond to Kristoff, clinging to his arm in between the quick stepping quadrille's chassé, jeté and entréchatta set moves.

{"Calm down, Baby. Hans is close. Closer than you think."} Lumbering through the intricate steps, Kristoff reassures Anna as he glances anxiously from their chaotic dance pattern which causes everyone else on the dance floor to give the distracted pair a dirty look.

But the Wind Whisperer's gaze was less on the guests and rather at where his father-in-law was about to enter the Conservatory where Elsa had been resting all afternoon…

* * *

Feeling hot and bothered with the need for some refreshing cool winter air, Queen of the North Winter Elsa had easily opened the full-length window earlier with a flutter of her cryokinetics before drifting back to a fretful sleep on the crushed velvet settee.

Little did she know that someone was just at this moment scaling the exterior heights of Arendelle Castle from its lighthouse to stable roof summit to main Palace building like a stealthy cat wagering all nine lives through the icy, bracing cold winds.

The fearless, dexterous young man was driven by the one force in all the world even greater than the deadly reality of gravity that he had been bravely defying for the past exhilarating half an hour.

 _Love_ for his Queen.

A drive that was far greater to Hans Westergaard then any dangerous climb, or the thought of confronting the girl's intimidating father who just happened to be the naval Admiral Hans was under service of.

 _Slow and steady wins the race, right, man? Then why do I feel this overwhelming sense of urgency to seize the moment and take my Elsa soon? Are my male hormones that much not in check to cloud my better judgment? I promised to wait a lifetime for you, my Queen. I firmly do not believe love is some ephemeral vapor that ancient tomes erroneously referred it to. The real sentiment one holds in the heart is a deep and abiding passion that could last two people into Eternity. So what's another year and a half on our timeless journey, min kæreste? I have been willing to be steadfast and patient before. What has changed in the interim?_

 _Maybe it was that desperate look in your eyes last we met, begging me to be here for you on your special day… Or perhaps all of those… ahem **gentlemen** ahem your father quite un-chivalrously invited to your Masquerade Party, no doubt tossed in your path to usurp my right as your betrothed …_

 _Be cool and collected, Westergaard… Right, I am taking a deep breath, thinking very, very composed, calm thoughts, Egalité, just as we discussed…_

 _ **POUND!**_

But Hans' red hot temper ventures to angrily smash a frustrated fist into the snow capped wrought-iron rail, leaving a ding in it with his real metal gauntlet. Then the vexed prince slings his lean body over its pointed ledge to shimmy and abseil with a rope down to the Conservatory window below as if by second nature.

Pondering these emotionally charged, weighty thoughts at this high-altitude dark and wintry cold night was probably not the best of ideas. But it felt good to blow off some steam and give the irked young man a sense of stress release out here in the wide open outdoors before the civilized Prince would have to encounter anyone inside the Castle.

Hans Westergaard had self-trained his tight, well-exercised form from an early age of three or four years to scale Egeskov Castle's tall spires. Those lean years were when the lonely, forgotten, unwanted outcast conditioned himself to be extremely balanced and acrobatic for tightrope walking to fearlessly scale the high story stone tower castle of his family, as if by rote.

"Damn!"

 _Presenting suitors behind my back! How wholly Machiavellian underhanded, sly and deceitful, Admiral Bernadotte! I am shocked and disappointed._

After one last punching fist to the Castle's stone exterior to vent his frustration – most of which were directed at Elsa's kingly father – Prince Hans fights hard to return to maintaining his cool, affable, self-possessed persona again.

"I'm all right now." He whispers to the chilled winds that seemed to be laughing at him with their cat-call howls.

 _Night is falling, so I must focus on keeping my promise see my beautiful Elsa and wish her the happiest of birthdays. No matter what obstacles others throw in my way, I will never shirk any of my duties or commitments to her for as long as I live._

Prince Hans' chameleon mentality often extended to having split-personality conversations with himself as he abandons his role as jealous lover to once again become dutiful officer of this kingdom.

 _If it was solely my decision, I would have immediately gone through the proper channels and addressed the Admiral with my honest verbal request to visit with my fiancée prior to our agreed-upon two-year reunion date. He probably would have concurred, since circumstances beyond my control had propelled that timeframe forward. However, between Egalitè, Varian, and even Prince Alonso's advice and counsel with their well plotted offer of this covert and daring maneuver at the Masquerade Ball, I have been mildly swayed that my preferred direct approach may not be the most advantageous method to ingratiate our matrimonial timeframe dilemma with her father._

 _I've consented to this mild subversion to your naval order and paternal authority, King Agdar, solely because it is my Elsa's birthday. And any disturbance between that tender lady and yourself would cause her undue distress tonight. As Queen Elsa's future caretaker and defender, I would never want to hurt my Angel after all she has been through lately, particularly on her day of days._

 _Still, I feel compelled to keep my promise to both you and your father, Elsa. In so doing, I must see you and explain all my apprehensions, my love. I will abide by your opinion entirely, for you mean the world to me, min elskling (my darling)…_

 _ **LEAP!**_

With that motivating sentiment, Prince Hans, wearing a stylish Black Knight Prince Philip silver armored outfit that fashionable Ferdinand Egalité had prescribed for this sleek Dane, silently slinks his slender, wiry form in through the partially open Conservatory window.

He had been informed by Varian, who was told in a note from Owl, sent to him by Lady Cassandra, who had been updated by Princess Anna while the latter was forcing the former to costume up – that Elsa was in the Conservatory of the Castle.

The Queen was said to be resting after an overwhelming confrontation with throngs of princes this morning.

 _How dare those men upset your serene beauty?! If I were there at the breakfast table, I certainly would have kicked their #$!%!–_!

Almost losing it as he sees red while envisioning the unpleasant scene, in gentlemanly edited cursing, a jealous Hans clenches his fists silently this time. He takes a deep breath and stands in the curtain's shadows, forcing his rigid intellect to control his short temper's emotion.

Prince Hans' stoic quietude had been frayed after all the reports and his own intuitive suspicion of the dubious intentions of various young and eligible royal princes from all parts of the world said to be gallivanting around Arendelle Castle, free roaming its beauteous surroundings.

 _Speaking of beauty…_ Entering the still, quiet Conservatory, the stealthy Prince of the Southern Isles squints his eyes to adjust from the starlit bright moonlight he had been climbing under to search inside the dimly single candelabra lit room.

At least that was Prince Hans' first impression of the aura pulsating from the general direction of the burgundy settee's back to him at the window.

 _Elsa? Are you in here?_

His breath caught in his throat, svelte Hans quietly moves without a sound in his silver armor and red satin cape through the quiet Conservatory towards the purple iridescent glow. Hans considers how these radiant lights rivaled the unlimited hues of the aurora borealis as he carefully makes his way around the tall backed couch to view its occupant more clearly.

And there she was, in all her glistening exquisite, stunning splendor. His Elsa, so magnificent and gorgeous in her off the shoulder tight-fitted, deep violet bodice and flowing purple long satin skirt that trailed impressively with its many gores across the carpeted Conservatory floor.

And yet, the platinum blonde was elegant and delicate as well, accented in a soft lavender glow surrounding her so very tender and sweet face in peaceful slumber.

Just viewing her made eloquent Prince Hans speechless from where he was standing over his beautiful Elsa's distinct shimmery radiance. He marvels at how she channeled the Northern Lights as the Queen of the North Winter now with a serene command that caused the Danish Prince to feel that he was taking part in a fairytale dream of old…

 _My Sleeping Beauty…_

Cutting a figure as quite a dashing hero himself from that selfsame timeless legend, Prince Philip the Black Knight Hans kneels down in his armored warrior uniform to lay a red rose he had brought from the masquerade prop room upon Elsa's slumbering, heaving bosom.

And the little vanity left in the Dane could not help but puff with pride to spy his profile likeness' artisan ivory shell carved cameo pinned on the inside of her off the shoulder bodice right over her left hand breast's heart.

 _You are still true to me…_

He pauses for several seconds to take in his Queen's incomparable majesty.

Prince Hans soaks in Elsa's pale alabaster cheeks, as if dusted with a fuchsia blush so soft and demure, it was if they were delicately crafted of velvet petals. Her platinum hair was so glistening and flaxen like silk where it lay in that long silky braid against her perfect sleeping bosom that rose and fell with breaths so short and shallow, that by now, Hans felt mesmerized.

 _And her lips…_

Ah, her glistening lips were as red as that rose and looked so very moist and inviting on her flawless pale face of sumptuous beauty, how could he not indulge in tasting their sweetness?

Ensconced in the hushed wonder and storybook romance of this irreplaceable moment he had only dreamt of before, Hans wordlessly hovers over his Sleeping Beauty as her 14th century Knight errant and she his Princess fair begging to be awakened by true love's kiss.

Forgetting all their real-life problems and putting the mundane issues such as jealousy and duty and fear aside, Prince Hans had the overwhelming urge to lean down to her slumbering, pristine face and break the magic spell so their fairytale rendezvous could be fulfilled…

 _...I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream. I know you, that gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam. Yet I know it's true that visions are seldom all they seem. But if I know you, I know what you'll do. You'll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream..._

When the Prince's gentle lips press down tenderly against this Princess Aurora's soft ones oh-so-tentatively pure, the dreamy young woman begins to stir in response to her fantasized lover's innocent caress.

The Ice Queen's tingles of ice once again pervade the Danish Prince's every sense as even a drowsy, involuntary Ice Queen's innate ice magic penetrates the touch of his skin to hers until his handsome face shades from its natural freckled ruddiness to an ashen white to the palest frosty blue.

But instead of drawing back as any sane human would, the undaunted redhead presses on in his eager greeting kiss with all the passion he had pent-up for months apart from his beloved fiancée in fear of the danger that they had recently experienced together.

So urbane and dashing in his Renaissance Prince Black Knight costume, an enraptured Hans encapsulates Elsa's intoxicating, slender form to his. The Prince of the Southern Isles' warm passion overwhelms her unconscious cold in the aurora streaked darkness.

On one knee, the knight's arms and hands and mouth hungrily envelop his Elsa to unyieldingly fulfill so many reveries of their fantasized reunion, once upon a dream.

"Happy birthday, my beautiful Princess Aurora. Your Black Knight is here, as promised." Barely coming up for breath, Hans huskily mouths these few words in his Sleeping Beauty fairytale Princess's slumbering ear. He revels in her dreamy smile that unmistakably reacted positively to his advances, moaning languorously as indication she longed for more.

So an aroused Hans' eager lips capture Elsa's again, as the intoxicating rising body heat versus the chilly night air from the nearby open window sweeps over both the wistful dreamers...

* * *

His eyesight may have been failing him and his frayed nerves left his temper short, but the King of Arendelle truly had the good intention to make this special night a happy one for his eldest child.

Agdar had been trying to convince himself that Elsa could find a suitable husband from the prestigious group of fine young princes she would be introduced to tonight during this ridiculous Masquerade Ball of mystery Idun and Anna had dreamed up.

And yet the shadow of that reprobate Dane remained palpable in the air everywhere he turned.

"Oh-oh! How do I look? Is it on straight, Eliana? Did I spell her name right this time?! Can you light the candles that went out in my hat, Elsa and Anna's Papa? I can't reach them without burning myself, but I want to look my best when we open the door to surprise Elsa! And all the candles must be lit to do it properly, but my branches and Eliana's aren't good with fire! Brr! So we don't touch it!" Chuckling with his usual inane prattle, Olaf had put on - over his Friar Tuck hair fuzz and beneath his personal snow flurry - that extra large and gaudy birthday hat Anna had picked out from Oaken's bazaar on her birthday a few years back. It had been sitting decoratively on the table in the hall with its sunflowers redecorated to be purple crocuses with the letters Olaf had repainted as 'E L S A' instead of 'A N N A'.

"Yes, yes, Olaf. Bring it here." Peevishly interrupted by such silly frivolities, a patronizing King Agdar gives in to the innocent-eyed snowman's wishes. Agdar pauses in his swift stride towards the quiet Conservatory door where his ice power could almost feel his similarly gifted daughter had just awoken within.

" _Ja_ , _må_ _hon leva_ (Yes, she lives today!)!" Blissfully unaware of the King's anxiousness, Olaf starts to practice the Swedish birthday tune set to Hayden's jaunty 'Sunrise' Queen Idun had specially taught he and Eliana on the ride back to Arendelle a few days ago. Olaf prompts Eliana to join in the choral round they planned to sing to Elsa upon throwing open the door.

But as King Agdar had used the swift servant produced taper from a nearby fireplace to light the doused candles on Olaf's fanlike off-balance headdress, a sudden gust of wind extinguishes another candle or two before he could accomplish it to be fully lit.

It was as if someone had purposely blown out the candles again.

"Oh no. Olaf! Now three more have gone out! You have to light them quicker, your Majesty!" Bossy Eliana explains from beneath her more tidy and elegant Middle Ages Maid Marian veil.

 _What? Trick candles? I'm not amused._ The frustrated older man had already turned back to place his hand on the doorknob of the Conservatory again when he felt a sudden gushing breeze on his back. But upon finding no other human being in the quiet Great Hall, save for only the eyes of the paintings staring back at him in the subdued candlelight, Agdar lets out an impatient sigh.

"Now don't move too fast, Olaf." An annoyed Agdar reuses the other side of the taper he had up ended in a potted plant they had passed to again light all thirteen candles over the dizzy snowman's disturbingly bald pretense of a Friar Tuck ring of hair costumed head.

"Yeah! You open the door, Papa, and we can all sing ' _Ja, må hon leva, it's your birthday!'_ to Elsa!" Olaf joyously whispers after Eliana shushes her bouncy boisterous boyfriend before he ruined the surprised moment for their dear creator girl.

 _ **WHOOSH!**_

But another uncanny breeze whizzes by them in the windowless Great Hall gallery of paintings directly over Olaf's now numerously de-flamed candle hat.

"Who dares –!?" Now the King was becoming genuinely irritated at this whole supposedly comical situation.

"It's a birdy!" Olaf sings, pointing upwards and swiveling his head totally around 270° to dizzily follow the erratic flight path of the Strigiforme flying above. After a missed ice shot or two from the semi-blind Ice King, the wily brown and grey owl with the startling thick black eyebrow was street smart enough to stick close to the valuable old paintings of the Masters Agdar was cautious to lay a volley of frost-shot in the direction of.

"Who! Who? Whoo?!" As if mocking the Ice King with his owl call, noting the gig was up that he had been fairly spotted, Lady Cassandra's unadorned avian pet – fittingly named 'Owl' – reveals himself to flutter his brown remiges wingspan between priceless painting to priceless painting.

Owl had been the one sabotaging the little party's birthday song entrance into the Conservatory, almost on purpose.

Varian leans over the edge of the staircase, wearing his easy change Pierrot white bodysuit clown outfit that, by some strange coincidence, mirrored that of his evil twin jester, Harlequin. It was just devoid of its red and black markings, and smirking devilish grin that was replaced by the tear in Pierrot's frowning, sad eyes.

"Footmen! Carefully remove that creature from the Castle! We have many important guests attending my daughter's Birthday Ball one room away. They will NOT find Arendelle Castle to be a BARN!" A bit stuffy about appearances, King Agdar indignantly throws up a fuss at the dizzying disruptive predatory bird flying around the halls just out of reach of the pair of servants who appear at the King's call wearing their breeches and white wigs.

Minister Kai wordlessly appears, directing the footmen to catch the obstreperously fractious owl after the minister had heard the King and Olaf's troubled voices and the ensuing chaos of lit candles and rare paintings and sharp bird talons all coming too close to one another.

"Good job, Owl. You did your part to waylay the King for a few minutes." Replacing his sad clown face white mask over his cutie features, Varian Gutenberg pushes a remote control button. It signals to open the top down trap door to a large bow wrapped box on the Queen's expansive birthday present table just outside of the ballroom where the visitors were requested to leave their gifts.

The tricky, elusive owl the inventor boy had befriended over the years of trying to woo his way into Lady Cassandra's heart, slyly ducks into the hidden box right under the unsuspecting footmen's frustrated noses. Back home in his lab, Varian had trained Owl with a specialized hearing whistle, inaudible to humans. The genius boy used his handy-dandy remote to employ the whistle in the interior of the concealed present box beside the gift wafflebaker that he had brainstormed for Rapunzel's cousin, Elsa, which was enclosed inside.

"Now it's up to Rudiger to get Hans out of there before he's caught!" Varian whispers excitedly to his companion as the pair walked down the palace stairs together.

"That crazy Dane likes to tempt fate! Egocentric codfish." Prince Alonso of Córdoba comments beneath his red-feathered cap at the sailor. Alonso felt quite at home in his slim-line flattering legendary boy-who-never-grew-up Peter Pan sage green tights and tunic outfit, that easily flattened under the duplicate Black Knight Prince outfit the Frenchman proposed for Prince Hans' daring grand scheme to visit his girl incognito.

"Maybe it takes one to know one." Varian garners an indignant look from his new colleague, the narcissistic Argentine Prince who was primping at his 'theatrical grade good looks' in a mirror the two young men pass in the hallway.

Varian, who never had a thought to even glance once in the mirror and his get-up — never mind admire himself in it like a dandy — chuckles at all this romantic, party-going intrigue the scientist in him thought he would never be part of.

"Ha ha. You're a riot, Einstein. Imagine me being like a stupid fairy godmother helping some other guy get hooked up with Europe's most advantageous looker—the young and powerful Queen _I_ was supposed to carry over the threshold? Just thinking about it gives me a migraine. I hope Valentina doesn't catch me at this degrading insanity. It'll definitely be a humiliating Neverland hell for me if she does. If you see Valentina – you won't miss her, she'll be the most ostentatious pink puff in the room – maybe you can distract her while I make a getaway into this other disguise that Ferdinand guy provided? She's determined to get her mitts into me and I don't know if I'll be able to shake her this time. Let's just get this night over with in one piece. First, let's find Elsa's mom or little sister to warn them about crazy Hans." Unaccustomed to playing a hero or even be collaborator to one, Prince Alonso rolls his eyes and holds his aching head at all the intrigue.

Varian shrugs, not understanding his innuendo at all. His intellectual mind was more on what his pet raccoon, Rudiger, was doing for the cause of his friend Hans' love life that Princess Rapunzel seemed to care about that she sent her best friend and ladies' maid to lend a hand. And if Cass wanted him to help too, Varian would do it, no questions asked.

The dressed to impress, unlikely pair of good-looking young men enter the ballroom to start mingling beneath mandatory masks with the many guests already assembled.

Now, not that either were looking, but where could Cassandra or Valentina be in this busy crowd of masqueraders?

Though they had volunteered (or been co-opted by that equally cracked Frenchman) to help the Danish Prince and his Norwegian Ice Queen reunite, their own clandestine relations were _not_ _entirely_ out of their young masculine minds beneath the masks on this promising night of mystery and romance.

* * *

 _Speaking of masks…_

Inside the dark Conservatory the abovementioned wily raccoon had snuck across the rooftop and scurried down the Arendelle Castle window frames until he could swing himself upside down by his dexterous black and gray striped tail right into the targeted room.

His master and friend Varian had only to give the intelligent raccoon Prince Hans' scent for the woodland varmint to track down the absconded Dane after Prince Hans had mysteriously disappeared while Varian and Alonso were being assigned their outfits by Ferdinand Egalité.

Fortunately, Varian's keen ears had overheard the mentally torn Prince from the Southern Isles muttering something about having to discuss a plan with Elsa and letting her decide the best course of action. So the scrambling, intrepid trio knew right where the cunning Danish Royal would be headed.

"Hmm?" The gray furred North American immigrant named Rudiger uses his persistent paws to poke and scratch at the knee of Prince Hans until he manages to interrupt Hans and his fiancée's growingly passionate osculation.

And that wakes up Hans just in time, too, as a light knock comes to the door of the Conservatory and it is consequently opened.

" _Ja må_ —!"" Olaf and Eliana were excited to let out the first two entrance syllables to the Swedish birthday song. But they are halted by King Agdar's cool hands that zip both snow people's lips with a quick layer of shushing verglas ice.

"Please give my daughter and I a few moments." With a quick smile, Agdar instructs the balloon waving, candlelit hat wearing, horn-tooting noisy pair to cease-and-desist their merrymaking so as not to startle the perhaps not yet awakened young woman.

"Are you awake yet, Elsa? You may not recognize me in this foolish outfit that you mother insisted upon, but it is I, your– _damn, blast_! _That chair wasn't placed here ever before!_ – Excuse my vulgar language, Elsa. But my vision… Hehehe. You understand? Shall we start this again? Oh, I've made a pig's ear of it, haven't I? But Papa is ready to escort my birthday girl to her party." Tripping on a misplaced footstool in the darkness that the cunning masked mammal had pushed in his retreating path to slow the older man down, King Agdar was ashamed of his coarse language before his sweet, innocent child.

Smiling apologetically, King Agdar more sensed his like cryo-wielder near than saw her, though mortified, he dusts off his cape and straightens his chain mail boots as he comes closer to the settee.

Luckily for Hans, the partially blind King did not see the harried flitting exit through the window curtain of the agile young man who had been beside the divan ravishing his daughter. And that was mostly due to the fact that the swift raccoon had intrepidly pulled the tufted footstool directly in the King's way.

"Hmm…? Papa? I must've dozed off again! I thought I woke up and was being kissed by –" in her muddled, hazy mind's blissful delirium, Elsa shakes her head before making any further incriminating allegations when it was most likely all just a dreamlike stupor. But she was positive that she had been in her handsome Prince Hans' arms, engulfed in his comforting warmth and pervasive scent, totally enraptured by his enchanting kiss…

 _Yet I know it's true that visions are seldom all they seem…_

An utterly breathless Elsa sits straight up on the divan, her hands flying to touch her extremely moist and warm lips. Her eyes cross the dark room towards the moonlit night outside the open window where she was sure she saw a familiar shadow.

"—A troll? Anna always said she was kissed by a troll, too! Maybe being such close sisters and soulmate friends means you get to share the same dream, Elsa! Although, since you're so tall and you would have to bend over in half to a short troll, and you have a human small mouth and nose that wouldn't match a troll's big bulgy face at all, it probably would be better for you to stick to kissing JustHa –" Olaf was just about to spill the beans after his black charcoal eyes, even through the darkness, spotted his Danish friend's silhouette still lingering outside the window.

Looking deeply towards the window, Elsa then could've sworn she saw a masked flash of gray and black fur make a suicidal leap off the three-story high ledge.

What she did not see was Carpet's colorful pile fly away covertly just beneath their view with a plucky raccoon and two gorgeous young men wearing identical costumes, silently unobserved by anyone.

* * *

" _Lunatic_." The one sardonic masked knight occupant of Carpet smacks the back of the redhead of the other winded euphoric twin brother knight he had pulled out under the intoxicating moonlight.

* * *

But fortunately, her father's attention was distracted from the window by Anna's unexpected dash into the Conservatory. She obviously had insider information from a sad clown and flighty dreamboy who sought out reinforcements earlier.

"I brought your mask, Elsa! I almost forgot it in the whirlwind of being danced off my feet with all those foreign princes!" The vivacious young woman in her forest hunting suit of green, complete with bow but minus arrows, comes barreling into the quiet Conservatory. Robin Hood trips over that same footstool as her father where he left the poor piece of furniture in an inadvertent ice slide when he banged into it just before.

"Whoops! Careful of the icy patch! Wow! You look amazing, Elsa! A beautiful amazing! Your beard is on crooked, Papa!" The joyous girl sings out, flitting around the Conservatory like said whirlwind hugging her big sister as Anna affixes the icy white bejeweled mask to her sister's surprised face. The slightly disheveled, perspiring from exertion female Robin Hood pauses to salute her stunned father as she readjusts his King Olaf's ginger beard to plant a kiss on his cheek.

"Wouldn't you like to wear a lovely fairytale gown like your big sister's good example, Gingersnap? You still have time to change. This is a Royal ball, you know, Princess." The King was flabbergasted at how unpredictable his younger daughter could be nowadays when it came to dressing up in garments not of her sex.

 _What am I saying? Anna was always the strong-minded one, even when she was little._

"Yep. A _Masquerade_ Ball where people dress-up in disguises so nobody knows each other until late night unmasking. Plus it's a Birthday Party, Papa, with everyone having fun out there! So, I'm dressed perfectly! There are sooo many guests of our citizens watching in the gallery upstairs to be entertained! They don't just want see simple, normal ballroom dancing with all those distinguished people and stuffy Royal princes strutting around tonight! They'll want to see music and laughter and light, with the prettiest Birthday Queen of all!" Never to be accused of being dull, Anna lets her light shine as she squeezes Elsa's still warm fingers excitedly as she wildly whirls Olaf and Eliana around the Conservatory, never minding that they were crashing into and knocking everything down in their giddy paths.

"I trotted most of them all out already. Gotta say, none of them compare to that Red on the dance floor." Anna winks and whispers to her strangely breathless sister, rousing a big smile from Elsa as she places the silvery white mask over Elsa's heavily breathing features. Anna smirks trying to imagine what that Red had done to Elsa as she blows back the drooping feather plume in her face after a half hour of dancing with so many strangers.

"None at all." Elsa sighs dreamily, enraptured with her man whether his romantic ghostlike appearance was real or fantasized. But then cold reality of having to go out and face all those people sinks in again as she fixes Anna's feather with a little ice magic.

"Happy birthday march to the ball room time!" Trying to make the best of the inevitable, Anna shrugs and hugs Elsa tight with a ' _happy birthday, we'll make it through together'_ wish as Olaf and Eliana take the hint and begin singing their practiced duo at last.

" _Ja, må hon leva_ (Yes, she lives today!)!"

Then an encouragingly smiling Anna takes the lead of waving the balloons and candles to light the birthday girl's path to the ballroom she was forging ahead.

"And so, shall I _now_ have the honor of escorting the birthday young lady to the ball where so many guests and well-wishers all wish to meet you and celebrate your special day with us? I don't know how this dilapidated, unworthy old man could deserve to be father of such an elegant beauty. You are the picture of poise and grace in that gown, my Snow Angel, reminding me so much of your attractive Mama at that age." Humble to be so fortunate a father and husband, the nervous King gently plants a kiss at Elsa's forehead as he assists the delicate young woman seated on the plush setee up to her feet.

Close up, the King did notice his daughter's flushed crimson cheeks and glazed eyes that were repeatedly gazing towards the open window, looking more like a caged bird wanting to fly free instead of accompany him into the guest filled Arendelle ballroom…

 _I know how Papa worries about me… About us, Hans. He doesn't understand how much you've changed. How much you love me. Papa only wants what's best for my future…my kingdom…my marriage, wanting me to make a proper royal match with a man I can trust for a lifetime and more…_

"Elsa, before we do go in. Please, may I say I am so heartily sorry to have upset you earlier, particularly on your birthday? Can you ever forgive your terrible father for not considering your feelings? That seems to be my constant failing, eh? I only mean the best for you, but somehow I always end up doing everything wrong, don't I? I know I am such a faulted man who doesn't deserve the wonderful family God has blessed me with." The Ice King paces back-and-forth upon further entering the room that had decidedly dropped several degrees in temperature during the short time of their conversation. But luckily neither ice wielder was bothered by the cold anyway.

"Oh, Papa. You don't do everything wrong! ' _Forgiveness'_ the Lord says is even more than ' _seventy times seven',_ right? So, even between us, we're not close to that many mistakes yet." With a laughing smile of tenderness and Matthew 18:22 Biblical Scripture truth to back her up, she sniffles away her wiped tears. Then Elsa touches her father's cold shaking hands to steady them as she invites him to sit next to her on the setee.

"Just say the word and I will send them all away, my precious girl. If you do not wish to even hold this lavish Ball your mother and Anna have planned, I will cancel it, if you so desire, Elsa. We can have that small family birthday celebration we always have dreamed of, if you'd like that better. Just tell me, my Snow Angel. It's your birthday, my darling, so I will do everything to make it right, make it special for you and not mess up another day for my precious daughter." King Agdar whispers his pledge, genuinely remorseful and authentically apologetic in his heart for any distress his rash decisions once again caused his child.

"No, Papa. As you said, they are our guests. After all, they are each representatives from foreign kingdoms we should be making peaceful treaties and not give cause for discord between our nations. I rested all this afternoon before the Masquerade Ball tonight so I can be as wide awake and at my best to serve our people's best interests now. Together, Papa, as a family we will give our nation an unforgettable night to celebrate not only my birthday, but the God-granted victory of our country over the lonely darkness that must make us all proud." Elsa's trust, encouragement, nobility, empathy, righteousness, inspiration, truth and yearning all clearly spell out the virtuous Tenerity in her heart that was no longer afraid to open up to her beloved father who was still struggling to find that peace in himself.

"Oh, my Elsa. You are the one true ruler that this nation deserves. I am so proud of you." King Agdar squeezes his daughter's delicate yet strong hands, his eyes, still clouded, able to clearly see the brilliance of the aurora borealis gleaming beautifully, from the iridescent heels of her radiant shoes to the glistening folds of her multihued gown, to Queen Elsa's true blue reflective orbs filled with sparkling hope and love for the future as she stands.

"If you truly are not ready for this, Elsa – if you wish me to send those young people away, my darling, I will comply without a qualm, formalities be damned. _Pardon me._ Then we can spend some quiet quality family birthday celebration time instead. I sincerely want what is best for you, Elsa, and I never want to upset you again, my precious girl. Although, that does appear to be this heedless, haphazard man's reoccurring failing." The remorseful King, while he had been entertaining the septet of foreign princes all afternoon, had been regretting his clumsy attempt at royal matchmaking with the memory of the shocked, frightened and almost disappointed look in his daughter's eyes that were avoiding his most distinctly since that disastrous breakfast.

 _Perhaps this all comes too soon after your recent tribulation, Elsa. You need some more time and are not ready to consider opening your heart to anyone as your potential mate – which is fine by me. Or maybe it **is** because you've already set your heart on that one dream Prince..._

"Oh, Papa! You're not a failure, by any means. I know you want what is best for this kingdom and what's best for me. So I mustn't shirk my duties as your daughter, nor as Queen of Arendelle when it comes to being able to meet and negotiate with other countries and our neighbors to forge good and lasting friendships between our nations." Forcing a smile, Elsa shakes her head in the mirror that she had been re-braiding _(how did it get in such ruin?!)_ her mussed platinum blonde hair in the mirror Mama had left on the desk for such last-minute primping.

"As a good ruler, my personal feelings must be pushed to the side. I must be as cordial and welcoming to our guests as protocol demands, _especially_ on my birthday. As I have been trying to show you, Papa, I am no longer the child who must hide behind the doors anymore. So I will act accordingly, as an adult, befitting the monarch of this great nation our forefather King Olaf forged centuries ago." At the Conservatory desk, Elsa finishes combing her hair to perfection, standing to her high-heeled feet on her own to give a respectful nod to both her father in the costume of the Norwegian kingdom's proud founder he was donning.

"Spoken like the true ruler you were born to be, Queen Elsa. Or should I say, 'Princess Aurora?' Now! May I offer a stunning young monarch the arm of a humble half-blind man wishing to escort the belle of the ball to a celebration in her honor? Or is that little fellow planning on replacing me as your escort?" The father affords his child an affable joke to lighten the mood at the Sir Jorgen Bjorgen the stuffed puffin knight who had been resting on Elsa's lap when he arrived. Taking great care, Agdar stiffly bends in his gold armored tasset, fauld and greaves to lift the black and white stuffed animal from where it had fallen and been kicked underneath the coffee table.

Considering the funny item he had scooped up from the ground, having no idea it had ever left the Castle, never mind in _whose_ repairing talented hand it was in last, well-traveled from up to the Snow Palace in the North to the far pole in the South.

In his long medieval robe and crimson cape depicting the Rex Perpetuus Norvigae, Agdar smiles genuinely from beneath his long false ginger beard at his daughter as he dusts off the now green button-eyed yarn friend he replaces to sit on the empty setee cushion.

 _Sir Jorgen Bjorgen? How..?! What…?! **Hans**! You **were** here! I _**_wasn't_** _only dreaming…_

Elsa's dutiful, yet still dampened spirits instantly liven up at her childhood knight who had been inexplicably missing since their trip to Svalbard and had now presented himself in the most romantic way, a green button eye, thicker red yarn hair, cardboard sword and all.

For now Sir Jorgen Bjorgen even more reminded her of her beloved Prince Charming who had become her continual hero in all things, as well as a good luck charm. Elsa's resigned eyes enthusiastically brighten at the surety that her daring, handsome, wonderful, steadfast and true Prince Hans was going to attend this party tonight, just as he promised to her, once upon a dream.

"No one could ever replace you, Papa." With presence of mind to still recall her current conversation, Elsa lovingly passes by the velvet cushion to finger her toy puffin's fuller red yarn parted hairdo and warmly smiles up at her parent as Agdar notices her change in demeanor.

"But now that the gates are open, I've learned from Anna that our hearts are big enough to share more love and sunshine with more than one gallant knight. Don't you agree? So, I'll bring this little guy along, too." Some of Anna's strong-minded will and saucy phrasing rubbing off, Elsa uses her ice powers to scoop up her fearless hero of old seated upon the setee. She straightens his pale blue glove cape that had been clean pressed, runs her fingers through his tattered yarn hair reinvigorated with new strands of red mixed in with the orange, and plays with what was once a big button black eye upgraded to a shining new, iridescent green one.

The devoted father offers his arm to his lovely, intelligent and brave child to leave the Conservatory and join the Masquerade Ball already in progress.

The now smiling young woman proudly displays her most cherished childhood toy all through her lonely youth growing up to her Papa, as a sentimental Elsa tucks and ices in place a repaired Sir Jorgen - the perfect gift that only someone who loved and understood her would understand was worth more than a thousand golden necklaces or diamond bracelets – within the folds of her long purple skirt.

"No more closing the gates, my darling." Agdar murmurs in her ear as the father and daughter depart.

Adjusting her pearlescent white Venetian mask over her now excited features, Elsa sends one last, longing glance at the Aurora Borealis drenched moonlight through that open window.

The cool breeze wafting in seemed to be chanting an irrepressible melody, if sung just for the special young woman born under this incredible heavenly twinkling, twenty-three winter solstices ago, in an operatic overture of undeniable love this night:

 _…But if I know you, I know what you'll do. You'll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream…_

Beneath her satin skirts, Elsa squeezes her plush puffin knight in her hand with a pleased giggle of delight that King Agdar had not heard from his pensive little girl since she was a wee little thing.

 _I wonder to what do we owe this sudden change in your mood, Elsa? Nonetheless, I won't let you down, my Snow Angel. Not on your birthday._

 _Not ever again._

* * *

 _ **Under the stars atop the lighthouse tower of**_ _ **Arendelle**_ _ **Castle**_ _ **…**_

"What were you thinking, Westergaard? After all the trouble we have gone through for your sake, were you just begging to be caught by the King, hanging around the open window where his _cher_ è daughter was sleeping? If that clever owl and this rabid rat had not created a scene and distracted the good _Admirale_ , I dare not think that what would have happened to you had you been caught ravishing the girl. _Après nous le déluge_!" Grumbling the Louis XV and Madame Pompadour's _'After us, the flood'_ French expression of 'a fool's irresponsible disregard for the future', an exasperated, annoyed Ferdinand Egalitè had been acquainted with many imprudent, impulsive, daring young men in his service in the Legionnaires and the French 1st Regiment Hussars who rather enjoyed walking the tightrope between intoxicating lover and irate father.

But the Frenchman never imagined that the previously sane, cool under pressure, intelligent in a crisis Prince of the Southern Isles was one such crazy fool.

 _Yes, we are all fools in l'amour (love), perhaps. But no one loves an_ _imbécile fool._

"I cannot claim to understand what possessed me, my friend… I apologize for any nuisance I have caused, Egalitè. But seeing my Elsa lying there, so serene, so beautiful… Maybe it was the desperate melancholy upon her lovely brow, knowing it was all for me… Perhaps it was being so completely eclipsed in the dark stillness at last in this moment of peace we longed to enjoy together under the moonlight…I can't explain…just… My raw…emotion took over." Trying to reason out his inscrutable, perilous, devil-may-care actions, Hans apologizes, searching for just the right word to describe his motivation in that darkened Conservatory.

" _Fou au clair de lune_. (Crazy in the moonlight) It is called, as we say in the French, ' _animale passionné',_ mon ami. As a male of the species, you were simply marking possession of what you claim to be rightfully yours." Rolling his experienced eyes at his now closest of friends, Prince Ferdinand's brow was raised in that insinuating manner as he lowers his mask to give his companion an all-knowing look before leaping his Black Knight duplicate enshrouded body from Carpet to the lighthouse peak.

Apathetic Carpet makes a staircase providing an easier descent to the bright oscillating lamplight of the naval lighthouse for a hesitant Hans to disembark. But the Danish Prince's reticence to leave the skybound magic transport was obvious.

"Passion? I assure you, Egalitè, Elsa means more to me than just that! Perhaps this is all folly, to allow jealousy to drive my motive. What have I been thinking? I should not be here in Arendelle at all without my commanding officer's explicit permission. Perhaps I should return this moment to the Nidaros I am more than fortunate to be Captain of, in the China seas, and there make some recompense for my dereliction of duty in a full-length report to the Admiral. After all, I have kept my promise to Elsa, delivered my heartfelt gift, and wished the Queen of my heart a blessed happy birthday. There is nothing more I should do here, but, more wisely, rather keep to the remaining year and a half commitment we agreed to." Rambling his guilt, Hans begins making excuses to himself of why and how he should not be here any longer, not seeing the reason to persevere in this foolish venture that would jeopardize Elsa and his happy ending in the future, should he be discovered.

" _Or_ ~ maybe you should put on your big boy pants and march down there to give that poor girl a night to remember! Where have you two been?! I understand how tough it is facing down, overprotective, argumentative, intimidating fathers versus aggravating boyfriends very well firsthand myself. They're all over the place in Corona. However, when the time comes, I would expect no less from my Varia—Okay, now I know for sure which one of you twin chess pieces is the Frenchman. My eyes are up here when I'm talking, Mister." Lady Cassandra pointedly interjects, indignantly cutting off her own sharp words under the one practically drooling Black Knight's stimulating stare down her near exposed upper torso.

The charcoal haired, tough woman had been essential in the subterfuge delivery and plotting stages of this costume quick changing scheme, considering the fact that the former ladies' maid was already on hand and readily accessible to the costume stores at Princess Anna's behest.

"Ooh, la, la, Cass-ie! To what do I owe your long redhead state of undress pleasure?" The Prince of the French didn't seem to notice Cassandra's admission of boyfriend as the gritty, no-nonsense handmaiden sticks her upper body through the laddered lighthouse wearing nothing more than a sparse shell like breast covering bikini that was unheard of in the modest day and age. At least above the sea by land dwellers.

"Her name is Princess Anna. She's just as idealistically headstrong and mulish as her cousin Rapunzel when it comes to making my life a total embarrassment! Look. Some of us have been working while you two were off gallivanting on that flying Carpet of yours. But it's show time now. Let's go. The party is already in full swing and the Queen is said to arrive soon. You had better get your ass moving if you don't want to disappoint, Westergaard. Those suitors are swarming all over the dance floor and are ready to pounce on your fiancée." Cassandra dismissively informs, rolling her catlike eyes at the flirty Frenchman whose fingers were just itching to reach out and stroke her long waves of red tresses. But she shakes him off and incredibly swift ducks back down the ladder and slides down the rest of the way, unmolested.

A curious Hans and Egalitè follow her speedy drop down the lighthouse tower's long crawl space that led to the stable complex and eventually into Arendelle Castle's upper floors.

"I must say, I find your spicy language, bare shoulders and titillating shells equally as arousing, _mon cherie_. I wish I could see more of the rest of you, though my imagination is already running wild in the darkness, as will my uncontrollable hands when I reach the bottom and I must feel my way around." As he madly climbs down the ladder, Egalitè flirts openly with the tempting woman making swishing sounds somewhere below him in the dark.

"Egalitè, _'Après moi le animale passionné'_. _(After me, the passionate animal)"_ Amending his own French expression to toss back at his friend a friendly warning, the multi-lingual smug puppy Prince Hans athletically leans his slim, sinewy body to reach out for something with his long arms. The dexterous redhead grabs a torch hanging on the opposite stone wall, and holds it out to light the ladder to illuminate them the rest of the way.

 _"Mon Dieu! C'est chiant fait chier! Merde!"_ Swearing French expletives under his breath _,_ Prince Ferdinand Philippe instantly shrivels back from where he, at the ladder base, was just seconds away from caressing Lady Cassandra. But now he pulls back from her as if she were poison.

"A _mermaid_?! Could you have chosen worse, Cassie? I still have anxieties in regards to my last encounter with those vicious erotic sirens of the sea." Prince Ferdinand rubs with disdain his less private wounds that the appalling underwater females left on his scarred psyche.

"Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea, after all, Anna…" Cassandra murmurs with a covert simper, having seen the error her intoxicating fling – _if you can call a single hot kiss_ – with the charming, roguish French Prince whom she always felt was holding something back. The hard-hitting woman had returned to her more exacting, stringent, punctual senses with some time and breathing space.

Perhaps her reunion and morning spent doctoring sick kids and old people with a certain kind-hearted, dark-haired scientist who followed her every word like a puppy dog played a role in that, too. Though boring and clinical at times, at least Varian wasn't a showman fraud when it came to his emotions. He would never push the envelope of their budding relationship until she said so.

And that's the way rigid Cassandra Schmidt preferred being in charge.

"Well. You two look ready as you'll ever be. Approximately the same height and slender build. If I can't tell you apart from a distance, knowing you're dopplegangers, then the blurry-eyed King will be confused. There're quite a few people pulling for you down there who have your back, Hans. Good luck." Lady Cassandra encourages in her brassy sassy way, sashaying down the corridor in her wired iridescent siren of the sea aquamarine tail's swishing her tight scaly hips back and forth in an evocative manner behind her.

Ever the gentleman, despite the viperish warning that kept Egalitè firmly several paces back, skulking in the shadows, Hans quickly moves in his princely armor to assist mermaid Princess Cassandra down the remainder of the staircase.

The dashing Black Knight Prince Philip escorts this grumpy Little Mermaid into the bustling ballroom on the second floor of Arendelle Castle. There, the impressive sights, tantalizing smells and compelling sounds mesmerize the bedazzled Prince of the Southern Isles as he enters Elsa's Masquerade Ball, as if in a fairytale dream…

* * *

Birthday greetings, Frozen friends!

 ** _Yeah! Hans has arrived!_** _(And h_ _e's staking his claim on his Sleeping Beauty Ice Queen! Wow-ser! That Dane's quite a kisser!)_

Okay, calm down me…Wheee! (You can tell, I had a great birthday:!)

The dashing redheaded Prince of Elsa's heart is back in Arendelle and attending her Masquerade Ball at long last!

Whew! That was a close one in the Conservatory, Hansie! What were you playing at, taking liberties, ravishing your stunningly beautiful Sleeping Beauty fiancée? Just because she looks so divine, a-slumbering on her divan :) that's no reason to go all la lunatic with Papa just around the corner! (Good thing Varian, Owl, Rudiger, Egalite, Cass, Olaf & Eliana? not to mention Anna threw in some clever little diversions to detain the King and save Hans' tight knight tasset! ;)

Maybe I should call it a 'Disney themed Masquerade Birthday Ball' with all the Disneyana character costumes sprinkled in at the party! From Elsa's elegant Sleeping Beauty, Anna's saucy Robin Hood and Kristoff's beefy Hercules, I thought bringing to the party those familiar fun outfits would bring some mental eye-candy, visually recognizable Disney spice and dress-up magic to the Masquerade! Who is your favorite Masquerader so far tonight?

I know I said this was a 3-parter, and this the conclusion chapter, but the party excitement and thrilling costume descriptives and multi-layered innumerable characters got away with me! So once again, I chopped the episode in half (still 14,000 words long!) and Part 4 (really the Masquerade Ball arc conclusion, really, I'm working hard on it!) will come next week by August birthday month end!

So, please stay interested and in tune for all the romance and mystery of the Masquerade's grand finale next week! See you soon!

Jesus is your friend and mine, too!

Love,

Haruka


	39. Chapter 38- Bring Back a Love Song to Me

_We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

 **"Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act VIII**

 **Chapter 38**

 **"** **Bring Back a Love Song to Me"**

Behind the mysterious aura of dim candlelight just beyond the ominous, large double doors, the Masquerade Ball Birthday Party of the kingdom of Norway was indeed in full swing.

The classic Arendelle Ballroom had been transformed into an exquisite seventeenth century yesteryear, with all the decor and trimmings Queen Idun and Princess Anna could have arranged to give Elsa the party of her life.

The ballroom had tastefully become a wondrous, magical center of ambiguous dancing couples in full Masquerade dress. There was much lively bouncing and hopping in rhythmic time in dances full of playful zest such as the Ländler, Czardas and Spanner country folk dances; the renowned Polka and Galop, as well as a refined Strauss waltz or two sprinkled in a varied mix with the celebrated Quadrille and Scottish reels and Strathspeys.

As for the music, early classical composers such as Bach, Beethoven and Brahms, were joined by a few more modern-day waltzes tossed in for the more adventurous dancers. The entire ballroom was ensconced in this mystery where no one uttered a single word, only expressive gestures used to signal their desire to dance with a selected partner.

But for Hans, his breath was utterly stolen away, not just by the music, nor impressive decor, but by the sight of a young woman on the far side of the large ballroom being escorted by King Agdar to her throne amidst their citizens' delighted applause.

Awe-inspiring in full view in the lighted room, the young ruler of Arendelle was radiant in purples, lilacs and violets where she held court high upon her royal throne.

His gorgeous Elsa was a stunning vision of beauty seated with her elegant gloved hands primly folded like the true Queen she was, on a special raised royal throne just erected in the birthday girl's honor this evening at the head of the ballroom dais.

There, she could look over the crowd as they all gaze up in hope for her silent nod of approval, while the spectators above were able to watch it all from the gallery audience.

In hushed, unspoken invites of tapped shoulders and hand gestures which this type of enigmatic Masquerade Ball required, the engaging party guests had been enjoying themselves surrounded in the silent mystery of exhilarating disguise.

The curiosity to discover the identity of fellow costumers at this Masquerade Ball's unmasking, set to be at the stroke of 11:03 PM when the winter solstice officially began, added one more element of intrigue to the building excitement of the evening.

From young folks in yeoman sailor uniforms of varied nations, middle-aged men sporting Turkish sultanas and Scottish kilts; girls in Little Bo Peep costumes; ladies in Grecian gowns and elderly women in Egyptian headdress, the entire kingdom turned out for this exciting 'event of the century.'

A mesmerized Hans was about to cut through the sea of masked guests to approach the throne and invite his tense looking fiancée to her first dance when his blood boils to see another man beat him to it.

The tall masquerader, wearing a floorlength long black robe of a 12th-century judge, had on a frightening half mask of a plague doctor from the Dark Ages. He gravely approaches the Queen's throne and with a respectful vow silently petitions the monarch for her to grant him her first dance of the evening.

The masked man shares a nod with King Agdar, who was standing not too far away in his St. Olaf, founder of Norway's kingdom, costume behind Elsa's throne.

Elsa's tense hand squeezes the puffin plush toy in her dress pocket folds where a lady was to keep her gloves and dance card during the ball. She shoots Anna a pleaful glance, but the girl in her scandalous Robin Hood guise could not think of a quick way to blatantly override her father nor the civility of the ball.

So the Sleeping Beauty Princess reluctantly gives her hand to the controlling man in the dark Il Dottare/Judge Frollo costume. He throws a smirk triumphantly back at the even taller, tan-skinned, fittingly costumed in the creamy ivory Arabian Ali Ababwa, Prince of Thieves' poofy pants, purple cape and big turban outfit of legend. He too had been beat by the pushy dark Judge of Tuscany descent though the smooth Khaldunian had been patiently standing on the dais, courteously giving the Queen a moment before he swooped in.

Glaring from beneath his jewel encrusted gold mask, Prince Khalid frowns and folds his arms, determined to employ patience to best his main rival later on.

The dark Judge leads the platinum haired, purple Princess to the dance floor, placing a bold hand around her thin waist. Elsa stiffens, doing her best not to lose control of her ice magic with the silent psalmist's prayer for inner strength on her lips as her debut at the Masquerade Ball begins.

' _But you,_ _Lord_ _, are a shield around me,_ _my glory, the One who lifts my head high._ _'_ _Psalm 3:3_

Going into planned evasive action, masked bandit Anna raises her feathered green hat up in the air. Robin Hood waves her hat from where she was in the midst of the dance floor swaying to the boring Fugue in D minor of Bach's with a not very convincing Hunchback of Notre Dame.

The awkward costume wearing young man – who obviously thought the funny outfit would be an amusing conversation piece to endear him to Elsa in comparison to the taller, more impressive suitor set - had Anna nearly falling asleep.

Preferring a quick step, the fast paced girl had been trudging around with his costume during the slow-moving music that was to go on for another five minutes at least.

Her signal goes to Kristoff who scans the crowd from his vantage point overlooking all at the ballroom's stairwell that led up to the gallery in the rear. The Wind Whisperer prompts Princess Amber, closest to that part of the dance floor, looking quite elegant in her silvery palest blue-grey organza and satin panniered 'Cinderella' inspired ballgown.

Behind her elegant mask on a stick, this lovely Cinderella who adored Masquerades and ballroom dancing, twirls her poor dizzy Merlin with a long white beard to follow her lead. She spins her obedient wizard costume dance partner so fiercely that she knocks off the timid young wizard's cerulean blue hat from the now revealed Desmond's brown haired head right in the path of Elsa and her dance partner.

A pursed lipped Prince Auguste of Lombardy-Tuscany, beneath his dour, big tufted hat and black robe is forced to pause unhappily in his dance with the jittery Queen he was just about to get cozy with during the slow-moving melody.

Princess Valentina in her butterfly-winged gold and soft green Fairy Queen frills then orchestrates the music to abruptly finish just then to change into a more speedy toccata. Then the pushy Shakespearean fairy Queen Titania snatches Prince Khalid in his billowy Arabian Prince Ali outfit right off the dais, not taking no for an answer, to Peter Pan's still free and liberated relief as he cowers behind the balloons sighing.

Grateful Queen Elsa takes this comforting opportunity to make a quick bow and curtsy to complete the dance with her first partner as she hastily retreats back to her throne.

Sitting back, the Ice Queen was quite pleased with herself for not going all 'ice crazy' and implode on the presumptive unknown young man. Elsa holds her head high for comporting herself quite well on the dance floor. She looks up to her Papa for approval but finds he had already left the dais, so she directs her gaze to Anna instead.

Elsa's grateful smile of victory to her sister was short-lived though as another potential male masquerader approaches her throne.

As the swifter step music picks up the pace of the ballroom where many other couples had joined in, another would-be suitor, this one wearing a loose fitting, long white robe in a cross between his philosopher hero Aristotle and the Greek mythological, mercurial winged helmet messenger Hermes, currently bows before her throne.

 _Here we go again…_

Elsa was determined to be brave as she steels herself with the squeezed secret stress ball of Sir Jorgen Bjorgen. Her azure blue eyes behind her bejeweled white mask had been scouring the room for a tall svelte redhead, but now must instead focus on this shorter, stouter, dark-haired man in a one slung shoulder toga and tinted round eye shade mask of the Olympian myth legend's get up.

"Oh, ugh - ergh –" Elsa almost breaks the silent rule for unspoken anonymity when the inelegant man, in his winged sandaled feet, steps on her long skirt in the subdued lighting. The Prince inadvertently causes the queen to plunk back down to her seat from his blunder, though his inviting hand extended for a dance was prompting otherwise.

 _ **TAP. TAP.**_

But the Queen is once again spared by her heroic Robin Hood, who taps Greek Prince Otho's shoulder and mime gestures a funny dance with arm movements pointing to her scribbled dance card.

"Argh." Well-rounded in all academia, sans dancing, the studious, plump Prince grunts and shrugs to Elsa as he gives up rather easily to an insistent Anna and joins her instead for a calculated dance. He couldn't be more stiff and plodding at the art of the dance to the upbeat 2/4 time polka than his idol of legendary logic, the ancient mathematician in most probability himself was.

Grateful for her sister's influence, Elsa was just leaning down to straighten her trampled on skirt and hopefully fix the wrinkles with a little assist of her tingling ice magic fingers when a dashing figure emerges from the sidelines to suddenly appear at her feet.

As if once upon a dream, a svelte young man wearing the gorgeous knightly garb of a mid-century Welsh Prince had a very familiar air about him. Elsa watches in awe as he gallantly kneels on his silver leg armored greaves, poleyn and cuisse before the throne of the Queen to smooth her tousled skirt for her.

And even more memorable were the vibrant green eyes behind that ebony mask which accented the debonair ebony and silver armor uniform of his Black Knight Prince Philip costume.

With a soft touch to her astonished cheek, the dashing Prince deftly moves his hands to her shoulders, sliding down them in a sultry, possessive caress until he reaches and lifts Elsa's icy hands from her lap, reveling in the invigorating chill which thrilled his five senses once again. He smiles softly, gently, as the intensity and desire of his eyes draw her to him. Elsa, completely mesmerized and possessed by _**him**_ , never once falters in her steady returning gaze, lips half parted in anticipation. Easily bringing her to her dainty feet, the dancing expert sweeps the demure and now fully willing Queen of Arendelle down to the dance floor in one fluid movement to join the refined Quadrille already in progress.

This polished adept partner takes an instantly enraptured Elsa's breath away as she feels no need for fear in this man's arms, while the slender and graceful, light on his armored feet Prince dances her intimately close to his chest in the quick paced Russian Mazurka's intricate steps.

From promenades to genuflexions, tiroirs to redowa, ensconced in the thrilling dance she never thought she could enjoy so, Elsa of Arendelle never felt so alive or exhilarated in all her life as she did within this aura of mystery. Her elegant skirts flow around at her partner's proficient lead, until the rapturous Ice Queen was positive this man behind the mask was her dashing Prince Hans as he spins and lifts and pulls and whirls her around the dance floor like it was second nature, the two of them moving entirely as one.

 _This is my Hans! No one else could ever make me respond like this—so completely, so fully and so trusting—as I feel only in his arms…_

Elsa felt so safe and so happy in his arms as they waltzed across the floor, she couldn't help but lay her head to his chest, listening to his pounding heart, with a delirious smile on her entranced face.

Though all eyes were on the Sleeping Beauty and her Prince Charming at center stage, Prince Ferdinand, in his duplicate Black Knight outfit, stands in the palace vestibule waiting in the wings for the crucial moment of theatre to allow Hans to give the slip. But his old friend King Agdar had, by chance, already been distracted otherwise.

The man was perplexed to find his wife, attired in her tenth century Queen Astrid garb, the match of his holy King Olaf, rhythmically moving in time around the room with a tall bullfighter with salt-and-pepper hair. Agdar did not need take off the mask of the Matador's disguise to know that undoubtedly his Idun was whispering sweet nothings in the ear of Chancellor Esteban.

Blindly seeing red, the jealous King was determined to get to the bottom of what they were so intimately discussing.

Making his way in his heavy chain mail skirt and long red cape with blurred vision through the festively costumed crowd dancing the dramatic Mazurka dance that was just finishing, King Agdar was about to give that imposing _(in both senses of the word)_ Avaloran a piece of his disturbed mind.

But that's when he pauses to blink several times as he watches Idun bow her final dance close to Esteban and first wave to the orchestra leader in the balcony above with some signal of a bright red handkerchief produced from inside her long veiled cream and teal gown of the early Medieval Period.

Just as an irked Agdar arrives, his smiling enigmatically Queen trots away to disappear behind the darkened pillars, giving her quizzical husband and royal ruler only a small smile and glance as she excitedly rushes by.

Soon, the exotic Spanish flair music of the centuries-old flamenco ensues throughout the ballroom. As they all were just calming down from the thrilling Mazurka just played, everyone is stunned by the unexpected entrance of a multi-fabric layered, red begowned, decidedly mature lady, whose flared, free-flowing red folds of dress spin out to the ballroom center.

The tall, thin, masked woman's normally dull hair was flaxen and shiny beneath a shimmering silk veil called a ' _mantilla'_. Her curled hair was held up by a showy tortoiseshell _peineta_ comb and red rose in her blonde tresses, she moves on to the dance floor with proud carriage. The shawl draped over her head and shoulders gave this tense woman a sense of mystery that no one recognized.

No one, save her dance partner.

Esteban's bullfighter dramatically whirls onto the scene from the opposite direction and immediately seizes his red lady in a fast-paced Flamenco.

The Matador, donning a long golden coat with indigo satin sleeves, sports his inverted bell-shaped _montera_ bullfighter's hat which befitted the ceremonial outfit of the traditional Matador called a _traje de luces_ – the 'suit of life' – complete with a red cape ' _meleta'_ to entice his spicy dance partner to join him in the 'Torero's ring'.

The stylish Chancellor in his fancy rope decorated golden jacket and the flashy red silk Spanish maiden had captured the attention of all, as the classy older pair step out of their comfort zone.

The years slip away as Esteban Flores draws Johanne Roservalen into the expressive dance form with precise footwork, intricate hand movements and rhythmic stomping feet that required an emotional intensity never before imagined by the reserved and quiet ladies' maid who was well past her prime.

Except maybe at that idyllic time a quarter-century ago when a young Johanne had tasted what it was like to live and fall in love, following the dashing lead of the same romantic fine figure of a man as she was again now.

"Is that –?" It was permissible for the King to break the silence rule as he wanders in a daze, watching the red and golden, indigo montage of silk and satin amid the fast footwork flash by. The shocking sight of his faithful old nanny Johanne in this Spanish style red risqué clothing was something Agdar never could envision her in. Nor this cavorting around the Arendelle dance floor like a…a…a—

"Esteban has asked Johanne to return with him to Avalor, as his bride." Queen Idun – with a bit of matchmaking pride – quietly informs her husband in answer to his dangled scandalized question as Agdar instinctively drew near to his petite wife, though his eyes were glued to the rhythmically coordinated dancing couple.

"What!? But they are so, so –" Though in shock, the mannered King was having a hard time saying the word 'old', however every fiber in him was screaming it. Besides, he knew how this news would hit Kai – his stuffy best friend and tutor, also Johanne's big brother– like a ton of Spanish bricks.

"—Still meant for one another just as much today as they were all those years ago, Agdar, when both foolishly allowed convention, prejudice and duty to stand in the way of true love. Do I know anyone who falls in that same category as the opposition again right now?" The violet-eyed Queen smugly murmurs in the face of her astounded King from beneath her veil. Both royals, of two different mindsets, had been watching the older dancing pair's surprisingly perfect synchronization and cohesive movements like they were in their prime again within one another's loving embrace.

"Idun, I –" Agdar sputters, recalling that it was perhaps _his_ rash young prejudice against the debonair Chancellor back then that had perhaps a hand in affecting the faithful ladies' maid, who adored her young King, to abandon her overseas romance broken hearted. She would hide away in unrequited love behind his Castle's Gates, resigned to be lonely for a lifetime.

"Do you want Elsa to suffer that same sad fate? Johanne is lucky to have this second chance, even later in life. But how many years of loneliness did she have to suffer because of prejudice and fear, when Love should be the one power that could cast it all aside? Just as the Lord Above designed it to be." The Queen Mother murmurs to her husband as the flamenco dance comes to a dramatic end with the Matador and his female counterpart out of breath and full of love in one another's arms, both now ready to embrace this long-awaited happiness.

The other couples around the flamboyant pair had actually stopped trying to keep up with Esteban and Johanne on the dance floor, and all applaud the more senior dancing team.

They had the courage at last to cross the boundary divide between young and old, royal and peasant, race and nationality to be together with the promise of simply man and woman, under the sight of God.

"Indeed." Is all a reproached Agdar responds as his gaze moves from the Chancellor embracing faithful servant Johanne to Idun then back to the throne where his daughter was no longer seated primly.

 _Elsa? Were you dancing to this music of dubious moral standards?_

Realizing he never looked back in the direction to see who Elsa was dancing with, Agdar's weak eyes now scan all the brave young couples on the ballroom floor. The orchestra's string quartet reverts to the more formal dance form of the slow and proper Minuet that would be better suited for his reserved, shy child to dance to.

That's when the king spies Elsa at the far end of the room, seeming to enjoy the dance for once in her life with a knight in a red cape as flashes of silver armor and purple skirt spin by her dimmed vision father as he slowly moves closer.

 _Finally! You have opened up and are giving some of the princes I invited a chance, my girl!_

King Agdar smiles to see the birthday girl looking so happy and carefree as she is quite fluidly twirled about the dance floor by this obviously well-versed gentleman Prince.

His mind wandering as he makes his way closer, King Agdar reminisces on being the only one able to teach the mandatory art of dance to Elsa. His introverted daughter was reticent to be touched by anyone during her tender teenaged years when she refused to practice with even the most discreet dance instructors which the Queen had hired specially from the continent for the job.

 _"What if I freeze you, Papa? What if I can't stop the ice from flowing through my fingertips to yours, even wearing gloves? No one can teach me!_ _No one will ever want to dance with me!"_ Young Elsa had panicked when the King had insisted on the vital regal lesson that every royal must learn and learn well if they ever are to mix in noble society.

 _"Please don't be anxious, Elsa. Just calm down. I assure you I will be fine. You cannot freeze me. See, you have your gloves on. I have my gloves on. Just don't feel upset and calm down, everything will be fine. The dance is the perfect forum for you to make new acquaintances, while maintaining your detached dignity. As Queen someday, everyone will want to dance with you, my girl. You can trust your Papa on that, my beautiful Snow Angel. Just follow my lead."_ The ginger King had tried to reassure his insecure child during her difficult days of growing up. Now, twenty/twenty hindsight in retrospect, Agdar saw he probably should have told his uneasy Elsa that he had no fear of her ice, because it ran through his veins, too, and he had mastered its control.

But at that time, the Ice King thought it wise to allow his timid, nervous girl to think that she could handle dancing with any man, and not just her father because he, too possessed similar cryokinetic magic.

 _But look at her now. All grown up and in control of her ice magic._

It was bittersweet to see his little girl grow up, but Agdar was proud to survey, albeit through his frosty vision, his once recalcitrant and shy child so vibrantly dancing in a close embrace waltz position to be the belle of the ball with that apparently proficient royal young man.

 _So smooth, so perfectly in rhythm and cadence together… It's almost as if you have waltzed with this fellow before, Elsa. Perhaps this gentleman is the one you are far better suited for, my darling. Maybe you'll be able to see his finer points can compare to that of the young Dane whose hand you accepted so readily without much experience in courting. He may have proven himself brave, indeed. I'll give him that. But as for trustworthiness…_

 _Who could this young man be? Which of the princes I selected has such a commanding distinguished form and resolute elegant lines? Or is it someone your mother invited here inadvertently? I just hope this one could be everything you deserve, my Snow Angel…_

"So, Agdar! Who is that tall, sleek Prince dancing with your Elsa? I expressively do not believe I saw someone of his slender build or winsome frame, not to mention such outlandish hair coloring at breakfast this morning. Believe me, I'm good at this. Let me see, he appears to be someone of Scottish – no, rather _Danish_ descent. More to your taste, Idun, finally getting into the Dansk bloodline you were always destined for. Ooh, we have a dark horse, perhaps someone to steal the naïve girl's heart out from under all of those other eligible suitors you invited, Agdar! Such romance and intrigue in Arendelle! A competition to be sure this season! What of that poor sailorboy fiancé you've banished away that I've heard rumors of? Poor beleaguered creature you're plotting against." Uncle Waldemar lived up to his reputation as a shameless gossip of all things royal as the never married obese man waddles up from the sidelines near the refreshment table to wrap a thick arm around his cousins' shoulders.

"Waldemar. I am glad to see you enjoying yourself at our kingdom's festivities." As politely as possible, Agdar was first to recover from the fat man's death squeeze around his and Idun's necks as he pushes away their Prussian in-law's younger brother with a physical cold shoulder.

 _Danish…? Hair coloring…?_

"The food is not bad. Gerda and Johanne have certainly worked their culinary magic. Such a shame to hear you'll be losing your indispensable ladies' maid to that Avaloran Duke's whims. Between you and me and the hallowed walls, whatever circle I travel in says that Chancellor has always been rumored to be a charmer with the ladies, as you well know yourself, Idun. Hmph. It looks like more than a few of those have been invited here, Agdar…?" Wearing the toga of Roman senator, their older cousin troublemaker Waldemar makes insinuations aplenty as he admits to eavesdropping on the King and Queen's previous conversation from where the large set man had been skulking around the ballroom.

"Excuse me, cousin." The King rudely leaves their unpleasant cousin mid-sentence as he, again made suspicious by the uncouth Prussian's claims to examine more closely the well purported young Prince expertly dancing with his obviously smitten Elsa.

As Agdar deftly moves in the crowd to the other side of the ballroom where the encore Sleeping Beauty couple were currently enjoying a lively Scottish Reel, he watches a flushed Princess Aurora on her Knight's arm be joined by other dancing pairs of clumsy Quasimodo and a mysterious tall and regal, Italian Commedia dell Arte maid, Columbine. A timid Merlin with snobbish Cinderella, a showy butterfly winged Fairy Queen with an uneasy Peter Pan and a flighty Robin Hood with Hercules complete the set, as they all join in the formation Scottish Reel.

In a flurry of Celtic dance medley confusion, the King arrives just in time to see Elsa exchange an alluring curtsy after ending the Scottish Reel's pastoral air back with her original partner, the slim and svelte, silver pauldron vest armored knight wearing a red satin cape.

Upon closer inspection though, Agdar could distinguish that the anonymous Black Knight Prince had darker hair than he originally thought, and it was not at all 'red' as Waldemar too pointed out. It was more of a bluish-black, and the knight possessed somewhat of a youthful air and more gangly appearance than Agdar believed he witnessed from the distance.

What the engrossed Norwegian monarch did not see was that the original Black Knight Prince Philip, in all the Reel's spry steps and vis-à-vis spins and swirls, had been cleverly slipped away, replaced by an imposter waiting in identical dress in the wings, behind the darkened columns, just in the offing for a smooth exchange.

Giving the said Prince a nod, concerned Papa takes this opportunity to escort the winded young Queen back to her throne to sit out the next dance of a jaunty double time polka group dance that even the commoners knew how to enjoy in clapping merriment.

"See, Elsa, I told you, a royal ball would be the perfect way for you to make new acquaintances which could last you a lifetime." King Agdar may have been unable to ascertain which visiting Prince this masked gallant knight was, but whoever he may be, his daughter appeared to have been having a grand time with him. The anxious father only wished for his shy girl to find a smile to last her a lifetime, as his Idun was to him.

"Yes, you were right, Papa." Elsa giggles between deep breaths at the exhilarating scenario, certain when the dance had begun that she had been definitely partnered with her Prince Hans.

Though at the end of the Reel…

 _What are you up to, my handsome, clever Prince?_

The breathless Queen glances quizzically at the lanky young man wearing the Black Knight's costume who had awkward nervously bowed at the end of the dance to her before he was whisked away into another swift redowa by a mermaid tailed, redheaded female.

The pair disappears into a swirl of Egyptian sheiks, circus clowns and panniered ball dress wearing maidens until neither Elsa nor her Papa could keep track of them anymore.

The persistent older man, determined to discover his identity, excuses himself to follow that particular young Knight's path.

Obscured behind his efficient mermaid partner's tail, the dizzied lad clumsily soon stumbles behind the columns, giving King Agdar the slip.

The next Chopin polonaise of the 18th century French courts was a lively one, where a tall man wearing the blue and gold outfit of an early eighteenth century French gentlemen with a tan-gold, hairy animal tail and fur trimmed full mask of a Beast approaches Elsa's throne.

At the same time, a quiet withdrawn Merlin had been gathering up the courage to petition a dance from the birthday girl until Prince Desmond had to be pushed in her direction by his best friend, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, Prince James. But boldness never came easy for the shy Prince of Burgundy.

The aggressive Beast merely had to give a threatening growl to scare and knock the off-balance blue hat from the insecure lad's quivering head. The magician trembles from a list of phobias longer than his white beard, and withdraws immediately to the sidelines where a pursed lip Cinderella Princess Amber was tapping her glass slipper.

Amber didn't have to wait for unmasking hour to detect who the small, reserved young man cowering in the corner like a wallflower she wouldn't allow him to be was.

Like his own mother, this Princess of Enchancia was displeased at his lack of gumption resulting in the less stouthearted Prince Desmond's failure to prevail over the brash lout of that impatient fellow prince.

 _Oh, come here, Desmond. You are so helpless without me!_

As the shy Prince had conceded, a reluctant Elsa had no choice but to accept Prince Vittorio's Beastly silent invite over the smaller, less demanding chap.

The more assertive Beast in the person of brash and pushy Prince Vittorio clumsily claims his victory over Prince Desmond by seizing Elsa's hand in his enthusiasm. Her pale blue glove slips off as she instinctively draws its ice tinkles back, leaving a trail across her throne and the red carpeted floor that was now snowy white.

"Tale as old as time. Song as old as rhyme, Beauty and the Beast!" A quick thinking Princess Sofia bends the Masquerade silence rule with magical lyrics of the French legend that became a fairytale as old as time as if it was part of her masquerade costume, technically speaking.

Covering for Queen Elsa, Sofia in her lovely yellow 'Beauty' Belle ball gown, modeled after one of her favorite fairytale heroines, spins around the dance floor to stand before the throne elegantly. Her beautiful golden rosettes full of glitter on the skirt of her dress unfold with her boisterous movements to cover all the ice particles with more sparkles as generous Sofia claims the mesmerized Beast's pawed hand.

The Galop was an energetic dance, where a tall, towering man on stilted feet and the long tan tail of an animal was not going to be a very graceful partner, but the cocoa brown, half bun haired girl invites him nonetheless.

Princess Sofia had learned the value of patience and understanding long ago as she gives Vittorio her sweetest, engaging smile, reaching her properly gloved hand out to grasp his bestial pawed one and steady his near tripping.

The Prince of Sardonia reacts positively, astonished by this lovely vision of a Royal Princess seeking _his_ attention for once, instead of him pushing into the other way around. Elsa's discarded glove slips to the steps between from where it had been hooked on his clawed hand as enchanting Princess Sofia of Enchancia pulls the angry young man towards the dance floor, both smiling.

And that split second of irresolution on Elsa's behalf was all another romantic young man needed.

The Black Knight deftly swoops in out of nowhere, scoops up the Queen of Arendelle's discarded glove and quite gentlemanly kneels on the step of the dais to replace it upon her astonished, yet extended appendage.

'Thank you.' Elsa wordlessly mouths, blissful to find herself gazing deep into the green eyes of her true knight in shining armor. Cutting quite a debonair figure in his dark glossy mask, the Black Knight once again sweeps the dumbstruck monarch onto the ballroom dance floor after a mere confident gesture of holding his hand out to her, which she instantly and joyously accepts.

The quick paced Scottish reel transforms as if by magic into a more romantic waltz at Anna's mental signal to Kristoff where the Herculean man was keeping his vigil all night nearby the orchestra pit behind the half drawn chamber curtain in the dark.

As all other cares fade away, Elsa felt like she and her handsome Prince were waltzing high in the clouds, the only ones in the ballroom as the other couples start to fade as if in a dream. She revels in his touch, pressed to the strong silent chest of her armored knight in the close, intimate proximity of a scandalous waltz, which many in genteel society were still not ready to accept.

 _Hans, you're really here! You've come to my birthday, just as you promised! Please, Lord, let this be real and not just a dream!_

It wasn't only the mandatory quiet that the Masquerade demanded, but the feeling of a fragile dreamlike ice castle bubble that skittish Elsa did not wish to wake up from and shatter by speaking.

Black Knight Prince Phillip touches his willowy Princess Aurora's soft cheek tenderly sentimental as he seemed to sense her elated mood shift to insatiable curiosity. So the accomplished dancer seamlessly leads his lady fair to an empty darkened corner of the candlelit ballroom.

Shivering with goosebumps of curiosity, with no fear, Elsa basks in how her handsome Prince wished to calm her disquiet with a gentle caress to her cheek, which she leans into, close eyed, wanting to engrave this moment with him in her memory. The titian haired, tall slender man maneuvers his partner to behind one of the side column areas and begins to lift the corner of his dashing black Venetian mask which mirrored Elsa's decorated pearlescent one…

Just when Harlequin abruptly peeks his head into the hushed draped column area.

"Pardon my gauche intrusion into your intimate rendezvous, mes ami, but our mutual friend is on the prowl for you, Hans. So I would advise to keep your enjoyable assignation for these few private moments between yourself and _la belle l'amour de votre vie_ (The beautiful love of your life) _vite_ (quick), while the boys and I run interference outside. Please listen to my signal for your anonymous escape, you lunatic in love." Prince Ferdinand smugly smirks as he phrases the teasing prescription of secrecy to his younger comrade after the cunning Frenchman had spied Hans and his ladylove ducking behind the concealed pillar in the midst of the Schubert waltz.

With a comical salute to Elsa, the smirking trickster clown vanishes again into thin air outside the smoky, candle-filled curtained area.

"Elsa, my love, we don't have much time. Please hear me out. I desperately need your advice and counsel, for I am of two minds as to what course to take, now that I am here in Arendelle." Clutching her tightly in a desperate embrace, Hans breaks his silence in urgent breathy whispers across Elsa's neck and shoulders' bare skin that titillated the young Queen no end.

"It pains me that our reunion has been so ensconced in all this secrecy – but you and I both are aware of the time restriction the Admiral has unwaveringly placed upon our engagement." Hans begins to explain in the heady darkness of the curtain obscured nook between the columns.

"Ten months, nine days, seven hours to go." Elsa interjects her own heart's internal clock she counts down breathless verglas puffs against his deliciously sideburned cheek. Her ardent passion brings a much needed smile to Hans' own maddened features.

"Yes. But this Ball has been obviously tailored to further your experience with new suitors in my absence in the interim, _min kæreste_. All of whom, sources tell me, your father has personally invited, so I have my doubts as to the King's warm welcome of my presence here tonight." The Danish Prince purses his lips and sets his jaw at the un-chivalrous doublecross of King and naval Admiral he so respected.

"There have also been arguments that my superior officer may not look kindly on his Vise Admiral's impulsive departure from duty in the China seas for these past fifty days of travel between India and Norway. Nor would this concerned father welcome my unwanted appearance which may well jeopardize our ongoing betrothal. It may well be better if I never reveal myself and instead dutifully return to my commission at sea." Unnerved by all of these unpleasant contingencies, Hans pauses in his concise and lengthy testimony to outwardly shiver.

It had nothing to do with the Ice Queen's frosty temperature drop behind the dark curtain the couple were intimately sharing caresses and longing kisses within, but more his own apprehension.

"And then there is the not so unlikely option of the reality you may indeed be persuaded that one of these _fine, well bred and spotless,_ chosen _gentlemen_ is undeniably a more unsullied and suitable royal consort match to deserve a pristine and pure Queen such as you. So as you can see, logic indicates for me to immediately return to the Nidaros as swiftly as possible to resume my shipboard duties and salvage some semblance of worthiness to vie for your hand." With diverted eyes in the dimmed lighting, Prince Hans had the lingering uncertain compulsion to recall his past record of deceit and ill will against Elsa's kingdom. All that came flooding back, along with that gnawing in the back of his mind since early childhood that he was only an unworthy thirteenth in-line boy and could never aspire to more.

 _ **SLAP!**_

In the covered columns' shadows, Elsa had been patiently listening to her lover's long-winded explanation, until the last sentences were uttered and she felt her own compulsion to deliver his high bone cheek a punishing cool fingered slap.

"…Ehh…? Elsa…? What did I say?" The shocked, handsome Prince goes all red in the face to have been so abruptly halted in his lofty words when he was doing his best to be composed and diplomatic rather than affecting emotion.

" _ **You**_. Are. The. Most. ' **Suitable.'** Match **.** For. Me, as you so callously put it. How dare you question my love and devotion to you! _ **I**_ _am_ **your** utmost 'duty.' And it's my birthday, so you have to make **me** happy!" Shaking the squeezed Sir Jorgen Bjorgen in Hans' masked face angrily, a pouty petulant Elsa's chilly temper flashes hot at her fiancé for making this long-awaited reunion so unsatisfactory. The cool, collected Queen starts to emotionally quiver as she states her discontent with Hans' choice of words the young Queen believed they had already long overcome.

On the verge of disappointed angry tears, Elsa does not wait for Ferdinand Egalitè's all clear warning signal as she storms out from the dark corner curtains, shaken inside with emotion.

"Wait! _Min skat_!" Hans violently whispers in troubled surprise when Elsa suddenly flees the curtained area, but he is halted from chasing her by an astonishingly sturdy arm barring the curtain closed. He looks up to see one dour looking, peremptory manservant wearing the red robe outfit of a pre-Columbian Incan Emperor of the 15th century at his mistress Princess' behest.

"Let her cool off, Handsome man. The King is watching and your doppelgangers are on the move to give you some breathing room. So just _relaxar_ (Loosen up.). By the by, I am Valentina Montanez Tores. Oh! I'm not supposed to reveal my name yet, am I? Oh, well, it'll be our little intimate secret, eh? Hehehe." Having her own flirtatious share of the cat and mouse with her own hard-to-get Prince, officious Brazilian Princess Valentina of Paraiso flutters by in her butterfly winged Fairy Queen's garb to place a shushing finger on Hans' about-to-contest mouth.

Peering out to the ballroom to see the King indeed drawing closer, Hans had no choice but to comply with the woman and her guard, lest cause a scene.

 _Oh, Hans!_ With furrowed brows, Elsa hugs herself, feeling as though she was missing a part of herself, willing her ice not to manifest itself through her stormy, turbulent emotions. A sorrowful yet wistful look crosses her features as she could almost still feel his strong, secure arms around her still.

She wanted that euphoric feeling of being in his arms back again.

King Agdar had been watching from a distance, growing suspicious of the last man he had seen Elsa favoring tonight – that Black Knight Prince who again, had an undeniably familiar air about him…

"Ah, there you are! Sir, I was… wondering if you have seen my… Oh, excuse me, my good man. Nevermind my previous question, I believe I spot her." But that's when the Ice King senses suddenly his distressed daughter's demeanor of a frosty cold reentry onto the court ballroom floor.

There was a big question mark on Agdar's face as, in his rash blindness, the 10th century costumed King practically crashes into that selfsame Black Prince Knight from where he was on the other side of the room near the refreshment table.

But this Black Knight, who, against Agdar's first impression, was not as tall, and once more had dark brown hair rather than the shade of red that the visually impaired father believed he saw earlier, shakes his head and puts up his dismissive hands. The knight is then soon accosted by a flutter of filmy greens, opalescent golds and shimmering wings of a fabled Fairy Queen.

"Pardon me, Your Majesty, I have been waiting patiently. Was I not invited to attend ball with the intention to celebrate with the Queen? Does she not wish to favor the kingdom of Tuscany as a vital trading partner? I am beginning to think that she has disdain for my company." Prince Auguste breaks the unspoken rule as he approaches the King. The snubbed Royal prince felt justified as per his royal title status to officially lodge his complaint with the King who had sent him assurances via reliable noble channels.

On the other side of the room, Agdar follows the tall Prince's gaze to spy a wintry-exuding Elsa had retreated to vent her frustrations and re-ice the punch at the other stationary refreshment table. The King dare not risk diplomatic relations with a vital trading partner in the Tuscan Prince who had personally come to Agdar with the complaint that he had been overstepped and treated poorly thus far. Prince Auguste felt he had not been given audience yet with the Queen when he requested patiently and promised by the dance card her sister Anna arranged.

Forced to dismiss his dubious thoughts of the baffling Knight Prince, King Agdar signals for this pushy, indignant nobleman wearing the ominous black judge robe that Auguste thought gave him some authority to follow the King towards the refreshment area.

"Queen Elsa, I will be blunt to save us both time and face. I fear you have been avoiding me all night. This does not bode well for our two countries' relations. Or do you counter that I am being too sensitive?" In an attempt to sound wheedling without flinching his challenging smile, Prince Auguste had no compunction to call out the lone young woman he was approaching as he takes the opportunity to place an ungloved hand on Elsa's nippy forearm.

"You do not want to dance with me right now." Comes the upset Ice Queen's chilly seething ice vapor reply, her eyes behind the mask glowing frigid white in cold anger at the easy target in this most unpleasantly demanding suitor Prince.

"Are you capriciously rejecting a man of my stature and station so publicly in ignominious humiliation?" The indignantly accented Prince of Lombardy-Tuscany's angry veins in his neck were close to imploding at being so easily dismissed in public by this haughty Queen of this inconsequential, secluded kingdom in the North.

"Do not be silly, sir. My daughter is merely playing a role with you at this masquerade, with the high strung antics her birthday celebration surely allows. Please, it is nothing personal. Surely, you said it yourself that you are being far too sensitive. And is not an important part of the Masquerade the excitement and mystery's thrill of the hunt?" A winningly smiling Queen Idun partially lifts her mask and long trailing cream veil obscuring her face to address the irate man. She moves across the dance floor to her obviously distressed daughter's rescue, armed with utmost diplomacy.

"Well, yes… Majesty, I realize this is a festivity full of inscrutability and high spirits." The conceited Prince condescends to be forgiving for the sake of the Queen Mother who had persuaded him to not take offense from her daughter. "I entreat your forgiveness, Queen Elsa."

"Although you are not wholly keeping to the festivities, I will not hold it against you, sir. You may be simply ignorant of the traditions of a Masquerade. Since it's my birthday - _supposedly_ a time of joyful celebration - I will overlook your indiscretion. I have no notion of who you are and don't wish to. Please enjoy the rest of the party." A haughty, almost condescending smile crawls to her purple lips as Elsa extends her pale blue gloved hand to merely touch the dark robed judge's arm with a polite, merciful gesture.

An utterly exasperated Prince Auguste turns to Queen Idun, but the older woman shrugs with a look on her face that said _'Kids these days',_ and a smile that conferred maturity with the indignant Tuscan Prince. Then she starts to sway her vivacious little body to the bubbly music the orchestra begins to play.

" _My_ dance card appears to be free." Offering herself as dance partner to Prince Auguste, the petite Queen felt she would do her part for Elsa best by spending some time in calming this ill tempered, stuck-up Royal Prince representing a viable trading partner country.

He sighs, shrugging his shoulders, and accepts defeat like a man, mainly because of the attractive older Queen's engaging personal compliments to himself and her unwavering tact.

Elsa moves towards the refreshment table area to steady herself while other couples were on the dance floor enjoying a side-by-side Swedish Polska, including her mother and that domineering Prince of Tuscany she had narrowly avoided.

"Is it not permissible, even at the hallowed affair of a Masquerade, to speak openly at a safe zone corner of the ballroom, appropriately described as the 'refreshment table'? After all, if one has an allergic aversion to, say, berries, should a gentleman not speak to inquire if the punch he will be offering the lady to imbibe is not replete with the sweet red berry? Many poor souls suffer such an unfortunate malady." Wearing the striking and stylish white turban Prince Ali Ababwa garb, tall Prince Khalid of Khaldune, after witnessing his chief rival Auguste so decidedly rejected, strides his long legged body to directly address the Queen who had been taking a break by the punch bowl.

"Why… Yes. That would be the most wise." With a demure smile, Elsa concedes to the smooth-talking, extremely engaging in conversation man masquerading as the Arabian King of thieves.

"Are _you_ adverse to such _luscious_ fruit, Queen Elsa?" The flirtatious Middle Eastern man stretches his long lean form across the refreshment table to pluck a few of the deep red berries from the decorative powdered sugar 'snow' coated tree made of varied fruits and cookies Gerda had designed for the table centerpiece.

Khalid then places one of the plump, pitted red cherries preserved in brandy on his tongue and luxuriantly chews the succulent fruit, making pleasured faces and accompanying throaty noises close to Elsa's ear as he offers one to her.

"No, thank you. I… I don't like cherries." Elsa makes the shy excuse, trying to back away from this masked 'diamond in the rough' thief's pervasive attentions at the refreshment table where she was starting to feel cornered.

 _Calm yourself, Elsa …Sunshine…flowers…hummingbirds…_

"Then, in trade, I will show you something you _will_ certainly like." He devours the offered dark red fruit, licking his fingers of the remaining traces of brandy squeezed from them with a careless smile.

" _Don't you dare close your eyes_." Spoken in a husky whisper, effusive Prince Ali/Khalid boldly takes Elsa's arm and quickly leads the astonished Sleeping Beauty to the dance floor as Liszt's 'Hungarian Rhapsody' begins to play.

"I must say I excel at the Czardas. It is my favorite dance for its compelling _friss_ fast rhythm followed by its _lassu_ slow section. You must dance it with me, Queen Elsa. You must.." Confident in himself and his abilities, the loquacious Khaldunian gave Elsa no choice in the matter. The remarkably tall and self-assured young man was obviously enjoying himself now – with more than a few glasses of punch and brandy laced cherries on top of it – as they flow into the dynamic Czardas. Even behind his three-quarter facemask, it was clear to see that it gave the flamboyant Prince pleasure, among other desires, to drag the hesitant Arendelle Queen onto the dance floor.

"It is far too warm in here during a czardas for those thick gloves, your Majesty." A loosened up Prince Khalid employs the rapid beats of music to his long legged advantage as he quickstep comports the dizzied, growingly troubled pale lady around the ballroom as if she were just another of his harem. Then he pulls the security blanket of one of her pale blue gloves off in his rapid dance maneuvering to sling it to the refreshment table.

Taking a sip of his gin-added punch that Kai had discreetly supplied, King Agdar glances up from where he had been glaring at that dominant black robed Italian nobleman Auguste who had been dancing with his wife Idun. He just catches a fuzzy glimpse of the impressive Arab Prince attempting to evocatively romance his daughter.

The anxious father, though short of vision, still saw his child's silent distress to be so aggressively pulled and prodded and flung about as the quiet introspective girl never experienced before. Agdar was just about put down his glass and move to intercede with this over-ambitious royal rapscallion.

But he didn't have to, as Agdar's cloudy vision thought he viewed another step onto the dance floor in his stead.

 ** _TAP. TAP._**

As the show-stopping, syncopated music of the _magvar kor_ folk dance was just ending its fast-paced intro to change into the slower, more romantic section of the czardas for courting couples, a hand from behind suddenly halts the dark skinned Prince from taking further unwanted liberties with the distressed birthday queen.

That much sought out Black Knight, after disappearing and reappearing in multiple spots in the room that left a baffled King Agdar rather dizzy from trying to keep up with the tall shadowy figure, somehow reappeared on the dance floor. He was looking quite determined and fresh for the fight, his hair having that reddish tint about it again.

But when the Arabian Prince donning his thieving ancestor's garb refuses to give up his station of leading the Queen in this expressive dance, the upstart Black Knight challenger breaks his silence and pipes up in hot pursuit.

"This gentle lady does not enjoy your fierce attentions, sir. You are finished here, because the next waltz has been promised to me." Said in a calm, even manner that belied the raw jealous emotion of what he really wanted to say, Prince Hans was doing his best to hold back that red hot temper he seemed now to constantly be keeping in check.

Hans himself preferred to challenge his rival to step outside for a duel by sword or revolver – knowing whichever the Khaldune Prince chose, proficient Hans had no doubt of being victor.

In front of everyone, the red satin caped, silver armored, svelte young Prince lays claim to a nervously impressed Elsa as he simultaneously and forcefully expels the flirtatious Prince of Khaldune's pretentious hands from their clasp embraced around her small waist and bare shoulder.

"And who, sir, are you to push around and order a preeminent Prince such as I so flagrantly?" Indeed having one too many drinks to give in to a stranger on a royal dance floor, the tall attractive Arabian man would not to be so easily dissuaded. Not after patiently waiting and biding his time for over two hours for his turn to woo the highly desirable Queen of Arendelle.

"The man who is engaged to marry this fair Princess." The Black Knight succinctly states, a smirk behind his gleaming black ebony mask threatening to physically remove the charming Khalid from finishing the dynamic Czardas with the staggered Queen.

"Please forgive me for not meeting you in the open earlier. I honestly could have spared you all this if I had just been a man and come forward—consequences be damned! But…I'm here, to be your knight now and evermore, Elsa. If you'll still have me…?" Hans whispers, humbly begging her forgiveness as he holds up Elsa's no longer nervous hands in his hopeful ones. His viridescent eyes shine at her from behind his black Venetian mask to the lovely, relieved gleaming orbs behind her matching pearlescent white one, throwing herself into his arms.

Removing one of his armored glove gauntlets, the Dane takes off the platinum snowflake ring that Elsa had infused with cryo-power so her hero could face the Djvælen below in the pits of hell to protect her country.

Never avoiding the cold chill of her fingertips - rather basking in it - Prince Hans rather possessively and definitely places that precious snowflake ring upon his fiancée's ungloved left hand finger, filled with emotion as he does.

"Dance with me, my handsome Prince." A tearfully relieved to have the refuge of his promise ring back on her finger where it belonged, Elsa beautifully smiles from ear to ear beneath her matching white mask. _"And bring back a love song to me…"_

Their pledge to one another renewed, secure in her love, Prince Hans accedes to Elsa's wish and tastefully takes the dashing lead position as her consummate dance partner to elegantly sweep Elsa across the floor in the slower paced, more intimate _"_ _Das Leben ein Tanz' (_ Life is a Dance) of 'waltz king' Johann Strauss set to the ¾ meter Ländler folk dance form as Sleeping Beauty's gown unconsciously begins to glow and gleam in gradient shades of purples, pinks and blues, sparkling with the imbued majesty of the Northern Lights garnered from Elsa's feelings of perfect love for her chosen mate…

* * *

 _min ædle -_ my precious in Danish

 _Mon ami –_ my friend in French

 _Frère_ – brother in French

 _"Ja, må hon leva!" (Yes, may she live!) -_ Swedish birthday song set to the 18th century composer Hayden's "Opus 76 Sunrise".

* * *

August birthday month end, dear Frozen Again friends!

Hello! I hope you enjoyed this 4th of this now 5-parter Masquerade episode! (Setsuna said it was way too long, even for a season-ender, so I yet again shaved the chapter in half. It's all typed and checked ready to go next week, no worries! Sorry to keep it stringing you along, but so many juicy characters and unexpected events keep popping up on this busy, chaotic dueling suitor dance floor! :0)

Poor Elsa! What a ride in the ballroom for the birthday gal! She and Hans met up at last and SLAP! I didn't see that coming either! Woww, Hans! Your lady's got some get-up and go in her!

Papa is getting the run around from Egalite and Alonso and Varian masquerading as the Black Knight doppelgangers to cover Knight Hans' tight butt! We'll see how long the gang can keep it up!

So, already typed and rearing to go, the last part is absolutely, definitely the conclusion of this exciting Masquerade for our Ice Queen and her Red hot Prince!

God bless you and thank you all for your kind birthday wishes for your humble authoress! See you next week, Frozen Again fans!

Love, HarukaKou

* * *

 _"'Ja, må hon leva, Ja visst ska hon leva uti hundrade år! Hurra, hurra, hurra, hurra!'"_

 _(Yes, may she live! Of course, she will live for a hundred years! Hooray, hooray, hooray, hooray!)_


	40. Chapter 39 - Love Can't Be Denied

_We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

 **"Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act VIII**

 **Chapter 39**

 **'Love Can't Be Denied"**

Even behind the mask, Princess Anna was sure it was the real Hans spinning Elsa around the dance floor in that silky way she herself recognized only he could. So the ginger Robin Hood wildly waves and gestures with her arrow-less bow as a conductor's baton a slow 3/4 meter beat for a more musically inclined Kristoff to instruct the orchestra to play another waltz.

And loudly.

In the blaring music noisy ballroom, Ferdinand Egalité, after giving the King a runaround dressed in the Black Knight costume earlier, had quick changed now back into his Harlequin outfit. The mischievous clown in vivid red, black and white does his best at being obstructive to the King's view of the couple. With Peter Pan Alonso in conjunction, a dizzy Pierrot Varian, and a little help from the Hunchback Prince James, the crafty trio causes King Agdar to be waylaid before he could stop Hans from waltzing Elsa away.

Every time Agdar tries to get a clear view of the pair of dancers waltzing around the center of the floor, that pesky, tall black and red Harlequin with his big frilly collar would take a smooth elongated hop step to the right or a choice dancing lift to the left using his exhilarated Cinderella partner's pannier skirted gown in order to block the King's already limited view.

Whenever the Arendelle King gave up and tried to go around in the opposite direction to the dance floor outskirts, a maladroit Hunchback would then pop up and clumsily stop him. Then there was that annoying green Peter Pan ballroom dancing - more like _duel_ dancing - with the ostentatious butterfly-winged Fairy Queen Titania of Shakespearean legend.

This young man was constantly customizing a few colorful and daring dance moves for this new Victorian era with his expressively fluttering fairy angel. At the most inopportune of times, too for the royal monarch to catch a glimpse of any romantic action going on between his daughter and that Black Knight on the dance floor.

On the verge of crushing the stem of the frozen solid wine glass within his livid hands, the Ice King begins to uncontrollably chill down in temperature, as does the room around his frosty aura trail. Agdar was growingly becoming incensed when realizing that, just as suspected, his disobedient Vise Admiral was fallaciously present in his Palace, in a display of insubordination to direct orders.

 _I knew it!_ _That Dane **has** been sneaking around behind my back to rendezvous with my_ _daughter—against our expressed two year agreement! Insufferable ingrate!_

The overwhelmed Ice King, with raw irritation, was about to put his foot down as he steps onto the dance floor, but is stopped in his tracks to be suddenly tapped on the shoulder by a bold woman of obvious good breeding. That mysterious costumed handmaid Columbine from the Italian theater, who had been anonymously skulking about all evening, was now standing face to face with the masked King, looking up expectantly to him with her arms positioned for the Ländler.

Startled and flustered, Agdar's years of well-trained equanimity is put to the test of his ice self-control as he is soon swept onto the dance floor by the unknown masked woman's indomitable spirit that would not take 'no' for an answer.

Queen Idun hurriedly returns to the ballroom when she instinctively sensed the temperature drop that signaled her mate was in a pickle. But with titillated raised brows at the unexpected scene of her King dancing with another woman she never had seen before in her life, a smile curls Idun's quizzical lips, wondering just who she was.

The Queen Mother had been in the Morning Room settling Johanne's thrilling new situation with Gerda's help and Esteban's persuasive assurances to a disturbed Minister Kai that they would certainly have the wedding here, with pledges of visiting Arendelle often after they made their new home together in Avalor Palace.

Noting her uneasy husband's delicate mental state must have had a trigger, Idun gazes around the dance floor to watch with joy that Elsa and her true Prince had been reunited in the interim, even in defiance of the inept relationship meddling from her husband.

The quickwitted woman decides to intervene before her stubborn husband exacerbated a further mess. So, in her long trailing dress and veil, Queen Idun climbs the steps and sits at her prearranged place at the pianoforte. The resolute Queen directs the orchestra leader to begin to play a very special, very romantic song for the lovers to dance the remainder of the night away to before the King had a chance open his mouth otherwise.

As that certain piece of music starts to play on the pianoforte an oh-so-emotional intro, Elsa glances up to see her mother had ascended to the orchestra balcony. Queen Idun had joined the talented string quartet to play something she, in her maternal wisdom, had used the power of music to soothe the weary heart of her lonely young daughter.

These past months talented Idun and her daughter had been studying the piano together where this melancholic yet hopeful melody full of a love so intense and brilliant it burned as hot as the fire of the sun, beating in the heart of the Queen of ice.

For Elsa's birthday present, the musically inclined mother had composed this inspiring, emotional piece of music to accompany her daughter's personal expression of true love to her young man which Elsa had confided in her Mama, who now looks down on her daughter with a knowing nod, encouraging Elsa to revel in the song and all it meant to her.

Accompanied gorgeously now by the full orchestra string quartet, Idun's expert playing of the piece, expresses fully and complementary Elsa's handwritten, heart-wrenched, moving lyrics the Queen Mother had squirreled away after one particularly poignant music study afternoon when the lovelorn young woman had subconsciously scribbled these stirring words on her sheet music as a lyrical poem.

Now as the song plays all around her, Elsa can't help but softly sing the words of her yearning for her distant sailor, half a world away, but never far from her longing heart:

 _"'Love can't be denied._ _  
_ _Love must have its way._ _  
_ _Once it gets inside_ _  
_ _Love is there to stay_ _  
_ _Once you let your heart awaken_ _  
_ _Love can't be denied.'"_

For, believing in dreams, Mama Idun had a hand in making sure Prince Hans would be here to dance this sentimental waltz with Elsa tonight.

 _"'Try to run and hide_ _  
_ _Try to slam the door_ _  
_ _Love can't be denied_ _  
_ _Love keeps wanting more_ _  
_ _Love won't let itself be shaken_ _  
_ _No matter how I've tried.'_

Touched at how beautifully her song was portrayed, Elsa gazes up lovingly to her wonderful Mother at the balcony with the orchestra, as a unique surprise for this most special dance. Hans, by now enraptured with Elsa's singing these own oh-so-poignant words to him and him alone can't help but add his own verse, making the yearning solo a plaintive duet.

 _'It flows through my veins_ _  
_ _It burns beneath my skin_ _  
_ _It calls my name_ _  
_ _And says, "You fool! Give in!'"_

In her purple exhilaration, pink joy and blue relief to be in her man's arms at last, hearing his soaring voice in this perfect moment, her innermost heart is overwhelmed by the tender yet violently passionate words her fiancé serenaded her, knowing now he felt the same way as she…and Elsa's Princess Aurora inspired gown indeed lives up to its name.

As if by fabled fairytale magic, it begins to change colors as brilliant as the rainbow with her blissful emotions as the majestic Northern Lights she was now mistress of reflected a love that could no longer be denied.

Polished Prince Hans fluidly glides and spins his graceful platinum blonde beauty around the ballroom. Aglow in the colors of the aurora borealis, a dazzling rapturous Elsa lets herself go, all her inhibitions flung off in the warm cloak of her Hans' amazing poise and vigor.

Reveling in being this intimately close again, both forget there was anyone else in the room as the pair easily flows through the crowd of dancing couples in each other's secure embrace, as only reunited lovers could, singing desperately their true emotions to each other in synchronicity, as the song reaches its final crescendo:

 _"'Tear aside the doubt._ _  
_ _Cast away your pride._ _  
_ _Love can't be kept out;_ _  
_ _Love can't be denied._

 _Let yourself be overtaken_ _  
_ _And swept before the tide!_ _  
_ _Love's the only thing_ _  
_ _No one is above._ _  
_ _I'm in love_ _  
_ _And love can't be denied!'"_

Hans was exceedingly touched by Elsa's emotive expression of love for him, married to such magnificent music, as tears stream down her cheeks behind her mask to seep on his black leather chest armor, while he pulled her closer, burying his nose in her hair, kissing it over and over again.

With his growing frustration and cool anger of being deceived and disobeyed, so came the bitter cold as the Ice King had less than courteously excused and detached himself from that annoying Columbine woman when the music changed.

After spending many hours this birthday night in suspicion of just who that young Knight was, the King now stands seething.

His arms folded at the edge of the dance floor of Arendelle Castle's ballroom, a hard breathing Agdar was just itching to strike out an ice barrage at his insubordinate Vise Admiral, once his child was clear of the wintry salvo.

"Minister Kai. Give the coachman the order to prepare a guarded carriage for one occupant to be delivered to the brig of the HmNos Gler which is currently stationed at Arendelle port for deployment tomorrow." A scowling Agdar quietly instructs his heart-heavy manservant just passing by, as the rash man had already coolly decided his disobedient officer's fate.

"I would not do that if I were you, _mon ami_." The strikingly red and black masked clown quirks a smile, silently standing back and observing the theater of it all, as the trickster Harlequin once again.

Ferdinand Egalité had overheard his old friend's irrational order from where he was leaning against a pillar amidst the yet hushed and enthralled by the couple's heartfelt song ballroom audience.

 _This may be the moment to reveal all our cards, Westergaard. I sincerely hope you have a few aces up your charming sleeve…_

As others feeling the chill were scrambling away, the gambling man in Ferdinand Philippe defies the cold aura around the King who glances warningly at the wily Frenchman clown _he_ had personally employed to subvert the Dane, not aid him.

"Admiral Bernadotte. It is I, your old friend and colleague, Ferdinand Egalité. I must say this does not sound like the fair-minded man I remember. To summarily incarcerate and unjustly lock behind bars with intention to ship out to sea one of your most senior officers without just cause—beyond your personal aversion of his visiting his **_legal_** fiancée—I sincerely do not recommend. At least, not without hearing my first-hand report –per your shrewd request – as to Monsieur Hans Westergaard's observed behavior and activities along our journey." Bold Colonel Egalitè carefully words his warning to the older man whose ginger moustache and beard were already beginning to frost with snow white fury.

"Go on." Those two words are all the teeth-gritted Agdar was able to speak in civility to one of his dearest old friends he had not seen in years. And that was only because the captivating young French Revolutionaire had a disarming way of speaking with quiet composure, almost akin to amusement, in the midst of chaos which Agdar always admired.

"As an Admiral, you should be proud of this impeccable man's character and conduct I have been privileged to witness myself firsthand. Here is my final report you had requested of me to undertake many months ago, which I have accomplished with utmost confidentiality for your sake, my good friend." Egalitè smiles over to Agdar, who gives the younger Frenchman a sideways glance and begrudged appreciative nod." A fiercer warrior, more cunning ally, more steadfast friend, a man with a more honorable heart and inextinguishable spirit I have not seen. Not since my time on the Sirène frigate versus the Ottomans at Navarino with you, _Amiral_ (Admiral). I consider _ma_ _chèr_ Hans Westergaard – as I do you, _bon ami_ – as my dearest friend and comrade at arms—whom I have been privileged to serve beside." With a respectful salute, the royal French Legionnaire turns on the charm and speaks highly of Hans by comparing him to the irate King, who remains stoically silent and tightlipped behind that impenetrable cool, gold mask.

As King Agdar silently observes Hans and Elsa, locked in one another's arms, sweep by in a waltz of a colorful aurora borealis display of their unquestionable attachment, undaunted Prince Ferdinand, though being given the cold shoulder, was determined to speak his mind for the sake of fraternity.

"You, yourself, due to your own heroic disability, _Amiral_ (Admiral) may not have been aware of all that good man has done for your kingdom _and_ your family – and above all your beautiful daughter _, la belle_ Elsa. But I have rarely met a man so single-minded a courageous fighter, with an indescribable quality of – as we say in the French – _Je ne sais quoi_ _(A quality that cannot be described or named easily) –_ about him as an original thinker in the heat of battle. And we have seen it all on this trip, _mon ami_ , from foul pirates, to vicious tigers, venomous snakes and crocodiles, not to mention a wrestle with the _Diable_ (devil) himself flying straight into the _fosse de L'enfor_ \- the pit of Inferno – to save his fiancée lover from its deadly grip. As a freethinking revolutionary and as a man, I honestly do not believe I could select a truer soldier nor better choice of a God-fearing son-in-law for my future daughter than this unimpeachable man of character. You know me not for **_my_** humility, so you may be sure to take my next words as from my heart—I can only wish to be half the hero for my nation, as is your Prince Hans of the Sjoforsvaret for yours." Ferdinand respectfully bows his head to Agdar, and thusly raises his wine glass to Hans who was blissfully twirling a besotted Elsa about the dance floor with abandon, unaware of the glowing report his friend was imparting to his superior officer.

After a few moments fuming silently, Agdar turns from his fearsome stare at the dancing lovers to look Prince Ferdinand Phillippe squarely in the eye.

"I see the boy has made an impression on you, undoubtedly, Egalitè. I have never heard you speak of another man so highly." Agdar condescends to the valorous, vainglorious Prince who the Norwegian Admiral had known from prior adventures through wartime battles together where the gallant young Frenchman had proven his opinion was well worth considering.

"Even resisting infatuated _fille de joie_ (prostitutes) and sirens of the sea which I threw before him, with more resolute distinction than I dare claim myself – your Prince Hans is in a class above men all his own, for gallantry, intellect, loyalty and devotion. With perhaps the exception of your good self, mon ami." Ferdinand certainly knew how to cajole, convince and compliment concomitantly in a way that made him irrefutably pleasant company.

And the woman Agdar had been dancing with, that Columbine maid character who had still been inaudibly meandering nearby, gives a sudden irrepressible chuckle from behind her fluttering fan.

"Hee he hee, hmm hmm hee."

The King gives a skeptical simper as the Prince of the French wearing his Harlequin disguise gives the matching Commedia del'arte Columbine _cameriera_ (maid) a cocked head half glance of semi-recognition.

"I'm glad to be at least held in the company of such acclaimed esteem, Your Highness. But why such subterfuge for a man so 'upright and notably valiant'? Would it not have been more honest and forthright for such a dutiful officer to come to his superior with reasons for his unqualified arrival on our shores? That devious scheme does not equate to the actions of an impeccable hero, now does it?" Argumentative Agdar reasons aloud as his clouded eyes watch Hans glide Elsa elegantly the dance floor so smoothly professional, it was as if they were within the scenery of a perfect Renaissance painting.

"Perhaps not…But do you not suppose all of this mysterious, underhanded concealment sounds more like _me?_ Because it _was_ _my_ advice to my exceptional counterpart, even when he objected. _I_ never claimed to be someone of stellar character, did I, _mon ami_? Please do not judge this fine man by my well-meaning schemes, as you well are familiar with, _monsieur_. For it was you who knowingly sent me as saboteur, to 'befriend' an innocent young man, in order for me to gain his trust in a highly dishonest fashion, in order to cajole him into scandal, and then use insider information against him to besmirch his honor to his fiancée? Now! To my findings, sir: The subject I have lived intimately beside these past months is certainly more than worthy to deserve the love of any lady, regardless of her title or rank. He will absolutely be constant, true and devoted to her in every respect. What more can a dutiful parent of a child ask for?"

By the time Queen Idun's _'Vinter til Vår'_ – 'Winter to Spring' encore waltz finishes, the King was in the rather perturbed state of two minds. He felt torn by his own disgruntled overprotective authority and paternal responsibility which played against the wise counsel and advice of his good friend who only had positive things to say about young Hans Westergaard.

The little guilt Agdar felt about not so gallantly using those underhanded methods himself to stick an informant on his daughter's chosen mate was increasingly gnawing at him. So when the report came back satisfactorily, in fact glowing, in Hans favor, throws the King in turmoil, not knowing now what to think about the man he had been told was a traitor and attempted murderer to the Crown of Arendelle.

"Elsa! That was magnificent, min flicka (my girl). You truly have become quite the dancer—and your voices blended so perfectly together, as you will no doubt also find in other respects." Queen Idun sings her daughter's praise, along with a veiled innuendo, as she arrives from the balcony down to the dance floor.

But the savoir-faire Queen also sensed her husband was about to pop a head gasket. She reaches him in time to take some preemptive measure as the music comes to a sweeping crescendo with Elsa's Sleeping Beauty costume aglow in the surreal shades of the Aurora Borealis on her Knight's elegant arm.

Queen Idun had given the orchestra a well-deserved break after this momentous waltz piece as she sanctioned a half-hour break for the players prior to the 11 PM unmasking, during which Queen Elsa's birthday present presentation and cake celebration would take place in between.

Birthday guru Robin Hood Anna, with her merry snowmen, Olaf and Eliana, are joined by Kristoff in a Herculean effort to help dish out the plates and plates of cheesecake slices for many of the princesses, princes, ambassadors, emissaries _and_ Arendelle citizens gathering around Queen Elsa with gifts and well wishes.

"Yes, indeed. You are a credit to us both, Elsa. You have blossomed into quite a polished, wise and, may I say, beautiful young ruler." Coming up from the sidelines after recovering his tattered sensibilities, King Agdar offers a nod and smile to his beloved child.

"May I speak with you, sir…in private?" But to the Black Knight standing pensively quiet at her side, the King was far less cordial, giving the man a cool glare indicating that was a command, not a request.

Elsa's glowing smile suddenly freezes on her face as she squeezes Hans' hand tightly, when she overhears her father speaking to her lover, who automatically stands and salutes at attention.

 _'Be calm, min elskede (my beloved)…It will be fine.'_ Hans mouths as he squeezes Elsa's left hand back, with fingers caressing over her engagement ring. His digits linger warmth. until Hans leaves Elsa with an encouraging smile that he hardly felt himself, in the foreboding dismissive glance from his irked Admiral and Elsa's irritated father.

"I know who you are, sir. Follow me." Who, unfortunately for Hans, was one and the same man.

"Papa! Wait! Aren't you - and whoever that dreamy Knight guy is - going to stay for cake?! Elsa's favorite white cheesecake! With imported strawberries on top!" Running up to grab the end of the King's long trailing cape as he passes, little sister Anna tries to intercede with bubbly enthusiasm.

But her provoked parent doesn't even turn back from his resolute march toward his study.

"Later, Anna. After this matter is settled." That was all the obviously agitated King says in response as he leads a head hung Hans like a convicted man going to his own hanging past her and a face dropped (literally) Olaf who had one too many glasses of punch. So a scrambling Kristoff had to help collect the rolling away head and plunked Friar Tuck body up off the ground before the dismembered wiggling pieces freaked out the visitors.

"Just…don't blow it, okay? …Good luck…" Brushing her crooked moustache back beneath her green cap, Anna surprises herself and Hans both by murmuring encouragement…of a sort, in an awkward, strange scene where birdies fly past. Then the cross-dressing Princess shocks all and plants a quick peck of a kiss on her arch-enemy's instantly red and blushing, freckled cheek. A mortified, sheepish 'Robin Hood' dashes back to hug Elsa, who was gazing anxiously at her elegant lover's determined stride.

Prince Hans dutifully follows his superior officer into the darkened corridor just a few doors down the hall in the second story of Arendelle Castle. But just a simple yearning glance from Elsa, hopeful grin of encouragement from Anna, and thumbs up from Kristoff bolsters Hans to face the berating reprimand that could spell the end of this fairytale, as he most feared.

Then again, there was always the elopement option…

 _Take her away from her home, her family, her kingdom to be with a selfish wretch like me?!_

 _I can't do that to my heavenly angel! What are you thinking?!_

"Close the door behind you." Comes the Admiral's baritone order, cutting into Hans' random, guilty thoughts, cold as ice.

 ** _CLICK_**.

Hans obeys and closes the study door behind him, leaving the two men enmeshed in the darkness alone in the quiet solitude of the dramatic dark room.

Unable to see enough to light the desk lamp, King Agdar doesn't even bother to try as he deftly finds his way in the dark to ominously sit behind his desk. Only a faint, waning lamp hung on the wall behind him, and thus it was left to the streaks of the veiled curtains of Northern Lights from the window beside to dimly illuminate the pair.

"Explain." Just that one clipped word (and maybe more than a little cryokinetic temperature drop) and frost fills the room as the intimidating King points Hans to sit opposite him on the other side of the large oak desk in a single gesture.

That was all it took for Hans to feel the threatening chill to his very bones.

For a second or two the Danish Prince considers revealing the whole truth as to his being summoned here under false pretenses by Anna and her mother. But upon another moment's reflection, the altruistic young man keeps his own counsel as not to implicate either of those women and subject them to pillory.

 _What's the use in being clever if you don't challenge yourself to elucidate the inexplicable with flourish?_

Despite the tense situation, Hans can't help but smirk to himself at his own egotistical thoughts about his intellect.

 _Ah Hans, do you never learn?_

"Your Majesty, I have been hoping to have the opportunity to speak to you on this festive night. I realize that my presence here on this date was not as per our original timetable – which I wholeheartedly resigned myself to abide by your discerning preconditions with patience and respect. I fully intended to fulfill my assignment to service and wait with forbearing diligence to duty to your country and complete devotion to your daughter." In the dim light, Hans pauses in his speech and takes a deep breath in the cool atmosphere. He glances down to the small puffin plush Knight Elsa must've passed into his stunned hand just before he dutifully followed her father into the King's study.

Encouraged, Hans could not help but smile at the small toy that had come to mean so much to him because the stuffed puffin meant the world to his Elsa.

 _'Love can't be denied._  
 _Love must have its way.'_

"Indeed." Recalling the opening lines of the heartfelt song vocalized by Elsa, Agdar nods for Hans to continue. The younger man, if nothing else, had quite a winningly practiced, smooth delivery of words.

 _Maybe too smooth._

The Ice King freezes the old oak desk under the touch of his one hand, the other hand in the darkness clicking at his sword, against his costume's chain-link hip armor.

 ** _CLINK. CLINK. CLINK._**

Hans swallows hard at the daunting older man whose cold – _literally_ – mannerisms were quite nerve-racking. But the determined lover continues nonetheless.

"However, due to my bond with Elsa – that which I can never fully comprehend, nor minutely deserve God's blessing of her love or her magic of purity in my life – I became aware of her heart's derision that the wicked Djvælen monster incurred upon her. Immediately, I began to plan my journey back to her, to aid her in any way I could." The Danish Prince had _not_ been actually aware of the Devil King Troll's grip on fair Elsa when his journey began, but it served his cunning argument far better to use the harrowing predicament more to his 'valiant nobility' gain now.

Besides, effortlessly smudging the truth a little – _for the sake of Anna and Queen Idun's blamelessness, of course_ – was something Hans Westergaard excelled at.

"Hmph." As much as he tried, the Norwegian King still couldn't repudiate this Prince's undeniable charm and courteous likeability. His ice vapor breath catches in the Ice King's verglas chalky throat, and slightly defrosts as he listened to Hans' words. Because Agdar knew, in his heart of hearts, that for his Idun he would drop everything – _Navy orders included_ – to travel any distance, face any danger, and do the same thing when he was an impetuous young man.

 _Damn it all, I'd still do it right now._

"This is not an attempt of any kind of manufacturing an excuse or justification for abandoning my post on the Nidaros in the China seas, Admiral. I left the ship secure in the capable hands of my first officer, Kommander Bjelke, whom I must say is a worthy sailor in his own right of your fine Navy I have been esteemed to be a part of. I completely submit myself to whatever punitive punishment you determine for my unstructured leave, Sir." Hans meets Agdar's cool eyes with a hopeful smile, to which Elsa's father only responds with straight unreadable lips above that disconcerting long ginger beard of his costume.

 _'Once you let your heart awaken_  
 _Love can't be denied.'_

"Yet I felt compelled to come to my fiancée in her desperate time, without delay, and to embark on the swiftest cross-continent, ocean passage back from Tranquebar to Norway. I was somehow…fortunate…enough to encounter Colonel Egalité at the start of my journey in India when he generously offered to accompany me on the perilous expedition. Prince Ferdinand since has become a personal good friend and ally, whom I will be forever grateful to God for the Divine Intervention of his acquaintance." Observing that King Agdar, too, held a fondness for the cavalier Frenchman - and sensing that the Admiral had more than a hand in Prince Ferdinand's infiltration into his Vise Admiral's daily activities these past months, Hans indirectly gives the King unnamed credit for placing Ferdinand Egalité in his path.

Rather than accuse the older man's treacherous secretive plotting to undermine the Danish Prince, Hans also glazes over some of the juicier details of their journey which may have incriminated Princess Anna or Queen Idun, while still telling the truth.

"Yes, Egalitè may be a bit… _worldly_ … but I have always found Prince Ferdinand to be a good man and beneficent friend since I have known him from quite a young age." Agdar breaks his tension-filled silence to comment on their mutual ally whom Hans intuitively and correctly believed would be a tie-in point to substantiate the two men in the room.

"Yes, as have I. Once in Norway, we joined the quest to find the entire royal family on an incredible journey to the northernmost points of your wondrous nation. Through numerous dangerous encounters and serendipitous meetings with allies to enable our arrival at the crucial time to assist in the final battle, I followed the pain in my heart to where it assured me my Elsa was in danger. Many deserve commendation for their selfless roles in the decisive battle: Mr. Bjorgman, Colonel Egalité, my brother, Prince Eugene, Captain Schmidt, and even Prince Alonso helped integrally." Hans admits with a wry smile at that final name's addition to the hero squad.

"All those who love Queen Elsa dearly, notably Princess Anna – whom, I must say, was impressively brave and instrumental in leading her sister back to the light of faith, hope and love - made it possible for the Queen to build the magnificent Mirror of Love which saved us all." Hans deferentially gives, of course, the Ice Queen, _and_ the ginger Princess their due kudos, leaving out many of his own finer points in the recent head-to-head battle with the Devil Troll King, as a true gentleman should.

 _'Try to run and hide, try to slam the door;_  
 _Love can't be denied,_ _  
_ _Love keeps wanting more.'_

By now the King had risen to his feet and had begun pacing the room after focusing his blurred vision enough to turn up the gas on the lamp in order to brighten the dark atmosphere in the room in more ways than one.

"And so, after Queen Elsa opened her tender heart with that beautiful love which is her true magic held within, we in the labyrinth beneath chose to personally transfer the defeated trapped Djvaelen into the Antarctic ice cage under deep glaciers to never again escape, with the Snow Queen as his keeper." The articulate Prince of the Southern Isles had spellbinding eloquence and erudite breakdown of the entire mission in just a few distinct paragraphs which the King found informative, if not wholly enlightening.

 _'Love won't let itself be shaken,_  
 _No matter how hard I've tried!'_

"My family and my country must thank you for your service once again in our time of need, Vise Admiral Westergaard." Agdar gives a nod in gratitude to the young redhead, who motions with shaking head and halting hand his humility. Agdar found it so easy to speak intelligently with this fellow, more than with most others he had conferred with, before continuing.

"But with that being said, despite the details of your heroism and others' being highly commended – what in blazes are you doing here back here in Arendelle _now_ amid all this subterfuge, boy? Why have you _not,_ without delay, returned to your naval tour of duty in India and the China seas, with our agreement of your two year separation unchanged, still withstanding." The adamant forty-four-year-old man had a habit of combing his ginger blond moustache when he felt his argument was a thin one on shaky ground. But he still stubbornly sticks to arguing his point nonetheless.

"Elsa asked me to be here for her birthday." With this simple, unpretentious, unexaggerated sentence of fact, Hans stands up to look his Admiral – _no, Elsa's father – directly_ in the eye.

"And _that_ is the only sensible reason you can give me for your being present here tonight?" Agdar asks Hans incredulously, almost forgetting how it was to be young and madly in love, hanging on every word and plea of your partner.

"That… And the request I humbly petition before you now, to find it in your generous heart to allow Elsa and I to finally confirm, and shorten the betrothal to our impending marriage. I wish to give my angel that stability and security her spirit longs for, with every ounce of my being and heart, all the days of my life. I will pledge her a lifetime and more of protection, devotion, and love which only two souls conjoined together in holy matrimony, designed by their Creator, may achieve in perfection." With hand over heart, Hans bravely makes his appeal to Elsa's inflexible father, laying out his best presentation while still speaking the utmost truth.

" _'Achieve in perfection? Two souls conjoined together,_ eh _?_ ''" The King scoffs, repeating some of the eloquent Prince's more lofty terms, as he was trying to compute all this relationship data so unabashed emotionally laid out before him by this resilient young Westergaard.

 _'It flows through my veins,_ _  
_ _It burns beneath my skin.'_

"Look, son. Those lofty phrases may sound terribly romantic and sentimental to say, and she may still choose you after all over the others. But I have invited these other fine young men for my inexperienced daughter to have her horizons widened and more choices available so she will not 'marry in haste; repent at leisure.' It may sound harsh, but Elsa cannot only be exposed to such sentimentality - that has its place in poetry and fairytales. But rather, it's real life that she must live in as down-to-earth Queen and sole ruler to sensibly lead this nation, with reason and logic." Ignoring the song playing in the back of his mind, Agdar tries to calmly reason with the obviously lovestruck boy.

But Hans Westergaard was no fool, and would have none of it.

"If you trust your daughter to be wise enough to rule your nation, Admiral Bernadotte – then why can't you trust her wise enough to rule her own heart?!" Said with much more vigor and fervent volume than originally intended, Hans, in a raised voice full of passion, finds himself standing unabatedly toe to toe to with Elsa's father in his imposing Rex Perpetuus King Olaf II outfit.

 _'It calls my name_ _  
_ _And says 'You fool! Give in!'_

For several eternal moments, the similar, strikingly armored Black Knight and Viking King stare one another down until Hans finally remembers his place of being not only younger, and under the authority of his Admiral, but the one forever in this nation's debt for forgiveness of his past crimes.

"Forgive me, your Majesty. But I love your daughter—so much—that I will never let anything as what just happened to her, happen again. I identify with that utterly helpless feeling of being so absolutely separated, not only by miles, but by the uncertainty that she does not have the complete ownership of every beat of my heart to rely upon, and I hers. I realize it may sound like a nonsensical, romantic phrase to one more wise and experienced, but I find no other way to express how I was a ship without a rudder until, in the forgiveness of the Lord, she shared with me her mercy, so freely, so completely, absolutely changing my life. You must know, King Agdar, your benign and beautiful Elsa of Arendelle is the light of my eyes, which I will never allow to dim!"

There were bravely held back tears behind Hans' expressive green eyes as he was unashamed to honestly speak to Elsa's father of his true feeling and emotion which he usually kept hidden from most people – even himself sometimes. Only one other had he ever truly allowed to glimpse the depths of his soul before– his beautiful Elsa.

 _'Tear aside the doubt,_ _  
_ _Cast away your pride.'_

King Agdar closes his own eyes that were at the moment pounding so hard he almost couldn't think. That is, until he recalls the beautiful strains of pianoforte music in his head from that woman who would always and forever be the light of _his_ clouded eyes, playing his gifted Elsa's song that his enhanced hearing had picked up the lyrics full of longing thereof.

The special lovesick, heart-rendering music duet had been haunting him all during this conversation with her betrothed chosen fiancé who too had sung its plaintive, yearning strains.

 _'Love can't be kept out;_ _  
_ _Love can't be denied.'_

Moving to the study door, the King throws it open, with indecision for once in his life, gratified to hear Queen Idun leading the merry 'Happy Birthday' song to the Swedish folk tune "Yes, she lives."

And all at once, Agdar Bernadotte's infirmed blinding headache suddenly evaporates, as do those uncertain fears and jealous anger at any man who dared replace him as his beloved daughter's hero.

 _"Ja, må hon leva,_ _  
_ _Ja, må hon leva,_ _  
_ _Ja, må hon leva uti hundrade år!_ _  
_ _Ja visst ska hon leva,_ _  
_ _Ja visst ska hon leva,_ _  
_ _Ja visst ska hon leva uti hundrade år!_ _  
_ _Hurra, hurra, hurra, hurra!"_

(Yes, may she live!  
Yes, may she live!  
Yes, may she live for a hundred years!  
Of course, she will live,  
Of course, she will live,  
Of course, she will live for a hundred years!  
Hooray, hooray, hooray, hooray!)

Recalling those precious early years when Idun first sang the sweet lullaby to her firstborn, so tiny, so pale, baby Elsa was fragile as a snowflake, held lovingly between her loving parents embrace all night as they thanked God for her miracle.

There were tears of pride and joy felt welling up in Agdar Bernadotte's again pale _hazel_ eyes that were extraordinarily clearing from the haze.

 _Let it go, fool man. It's Elsa's turn to live and shine so bright. Let her go follow her dreams, and trust your girl to experience and enjoy a life, a love – a hero – of her own. Maybe she is ready for that complete, full life I never dreamed for her._

 _'Let yourself be overtaken_ _  
_ _And swept before the tide!'_

"Yes, I do trust her." The simple phrase rings true in the dutiful father's heart and clearing head now as well, as he assesses the young man standing firm before him. Agdar honestly considers Elsa's chosen mate's erroneous past, in juxtaposition with his own heady, well-meaning, yet heedless mistakes that too almost ruined her life, to finally concede his pride and hang his head in prayer.

 _'Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.'_

"Fine." King Agdar takes a deep breath and sighs outwardly, remembering the Lord's Prayer that his nanny, Johanne, used to speak over him when he was a wee boy himself.

 _'Love's the only thing_ _  
_ _No one is above._ _  
_ _I'm in love_ _  
_ _And love can't be denied!'_

A tight-lipped, trying not to tremble Hans looks up at the King in utter shock and awe. He grips the chair edge for support in anticipation of what his perceptive, yet incredulous, mind thought he was about to hear the King say.

"If, by the end of this unmasking night – not a moment before, mind you – **_if_ ** Elsa has not yet selected one of those highly eligible suitors to replace you as her betrothed – to which I will have your word as a gentleman that you will not contest nor litigate in any way, shape or form and pledge to quietly fade away without complaint if she somehow does select another – then, and only then…you may proceed with my full blessing by setting a wedding date amicable to your future bride." Murmuring the latter part after a threatening addendum to which a dazed Hans obediently nods to, blindly dumbstruck, it takes every ounce of Agdar's restraint to not go all ice explosive.

Against his first inclination, the Ice King does not deep freeze the entire room to be rid of this bothersome question of marriage for his little girl and lash out at Hans. Mostly because the warmth in the plaintive words of her song inspired stabilization in the older man, describing her longing and need for true love that rang true for the King, too.

"Of course you will still be expected to complete your _full_ naval tour of duty, but perhaps _after_ a short bridal tour, to earn your bars and not be an in-name-only officer." The Admiral of the Sjoforsvaret warns, feeling he was giving sufficient leniency, considering the circumstances.

"Admiral! Yes, yes, Sir… On my honor! _Hehehe!_ I will!" An elated Hans uncommonly trips over his words, not believing his good fortune, feeling as if the weight of the world had been lifted off his broad shoulders. The thoroughly warmed young man starts to laugh with unmitigated joy that his matrimonial dreams of Elsa were undoubtedly soon to be realized, for he trusted her constancy implicitly.

"I'll have you know, sir, I **_do_** trust my daughter to make the correct choices in life, and her choice of life's help mate is one of the most important first steps. In that same token, I am extending my trust for _you_ to always be a gentleman, certain to make her happy – _never hurt her –_ never forsake her, and keep my little girl safe for as long as you live as your prime duty." Agdar presents his demands as a father to the obviously ecstatic young Prince of the Southern Isles.

"If you break any of those pledges to her, I cannot attest that the Arendelle _chill_ will be pleasant company for you here for very long." The King was looking quite serious as he levels the quiet cold warning to the deliciously deliriously smiling redheaded Dane,who would henceforth hold these new most important positions in his kingdom. "I hope I know what I'm doing, and you do not make me regret this liberal decision."

"Yes, Admiral. I would expect no less than to be drawn and quartered, as befitting naval corporal punishment to any of its officers." Hans must've been feeling quite giddy to joke with his commanding officer Admiral/monarch/future father-in-law, who raises both his brows at the young man's temerity.

"So, if you ever _cross_ either of my girls again, or try to _usurp_ our kingdom in any way, I will do the _quartering_ **myself**. And with an _extremely_ _razor-sharp_ ice blade."

Was King Agdar joking back? Or was that a genuine contingency should the Danish Prince ever turn traitorous to the Crown again or fail to perform in his duties?

Hans smiles innocently, with wide eyes, nodding his head up and down with a quirked eyebrow, for the insanity of it all.

"Shall we go in now to join my daughter and partake in some birthday cake for her festivities?" From coldhearted sadist to warmly welcoming patriarch in the blink of an eye, King Agdar straightens his long ginger beard and red velvet cape, then does the same for Hans' slightly stunned and distressed slender and tall form before Agdar leaves his study to head back to the ballroom.

 _Sigh. Well, he's not a bad looking young man, with royal upbringing and certainly a good conversationalist…That will be pleasant change in discourse from Anna's simple, uneducated mountain boy… But oh, that Westergaard bloodline…Dear Lord, I hope I have not just made another one of my poor decisions…No! No. I'm sure this is the right thing to do for my girl's happiness!_

"There you guys are! Papa! We saved you both a piece of cheesecake!" Anna sings when Kristoff mentally gave her a heads up that her father and Hans had returned to the ballroom, both still in one piece.

"Deducted of the frosting and strawberries of course, because you're late. Robin Hood is a hungry little thief when it comes to having a sweet tooth." Queen Idun teases her baby girl, in a better mood because she could sense her volatile husband was calm, too, as Prince Hans had weathered the storm alive and seemingly well.

With a glance to the Danish Prince who approaches the family tentatively, but assured, the Queen Astrid clothed Mother hands her 10th century King Olaf a slightly dilapidated cheesecake slice on one of the eight thousand plates Anna was dishing out to the guests with Elsa's birthday cake fare.

Longing to approach Elsa with the good news, but remembering what the King said about letting his daughter make the choice herself publicly, Hans opens his mouth then closes it again. Trying to catch her eye, he savors his piece of the cheesecake, contemplatively comparing the blonde, decadently luscious sweet with the buttery graham cracker crust to an overwhelmed, broadly smiling Elsa as he stands back and waits patiently for the right moment.

"Happy birthday, my beautiful Snow Angel. You have proven yourself to be an excellent, admirable, God-fearing leader of this nation. Please know, you have my full trust in making your own noble choices for yourself when your just heart speaks. It has been recently pointed out to me that such a fine leader should have the authority to choose her own path when she is ready." King Agdar goes to the birthday girl where Elsa was seated in the throne amidst a huge pile of gifts, bow-wrapped presents and festive decorated bags surrounding the dais.

"It appears you are very respected and well loved – _and rightly so –_ by your people as well, my beautiful, strong girl. After seeing all you have done, all you have withstood, all you have achieved, I couldn't be prouder to say that you are ready to rule and make your own decisions, without me." Whispering in Elsa's ear with a kiss to her cheek as he leaves the dais, the King stops to wave graciously up to the visiting audience of citizens in the gallery and around the room, who cheer at their beloved leaders.

To Idun's gratified eyes, no longer handicapped by poor vision, Agdar looked quite regal and noble in his King Olaf the Holy garb. His fatherly, clear eyes were able to smile sincerely from her to Elsa with a respectful gesture of approval and confidence in his daughter's choice, whoever he may be.

"With the Queen's choice of her final dance partner, everyone too must choose whom he wishes to dance with and unmask before we all take to the dance floor, when the final waltz of the evening will begin!" Agdar defers to his more enthusiastic wife to announce this part of the party festivity after Idun gives him a signal and nod that the birthday cake and gift present exchange had concluded.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I have the honor to present to you on her joyous birthday, her Majesty, Queen Elsa of Arendelle." The no longer half-blind King escorts Elsa and Anna from the throne down the few steps to present her before the court. Then he returns to Idun's side in the front side row where she gives his arm a forgiving squeeze after Agdar makes the introduction announcement.

They, along with dozens of guests on the Masquerade dance floor, and above it in the Gallery too, watch how the Royal suitors assemble to display themselves in their chosen fairytale masquerade costumes with as much dignity and pride and presentable appearance as each could muster.

" _Gatulerer med dagen,_ _storesøster!_ (Happy birthday, big sister!) _Når vi er sammen, føler jeg meg trygg og_ varm! (When we're together, I feel safe and warm!)" Wiping whipped cream icing from her lips like the careless thief she was portraying, Anna scoots up from behind to massage Elsa's stiff shoulders with said warmth.

A heartful Elsa gratefully squeezes Anna's hand when her dearest little sister hopped in to stand beside her nervous elder sibling on the stage, front and center, with a hug that understood Papa's kind eyes and words of trust which meant genuine understanding between their family at long last.

Taking a stabilizing breath, Elsa was glad Anna was standing right at her side as the Ice Queen faces a line of well-dressed young men in the front row, each gazing back at her with some degree of hope or expectancy behind their various masks.

From left to right, there was the tan haired, kindly smile of the unpretentious in his drab olive shirt and curly toed boots Hunchback Quasimodo; beside him, the Greek helmet wearing, long toga sporting, short of stature Hermes the winged Olympian god of mythology; next, the dashing, confident, tall figure of the Arabian Prince of Thieves Ali Ababwa; in the center, the trim and slim framed all in green leotard Peter Pan was looking around quite pensively, like he wanted to fly away; on his right, the Dark Judge Il Dottore Frollo standing several paces forward, all sour face menacing looking; behind him, there was the impatient to pounce, large framed Beast wavering on his furry stilted feet beneath that blue satin gentleman's fancy suit and tails trying to stand out and be taller than all the rest; and finally, the pale skinned, white bearded, vivid blue magician Merlin standing uncertain with knobby knees at the end of the line.

The young woman in the Sleeping Beauty Princess Aurora costume standing before them takes a deep breath and swallows hard as she turns her attentive gaze upon them all en masse with more than a little fright as her frigid digits fly to her dry, nervous throat.

That's when unexpectedly smooth Peter Pan suddenly backpedals, withdrawing his central position in a rapid pushed exchange for another standing in the second row behind him for one final Masquerade switcheroo of the evening.

As for the boy-who-never-grew-up, the smirking Alonso shows his maturity by gracefully bowing to a previously miffed Titania the Fairy Queen. He silently asks, with a flamboyant flip of his hand, Princess Valentina to be his partner on the dance floor tonight instead of the Norwegian Queen—to which the dark skinned beauty gives a glimmering smile of enchanted delight that she had been selected by her handsome Argentinean Prince, just a little bit more.

The grateful Black Knight Prince takes a shockingly deferential Alonso's place in the center of the suitor line-up with the other six eager princes who were each doing their best to look most presentable, most eligible and most enticing to the blue eyed choice beauty—the Queen of Arendelle.

That is, until her attention settles upon that newly arrived seventh young man wearing his silver armored, Renaissance Knight outfit, whose slender silhouette and dreamy green eyes were as unmistakably entrancing as his hopeful smile was inviting.

And though each and every one of the other highly eligible princes were very appealing and attractive in their own advantageous right, and her stately father's gaze – along with every one of her good citizens who were on tenterhooks in anticipation of her choice, Elsa of Arendelle knew there was, and always would be, only one man for her.

God had blessed the warmth in her heart to be enveloped by a love that could not be denied as the reserved young woman leans on His strength to speak boldly.

"I thank you all for your kindness in attending my birthday party in friendship, generously sharing your time and gifts to participate in the mystery and adding to the enjoyment of my Masquerade Ball."

Elsa looks from her mother to Anna and then finally, with courage, she meets her Papa's no longer cloudy eyes which were uncommonly clear, understanding and full of calm encouragement with fatherly pride rather than hesitant uncertainty, to push her on.

That look in his eyes said so many things in unspoken terms as King Agdar gazes upon his first child, the successor of his kingdom, the inheritor of his ice magic. He sensed through their special cryo-bond how Elsa still loved her Papa and did not wish to disappoint her first hero.

Seeing she was still headed towards that lucky, chosen Prince Hans Westergaard, Agdar finally sees the man he was now, and not only the past of who he was and where he came from. So Agdar nods to give the once hesitant and unsure girl his blessing to find her new dream.

King Agdar was finally ready to let go of his little girl who had been through so much, and triumphed mentally, physically and emotionally in her short lifetime already.

"And the greatest present of all has been the love of my family the Lord gave me and their boundless faith in me to have made this day possible. Thank you, Anna, Mama, Papa." Elsa smiles from a glowing Anna at her side, to her encouraging, full of unwavering faith Mama and finally her Papa's gaze that was for once not full of worry or doubt as he looks over Hans' shoulder with a smile to his young daughter.

"All of this, my life, has not always been the easiest nor a carefree road for me. Just as each of you, my fellow royalty, know of the heavy burden and trials of being born Crown Royal and destined to rule your respective countries." Elsa smiles thoughtfully, making eye contact with every dashing Prince, as she sweeps her hand in an encompassing gesture across the gathered Princes, pointing towards her magnificent regalia on her coronation portrait, unveiled just moments ago.

"But I can hope that the bonds of mutual respect between our countries will run deep and strong through the years, as our friendships are nurtured to know one another more as mature peers. I hope each of you, too, discover that happiness is not just about making solid, well-suited, diplomatic matches, but rather the result of finding that one true, abiding love which will lighten the burden of your royal reign's ascendancy in Almighty God's grand design for your lives—as I have done." With an empathetic, yet noble and righteous air all about her, young Queen Elsa tactfully employs not only diplomacy, which she admittedly learned from her Hans, but also compassion, which she always had within her, for the six young men out of seven standing before her whom she was about to gently let down as she meets each eye.

Gliding from her throne dais down the few steps like a rare earth magnet to an irresistible force, the regal, self-possessed Sleeping Beauty, in her lovely gown of royal purple, violets and lilacs, flows past all of the other supposedly more favored young men, each looking up to her with more than just personal expectancy now—but with a growing respect as well.

Elegantly Elsa flows in her long, purple hued mystical ice satins to claim the extended hand of her literal Knight in shining armor at the center of the line of handsome suitors.

Prince Hans wordlessly – for his breath was stolen away by her regal splendor – grasps the extended palm of the Queen of his heart to seamlessly lead Elsa out to the midst of the ballroom floor. The other princes, either save-face nobly resigned or with truly touched hearts, respectfully clear the area for the final special dance to be started by the majestic birthday girl and her one lucky chosen suitor.

As the Arendelle Chapel clock tower strikes eleven to ring the Winter Solstice triumphantly in across the clear cool December night over Scandinavia, the lights in the Ballroom dim.

The ¾ time orchestral music envelops the otherwise silent ballroom as accomplished dancer Prince Hans leads his lady fair in the romantic waltz they both felt they had shared together, if only once upon a dream.

The magical and perfectly fitting Sleeping Beauty Waltz sweeps Elsa and Hans into a fairytale world of enchantment as matching costumed Hans whirls his lady in her lovely satin gown of the Renaissance era around the dance floor.

He fearlessly holds her hands, particularly caressing her engagement ring finger. He was literally trembling with excitement to take hold of a lifetime of fantasies that were coming true for Hans as he gazes lovingly into Elsa's glittering orbs that seemed to sense his utter joy that something exciting had been revealed to him.

 _Could it be Papa has accepted Hans as my betrothed at last? Could our wedding day not be so distant an afar dream any more?_

There was definitely something different alight in her dashing Prince's eyes as Hans awaits the interlude of the Sleeping Beauty waltz's first refrain to dramatically pause and allow his dancing partner to gently remove the mask from his face as many other couples were doing.

" _Min kæreste._ I am prepared to patiently wait a lifetime for a treasure like you. But…please won't you set our wedding day soon? Your father has agreed to let you be mine, whenever you say the word. That is, if you still so desire to own my heart?" Hans smiles as he humbly lays everything out before a wide-eyed Elsa, his gorgeous face now totally exposed, along with the naked truth of his hopes and dreams of their 'happily ever after.'

The Danish Prince's tremulous hands reach out to remove her pearlescent mask in kind, to find Elsa of Arendelle's beautiful, stunning eyes full of wet moisture, crying warm tears of joy that spill onto his fingertips which instinctively move to wipe them away, his tender kiss melting all her fears completely.

 _"Fete accomplis, mon ami." (_ _Mission_ _accomplished, my friend.)_ Over his shoulder Prince Ferdinand says simply as Hans and Elsa pass by the similarly waltzing, unmasked Harlequin and the tawny brown ringlet haired, doe-eyed Columbine who was now proud to hang on the once cavalier Frenchman's arm.

Prince Ferdinand's famed, cool-as-a-German-cucumber fiancée, Duchess Helene of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, had made an unforeseen appearance at last as the mysterious Columbine costumer handmaiden. Egalité's oft-mentioned ' _Helena'_ – who just happened to be another of King Friedrich's cousins - had covertly infiltrated the Masquerade party herself in person in search of her world wandering, celebrated Legionnaire military hero fiancé.

The ever ambitious twenty-seven-year-old woman, who had heard from her cousin's wife, Queen Arianna, that Ferdinand Philippe would be here, was highly amused by her dashing betrothed's invigorating transcontinental hide-and-seek game of matchmaking for his new friend. Helene had pitched in the masquerading fun all evening for the sake of her prestigiously gallant, impossible-to-keep-hold-of, unpredictably endearing Prince.

With a resigned smirk on his comely, distinguished moustache face, uncovered by his Harlequin mask, Ferdinand Philippe Egalité allows himself to be whisked away into the waltz by his unflappably social climbing, madly-in-love-with-him bride-to-be, who finally tracked her attractive, roving-eyed boy down at last.

And most probably wouldn't let him go off adventuring again until the French Crown Prince made an honest woman of her after their long engagement.

Poor, Prince Alonso appeared to be in a parallel situation like the caught and bagged Frenchman, from where Hans spotted the dark skinned Brazilian Princess beauty unmasking the conjugal defiant Cordoban Prince in a ruthless fairy wing capture.

Valentina's manservant/ bodyguard enforcer Manuel, armed with bolos in a red 15th century Incan costume, was standing threatening behind the resisting Argentinean, ensuring that slippery Alonso didn't escape this time.

The now compelled to grow up Peter Pan was hanging his sighing head as Alonso is forced to replace that huge diamond rock engagement ring produced from the Fairy Queen's bag of magic that surely spelled the Prince of Cordoba's prospective free and easy bachelor doom.

On the other side of the room, a chuckling, no longer Pierrot-teardrop-weeping mask wearing Varian was relieved to see his gorgeously uncovered feline-eyed, mermaid tailed Cassandra also laughing at the caught Frenchman _and_ the cornered Argentine, both now safely under feminine incarceration.

Inexperienced at social occasions, the inattentive scientist clumsily leans on the punch bowl at the refreshment table, nearly knocking it over in a mess. That is, until quick-reacting guardswoman Cassandra rights the glass bowl with its splashing liquid contents _and_ a wobbly Varian safely in her grasp as well.

But the slipping young man's gangly arms and reckless hands land on the shocked, unmasked mermaid's shells in the chaos.

"Cass, I'm so sorr— _ooaf_!" Varian's apologetic wide eyes go even wider from his sheepish expression as the violent, 'cougar' mermaid grabs him right back with an uninhibited shove towards the wall.

"Jeez, you really **are** a clown. Now I suppose I'll have to dry you off." Cassandra huskily breathes with a faux frown at the younger man's ineptness at everything humanly normal outside his alchemist lab.

 _Could be a fun challeng_ e _to teach you how to be a proper specimen of a man..._

All these unmasked romantic trysts take place before the wide, shocked eyes of Belle Sofia and a gulping Quasimodo Prince James. The brother and sister stop mid-dance with their jaws dropping at the spectacle before them. But that's when each had an enchanting surprise of their own waltzing up alongside to trade partners.

* * *

"Oh, Hans… My _own_ Hans… Everything is so magical tonight! Such a wonderful birthday you've given me. Is it real, or just another dream? I wish this dance could last forever…" After a shared smile and giggle at all the ensuing romance for their intriguing Continental friends, a rapturous Elsa whispers in Hans' ear.

"It will, _min alskare,_ this dance, this love will last our whole lifetime, and beyond. _Once upon a night, Once upon a wish_ … _I know you_ , _I walked with you once upon a dream_ , _that gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam._ ' Just as overjoyed, her handsome, melodic Prince pulls her close to his chest when the moving waltz continues after its building fermata staccato pause for the electrifying moment of the unmasking truth on this thrilling Masquerade night and all was revealed.

 _"But if I know you, I know what you'll do. You'll love me at once, the way you did once, upon a dream.'_ " Hans teases his girl with the next fairytale line of the melody, refraining from pinching her in the choice juicy spot her Black Knight mentally envisioned in many of those nighttime fantasies.

"This dream we'll be together, in love forever, is real for us now, Elsa, _min elskede kærlighed (my beloved lover). 'Let yourself be overtaken and swept before the tide!'"_ He jubilantly sings instead, going for the pure romance as he uses his gorgeous tenor to serenade his beautiful girl with some of her own heart's lyrics Hans cleverly memorized to harmonize to this waltz.

Her snowflake crystals formed of sheer bliss dance all about in an exhilarating sprinkle through the skies over the countryside, and even within the enchanted ballroom where all could feel the Ice Queen's pure joy.

Elsa laughs as she had never laughed in unmitigated delight before while the young lovers swirl and dance around and around in a soft flurry of snowflakes with the other contented couples, like in a fairytale dream.

The Queen of the North Winter's heart full of 'Tenerity' explodes with so many emotions of joy in pure exhilaration of the thrilling future ahead that was now opened wide for her.

The Mirror of Love in her Snow Palace in the North to which she was emotionally connected was subsequently motivated to reflect true love's especial gleam across the hemisphere.

If anyone was to look outside the window at the Northern Lights' impressive display in the grand vista of nature, it stretched in light bending rainbows of dramatic purples, hot pinks and electric blues to light up the dark sky.

Glowing yellows, vivid greens, bright reds, neon oranges, and brilliant aquamarines with so many hues in between race as never before glimpsed across the night sky through the lands of the Polar Night to the southern section of the country in this kingdom where the majestic Ice Queen was in raptures.

But no one needed to look outside, for, fulfilling a fraction of her great potential, Ice Queen Elsa herself was so ecstatic and exuberantly at peace in her heart that her ice-fashioned Princess Aurora dress truly lives up to its illuminated name.

Secure in her Hans' possessive strong arms, Elsa begins to glisten in glowing iridescent colors of the full rainbow spectrum of the breathtaking aurora borealis.

Multihued radiance explodes from her transformative ball gown, brilliantly lighting up the entire bedazzled ballroom of amazed guests, each experiencing their own romantic Masquerade night unmasking magic under her radiance.

In the ambiance of love, Elsa and Hans go waltzing around and around the ballroom flawlessly, as if in aurora borealis tinted clouds where all else melted away.

Moved by his Elsa's incredible light, expressed in her brilliantly beautiful blue _– no, purple – no, fuschia - no, breathtaking, prismatic_ eyes, her lissome fluid movements, usually stiff and reserved, react perfectly to synchronize in his arms alone under his proficient lead.

Prince Hans of the Southern Isles closes his eyes and begins to serenade the sentiments of all the words Elsa had given his heart:

 _"Love's the only thing no one is above, I'm in love and Love can't be denied!"_

His elegant dancer's red cape flying, the handsome Knight Prince suddenly stops still at the soaring music's crescendo to deliver a passionate kiss to the lips of his euphoric fairytale Princess Beauty glistening on the dance floor.

" _Tillykke med fødselsdagen_ , _min_ _dyrebare_ Elsa." Hans whispers breathily against her cheek the Danish form of 'Happy Birthday' as he claims his amazing Norwegian Ice Queen beauty in another embrace and elegant turn around the dance floor.

On this special birthday night, the no longer star-crossed lovers' undeniable true love had _\- through doubt and pain and danger and fear_ – at last been recognized in the gorgeous luminosity of revelation on the cusp of the exciting future in store for the fairytale love story of Prince Hans and Queen Elsa.

* * *

 _Mon ami –_ my friend in French

 _Frère_ – brother in French

 _Fete accomplis – "accomplished fact"_ in Latin; irreversible done deal

 _Min dyrebare -_ my precious in Danish

 _"Tillykke med fødselsdagen_ " – "Happy Birthday" in Danish

* * *

 _"Love Can't Be Denied"_ – edited song from "Frozen", written by the great composer Alan Menken

 _"Ja, må hon leva!" (Yes, may she live!) -_ Swedish birthday song set to the 18th century composer Hayden's "Opus 76 Sunrise".

* * *

'Fete accomplis!'

Happy Birthday August happy endings, Frozen friends!

Yeah! Wasn't that an incredible Birthday Party for our Ice Queen Elsa?! And she unwrapped a pretty sweet present - named Prince Hans! Yes, the long wait is over and the Helsa wedding is definitely on again!

It took much convincing from his future son-in-law, much cajoling from Egalite, Anna and friends, much anger from Mama bear wife, a heart-moving song from Elsa, and some soul-searching for Papa Agdar to come around and relent, to see the light that Elsa has chosen her Danish Prince for her love life's mate.

Now she has her beloved Papa's blessings for her marriage with Hans to proceed, Elsa's heart will never be in danger of being frozen again, with her handsome Prince's forever love in a future full of promise.

That's what this whole book 3 has been leading up to, and this chapter brings all the angst and loneliness to a romantic happy ending close.

Did you enjoy the momentous love duet between the lovers as they danced here at the end? I think Hans and Elsa did Alan Menken's glorious edited song proud! ^-^

So, this concludes Elsa's Masquerade Ball Birthday Party celebration! I hope you enjoyed all the ups and downs and close calls in the romance mystery of the Masquerade! I'd love to hear your reviews of all the romance and mysterious fun leading to the climactic unmasking!

God bless you all! And thank you for sticking around for this long, adventurous, full of mystery and yearning Act 8 arc!

Love, HarukaKou ^0^

P.S. Hans and Elsa have proven that true love triumphs over all, but it's not over for these lovers! Our continuing story, full of true love and fairytale happy endings romance comes to a thrilling climax in 'Frozen Again' Act 9! I believe an icy blessed, magical, hard-fought for Wedding of the Millennia will soon happen for Queen Elsa and her heart's desire at last! There's a momentous fairy tale Royal Wedding in store in Arendelle for our Frozen Again Red hot x Ice cold lovebirds in the upcoming chapters of 'Frozen Again: Love Never Ends'! So, please stay tuned for the Helsa romance to finally come to fruition, dear Fanfiction friends!

But I'm getting ahead of myself! The Arendelle family Christmas special will be up next first though, just a few days after Elsa's Winter Solstice December 21st birthday! With many guests still milling about, so many things to be grateful for this year of upheaval especially, and presents from the heart to go around for the reunited lovers and royal family in a kingdom at last in peace, this is sure to be a "Happy holly Merry jolly Seasons Greetings Christmas tidings here!" (Olaf chimes in for me:)

P.S.S. "Love can't be denied"! You have to all listen to the legendary composer himself Alan Menken belt this emotional melody at a live recital with just him, a grand piano, and raw emotion that fit so perfectly with Helsa's hard-fought for love storyline. It couldn't be used in the movie because they didn't go that route. That's why we had to write a sequel here where the magnificent song finally fits perfectly in place for Elsa and Hans' love affair! Can't you just hear Hans' velvety tenor and Elsa's magnificent soprano singing this together? Santino Fontana and Idina Menzel should duet it for real, the music and lyrics are so perfect for Helsa!

Because _'Love's the only thing no one is above. I'm in love and love can't be denied!'_


	41. Chapter 40 - After the Ball

_We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

 **"Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act VIII**

 **Chapter 40**

 **"After the Ball"**

Lost in this incredibly iridescent, eternal moment of enjoying one waltz after another, Hans and Elsa flow rhythmically across the dance floor in one another's arms.

The handsome Black Knight, in perfect time with the music, elegantly stops still in his red velvet cape as the music builds to its storybook crescendo when he draws his lovely lady to him.

Prince Hans leans down towards his own 'Sleeping Beauty' to seal their renewed, unmasked true love with a well-deserved kiss as the beats of music pass by, once upon a dream.

Elsa's anticipation for her Hans' reward is only satiated for mere, though glorious, minutes before Minister Kai's booming voice is prompted by his King's hand gesture.

Kai loudly speaks over the boisterously dancing crowd savoring the medley's final moments of the romance filled evening of mystery, causing them all to pause mid-step.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Thank you for your enthusiastic participation in Queen Elsa's Birthday Masquerade Ball! Speaking on behalf of King Agdar, Queen Idun, Queen Elsa and Princess Anna, we hope you enjoyed yourselves as much as we have appreciated hosting you here with us on this auspicious day. Before the clock tower strikes midnight, to conclude our splendid Queen Elsa's glorious celebration, we here in Arendelle have one last birthday tradition we hope you will participate in." The rotund Arendelle Minister turns his attention from Elsa and her guests cavorting across the ballroom floor to fix his gaze on a very interesting object placed on a platform in the courtyard below the North balcony window he moves to.

"Everyone! You must join us outside in the courtyard for the Queen of Arendelle to blow the birthday bukkehorn!" Princess Anna, in her enthusiasm, nearly knocks Minister Kai off the balcony as she waves her energetic arms about to gesture display the age-old tradition of her Norwegian forefathers dating back to Viking times. Even amid Elsa's frozen fever chaos of mischievous snowgies galore, the spirited girl recalled with such fond memories that perfect, first reunited birthday party Elsa threw for her little sister.

"Yes, dear guests. Please indulge our family a little further on this wondrous evening, as together we bring our brilliant birthday Queen's magical night to a close." King Agdar steps in to address the multitude of astonished couples in the ballroom whom his youngest daughter was brashly ordering to step out into the frosty December night winter cold weather. "If you feel not suitably attired for the wintry weather in your costumes, you may observe the spectacle along with Queen Idun and I from the advantageous view of the balcony in the Castle's Conservatory just across the hall." Agdar acquiesces that some of the guests were not, as he was, accustomed to this northern side of the equator's freezing temperatures.

Even if the abnormally temperate for this time of year 20 degree cold was _barely_ biting on this brilliant clear Winter solstice night in Norway, which the ice-gifted royal family wanted to celebrate together properly.

As he begins to usher the guests either across the hall or down the stairs towards the courtyard, Kai looks down his snobbish nose at a particular South of the equator older gentleman. The oh-so-debonair one wearing that chic bullfighter costume, with a crimson red clad flamenco Señorita clinging adoringly on his satin, shirred-sleeve arms.

"What a marvelous idea, Johanne! The bracing chill in the air should bring us all down from this populated soirée's intoxicating indoor warmth! I have been looking forward to spending some time in your country's al fresco beauty. Shall we, my lovely chica Bonita?" With a chivalrous suave air, Chancellor Esteban rolls in his Matador red cape muleta to wrap expertly around a beaming Johanne's shoulders, daringly dressed in vivid red. The tall, sophisticate Avaloran then offers his gallant arm, sweeping his new fianceé from the Ballroom into the Hall, making her feel more like a pampered highbrow maiden to stand beside lords and princesses, than the mere household ladies' maid domestic she really was.

"Hmph." But Kai's frown is turned around when his wife Gerda, in her 18th century Martha Washington garb, lives up to her steadfast name. The bouncy plump woman brings peace and stability to her man as she comes bounding up, grabbing her matching costumed U.S. founding father's arm.

"Ooh! Come on, Kai! Let's go outside and enjoy this fully with the young people! This will be such fun! It is so good to see our little Elsa looking so pleased and content at last with her handsome Prince Hans! There is so much love around us, with the kingdom at peace too as we head into the Christmas holidays! Let's take joy in the season and accept the Lord's bountiful future more than begrudge the past. This is our first birthday celebration as a full family again, just like the old days! We have the chance to bask in it, Kai! What more could we offer God in His Heaven than a true thankfulness for this beautiful night?" The godly woman was looking especially angelic in her spit-curled snow white, piled high hair and conservative, lace necked frock, as she pleasantly sings.

Gerda's short, plump body was so filled with joy that she could just pop, despite her more dour mate's distaste for his suave and smooth, tall and dark, prospective new brother-in-law they were just a few steps behind.

"I give thanks for the beauty of _you_ every day of my life, dear Gerda." The large set man replies, allowing his anger to simmer down in his bouncy wife's eyes yet full of childlike faith.

* * *

"The Birthday Bukkehorn?" As he removes his own embroidered velvet red cape and gallantly places it around Elsa's shoulders – though he obviously knew the Ice Queen needed it not – an incredulous Hans lets the amusing words roll off his titillated tongue.

The dashing Prince quirks a smile down at his blonde fiancée as the Black Knight deftly leads the group to march down the hall in step behind an impatient Princess Robin Hood Anna to the awaiting courtyard below.

Scores of tens of dozens of Arendelle citizens were waiting to greet them outside, warmly clothed in festive wear for this Scandinavian symbolic gesture to their beloved young Queen's birthday joy.

"Oh, yes. Hee hee hee."

As Hans gently yet firmly lifts her up as she were but a feather to the prepared platform rather than use the provided step ladder, Elsa giggles like a schoolgirl at the feeling of being so easily airlifted.

Elsa then chuckles at the silly tradition that she herself had reinstated from their Norwegian Royal family of Arendelle's past glory days of yore which she had read up on during many a quiet hour in study of history books on the kingdom.

"It all started with my wanting to make up for missing so many birthdays growing up alongside, but separate, from Anna. I wanted to throw the most wonderful party ever for her. So, I did some research on Scandinavian Royal traditions. And I discovered the founder of our kingdom, King Olaf II himself, according to the _'Prose Edda'_ skaldic legend, actually used to celebrate his important, victorious days with this Viking musical instrument called the 'Bukkehorn' in ancient times. I recovered the very horn that he was said to have played, recently discovered in the library's treasury of ancient regalia.

Her hands still securely entwined in his, Elsa softly converses with Hans her love of history and country. She revels in how easy it was to speak to him on these long-winded, oft considered boring subjects the shy girl never thought herself before capable to speak with about to anyone.

Anyone other than empathetic, like-minded Hans Westergaard.

But everything about being intimately close to her Hans felt so natural and right to Elsa on this unforgettable night. She would have felt more self-conscious and silly being put up to this farce – though she knew Anna meant well – had Hans not been here to stand so chivalrously undaunted at her side.

 _Just as his ring and his cameo pendant have promised me, he would be my strength, now and for all time._

Elsa's cyan blue orbs direct Hans' to share her significant gaze at the snowflake diamanté symbol of their promise of love to come, as his long fingers toy with the cameo pin peeking from behind her palest lavender portrait neckline collar.

"And wow, did you blow that old bugle like a pro, Elsa! It was the big finish of my unforgettable nineteenth birthday two Summer solstice's ago! Maybe Oaken's patent cold medicine made you a secret super bugler, Elsa!" Anna chuckles in glee as she and Kristoff had landed with Sven already by the massive curved Viking horn while they got the scene ready for Elsa's Birthday Queen performance.

"You wouldn't remember it, Hans, because you were **not** invited to _my_ birthday party –" Anna says pointedly with pursed lips at her redheaded former enemy. "You're not feeling sick at all this year, right?" Anna kindly asks a thoroughly embarrassed Elsa after she runs off at the mouth for many frost vapor puffed sentences, slapping her decorated teal gloves together for warmth.

"That's why we put the bugle up high this year. We think the huge snowball that came out of the horn was caused by that one last big sneeze you launched, Elsa!" Kristoff gives a little shiver at the chilly thought in his Grecian warrior leather skirt the wind whipped at beneath his long black cloak as he climbed up to the trio already on the platform. "Poor girl was feverish and sick for days in bed after that." Kristoff was no longer too shy himself under the grateful cover of a black domino cloak he had swiped from the cloak room before he left the Castle.

"Considering all the snowgies your sniffles and sneezes caused here, I kinda wondered if that massive snowball sneeze that crossed the horizon had crashed somewhere and sent any more of my mischievous little brothers out across the countryside! Sven and I went to look around and ask people, but there were no reports ever turned up of that massive snowball landing. So it was all good." Olaf finally was able to scramble up to the podium platform, after Varian gave the little snowman with the not so strong stick arms a boost from below.

"Two Summer solstices ago… I _knew_ that had to be from you…" Hans murmurs to himself with a quirky smile in personal revelation of something he always had a suspicion of.

"Yeah, Elsa left me and Sven and Kristoff in charge of rounding up all those mischievous little guys her sneezes inadvertently created. We brought them all up to the North mountain Ice Palace to hang out there with Marshmallow." Olaf gleefully adds.

 _So that is how I became so ill that terrible Summer with no one to care for me during my 'frozen' fever escapade, except for my brothers' nasty horses laughing at me for being shoved into a manure pile while doing my penance in the stables I was exiled to, only fit for shoveling such refuse by my family._

 _And rightly so at the time._

 _But how did you find me there so precisely, if not for some subconscious, undeniable attraction, even then…?_

"You, letting me have the chance to take care of you then, was my extra bonus present, Elsa. Because _you_ are my most precious treasure, who I'd do anything to make happy." Giving Hans a pointed look of warning over Elsa's back, Anna gives her dear big sister a great big hug. She nearly accidentally knocks the large Bukkehorn off the edge, had a quick reflexes Hans not had the foresight to scramble to grab and steady the teetering, priceless, ancient musical device.

" _Somebody_ else better never forget that." The ginger girl threatens without missing a beat, never knowing the disaster just averted in her petulant wake.

Princess Anna was looking more herself with the fake moustache falling to the wayside of the platform on the wind, her braids messily tumbling down to frame her face that was especially cute when it was angry.

"Fortunately, I, for one, have an incredible capacity for memory recall, Princess." The redheaded Danish Prince responds in like cheekiness. The Prince of the Southern Isles' inherent arrogance to bully this brassy little sister peeks through once again as his mind was still calculating as to the why of this intriguing new data just revealed to him.

The baffling giant snowball from somewhere in the North on a direct path to mow him down particularly was a past query the intelligent Prince had meant to ask his Queen on some less dangerous, less momentous occasion in times of peace hopefully to come in the future.

 _Pray God it will be soon._

"Hmph. Glad to hear it." With a reminiscent fist that makes Hans wince ever so slightly, Anna takes a step to a less precarious part of the high platform as Anna puts her hands on her hips and smirks at her old sparring partner.

This new situation of Hans being Elsa's officially betrothed fiancé – whom Anna herself had a role in bringing back to battle her Papa's more 'eligible princely bachelors' for a speedier wedding date _– Did I do that? Reality check!_ – was not going to cause the peppery younger Princess to go easy on her favorite target now.

{"It's almost go time, Baby."} Kristoff interrupts the feisty barbs passing between Anna and Hans with a more down to earth finger point up to the clock tower's nearly midnight hour strike.

"This is almost a wrap! You ready, Elsa?" Anna's twisted frown upon Hans immediately turns upside down to display a vibrant smile to her beloved big sister as she tugs on Elsa's iridescent purple sleeve. But Anna was surprised when Elsa suddenly pulls back and takes a step away from the bugle horn instead of towards it.

"What's up? Aren't we having fun?" Swaying back-and-forth on the platform, innocent Olaf looks up at her, obliviously unaware of Elsa's lack of enthusiasm for the outlandish musical instrument. The naïve snowman could not realize that her recalcitrance was most likely due to the bad memory of the Ice Queen's loss of control while first performing on it.

"You are a lady in control now, I have no doubt, my Queen." Prince Hans intuitively sensed his love's hesitation as he takes a place to solidly stand behind her and place his sturdy hand on her right shoulder with his bolstering support.

"We've got your back, Elsa." Anna takes a hint from Hans and steps up to place her smaller, but just as stalwart hand on Elsa's left shoulder with the bolstering words and shared nod with the Dane, eye to eye.

"You have both made this the finest, most unforgettable birthday full of dreams for me, ever. Thank you." Elsa almost tearfully whispers, as she warmly squeezes the hand of her dear baby sister whom Elsa knew went above and beyond to arrange for her Prince Charming to be here this very special night. Then she gracefully laces the fingers of her other hand with Hans, crossing her arms prayerfully over her heart, with Anna and Hans' strength joined together.

Gathering her tears, Elsa gives a determined glance upward to her expectant parents with a smiled nod to her guests on the balcony above. Then, finally she looks out to the crowd of citizens below the platform and to the sides on the hills who anxiously were awaiting the moment for their much-loved Queen.

She didn't want to let any of them down again by being silly and unsure when she had already proven by fire and ice to be a strong and confident young ruler, ready to take on a bold new world.

"Try not to think too hard about it and just go with the moment." An encouraging Anna mouths in her big sister's ear as she nods for Hans' strong yet tender palm to lead Elsa in stability on the high platform to the rear of the elongated conical, looped Bukkehorn.

It was more intimidating now to Elsa than the last time where she could barely remember delivering the resounding note all the others present still spoke of, causing an involuntary shudder.

"Just make a wish and blow, my darling." Hans whispers, cheering his shy girl on.

"But you have made them already all come true for me tonight, my handsome Prince." Trying not to be nervous, the platinum blonde Ice Queen quietly whispers to her lover.

A gratified Hans flashes that charming, debonair smile of his down at her, unabashed and bold and brilliant as the star streaked moon shared under the Northern Lights.

Thinking she had never seen a more breathtaking vista than Hans Westergaard's stunning, soulful viridescent eyes, and with that impressive sight in mind, Elsa Bernadotte takes a deep breath, feeling in utter peace at heart.

With a slight chuckle, Elsa reluctantly puts her mouth in close position to the thoroughly disinfected and cleaned since her germy last blow, ancient Viking musical instrument that only fellow past Norwegian monarchs' lips had touched in eras gone by.

" _How am I supposed to make any music on this thing? I don't even really remember doing it before. Just that intoxicating feeling of being so uninhibited, where I could only think of your pleading eyes looking so beseechingly at me then …_

Elsa's eyes momentarily connect with Hans' in the dazzling nightscape backdrop in last minute wide-eyed anxiety.

"If you do strike the right note now, without launching another massive snowball avalanche on some poor unsuspecting fellow the next country over, I'll be collecting on a truly incredible passionate 'goodnight' kiss in recompense for the indirect kiss two and a half years ago which purposely struck me down with a feverish cold last time." At the very final second before a nervous Elsa almost chickened out from delivering her best attempt at music on the horn, her winsome, cocky Prince mumbles this spicy tidbit breathily close in her ear, followed by a little encouraging nibble on her fiercely reddened lobe.

The consequential warm sensation of which causes the ice cold, anxious Queen of Arendelle to, rather than panic in ice from her expelled breath, instead deliver a perfect high note on the Viking horn.

It rings throughout the Kingdom of Arendelle under the clear Winter solstice sky, without one accidental flake of snow out of place escaping the horn.

Instead, the gentle coating of aurora borealis light reflects, refracts and colorfully glistens much like rainbow confetti on the soft snowflakes under her command that were so delicate and soft they would melt on skin contact to gently precipitate over the countryside.

 ** _CLAP! CLAPP! CLAPPP! CLAPPP!_**

"Yeah, yeah! Such pretty snowflakes!"

"Happy birthday, your Majesty!"

"We love you, Queen Elsa!" The watching crowd of citizens were pleased as punch that their beloved young Queen was displaying her full control of the elements, no longer to lose control.

They all break into cheers of adulation the second before the clock tower chimes the midnight hour on Elsa of Arendelle's birthday celebration, and it officially comes to its fortuitous end.

"Yay! Happy merry holly jolly winter greeting tidings of good cheer!" Olaf takes the opportunity to sing out the festive holiday season that was only just starting as he dances with Eliana a jig in the new fallen aurora borealis lit snow.

"Told ya you could do it!" Anna congratulates her big sister with two thumbs-up to Mama and Papa who wave down at their pair of pink-cheeked and healthy, grown-up daughters and the two young men they had chosen in this life as partners standing beside them both.

"We have two happy children now at last, Agdar, with two beautiful futures promising to be full of love and marriage and passion in the fairytale happy ending in store for each of them. Just like the fabled one my fine young man had given me the chance to be the heroine of not so very long ago." On tiptoe, Queen Idun finds a spot on King Agdar's cheek that was not covered by his King Olaf's long, full ginger beard as she amorously caresses his other cheek.

With more than one inquisitive eye in the throng of spectators watching the sticky scene, the secretly somewhat shy and inward Norwegian King blushes beneath his costume's ginger bearded hirsute-ness.

"You still color too easily at a woman's wiles, Agdar. You have not much matured in these twenty-five years. In some circles, it said to show weakness." Prince Waldemar says, having one drink too many at the punch table, as his dilapidated Roman senator leaf crown circlet signified.

Idun's annoying cousin stumbles over to where the King and Queen were holding court to eavesdrop on their tender exchange.

"Or it shows he has been so moved by her true sentiment enough to shrewdly listen. Which displays both strength and courage, Cousin Waldemar, which you sorely lack, as a bachelor who will never learn better." The Duchess Helene puts her obese cousin in his place quite succinctly, causing Agdar and Idun to share a chuckle at meeting someone who finally would bring the over-opinionated man to heel.

"Oh, I have missed you, my 'Helene of Troy.' _Je me soumets à votre plus grande sagrasse, Ma chèrie_. (I submit to your greater wisdom, my darling.)" The man in the striking black and red Harlequin suit laughs, confessing he had sorely missed her stable presence and bold comportment, even against such an older intimidating man such as her vexing, fat cousin, as Waldemar squirrels away like a shameless coward.

"What is a future without ' _love and marriage and passioné'_? Though not necessarily in that order. Are they not the cleverer of our species, as well as the more attractive, _Amiral_? Our ladies are so very astute in this delicate area of discernment that we men often lack in our competitive bluster. Perhaps we men would be wise to listen to them more often, lest we come to further harm." Saying quite a mouthful for women's liberation in his debonair French Revolutionary style, Prince Ferdinand Egalité compliments Queen Idun, giving King Agdar a thought-provoking smirk.

The notably nimble French Prince makes his way through the Masquerade guests to where the King and Queen of Arendelle had moved from the ballroom to the Great Hall where they would respectfully see their many guests off for the night.

"My Helene thoroughly agrees with you on that pronouncement of love and the future, Madame Bernadotte, do you not, _cher cœur_ (dearheart)?" The svelte Frenchman is soon joined by his longtime fiancée, who curtsies quite respectfully to the Norwegian royals.

The Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin may not have owned ' _the face that launched a thousand ships'_ , but she did exude a certain calm, quiet, self possession of inward confidence that was refreshing to behold.

"I must say, it appears that Prince Ferdinand's new friend – your inimitable future son-in-law, Your Majesties – has had a positive impact on my fiancée's ever wavering resolve. My Ferdinand's future has always been assured, whatever the order or length of time it took for him to realize it." The serious faced, brown curl haired German Royal woman in the Columbine maid outfit smoothes her French Crown Prince's frilly Harlequin collar back from his chin, straightening it rigidly right, just as she did for so many other wrinkles in his life.

"And he is all the better for it. Egalitè needn't have spoken much of the specifics for me to see how much of a hold you constantly kept over his heart. I feel as if I know you already and am pleased to meet you at last, Duchess Helene. Prince Hans of the Southern Isles at your service."

Charming Hans had escorted Elsa with Kristoff and Anna behind to return to the Castle's interior to attend to the Queen's visitors once more for the evening before retiring.

"Likewise, Prince Hans. I can clearly see why the Queen of Arendelle has chosen you among all men—and not only for your good looks." With her thick German accent, Duchess Helene's strict voice pitches softer when she sees the evident emotion between the Danish Prince and that of the young Norwegian Queen hanging on his arm.

"He does unquestioningly have those, particularly in that especially fetching and sleek knight's armor." Princess Amber adds her praising comment as she trots up to Elsa on the arm of her less remarkable Prince Desmond. But the costumed Merlin's shy, puppy dog eyes were only for his ' _Cendrillon'_ (Cinderella) who chose to dance with her blissful young man for most of the exciting Masquerade night she was thrilled to participate in all the mysteries thereof.

"Queen Elsa! Your birthday waltz was divine! I think we've never had so much fun at a party as much as we did tonight! This is my good friend, Prince Hugo. He arrived near the end of the Ball. But you were pretty busy with all your own romantic drama that you probably didn't notice him suddenly appear. I was surprised myself." Princess Sofia definitely _did notice_ the dashing young man on whose arm she was attached to.

The Princess of Enchancia's pretty pink cheeks were literally glowing as she had been spun and danced back into the Castle by her favorite dance partner. "I'm so glad you made it to dance the last waltz with me." She whispers into the dark sepia hair of the unaccounted male guest.

The handsome young man was quite the stranger to Elsa, who felt she had become intimately acquainted with nearly every eligible royal young man in all of Europe and beyond by now.

"Enchante, Queen Elsa. _Ya ocharovan vstrechey s toboy, vashe velichestvo. Udivitel'nyy vnutrenniy dvor vashego korolevstva vyglyadit tak krasivo, chto ya khotel by katat'sya na nem v lunnom svete_ (I am enchanted to meet you, your Majesty. Your kingdom's fascinating courtyard looks so beautiful that I would love to skate upon it in the moonlight.)" Dark, dashing Prince Hugo of Zimnij awards Elsa with a sweeping bow. The long-legged young man elegantly moves in rhythm with the string quartet music softly playing in the background across the vestibule to bow as he kisses the back of the hand of the surprised blonde Queen.

"Oh, hehe." Elsa chuckles nervously, her lessons in the Slavic languages of her Eastern neighbors not quite up to par as she would have liked now that she was confronted with a fluidly speaking visitor from the region.

Hans silently takes a full forward step in front of Elsa, clutching her waist rather possessively at the unwelcome entrance of this latest young prince.

" _YA uveren, vy by khoteli_. (I'm sure you would be.) I don't believe I've had the pleasure of your introduction, Sir." Although, linguistically fluent Prince Hans, on the other hand, translated the playful, colorful phrasing of the Prince who was eyeing Hans' fiancée with a fair amount of competitive greeting.

"Oh, forgive me for forgetting the formalities in my enthusiasm of glimpsing your Arendelle kingdom's extraordinary remarkable possibilities! I only was stating in my native tongue previously how your courtyard is breathtaking. I am Prince Hugo of Zimnij. I realize I should have introduced myself earlier, when I arrived much later than expected due to a delay on the part of my dogsled team to join you in celebration at your birthday Masquerade Ball, your Majesty. I am sorry not to be in costume, but there simply was no time to change on our _racing_ trip here." The tall Russian Prince explains, tossing Sofia a quirky smile at the enticing term 'racing'.

"Once again, I must thank you for allowing me to view it by the beauty of moonlight. I can only dream of how glorious it appears in the crystalline snow at daybreak, much akin to our Winter Palace in St. Petersburg." Romantic Prince Hugo was sporting a violet suit jacket and a fuchsia silk shirt with aquamarine trim and a gold medallion symbol of his kingdom's crest proudly dangling around his slender neck.

"You are very welcome." Elsa answers with a respectful nod to the King and Queen of Enchancia – Sofia's parents – who stroll up when they spy the flamboyant young visitor.

"Prince Hugo is a frequent guest at Enchancia, and is one of my son and daughters' dearest friends." With a motherly nod to her cherished daughter Sofia, Queen Miranda, wearing her best interpretation of the legendary Valkyrie warrior maiden, smiles to Elsa.

She and her husband King Roland had emerged with King Agdar and Queen Idun into the Arendelle Great Hall where, the Norwegian Royal family would bid their respected visitors goodnight after the long and exciting, successful Birthday Masquerade for their daughter.

"Hildegard! Cleo! I didn't think you would make it tonight! Such a shame you didn't get the chance to dress up and wear a fine Masquerade Ball dress as we did!" Still exhilarated by the Royal Ball, conceited Princess Amber signals for her twin brother Prince James to join the little party of last-minute visitors, whom he would be most interested in seeing.

Of course the self-absorbed girl wasn't aware her nice, boy-next-door brother had already been accosted by the pair of girls still sparring over him by the end of the ball.

"You must have had too much wine again, Amber. Obviously you haven't seen my stunning costume and perfect coiffure, or I would have blown your airy mind away." The spoiled rotten Princess of Freezenberg challenges her Enchancia counterpart good friend with the miffed, saucy remark. The violet long curly-haired Princess removes the long brown hooded cloak of Quasimodo's that Prince James had dutifully supplied her with to join the birthday girl and her bugle blowing silly ceremony in the cold outdoors earlier.

Hildegard tosses the cloak right onto her friend carelessly to reveal her lavish orchid scarfed gypsy costume beneath that clearly outshines her friend named Cleo who was more of a fade in the background type, shrinking violet. Hildegard ostentatiously exposes her sixteenth century Esmeralda the gypsy dancer red and purple low-cut, showy dress to give a rolling eyed Prince Hugo a catty smile.

"We are glad to have you all here safe and sound after your long and arduous journey, Your Highnesses. It sounds quite exciting to race a dogsled team from the eastern boundaries into Norway." Idun bows her head with the cordial niceties to the good-looking young Prince who missed nearly all the night's thrilling ups and downs and magnificent dance of mystery that produced an advantageous outcome of Hans and Elsa being publicly accepted as a couple by her stubborn husband.

 _Thank goodness he's Princess Sofia's sweetheart. One less suitor for your Hans to deal with, my lovely girl…_

"Exciting? Dogsled racing is hardly that! And nothing compared to a fabulous Ball, your Majesties! But someone's silly dogsled _had_ to go the **long** way around the fjord to make us late. We almost missed showing off our fabulous outfits." Princess Hildegard of Freezenberg throws back her hair in snobbish consternation, with ringlets that had been curled and frizzed out into true gypsy style.

The finicky Royal Princess of one of the many Germanic duchies glares at her royal 'chauffeur', who had promised Princess Sofia's best friends, wanting to surprise her, they would arrive in time for the Masquerade via his speedy, record-breaking twelve team dog sled.

"I'm sure Hugo did his best, Hildy. My, isn't this place like a magical snow globe Wonderland?" The third member of the unexpected visitors who traveled by way of the racing Prince Hugo's sled, was of a more demure and quiet demeanor.

Princess Hildegard's tagalong childhood sidekick, Princess Cleo, had her darkest brown hair quick styled into a long ponytail, pulled back and gold bound in an Arabian Princess' loose style with a bejeweled Arabian kerchief on her head. The tan skinned Princess was donning a pair of aqua poofy pants in Agrabah Princess Jasmine style.

But pretty Cleo had been buried beneath the cocoa brown robe to keep her undercover and allow her more vain and showy best friend to shine.

"I would have far preferred you to be the more chiseled jaw Roman Captain of the Guard Phoebus, like in the book, James. I have no idea why you chose this outlandish, warped human being get up – oh well. You're still so cute anyway, the hunchback of Notre Dame will have to do to complete our Victor Hugo motif." Princess Hildegard haughtily states, always taking her romantic hold over Amber's twin brother for granted.

Whereas, her sedate, slender and demure tan skinned Princess friend from Corinthia was more the sweet roll to James' softened butter as he was once again caught between the pair of lovely ladies silently vying over him.

As Cleo looks away, Hildegard awards a glimmering smile to Prince James who was horrified at the Princess of Freezenberg's meanness to her quiet unobtrusive friend.

"This party has been so amazing, Queen Elsa! Thank you for inviting our family, and it looks like our friends are here too, Princess Anna!" Bubbly Sofia tries to give her half-brother some cover as she literally yanks his fat from the fire to address the more amicable Arendelle females.

"Sure, Sofia! We've become such good friends in one day, I just wish you guys didn't have to go so soon already! Just when we were really starting to get to know one another!" Friendly Anna really did like Sofia and James and even her sister, Amber. The Arendelle Princess appreciated all they did to help this night's masquerading grand scheme, as she gives the yellow Belle costumed beauty a warm hug to show her gratitude.

"Then may I propose we stay on a few days more in this 'Winter Wonderland' of a snowy sportsman's dream, as you call it, Sofie. It would be the perfect place for an ice skating competition, do you not think? I bet the Ice Queen herself would give a _nezabvennyy_ \- an unforgettable – performance." Prince Hugo pipes about the blue, his love of sport and desire to never be left out of anything exciting rearing its valiant head as he spins Princess Sofia around in a perfectly executed spin while brashly announcing his sudden idea.

"A combined skating exhibition? What an intriguing scenario, min kæreste." Prince Hans picks up the not imperceptible challenge from this combative Russian Prince who was rubbing the Dane the wrong way for being pushy enough to inherently refer to Hans' Elsa in such an offhanded and impertinent way.

"Sounds like a 'game on' to me! Christmas themed figure skating match sounds like fun, doesn't it, Kristly?" Anna jumps in, hearing dribs and drabs of the newcomers' proposition while she had been giving the evil eye to ward off any of the straggling suitors from greeting Elsa with anything more than a passing _'Happy birthday, Queen Elsa'_ or _'Good night, your Majesty, thank you for an enjoyable party.'_

"I think it would be a blast to participate with some people our own age, Elsa! Kristoff and I are definitely in the skating match!" Eager Anna was keen on any chance to go outside and play, though a gulping Kristoff honestly recognized her skills, not to mention his own, had not much improved to enter into any sort of competition, despite years of multiple skating parties.

"Yep. Tons of fun." The more down to earth partner in their marriage rolls his eyes at the memory of Anna's slipshod attempts at the sport that required balance, never mind the Ice Harvester's own lumbering skills of keeping the feisty female erect rather than bottoms down on the ice.

"King Agdar, if I may have a quiet word with you?" Hans uses the opportunity of the young people engaging in the inane social conversation when he sees King Agdar just turn to leave the room.

"Not now, Vise Admiral." The icy King pushes him to the back burner when Agdar sees many of the irate Prince Royals signaling their early departure.

"Understood, sir." The dutiful officer in Hans obeys, though feeling deflated inside to be put off again.

"Oh, Hugo! We haven't had a proper ice dancing competition since we were kids!" Sofia exclaims as she claps her buttery yellow gloved hands together, obviously enthusiastic at the thought as she squeezes Anna's hands in excited joy.

"Now, children. We mustn't overstay our welcome. Perhaps the Royal family has wished to spend a quiet family Christmas together and be glad to see their annoying guests off." King Roland pleasantly as possible rebukes Sofia's Royal beau/sporting rival as his kindly eyes over his graying moustached smile meet that of his Scandinavian counterpart.

"Don't be silly, Your Majesty! You, Queen Miranda, all your children and their friends as well would be more than welcome to spend your holidays with us. It will be rather nice for our families to share the joyous season of Christ's birth with the gates wide open for once with new friends. Will it not, Agdar? Especially since our dear girls have become such close bosom friends already with the visiting princesses. It will be good for them to have some other girls their age to enjoy the season and explore the great outdoors in the festive sporting events that Princess Sofia's young man suggests." Queen Idun speaks up for her struck mute husband, who was still of the cold reclusive nature to warmly welcome any further strangers – especially young people – to the kingdom.

Particularly now that his paternal plans for Elsa's secure future had been foiled by that persistent Dane who was now officially to be his son-in-law.

 _Argh. That means our Norwegian bloodline and that of the Danes will be joined, despite all my protests._

 _But I suppose it is ultimately Elsa's choice. I do trust my daughter. It's him I will simply have to keep an eye on should that winsome young man try to usurp the kingdom or exert his influence to undermine our sovereignty in the name of_ _Denmark_ _–_

"Yes, Roland." The King finally responds. "Perhaps a few seasonal events in the wide open outdoors in competition with fellow young people all around in this bracing cold winter may prove to be stimulating for our children this Christmas. Your family may accompany ours as we go to choose the perfect Christmas tree from the forests. And Arendelle Chapel's Christmas Eve bellringing Mass, I must say, is remarkable." The Arendelle King, remembering Christmases of years ago, brushes thoughtfully at his ginger beard with the quickly added rejoinder after his Queen gives her moody man a pursed lip warning from beneath her Queen Astrid long veils.

"Then that's settled. You have me convinced of spending a wonderful family Christmas here in one of the most glorious kingdoms in all of Christendom, King Agdar, Queen Idun! If that's amicable to yourself and the children, Miranda? I think it much better than wandering around aimlessly with strangers on that Continental river tour we had booked." King Roland, wearing his Scottish King Fergus' green plaid kilt and black bear fur cape outfit quite proudly, bows his crowned head to his long braided brown haired wife.

She was boldly wearing a rather risqué female Valkyrie warrior armored costume, tall leather boots, gauntlet bracers, filmy short skirt, golden fitted bust armor with winged helmet and all.

 _Just look at these well-crafted boots_! The former shoe cobbler of Enchancia mentally compliments her own costume she chose from the replete Arendelle Masquerade changing room's footwear choice.

"Of course, Roland. What a splendid idea for all concerned. I know how you wish to discuss becoming a vital trading partner of Arendelle with King Agdar – and Queen Elsa, of course—before we left home. And now here's your serendipitous chance." Queen Miranda wisely was inclusive of the less vocal of the shared ruling monarchs who had been sedately standing in the sidelines while her parents settled their visiting guests' situation.

"Yes, it's a fine opportunity for creating new international trade deals." Elsa was imperceptibly prompted by her handsome Prince's decisive mind for deal-making when Hans' strong arm she was leaning on urges her to take the initiative rather than merely bowing to her father's lead in dealing with rulers of other nations.

"Then that's all decided. Our kingdom welcomes you to Arendelle, Royal family of Enchancia! Let us get you all well settled into our finest guest suites in the west wing of the Castle tonight. And please, it's just 'Idun' and 'Agdar', 'Elsa' and 'Anna' of course! Do feel free to leave off the formalities so we address each other on a first name only basis, as this will be a more intimate family gathering, Roland, Miranda. Heehee, what fun to have guests staying over, for once, my love." Idun was a more social person at heart than her recluse husband, and could see how the interaction with the pleasant visitor family would be a good distraction for her King.

Negotiations would hopefully give Elsa and Hans some space to enjoy these first precious days in the sun unfettered with time to steal away together amid entertaining guests where Agdar would be required to be on his best behavior and refrain from spying on the freshly reunited couple.

And at the same time, allow the overbearing Papa - with clearer vision again now - the chance to become accustomed to seeing how suited a pair and how in love Elsa and her dashingly charming, well-mannered young man were, in the peaceful setting of Christmas.

Perhaps even enough to coax and convince the stubborn hardhead that a quick wedding would soon be in order.

"May I say, you look absolutely stunning in that Valkyrie costume, Miranda! How jealous I am of your pluck! When it arrived with the costume trunk from Paris, I myself was tempted to don it for the Masquerade, but there was so much going on in the planning for my daughter's birthday celebration, I'm afraid I must admit to being a bit unadventurous in dressing up so brazenly bold. But you pulled off that look amazingly well, my dear." As she leads her first genuine houseguest – ever! – upstairs, Idun compliments her counterpart. The often subdued petite Swedish woman was impressed and a little jealous of the tall, undaunted widow shoemaker who had surpassed all the day's convention by winning the heart of a King, and go from working class single mom to Royal Queen in the blink of wee sprite's eye.

"Looks to me like the fun never ends here in Arendelle. I think I'm going to miss this crazy place. Thanks for the invite, your Majesty, but it seems my adoring public demands me in other kingdoms. You understand, right?" Not cured of his vanity entirely, Prince Alonso's scratchy, bored voice makes the commentary with a raised glass salute to King Agdar whose imploring letter to woo his daughter first brought him to this dangerous, yet enchanted Land of the Midnight Sun.

The King of Norway nods at his first eligible suitor stab as he passes Prince Alonso on his way into the hallway to satiate a few of the other more irritated ones at being so publicly humiliated by his daughter, the Queen of Arendelle.

The dapper young man was back in his Córdoban uniform's stylishly Spanish cut, gold and black tunic. He had been informed by a certain ravishing Paraiso Princess that he must bid their hosts a quick _'Bueno noches',_ so here he obediently was.

Princess Valentina left it to her fiancé to inform of their hasty departure to the continent via the magic reindeer of Arendelle everyone spoke so highly about that she conscripted them both from the Official Arendelle Ice Harvester and Deliverer.

They would be off to Europe to spend Christmas with some of her House of Braganza relatives and her dear uncle Pedro, ready to no doubt start off their matrimonial preparation celebration in his two-month party extravaganza countdown style.

The King and Queen of Paraiso visited Portugal yearly with their one and only precious daughter. Now she was ready to show off the massive diamond ring her Crown Prince Alonso had finally placed on her finger, just as she, the Crown Princess, had been demanding for a long while now.

"Sure didn't imagine it would all end this way a month ago when I first showed up here. But you'll just have to find some way to enjoy yourselves without me. I know it'll be hard." With a self-confident, crooked smile that befitted his vanity, yet spoke of fond camaraderie for the memorable friends made, the Argentinean Prince walks up to the Royal family gathered center of the Great Hall, and Queen Elsa in particular.

Alonso gives the beautiful Ice Queen a flamboyantly sweeping bow complete with a roguish farewell kiss to the back her extended pale hand. And green-eyed (in more ways than one) Hans, for once, was only too glad to allow this privilege to Prince Alosno among all the suitors the King had laid before him.

Hans and Alonso did not entirely hit it off from the start, after the jealous Dane arrived in Arendelle with gossip column reports that the young Córdoban Prince was his chief rival for Elsa's current affections.

But Alonso had proven to be a heroic good man, better friend and decent human being all along this incredible December than even the self absorbed Prince would have ever given himself credit for.

Besides, Hans Westergaard had little doubt of his Elsa harboring attraction for Prince Alonso, even when the Devil Troll King made her dominate and possess the South American Prince as her slave during her maddened Black Ice Queen phase, she wasn't interested.

Alonso, despite himself, had come a long way from being that spoiled brat he was when he first arrived in Arendelle. After proving himself a hero and not a coward to run away when all was going wrong, even rather useful on the battlefield at times, Prince Alonso had selflessly pitched in to help Hans become engaged to the very Queen the Crown Prince was supposedly pursuing for himself.

Subsequently, Alonso was rewarded, having gotten himself betrothed in the interim to the vivacious Princess of Paraiso whose claws were so firmly in him now that Hans had no need to worry in the slightest any further.

"I suppose it is about time we all grew up, eh, Elsa? But remember to spend your days in the sun, pretty pale lady. And think of me, every now and then." Alonso winks in his best gallant fashion as he guiltily moves back to where Princess Valentina was impatiently tapping her toe, with a point up at the donging Arendelle clocktower which marked the half-hour past midnight.

The Argentine signals for one of the few last servants serving out drinks to fill his glass to the top one last time before he was forced to go out and brave the freezing cold this man from south of the equator was not at all comfortable in.

"Thank you for the enchanting evening, dearests! We already have said our adieus to your parents, dear Queen Elsa! Farewell Princess Anna! You must promise me that you and your handsome man will attend the biggest event soon to take place in the Western Hemisphere! Our wedding! You are all invited to attend! It's to take place in Paraiso on the most romantic day of the year – Valentine's Day! What could be more perfect!? The Royal wedding of Crown Princess Valentina on Valentine's Day 1842 will be the celebration of the year – perhaps even the decade!" The dark skinned beauty claims her Prince's arm (if not including _his_ name to the flashy wedding title) most possessively as she advertises her much-anticipated wedding day to anyone who cared to hear.

Princess Valentina seemed to be a little bit more competitive even about such unimportant things as a particulate date as she looks at Elsa quite pointedly.

"Tell me you haven't set your wedding date with John there for sooner, Queen Elsa! I'm sure you haven't! Weddings are such precious, once-in-a-lifetime, significant events for a young woman, there's nothing else she can think about until it happens at last! Ha ha hah! Of course, Alonsy and I have been planning ours for years and years. He just didn't know all the details about the wedding date until tonight. Every proper girl must count down to her wedding date if she's truly in love with her man. " Forever getting names wrong because she didn't give much mundane thought to the owner thereof, Princess Valentina was like a whirlwind of showy expression as the ostentatious young woman in her big pink puffed gown spins poor Alonso like a plaything across the dance floor one more time.

 _John? Oh, she meant Hans! Our wedding day? That's right! Hans has asked me to set it and I still haven't answered him, have I?! He must think me a terrible fiancée! Valentina already knows everything about hers and they only just become engaged at the party. I've had months and haven't given much thought to the actual ceremony…And she's right. It's supposed to be all I can think of, isn't it?_

"It's the reward of Valentine's _night_ you should be most excited for, Val." Giving Hans a lordly, almost triumphant smirk over Valentina and Elsa's heads, Alonso raises his glass full of ' _cold trip fortifying'_ brandy and tantalizingly murmurs this in his betrothed's ear under the intoxicating northern moon.

"Purr. Sounds about time to me, Handsome. I have had my trousseau already designed with your excellent tastes in mind, Alonsy." The Princess in her signature pinks literally purrs in her captured Prince's ear in return.

With a silly grin crawling across his comely features as result of the warming alcoholic beverage, Alonso shrugs to Elsa what she missed out on, and simpers in one last show off to his Danish sparring rival. Then he follows Valentina's lead towards the waiting flying reindeer team of Svala and Sven where a modestly Domino cloak covered Kristoff was instructing faithful Manuel on how to care for the magical, swift moving Rangifer transport that Valentina asked specifically for.

 _And what Valentina wants, Valentina gets._

Sven and Svala's skybound journey would certainly shorten the just-engaged couple's travel time exponentially. The flying reindeers would drop their South American visitors off in Portugal and still make it back to Arendelle for Christmas Eve for sure, if the furry grey friends left tonight.

 _Reward?… Wedding night!…_ Elsa's eyes start to glaze over as she looks from flirtatious Alonso and seductive Valentina to her betrothed, whose quizzical gaze she was almost unable to meet.

Something inside Elsa screams in a frantic panic, yet she didn't wish to jeopardize breaking this magical evening's spell by discussing her fears of that very unspoken event. She was already a great disappointment, she was certain, in contrast to the Brazilian Princess' decisive urbane verve and enthusiasm for the future event Alonso was intimating.

Introverted Elsa couldn't even imagine herself acting as bold as Valentina sounded in response, even with her own handsome Prince of the Southern Isles when their time came…

"I'm sure Westergaard knows just what I'm talking about." Alonso's eyebrows waggle at Hans as he tosses back his coiffed mane of dark brown hair while mounting Sven gallantly with his pink frilly handful of a future bride. The Argentinean young man mischievously takes audacious point of the word 'handful' literally beneath her frilly skirt as he lifts her, much to Valentina's cooing delight.

"I **am** a lifelong naval officer." Hans meets his former rival's gaze with succinct gravity as opposed to Elsa's wide eyed gaze at the underlying innuendo inferred.

"Then let's drink to that." Alonso lifts his nearly empty glass to his lips as if in one last dare.

"Don't mind if I do." In one seamless motion, Prince Hans need not even turn his trained gaze from being locked with Alonso's to acquisition a glass full of a similarly stiff alcoholic beverage on the tray being served out to steady those boldly going out in the bitter cold this late at night.

"To the Queen!" Though knowing his stiff alcoholic tolerance was never his strong point, the vice where one lost control not normally to his liking, Hans was not prepared to back down either. Not from the dare from his number one main rival he'd entertained many thoughts of soundly thrashing during his trip here on this giddy, gaudy night.

With aplomb nonetheless, Hans boldly toasts his platinum lady love anyway with a smile and vigilant eyes glad to see his prospective father-in-law not yet returned to the Great Hall.

"To the Queen." With his own romantic royal interest in mind, more tolerant of drink Alonso gives Valentina a wicked smirk and she licks her lips at his bravado, though Elsa's startled eyes go wide at her shocking man's display.

The pair of competitive young men then both down their drinks as if in a macho challenge to see who would finish their intoxicating beverage first, as well as other unsaid topics.

To which Hans shockingly is victor, despite his tumbler being full and Alonso's already half empty.

"…He he heh…" Just coming down from her enraptured state of joy that her handsome Prince was nearby, Elsa was shy to speak of such foreign matters that made her nervous at seeing her chivalrous Hans so verbally arrogant like this, and yet…not entirely disliking it either.

However the facts of life and the reality of his full claim to her once off-limits body in the holy sacrament of marriage was just dawning upon her enlightened soul as Elsa witnesses the momentary wolfish hunger flash in her in Hans' foxy eyes.

"We will be setting our wedding date very soon as well and you both will be invited as honored dignitaries of your respective countries. Of course we can only hope our bridal tour will not be too interrupted if it coincides with your wedding ceremony in South America." The self-assured Dane over-confidently expounds. The stiff drink in him was that certain he could make a compelling argument to convince the King of his expeditious marriage to Elsa before returning to his required commission at sea.

This little bit of riled-up male competition after a few drinks caused the usually intuitive Hans not to sense Elsa's anxious rigid form as he escorts her out to the front where Alonso and Valentina were boarding the reindeer team's attached sleigh under faithful Manuel's command.

"All the children will think you're Santa and his reindeer sleigh bringing gifts early this year, Alonso!" As she gives Sven and his Christmastime blanket with decorative jingle bells strung in his antlers a loving pet, Anna teases the half drunk Argentinean Prince who had become their good friend in a way during this difficult time.

"Oh, dear Lord. Let's hope not for a _very_ long time. I've heard that is one unfortunate consequence of weddings." Never enamored of children, self-centered Valentina expresses her dislike for both the thought of annoying little tykes running around her perfect, prim Palace in Paraiso, or her stunningly slim, slender stomach either.

"Anyway! I'm sure ours will be first. Now you must promise me, Elsa, you and your handsome Prince will be sitting in the front row of our wedding in Paraiso! Who knows? Maybe you will even garner some ideas from our colorfully modern, magnificent wedding to embrace in your staid, quaint Scandinavian future one." Ever the vainglorious braggart, the royal female had been groomed by her father to be this competitive in nature, having royal rivalries with many other young women over the years whom Valentina felt intimidated by.

"Tootaloo, dearests! Keep one another warm in this dreadfully cold climate! At least until it's your turn to cozy up in bed with your own hot toddy!" With the innuendo laden phrases, the force of nature named Princess Valentina of Paraiso snuggles into the warm fur wraps and numerous plush thermal blankets her servant Manuel had lined the sled with for his mistress to brave the cool Norwegian skies.

With a clingy shove over, the Brazilian beauty possessively repositions her enviable bottom to sit atop her surprised – and not _too_ unhappily – similarly heavily coated Prince Alonso's lap.

"Looks like we will be, soon enough. Ahem. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em." The quirky raised brow Córdoban at last recognized that he had met his match in the flirtatious, vivacious, unstoppable vixen, as the half drunk young man buries his comely features in Valentina's dark brown cascades of fresh brushed out waves of curls beneath that white furry hat.

The Brazilian beauty had just recently changed from her stunning Titania the Fairy Queen costume and considered it more dramatic a traveling fashion look to have her full head of dark hair wild and free. She instinctively knew it made her appear most advantageously excited and free-spirited as the prim Princess felt, vindicated at last as a woman who caught her man.

"Bye-bye! Safe trip!" Anna was there to slap a sleepy Sven on the rear, with a ready carrot to wake him up before his trip to the continent.

"Goodbye." Elsa joins Anna in warmly waving their well wishes to their unlikely new friends as a vigilantly watching Wind Whisperer Kristoff sends Sven the silent message via their psychic communication that the skies were clear for the sleigh to depart on its two day journey to the southernmost part of the European continent and back.

"King Juan Ramón should be most pleased with the romantic outcome of this trip for his only son." Chancellor Esteban Flores makes the mature mental note out loud when the bullfighter costumed official of Avalor casually strides up beside King Agdar and Queen Idun.

The trio gaze out the window to see the jingle bells sleigh take off to the deep night sky carrying the ostentatious Princess of Paraiso and her newly affianced Prince of Córdoba some 1500 miles southbound to her regal relatives in Portugal.

"He's not the only one with a successful romantic conquest to be pleased about, eh, Esteban?" Matchmaker Queen Idun quietly murmurs to her old friend as she watches Esteban's gracefully aged eyes light up in a certain, undeniable way when dutiful Johanne returns from changing from her shocking red flamenco Masquerade costume back to her less colorful, severe ladies' maid garb, ever ready to be useful to her Queen who was soon to retire in need of her services.

"This is true. _Gracias_ for a most compelling evening, King Agdar, poco ave canora. Do pardon me, I have a lady to assist." The classy Foreign Minister gives a clipped bow and excuses himself from Arendelle's royal first couple and their uppity guests, to instead lend his gentlemanly aid to the domestic woman he had offered his heart and home to this night as well.

Chancellor Esteban lends his Johanne his capable hands and ambient charm too in helping clear away the disordered ball room and attend to any party guests who needed to be shown to their rooms for the night before they left in their docked ships in the morning.

"May I congratulate you and your heroic Prince Hans in your official engagement, Your Royal Majesty, as well as the magnifico Masquerade birthday celebration we were privileged to enjoy. I hope to be present at your wedding ceremony soon, as I would hope to have you grace us with your presence at our wedding in Avalor in the near future." Esteban grooms his eloquent moustache and well trimmed, black and white goatee as he gives a flowing bow to Elsa as the last flamboyant act of his toreador's billowy sleeves and vibrant red muleta cape outfit.

"Avalor?!" Minister Kai suddenly bursts out, all the nobles left pleasantly chattering in the Great Room giving a pause at the awkward interruption from the normally silent as the grave manservant.

The unsettled man had been hanging around to spy where a charming Chancellor had been conversing with the King and Queen, eavesdropping until the indispensable servant's proper etiquette senses had been affronted by the idea.

His one and only younger sibling striking out into the world with this, this come-hither-eyed lothario, after all the years time and tide had successfully divided them.

"Kai, please. Decorum." With an artificial smiled whisper under his long ginger beard, King Agdar sympathizes with his best friend/servant/tutor. But the Arendelle King had to keep up appearances before this group of visiting Prince Royals that he and Queen Idun had been cordially bidding goodnight, with discussions for arranged pledges of peace talks and trade deals for future dates.

The King of Arendelle would be quite busy himself entertaining the dignitaries, as his wife had convinced him that the beauteous younger Queen would be out of the public eye, at least for the morning's holiday start ahead.

"Yes, sire. Forgive me." Biting his trembling lip, the large set man does his utmost to button up his raw emotion and his George Washington coat vest as well. It had popped open in Kai's excitement over this unwelcome news of the impending ceremony in a distant kingdom of Avalor rather than here in Arendelle, where dutiful Kai had no hope of being in attendance even to give the bride away.

With her father and mother, holding court on one side of the room, preoccupied with attending to the stream of retiring guests, Elsa was on the other side near the door accepting many well wishes for both her birthday and engagement.

Not to mention her upcoming wedding's fuzzy details that had rumors abounding after Prince Hans' statements to Alonso titillated the crowd.

With the ability to be as jealous as his red hair required, competitive Prince Hans was only too glad to lord over his former rival and ensure it was clear on their gentlemen's honor not to encroach upon his territory henceforth, even if the Vise Admiral would be forced to return to his ship prior to a wedding.

 _I hope the Admiral can see his way to extending my request for holiday leave this Christmastime, to spend with his family in Arendelle and continue on until our wedding date, as per the specified 'limited time' in our conversation earlier._

 _Nonetheless, I simply must elucidate to my Snowflake angel of my overwhelming desire to have our wedding ceremony occur as swiftly as possible before my re-deployment so that we have at least a few days time to consummate our marriag – argh! – curb yourself, man!_

With a few unbarred, racy mental images flashing in his head most likely due to the quick surge of alcohol he imbibed earlier in a foolish dare, Hans gives his gorgeous woman standing tantalizingly close by him a mysterious smile. How tempting his Sleeping Beauty fair caused his male thoughts to be less than exemplary virtuous as Hans shakes himself soberly awake.

 _It is all perfectly natural in God's plan for men and women, once holy matrimony is achieved_. Closing his cloudy eyes tightly, Hans placates himself with the decency justification, clearing his mind and the multiple texts he, as a maturing adolescent teen, had sought out to educate himself on how to be the perfect mate for the Queen of Arendelle.

"Ah, Westergaard! I have come to bid you – Hmm, what interesting thought _is_ on your mind to have you suddenly go all red in the face, right to the tips of your big Danish ears? As if I cannot imagine your anticipation so close at hand, you lucky cur. Sacre bleu! Have you been drinking, mon ami?" Ferdinand Egalité had come to bid the happy couple " _adieu"_. But once he saw his Danish companion's red features and subsequently brandy-scented features, as well as the sappy pathetic look of the body language towards his awe-inspiring young Queen, it was more than obvious to his trained eyes of such romantic matters.

The helpful Frenchman once again goes right into action.

"Here, you need this more than I, if you are to speak with the King again tonight with any shred of politesse." Ferdinand Egalitè magically produces a secret flask from inside his yet Harlequin dressed torso.

With a puzzled look, Hans takes a swig of the bitter black coffee and potent – _was that berry?_ \- contents of the small metal flask, not even asking what the distasteful ingredients were that almost instantly brought his heated, whirring mind back to cool sanity.

"It is a concoction of medicinal Chinese Shisandra berries and French Tanzania coffee bean my Papère introduced me to many years ago when I had one too many stiff drinks before speaking to a critical audience. For me, it was the Archbishop Angélique de Talleyrand-Périgord at my Catholic confirmation my dear Mamère would be sorely disappointed if I failed." Egalitè nominally explains his highly caffeinated French 'magic bullet' for instantly erasing any evidence of the effects of alcohol. "The side effect is your breath smells and tastes of rich coffee and exotic berry. All my ladies have said so." The Frenchman explains with a wry smile on his worldly knowledgeable face.

"What am I going to do without you, Egalité?" With all the pressing thoughts racing through his intoxicated swirling head, Hans was now able to think straight with his friend's cure after a deep breath and concealed acceptance of the flask in Ferdinand's proffered hand for him to keep for future reference.

"Keep it as a pre-wedding present, mon frere. There will be mornings you will require it." Ferdinand smirks at his less experienced friend.

" _Merci pour tous vos efforts ce soir, et toutes les fois où vous m'avez libéré avant, mon ami. Je ne sais pas ce que tu as dit au père d'Elsa en mon nom, pour peut-être endiguer la marée et le faire refléchir, mais je ne peux jamais te remercier assez, mon frère. Pour tout._ _Je ne pouvais pas demander un meilleur ami."_ ('Thank you for all your efforts tonight, and all the times you have bailed me out before, my friend. I don't know what you said to Elsa's father on my behalf, to perhaps stem the tide and cause him to relent, but I can never thank you enough. For everything. I couldn't ask for a better friend.')

His clear head speaking in brotherly terms in fluent French—one of the many linguistic achievements Hans rarely had the chance to flaunt—a grateful Hans places his free hand on Ferdinand's arm in friendship, knowing how much planning and forethought the French Prince invested in giving tonight's masquerade its air of mystery, as well as his doubtlessly persuasive delivery of positive words that convinced the unmovable King of Arendelle to consequently put Hans in a better light.

"I am touched, mon ami. And impressed you know so much my native Français." Egalité grants Hans a small salute at his endless talents. " _Ne soyez pas découragé par le froid glacial de l'amiral_. (Do not be discouraged by the frosty chill of the Admiral.) _C'est juste une façade pour protéger sa famille qu'il aime profondément. Il est un homme bon_. (It is but a façade to protect his family he deeply loves. He is a good man.) You will come to appreciate that by and by." In the pretext of full French now that Hans understood, Prince Ferdinand lets down all of his pretenses to speak honestly with true emotion to his younger friend as an older brother would.

"It has been a pleasure to serve alongside you, dear brother Hans." But with that final fond statement, Prince Ferdinand Egalitè shocks Hans by grabbing his silver armored shoulders firmly kissing each of the Dane's stunned, again red cheeks in the very fraternal French manner with the final whispered words of advice concerning the Admiral of the Sjoforvaret both of them well-respected.

All remaining in the thinning out room's audience also were astounded at the outward show of affection between the tall and polished young men.

"Gross." Standing alongside Elsa, Anna sticks out her tongue in that amused/yucked-out gesture of Hans' unfortunate situation, causing Elsa to gain some backbone to rescue her embarrassed fiancé.

"Prince Ferdinand. I will never be able to express my gratitude for your instrumental role in making this day possible and bringing my Hans safely home to me." Elsa had just finished decorously seeing off the last of the suitors to walk up to where a speechless Hans was being molested by the Frenchman.

"Oh, mon petite. Just a single one of your dazzling smiles is worth everything harsh we endured over the difficult cross-continent passage here. And now my dear friend Westergaard can reap his rewards, along with his new home where he has been dreaming to spend this Christmas with you." The rogue Prince of the French lives up to his reputation as he seizes a resigned Elsa by her instantly chilled shoulders, with the intention of kissing her soft pale cheeks in much same manner – and more enjoyably, _pour certainement_ \- as he did Hans.

"If I may have the honor and privilege to borrow your betrothed, _mon frère_?" Ferdinand's roving eyes were drinking in Elsa's silky curves up and down close up, causing the timid girl to blush all over her normally pale skin.

"Lightly, Egalitè." Hans seemed to take satisfaction in the authority of his status as Elsa of Arendelle's authorized protector as his eyes go from warning the Prince of the French to connect with Elsa's biting lipped smile to ready her to brave the incoming smatter of cheek kisses.

"Oh, _mon chèri_. I dare not spoil your immaculate beauty. _Je laisserai cet honneur à Westergaard,_. (I will leave that honor to Westergaard.) For now, I bid you lovebirds adieu." Whether it was Elsa's trembling fear, Hans' wary look or that of the cynical caution written all over Duchess Helene where she was hovering around the trio, Ferdinand intelligently defers to merely grant a gentlemanly sweeping kiss into Elsa's chilly palms he bravely unclenches, to his lips instead.

"My own dear heart, Helena, has informed me of my aged Papa's daily yearning for my homecoming as well this Christmas. It appears we will be entrants in the contest for which of us wanderer rogues will a _homme marié domestiqué_ (domesticated groom) first." The expressive Harlequin flips his jester's hat trail rather testily.

Hans responds with a squeeze to Elsa's jittery hand as Prince Ferdinand confidently explains his abrupt departure and similarly expedient wedding plans to his own longtime, long-suffering betrothed.

That's when King Agdar and Queen Idun come over to where all the action seemed to be taking place, having seen off the remainder of the guests for the night with the servants situating those staying on for Christmas in Arendelle's ample guest rooms that had remained empty for far too long.

"Are you leaving us this early, Egalitè? I hoped you and I could talk some more." Agdar queries his old friend, overhearing a bit of the dialogue between Elsa and the last remnants of her party guests to pick up that Prince Ferdinand was soon departing.

"Alas, _me oui_ , (yes yes) Amirale. I'm afraid that my world exploratory wanderings in far-flung foreign parts have made me derelict in my duties to my homeland and my family for far too long. I am heartbroken to hear my poor Papère has missed having his scalawag eldest son around; no doubt my brothers and sisters must be almost grown-ups by now and barely remember the prodigal; and my dearest Mamère would be enraptured to have her delinquent boy home for Christmas, now that I am back on the continent. Certainly the devout woman will be glad to have her wayward child to attend Holy Mass and celebrate the blessed season of Advent's culmination in the coming of Christ at the Notre Dame Cathedral." The often blasé, unaffected Prince Ferdinand Egalitè has soft spot for his extremely devout religious Catholic Queen Mama, particularly at Christmastide.

"But even our fastest Navy schooner – I _would_ swiftly dispatch, should you so wish it, Egalitè – would take much longer than the three days remaining to arrive at your home in Paris by Christmas, my friend." King Agdar comments, ever thinking four-dimensionally in naval terms, astonished by the outlandish statement, even coming from his devil-may-care, globetrotting young friend.

"Oui. (Yes.) But I have first-hand travel miles to reassure me that another mode of transportation which Prince Hans' frère (brother) Eugene has introduced to me would be able to traverse the distance in plenty of time." Gracefully moving the conversation out towards the balcony, Ferdinand points his Harlequin white gloved finger up to where an even more colorful magic flying carpet had been intuitively hovering around the aurora borealis lit sky.

The Arabian rug had been waiting dutifully upon a more logical and prescient Lady Cassandra's anxious instruction to be at the ready for swift departure back to Corona and his new home with his new master thief's budding family.

"Besides, I have been dying to show off my aerial flying skills to my Helene to loosen her up and get her – how do you say – _'in the mood'_." The Frenchman leans away from his bride, who was saying her formal farewells to the pair of Queens, to address Agdar and Hans' ears expressively with a caddish Cheshire cat grin on his face.

"But you are still in costume, Fernan. Do you not wish to at least stay and change?" The bemused King notes the obvious as he watches the sneaky Harlequin nimbly leap aboard a surprised Magic Carpet.

The mystic rug was food supplied and luggage ready and waiting for his previously scheduled pair of passengers – Cassandra and Varian - who had already booked the ride home to Prussia.

"Why would I do that? This gives me more of the chance to chnage on board in the privacy of the high-altitude where only the birds and the clouds and God in His heaven may be forgiving, watching me finally fulfill my royal duty." Egalitè's raised eyebrows spoke volumes of his open, worldly charm to the not quite astonished men in earshot.

Married man Agdar recovers first, knowingly smirking at his old friend's flippant on all subjects attitude, watching how young Westergaard still was innocent enough to blush at the spicy Frenchman's innuendo.

 _I'm glad to see that in the Danish boy, at least._

"Did you pack your uniform, Ferdinand? We must stop somewhere to change our wardrobe before we arrive in France. That is, if your floor coverlet contraption really has the ability to fly us through the air like the birds for that far a distance. I cringe to think what your Catholic mother will say if I, a 'lowly' Protestant, drag you back to her house appearing in that." Bossy, serious, and proper Duchess Helene of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, with the indirect slight to Ferdinand's overbearing, piously prejudiced mother who opposed their marriage as yet, had the forethought to already pack her change of clothing.

Helene had her small traveling bag fetched from the cloak room where the perspicacious royal female had stashed her more formal travel dress suited to her peerage bloodline status.

"Of course, mon cherie. You are speaking to the always prepared Colonel of the 1st Regiment Hussars and Legionnaire extraordinaire, not to mention your future King of the French." And with the arrogant statement, Ferdinand Philippe Egalitè – who was the master of thinking on his feet, though not all of it based on open honesty – with a possessed pat of ownership produces a satchel from aboard Carpet that appeared filled with the same soft cloth fabric that was previously loaded on Carpet's plush fibers.

 _Did that warm bag smelling of fresh biscuits just move?_

Ferdinand only nominally considers that strange thought as he tosses the 'clothing' bag to the rear of Carpet.

"That's what I was afraid of." Helene was never at a loss of saucy barbs to hurl back at her longtime fiancée as Prince Ferdinand easily lifts her slender body onto a shrugging Carpet's back.

But the serious minded young German woman had years ago psyched herself for anything when she fell madly in love with Ferdinand Egalitè. A devotion completely beyond reason enough to chase her inconstant Prince halfway around the world after becoming tired of waiting for her peripatetic betrothed to return to her.

"Safe journey, Egalitè. Give Louis-Philippe my salutations." King Agdar gives the French Prince a convivial nod and cordial greeting to his father.

 _"'Bon cœur ne peut mentir, mon ami'._ The heart sees farther than the head, my friend." Prince Ferdinand Philippe translates the fitting French idiom to his old war buddy. _"Même les pilules amères peuvent avoir des effets bénéfiques_. Even bitter pills may have blessed effects." With a wisdom beyond his years beneath that nonchalant surface, Egalitè was obviously speaking to Agdar's tense attitude towards accepting the former ostracized Prince into his family fold.

"I hope so indeed, Ferdinand." Agdar salutes the savvy Frenchman in the sky farewell.

"God bless you, Fernan." Valuing his final endeavor of friendship, Hans clearly felt blessed by the Lord above who placed Ferdinand Egalitè in his path to secure his future with Elsa so perfectly.

" _Le Seigneur Dieu n'a-t-il pas dit: 'C'est en pardonnant qu'on est pardonné?_ ' (Did the Lord God not say: 'It is in pardoning that we are pardoned'?) You are the one pure of heart to deserve this bounty, mon frère Hans." Egalitè recognized the Danish Prince's path of Redemption gave Hans Westergaard's unsullied mind a heart of goodness and loyalty, even when offered easy, luxuriant debauchment that Ferdinand's beyond tarnished soul indulged in all too often.

"The Lord loves the righteous and the sinners who come back into His fold, just the same." Well-versed on that holy Biblical truth personally, Elsa knew enough of the French language to recognize Ferdinand's reference to Gospel truth. She and Anna, arm in arm, had noticed the French Prince's sudden change of flight plans on the Magic Flying Carpet he had befriended somewhere along the journey between here and the Mediterranean, and decided to investigate.

"Oh, she is a Heaven-sent jewel among jewels of the crown, Westergaard. Cherish her." Astride Carpet, Ferdinand gives Elsa one last rakish smile and wink as he shares a parting look of approval with Hans.

" _Et si j'étais vous, je fixerais la date du mariage le plus tôt possible, mon ami_ (And if I were you, I would set the wedding date sooner than later, my friend)." At times more rational than his flippant nature appeared, the Frenchman murmurs his final bit of advice to Hans' with laughing eyes trained on the Dane's antsy, soon-to-be father-in-law.

"I plan to." Hans nods affirmatively to his brother in arms/traveling companion when he returns the salute from the Frenchman who had become so dear a friend during the heady and harrowing ten thousand mile voyage they had shared for the sake of the woman he adored.

* * *

 _Mon ami –_ my friend in French

 _Mon Frère_ – my brother in French

 _pour certainement –_ for certain in French

 _Min dyrebare -_ my precious in Danish

* * *

Hello, my Frozen friends!

I hope you enjoyed this 'After the Masquerade Ball' episode in between the final Act VIII Christmas chapter!

As they say farewell (for now) to some of their adventurous companions who have romantic marriages of their own to attend to, and a skating competition with a few new friends staying on for the Christmas holidays, Hans and Elsa's relationship is heating up, with the pressing question of their wedding day on Hans' virile mind!

Maybe Elsa will give her Has-some Prince the best Christmas present of an answer in the next special part!

Do I hear wedding bells faintly ringing in Arendelle before the New Year?

How's that for a tease?! : I'd love to hear your reviews, my friends!

The next part's already mostly written, so look for it soon!

I'll be plotting in my nutsy head and writing again madly for my big sister Setsuna's birthday in November with Helsa lovebirds in the spotlight!

See you then!

God bless you all!

Love, HarukaKou ^0^

* * *

P.S. Special thanks to my good friend and great fellow Fanfiction author DreamsandImaginations-sama for the Francais linguistic correction! You're so kind to help me out! Much appreciated! Doumo arigatou!- Haruka :)


	42. Chapter 41 - Canopy Dreams

_We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

 **"Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act VIII**

 **Chapter 41**

 **"Canopy Dreams"**

"Hey! That's our ride, jackass!" After an enlightening midnight unmasking – where she and a certain young scientist had become better acquainted – the sharp-tongued daughter of Corona's Captain of the guard was beyond relieved to be back in her own skin after that foolhardy Masquerade.

Cassandra Schmidt had molted her reluctant little mermaid scales and fin in exchange for her more comfortable, normal gray-purple pantsuit that befitted the warrior huntswoman she was.

Compliant Varian had helped liberate Cass from her detestable mermaid tail, the boy just turned man covering his wide peepers with goggles quickly as the unabashed woman redressed before him without blinking an eye. Their relationship obviously had upgraded as a blushing Varian was pushed into the dark vestibule with Rudiger and Owl.

It was there that the crazy ginger Princess Anna had dressed the dark-haired last minute masquerader with the only full costume left in the costume coiffeurs that would fit Cass' tall and thin, long legged size. The protesting guardswoman was tugged and squeezed into the carnival slinky mermaid tail that no other sensible woman dared sport.

Carpet was flying away, taking off to the sky with that sneaky Prince Ferdinand sprawled with his betrothed Duchess situated quite leisurely as his passenger on the rugman's plush pile.

Easily antagonized Lady Cassandra's irate voice breaks through the midnight air sharply, interrupting his romantic magic Carpet ride interlude.

"You call me the pejorative of a small male donkey? I am hurt, _ma chère_ Cassie. And here, I thought our relationship had progressed much further beyond such uncomplimentary monikers. But have no fear, dear one. This apologetic _mule_ will send your dear Carpet friend back here by tomorrow evening, _after_ this talented _tapis_ (carpet) kindly drops us off at my home in the Palais Royale on the 1st arrondissement of Paris, _ma conquête_ (my conquest _)_." Prince Ferdinand's wheedling voice seemed to be trying to aggravate the moody young woman who felt this entire episode had brought out a part of herself concerning the male sex that she did not like one bit.

 _First that impressive, dreamy-eyed, well-spoken Danish brother of Fitzherbert's; then this dynamic, all forceful arms, pushy hands and aggressive lips Frenchman; and to top it all off, impractical Varian showing up all goo-goo eyed wanting to dance with me, too…_

 _Ooh! I'm supposed to be a tough as nails, heartless, independent, working career woman! Not some brainless floozy! Get a hold of yourself, Cassandra!_

But the ebony haired young woman was nonetheless still able to be distracted by the dashing French Prince's smiling antics which Ferdinand Philippe was employing to his full advantage.

With a laugh, the wily man directs a torn in loyalty Carpet to tantalizingly tailspin soar above Cassandra's seething head and arms swiping at him with her ready dagger. Her evasive maneuvering Owl flies all around the Frenchman's head in circles before dizzied Egalitè and a shrugging tasseled Carpet zoom off full speed with no more than a flaunted wave and tight hold of Helene smirking knowingly down at her fiancé's last female _amourette (fling)_.

"I AM NO MAN'S **CONQUEST**!" Knowing enough French to be vexed, the cagey Lady Cassandra drops any sense of decorum to loudly bellow this defining statement in a fury through the still Arendelle air. She shakes her fists up at the departing high-speed rug until it disappears into the distance with the irritating French Royal's laughter wafting on the air contrail left behind.

"Hey, Cass! It's all right! Don't let him get to you. He's just trying to rile you up! No one would seriously think that of you. At least…I wouldn't." Shyly saying the right words and really meaning them, Varian proves himself to be wiser for the advice Hans Westergaard had imparted to him on their journey here.

The young alchemist comes trotting out to the balcony ledge where Rapunzel's handmaiden was just short of launching into a another curse word filled harangue at the annoying loose lecher who swiped their quickest ride home right from under her incensed nose.

 _Gotta get back to see if Raps is all right after all the trouble she had with those babies. Plus I've got to be there to celebrate Christmas with my Dad, or he'll just do guard duty in the dungeons all by himself. If I'm not home, I know he'll spend Christmas day and Christmas night alone, that workaholic old man!_

"Guess we will be staying the night, if you folks can find some room for us here." Calming down by gazing at Varian's big baby blue eyes pleading with her, Cassandra sighs, resigned, and turns to Queen Elsa with a sardonic smile.

"After all you've done to help our kingdom, never mind being the dear friend you are to our cousin Princess Rapunzel, of course we do! You have become so dear to us, Lady Cassandra." Elsa was feeling quite magnanimous in her happiness as Anna nods fervently at her side, hooking an arm around Cassandra's shoulders.

"Yeah, with so many new girl friends staying over, I bet we can have a super fun slumber party sleepover! We can all stay in my room… It's one of my dreams come true to have friends over in my big empty room ready with all those warm and cozy pink blankets and quilts and my comfy chocolate brown soft pillows I've collected for the best night's sleep in the whole wide world! **_Yawn_**!" The feisty ginger Princess' spirit was feeling a might more energetic than her thoroughly drained body after the long day of party planning and successful execution at a night of dancing.

Anna lets out a mighty big yawn right in Kristoff's face at the thought of her cozy bed, her eyes fluttering closed as she leans against her solid hubby, nearly falling asleep on her feet.

He smirks at being cast aside for the night by his own bride – _again_ – and resigns himself to a solitary, vacant bed in the cottage as selfless Kristoff knowingly tickles under Anna's armpit to surefire wake her up.

 ** _SNN-NOR-RRE_** _!_

"Yeah, my room! It's chock-full of fun stuff to do, games to play and maxxed out wall to wall with stuffed plushes and pillows all around! We can keep celebrating your birthday, Elsa, and the start of our best, biggest family Christmas too!" A snortling Anna jumps right back up from her head slumped at Kristoff's magic tickles that did the instant trick, as he knew it would for his spunky girl to get back into the excitable groove.

"What a marvelous idea, Anna! Your sister and yourself _should_ indulge in some quality time with all these fine young women available right here, who were kind enough to attend your ball. I'm sure important relationships between our kingdoms will be greatly enhanced on a night of shared confidences between you lovely young ladies as we kick off the holiday together here in Arendelle. You could even benefit from assisting one another in changing from those stunning costumes and discuss all of tonight's excitement, as I have heard delicate females greatly enjoy." King Agdar clears his throat and dares tread on dangerous ground of young women and their sleeping arrangement, as his keen mind quite quickly latches onto this impulsive idea of Anna's.

Most likely because it meant that Elsa would have to be part of entertaining a gaggle of giggling girls who would prove to be inadvertent chaperones against a certain balcony climbing young Prince moonlighting in her bedroom.

Agdar would not put such a visitation past the dexterous Dane, especially judging from that hungry look in the redhead's eyes drinking in the luminosity of his daughter nonstop since the couple had been reunited, that the protective father had been watching.

Queen Idun shoots her wily husband an almost laughable, aghast scoffing look at such a transparent motive.

"Great. A slumber party in a room full of dreamy, gossipy girls mooning over clothes and boys. Just what I wanted." _Sigh_. Droll Cassandra replies with a roll of her serious gray eyes. But still, there was so much of the familial connection between this effervescent flower Princess Anna and her own best friend Rapunzel as Cass recalled many sleepovers spent dressing and hair fixing and dreaming of boys.

 _Okay, and with Raps, the subject eventually **always** returned to Eugene Fitzherbert, who technically was a full grown man at the age of twenty-six when she was eighteen and primarily mooning over him. _

Cassandra steals a quiet look in the moonlight at the dark-haired young man who was eagerly displaying to Queen Idun his opened wafflebaker gadget on Elsa's birthday present table, his inventor's eyes all alight as he cutely explained its mechanical workings.

 _At least Varian fits more in the class of 'dreamy boy' when he's like this, in his element…_

"Your Majesty. May I formerly request shore leave to spend this blessed season of giving with your family –" Indulging in this moment of lull, Hans begins to ask the contented King when Varian suddenly cries out his mid-invention-selling pitch to a startled Queen Idun.

"Oh no!" The aforementioned dark-haired alchemist suddenly remembers something very important just when the last remainders of guests were ready to retire.

The young women all oohing and ahhing to spend the proposed 'Princess After Birthday Slumber Party' together with their pleasant hosts, Queen Elsa and Princess Anna, stop their tittering instantly, with frightened looks on their pretty faces.

"What is it, son?" Dismissing Hans, King Agdar could now see that the tall gangly youth of not much more than twenty years of age, had been one of the multiple 'Black Knight' imposters who participated in that wild charade to fool him at the Masquerade Ball this night.

"Along with my insignificant clothes and totally replaceable tool traveling bag, my raccoon pal Rudiger was sleeping off all those biscuits Gerda spoiled him with from your kitchen, in my rucksack bag that was already packed for us to go on Eugene's Magic Carpet, and that Frenchman just stole! I hope nothing happens to Rudiger! We've been together since I was a kid! What if that crazy Prince gets surprised and hurts Ruddy?! What if that silly raccoon rolls off the edge of the Carpet because no one knows he's there in the bag?! What if –" It was Varian's turn to freak out, but with good reason of worry for his gray and black striped furry North American friend traveling unbeknownst over the unforgiving Skaggerak Straits.

"Kristoff? Is it possible for you to –?" Quick thinking Hans remembers the Snow Prince's recently acquired abilities that may come in handy in such a dicey situation of radio silence.

"On it." Kristoff immediately picks up on Hans' idea. "Calm down, Varian. His name is 'Rudiger' and he's a raccoon, right? I'll try to make mental contact to tell him to stay safe and not to panic and wait until Ferdinand and Helene won't be startled. I'm wondering if I could reach Carpet, too, if I lock my Wind Whisperer senses on the air he's cutting through…they can't be that far away yet…" Kristoff suddenly pipes up, confident as his Wind Whisperer ability gave him insight into nature, as well as empathy for the poor creature who Kristoff was starting to sense was frightened out of his mind on this unscheduled in-flight ride without his constant buddy Varian close by.

"It's okay, I've got them both." Kristoff closes his eyes and holds his intuitive head while everyone watches with baited breath as he silently sends mental messages to Rudiger and supersonic Carpet who were already miles away, flying over the Skaggerak Straits.

"I told Rudiger to lay low a while and Carpet will keep a tassel wrapped around the bag, just to make sure it doesn't tumble off in the turbulence." Kristoff announces after a few tense moments pass while he communicated psychically with the furry animal and magically animated floor cover.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Varian may have been a scientific alchemist genius who dealt in facts and science more than magic tricks, but he was still a kid enough to be grateful for any help lent to his lost stowaway and furry friend.

"What about Ferdinand and Helene? Can't you contact them to tell them to return with the poor creature before it does itself a mischief?" Decisive King Agdar takes charge as he would any precarious situation presented on his ship, however sticky-fingered a critter the raccoon may be.

"Umm…They're both a little busy now." Kristoff answers his father-in-law with significant eyes and a soft cringe at a decidedly different quality of 'mischief' the sensitive young man was picking up on board Carpet. At least, as tactfully as he dare in front of the group of impressionable young women that his extra-sensory perception sensed what the flirtatious French Prince and his long-time fiancée were currently up to.

As for those innocent princesses present on the staircase, they were all well impressed. And full of questions for Anna about her incredibly gifted, exceptionally tall and handsome, obviously animal loving, blond mountain man who was so full of surprises, as Queen Idun and Queen Miranda lead the girls up to Anna's room on the third story.

"Oh, yes, ehem. Crisis averted, ladies. You may return to your night of fun and pleasant dreams again. Well done, Kristoff… and…quick thinking…Prince Hans."

The Snow Prince was one thing, but it was pretty difficult for Agdar to congratulate the astute young man Elsa was hanging on the arm of.

But even the intractable King was getting accustomed to having the young Dane's sound input around as he could feel his wife's severe gaze linger on him even as she disappears up the stairs, demanding him to be generous to the lad.

Agdar considers how the Prince of the Southern Isles did have a valiant, heroic part in rescuing the nation from the Djvælen King Troll as well as bringing Elsa back to her family and kingdom which loved her.

Then the King recalls all the advice, accolades and adages applied by their mutual French friend and decides to cut the Dane some slack—at least for tonight.

"If you would assist me, Vise Admiral, in escorting Queen Elsa to her quarters so that she may prepare and refresh herself, and you may also bring up some of the gifts she would like to have with her at the slumber party in Anna's bedroom. Had I not had…some frost levitating succor…I would, no doubt, have broken my neck coming down the spiraling staircase. I do not imagine I should traverse that winding staircase again to be of any aid to the ladies. At least not attired in this devilish heavy contrivance." The frustrated Ice King speaks frankly to Hans in a chilled vapor breath at the near accidental recollection of his descent down the three flights of steps earlier this evening that his easily amused Queen found highly comical, though he, of course, did not.

"I would be privileged to accommodate as your surrogate proxy, Admiral." A secretly exhilarated Prince Hans gives his senior officer a quick, almost clumsy bow before the mercurial King changed his mind.

Hans turns back to Elsa and gently offers her his most gallant, adoring gaze, along with a crook of his arm. "If I may have the honor, my Queen?" Causing all the other girls peering over the staircase railing to nearly swoon, Elsa accepts her betrothed's offered arm with a smile grateful to her father for allowing it to happen.

"Happy birthday, my darling Snow Angel. You were an exquisite host to your guests, befitting a true Queen." King Agdar pats Elsa's cheek lovingly, trying to ignore the fact there was another man on whose arm she was firmly attached. 'May the good Lord bless you with many, many more to come."

"Thank you, Papa, for giving me the most wonderful and remarkable birthday ever." Elsa accepts a loving kiss on the cheek from her parent as Hans dutifully bows his head respectfully to the King before continuing up the stairs with Elsa on one arm and a stack of choice presents deftly tucked under his other, which the intuitive Ice Queen cryokinetically assists in balancing safely up the steps.

"I expect to see you in my office den in **ten** minutes, Vise Admiral Westergaard, so you may give me a proper update of my flagship, the HmNos Nidaros', status. Do not delay." The King projects his voice up the steps after a few moments reflection in not _too_ unfriendly terms, giving Hans some hope that he would be able to ask his Admiral for the Christmas holiday leave once he returned from escorting Elsa to her room.

"It will be so, Your Majesty." The officer in Hans dutifully submits to his commander and nods with a small, wry smile, though the young lover in him was somewhat dissatisfied to have this special goodnight to his sweetheart cut short.

"Mr. Bjorgman, in the meantime, if I may request your help in defrocking me of parts of this confoundedly weighty outfit in the study, before I attempt the staircase. It appears my usual manservant, our Minister Kai, has gone to cry in his soup, though I don't blame the poor man. And then we can discuss accommodations here in Arendelle for the time being." With wary eyes following Hans and Elsa's departure, Agdar quietly confides in Kristoff when the abandoned mountainman was one of the last present in the Great Hall.

"Yes, Sir." Kristoff wishes he could change his own less obtrusive, but still highly embarrassing, leather armored costume thankfully hidden beneath the black domino as he smilingly accedes to Anna's domineering parent.

* * *

"Come on girls! Let's hurry up and get into our nighties in my cozy bedroom where Mama's already started the fireplace! Then we can go drool on my Kristly's massive biceps when he brings the mattress down from the attic, single-handedly. The lot of us will sneak that black cloak off his back to get a last yummy look at him in his Hercules costume! And he can't do a thing about it, with his hands full! It'll be fun watching him blush at us all ogling his muscles!" A conspiring against her own hubby Anna gives the other girls a big thumbs-up and begins to snigger as she leads her gaggle of giggling guest princesses up the stairs towards the castle's east wing that led into her bedroom.

"Yeah. Kristoff blushes A LOT when Anna shows off, counting his big pecs and abs and inter…inter…" As usual, Olaf was tagging along unawares to the girlish group who all stop still in their quick undressing tracks in Anna's bedroom to stare unwelcomingly down at the interloping snow- _man_.

" _'Intercoastals'_ , Olaf. And you're not invited to this Princess Slumber Party." The little snowgirl Eliana fills in the word descriptive for the musclebound man she also enjoyed admiring alongside Princess Anna's long list of adjectives for the Ice Harvester.

The petite snowlady in her Maid Marian costume bars Friar Tuck Olaf's entry into the hall leading to the Princess Slumber Party room.

"Why not?" The naïve snowman blinks up at the five females staring down at him like he was an annoying alien.

"Because you're not a _princess_ , Olaf." Eliana states matter-of-factly to her obtuse snow-boyfriend just outside the door.

"Well…You're not a princess, either. And you're invited, Eliana." Dumb Olaf unwittingly points out, smiling cloyingly sweet, trying to inveigle his entry into the fun looking party, but not doing a very good job of it.

"Good-night, Olaf." The annoyed snow girl frowns and slams the bedroom door angrily right in Olaf's dumb face. His carrot nose is disturbingly lopped off inside to flop to the floor at Eliana's feet.

"I'll be right back." Anna chuckles nervously, grabbing up the floppy orange vegetable the visiting princesses were gasping in horror and pointing at the gory dismemberment of.

"Olaf will be fine. He drops his branches, slushy snowfeet, and would leave his head off everywhere if I didn't follow him around with it. His haphazard ways leave our neat castle in disarray all the time and he's generally a discombobulated mess to keep tidy. But I love him anyway." Letting off some steam under her personal snow flurry of womanly grievances, Eliana relates her complaints to the jaw-dropped princesses, who were just becoming acquainted with the magic of Arendelle's intriguing Kingdom of Ice inhabitants.

"Doesn't sound much different from any other male. Just a few apples short of a picnic until we set 'em right, eh, ladies?" Lady Cassandra interjects in her sassy older sister way, causing the entire room of Princesses Sofia, Amber, Hildegaard and Cleo to burst out laughing.

* * *

On the way back from consoling a nose snubbed, sniffling Olaf that Eliana wasn't _really_ mad at him and instructing the poor snowman to wait for Kristoff to spend a night with him back at her cottage, Anna hears something.

In her curiosity, the gymnastic girl stands on her head, her yellow nightgown flipping upside down to reveal her pantalettes. From there, the acrobatic ginger gives a squinted glance to the other side of the landing where the winding staircase had one small vantage point in the hanging wall mirror she alone knew about.

If you looked at it just the right way it clearly showed a peek of Elsa's doorway.

Anna had stared at that particular entryway in that mirror so many times in her lonely childhood that she could describe every square inch of the polished, white oak wood painted door, framed with their national symbol of violet-purple crocuses.

It was decorated with double pane purple flowers and fancy silvery grey swirlies that Anna could illustrate with her eyes closed still from memory, right down to its extra large, ornamental silver door handle.

The optimistic girl always held the childish eternal hope she would one day spot her sister Elsa there in the mirror's reflection, if just for a tiny glimpse, waving for her to come on over.

But this time, in the mirror not only appears her big sister, but also the backside rearview of a certain red-headed man.

 _That Hans has got one nice, tight—_

They had obviously been sharing **_some_** good night kiss, from the way Elsa was a puddle against the familiar door.

 _Hey, Red! You're just supposed to carry her stuff and escort her up the stairs!_

Hans _was_ officially condoned by the King to escort Elsa up to the third story to deliver some of the presents to his fiancée's room, not stick around to bid her a private, _juicy_ goodnight.

Now faced with having Hans near and not just some far-off anticipation, Anna finds she still didn't totally trust the jerk. Even though it took great effort of her own doing to make this positive outcome of Elsa's engagement affirmed and a wedding planned in the works for her lonely best friend and big sister.

But that didn't mean Anna wouldn't keep an eye on Hans to ensure that Red behaved.

 _You lucky Red dog!_ As she watches with wide-eyed interest another kiss heat up, Anna wonders if either starstruck lover would recall Papa's ten minute time limit.

She could just imagine her wonderful father grumbling thunder up the stairs as the 'Lights-out Constable' like he did when she and Elsa were real little, and sleepless toddler Anna insisted she couldn't sleep because _'the sky was still awake'._

Papa would pretend to be a big grizzly bear in a grumpy mood for eating naughty little girls who didn't go to sleep on time, causing his playful children to go screaming up to bed when all they wanted was to stay awake and play.

During that cherished past childhood memory, the explosion of girlish laughter from her room brings Anna back to reality.

That and the droll voice of the man sneaking up behind her awkward guilty faced, handstand form.

"What are you doing?" Kristoff Bjorgman had stopped in his tracks. His arms were overfull with wrangling the extra mattress he had brought down from the castle attic his father-in-law told him to retrieve after getting the King out of his chainmail costume.

The tall blond shakes his head when he sees his perky gal wide-eye peeping at the romantic tryst between her older sister and that guy taking place down the darkened hall on the other side of the stairwell.

"I…umm…thought I saw…uh…ah…? Whew! Heehee." The ginger's yellow nighty slips over her head as her highly amused young man shakes his head. Her pale butter dress tangles in her braids, falling all askew over Anna's face until she guiltily performs a backflip to land unexpectedly right in Kristoff's path, knocking the poor man off kilter.

"Whoa! Anna! Watch out!" Her awkward exhibition distracts the tall muscleman enough to nearly tip-over and drop the mattress balanced on his beefy shoulders down over the third floor stair ledge.

But intrepid Anna grabs the other end of the tipsy feather mattress and salvages it upright with all her little might.

In so doing, the princess unconsciously causes her strong man to discard his constraining cloak with a shaking head smile at her lovable pluckiness, just as she intended.

That is, until the group of girls, peering out into the hall, instructed to be ready to lay siege upon Anna's ripped muscle husband, rushes out nothing but nightgowns to give Anna and her de-cloaked and gorgeous man a helping hand.

The visiting females were stifling giggles and ogles at a mortified Kristoff all the while, as in a group effort they inelegantly enter Anna's bedroom, awkward mattress and all, having so much youthful fun.

* * *

 ** _Speaking of having fun…_**

 _Mwa-Muah-Mwa-mmmmm…mwam…mwamwa…_

"Mmm-mwa-mmm _Smack!_ Did you hear something?" Their succulent lips parting audibly, Hans Westergaard whispers breathlessly, unwilling to tear his eyes as well away from the delicious beauty melted in his arms to investigate the noises going on across the stairwell.

"Just the pounding of my heart." Elsa murmurs in a delirious smile, leaning back into where her Hans had reflexively responded to her by pushing her body into the corner nook of the doorway after she first engaged him in her most passionate kiss to prevent his gentlemanly escape.

"Why thank you… _huff_ …Queen Elsa. That was… _gulp_ …delightfully unexpected. I must admit, I prefer your direct kiss even better than the indirect one you sent me in a snowball, _min_ _kjære_ (my beloved)." Hans rests his face in her hair, his lips just nibbling her earlobe.

The long liplock had commenced soon after Prince Hans had dutifully escorted Elsa up to her room and the quiet young woman suddenly spun on her high heel and grabbed Hans around the nape of his neck into a zealous kiss as he was mid-bow to leave.

Suffice it to say, the piled high various assortment of birthday gifts from her party guests that agile Hans had balanced smoothly up two flights of stairs—as specified earlier by her father—and was about to deliver to the girls' room, had tumbled to the hallway ground when the fervent birthday girl suddenly and fiercely glomped her retreating man at her bedroom door.

"Hans…Hans… Is this real?! You convinced Papa to accept us as a couple! And yet I can't stop thinking that if I go to sleep and wake up, it will all disappear like the frosty dew of the morning." Elsa breathlessly murmurs against Hans' cheek.

She then runs her fingers through her Danish Prince's soft locks of titian red hair and along his Black Knight's armored chest lines as well, as if to assure herself that he was physically viable and not only a dream.

"I feel the very same way, my precious Queen. But I swear, no one will ever take this away from us again." The coffee doused brandy in his system having some effect on his judgment, Prince Hans plants another mouthwatering kiss on her eager lips to give his Elsa that surety.

 ** _Mwa-mmmmm…_**

"Awake or asleep, we are just beginning our unending new dream together, Elsa, I pledge on my honor to you."

 ** _MWA-MUAH!_**

"All you have to do is set the date to make it completely real for us, my darling." Hans aggressively presses Elsa's body back against her closed bedroom door with another passionate kiss that utterly stole the Ice Queen's breath away.

Or was it his demanding words?

 _…I adore drinking coffee…_

"One… One…" Caffeine connoisseur Elsa manages to stutter out between Hans' fervent kisses, her free hand wildly gesturing the single first numeral in her ecstasy as the Dane presses into her kiss hotly. She felt utterly, deliciously intoxicated by the thick, yummy taste of rich coffee and other liquid substances his moist mouth transferred.

Whatever little alcoholic content after that drinking match with Alonso left with Hans, it transferred and eroded susceptible Elsa's inhibitions.

Hans eagerly snatches her sparse utterances as meaning more than a lightheaded Elsa intended. But he too felt as excited as a schoolboy, hanging on her every word in eagerness for the awaited day.

"One, one? Are you setting our wedding for this nearing January 1st , my Queen?! A New Year's wedding?! How perfectly apropos to our blossoming love story!" An enthusiastically smiling from ear to Hans jumps to the conclusion, causing a flustered Elsa to shake her spinning head and smile up at him quietly.

"No, no, no. January the 1st is Papa and Mama's anniversary! That will never do!" The platinum blonde's big blue eyes go all startled and alarmed buggy at just the thought of intruding on her parents' special day. "I only meant that there's only one minute left before Papa comes thundering up here, you crazy, silly man! You had better finish bringing those presents to Anna's room and let me go with the other girls at Anna's slumber party before this magic spell blows up on us!" Though she was the culprit in starting this tidal wave of hot kisses, Elsa made it appear to be his fault, like every woman to her mate tended to do.

 _That's fine by me, as long as there's more where that came from..._

Hans smirks at the inconsistencies of the mystery called 'woman' as he manfully accepts the blame, indulging in another stolen kiss to at least deserve the culpability.

"Hans, my handsome Knight, are we really going to enjoy this precious Christmas time together? Our first Christmas as betrothed..." Her lilac sleeves were catching a-glitter again in the light of the aurora borealis streaming through her large, triangular glazed bedroom window, adding an ethereal glow the her lovely pink blushing cheeks.

Elsa's purple dress fluctuates with the colors of the Northern lights illuminating her beauty into the candlelit hallway as she glows through the bedroom door before Hans' stunned eyes like a sparkling beacon.

"I, too, will be dreaming of this white Christmas with you in my arms under the tree all night, Elsa. I love you _, min_ _dyrebare_ (my precious). But I vow, I will do nothing to undermine this moment for us." Hans whispers with one final kiss on his fiancée's delectably chilled lips as he gestures her to enter her darkened bedroom alone.

Pleased by his honest integrity, Elsa floats back into her room in her long iridescent Sleeping Beauty Princess Aurora gown, while Hans engraves her dazzling image of this magical evening into his heart and soul.

Elsa pauses to also give her heart one lasting luscious glance of her lover in his dashing Black Knight Prince Philip costume in the romantic candlelight of the muted hallway.

"I will never forget tonight for all the rest of the days of my life—when you were my perfect Knight in shining armor, Prince Hans." Elsa whispers to him in the hushed, still darkness she crosses in a breathless rush back to embrace Hans' stoic posture in her doorway.

"And I will forever remember how beautiful a vision **you** were, waltzing amid that angelic radiance of the aurora. You filled the entire ballroom with your indefinable luminescent light, my Sleeping Beauty, electrifying me to fall in love with that familiar gleam in your eyes even behind the mask, all over again." Hans illustrates his fervor with his silvery gloved hands retracing Elsa's elegant waltzing queen lines.

"But…due to our time constraints at the moment, _min kæreste_ , I must compose myself to always be a gentleman worthy of you. In lieu of your naming that blessed day when I will become the happiest man in the world, 'til then, I must simply bid you pleasant dreams…of me, of course." With a lasting finger tracing Elsa's low cut exposed alabaster clavicle in the dimmed light, Prince Hans teases as he steps back from the oh-so-tempting open door of her vacant bedroom and grants his Queen a sweeping, gallant knight bow instead as she extends her hand out to him.

Hans forces himself to tear away from his enticing lover on their thrilling engagement night. He quenches his thirst by kissing Elsa's luscious wrists and hands all the way down her lengthy fingertips that the deft prince fluidly un-gloves with one more meaningful kiss upon her engagement ring finger.

"I know you, I've walked with you once upon a dream…" With the underlying theme of their Masquerade song softly lilting on his melodic lips, Hans takes a deep breath to steady himself from losing his control as he stoops down to collect the dropped presents dotting the hallway.

Then he gives one more bow and averted eye glance to quickly turn down the hall to deposit the parcels he carried up for her to Anna's door.

"I love you, too, my dream Prince, with a love that can't be denied." Elsa whispers a little late for him to hear, as her suave Prince Hans had already left on cloud nine, dancing across the third story hall like a trained trained terpsichorean danseur.

The resolute profile of the young man looked fully prepared to march downstairs and demand Christmas shore leave permission from his Admiral – Elsa's father, the King of Arendelle.

And this time, the tall, determined officer was not going to take _'no'_ for an answer on this invigorating night.

The masks were all off now and a confident Hans would explain his true love intentions with all his powers of persuasion – which were abundant - until even the chilly Ice King could no longer deny his heartfelt pleas.

After all, Prince Hans had just made a promise to the most important person in his life.

The silver tongued young man was not going to start their beautiful dream together by letting his brilliant bride-to-be down on her first request, when he would move Heaven and earth to keep her happy.

Especially since it was his dream too—the two of them standing under a Christmas tree they would decorate together.

After each had lived through so many lonely, lean years of Christmases spent alone, that far-off fantasy was now so close at hand for both Hans and Elsa's yearning-for-love souls, they could taste it.

…If they both just reached once more for that distant star upon the highest bough.

 _'O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree,  
That constant faith  
And hope sublime  
Lend strength and comfort through all time._

 _O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,  
How sturdy God hath made thee!  
Thou bidd'st us all place faithfully  
Our trust in God, unchangingly!'_

* * *

The noisy slumber party going on in Anna's room was in stark contrast to the hushed atmosphere of third story hallway in Arendelle Palace where Elsa and her handsome fiancé had been having a private tete a tete. There, the once withdrawn, lifelong inhibited Ice Queen had almost lost control amid unfamiliar new passions.

 _Passionate? Who, me? So much for concealing and not feeling, eh, Papa?_

With a steadying hand over her heart, Queen Elsa laughs at herself and this wondrous new sensation she had just experienced thanks to her young man's advances.

 _Hans… your kiss is so…intoxicating… Can I live up to your expectations and not disappoint?_

Elsa shuts her eyes tightly, but the feverish sentiment of Hans Westergaard's lips burning on hers didn't disappear even after she entered Anna's populated bedroom and tried to join in the lively conversations as each helped the other girls' undress.

"Whoops! Did I pull the hairbrush too hard? Or are you still mooning over that dreamy Knight in shining armor you bagged tonight?" Extroverted Princess Hildegard of Freezenberg teases Elsa's offended senses almost as delicately as she teased the young blonde Queen's hair.

"Oh, may I say how lovely are your locks of platinum hair? So cool and chic, glimmering with snowflake crystals all wound in your braid! Are you sure you don't want some curling papers, too? The cascade effect of your platinum tresses and complexion would be stunning. Cleo! Didn't you leave any curlers for Queen Elsa? Prince James always remarks how he adores my curls." The nonstop talkative, purple haired young Princess who had her own waved locks in the hot iron wax curling papers to complete her faultless, wavy coif, berates her quieter and shy best friend.

The four visiting princesses had joined Elsa and Anna for the slumber party, and it was proving to be every bit as lively and exciting as Anna imagined a girls' night party would be.

Ecstatic to host her own first slumber party, Anna had been setting up late night games and fun snack tables while the rest aided one another in changing from costume to nightdress.

"Umm…not…really, Hildy. I used them all up on…um… Princess Anna's hair styling. I'm so sorry. But Prince James also likes straight, long hair." The guilty faced young Princess of Corinthia adds the last bit about her secret crush in a small murmur as she glances up from where she had just finished whirling up Anna's massive messy ginger hair into a mountain of curlers.

"Hey! Just 'Anna'! Remember the 'no titles rule' here, Cleo!" Anna insists through a mouthful of sticky marshmallow and red and green melted chocolate chips and graham crackers of their Christmas s'mores. Anna's hair had been particularly chaotic after that very entertaining tussle between the feisty gal and her bashful hubby which ensued on the feather mattress they had dragged in the bedroom together.

 _Keeping Kristly away from under that black robe was not easy! Good for_ _Sofia_ _and her feather trick when I told her my guy was ticklish! Cassandra is so adept with that knife, it's kinda scary, but effective…Wow, were those girls impressed by my Herculean studmuffin's ample muscles! I've never seen him go so red, trying to hide behind my fuzzy wall of stuffed animals and pillows once Cass sliced and diced off that robe for me! Poor Kristly! I'll make it up to him later…_

 _Big slumber parties are totally FUN! And yummy!_

The dizzy girl munching her sweets was smiling jubilantly from ear to ear as she scans the lively party she never thought could happen around her crowded room.

 ** _DONG! DONG!_**

"Whoa! 2 o'clock already!? Time for bed, girls, if we're ever to get up bright and chipper for a fun morning of Christmas outdoor festivities in Arendelle!" With a euphoric headful of paper curlers, the girl who usually didn't _'do mornings'_ enthusiastically jumps up out of her Kristoff and joyous Christmas fantasies when the grandfather clock down the hall strikes the early hour morning gong twice.

"Don't you sound like a young mother hen chasing us all off to bed, Anna!" Princess Amber rises from her seat at Anna's desk vanity where she had been primping at her avocado skin mask beneath her undone bun hair that took hours to style into a true Cinderella fashion. The lovely Princess wearing her favorite silky pale mint green nightdress purposely moves past the large sprawling feather mattress pillow fortress that Anna and Cassandra and Cleo had set up themselves after Kristoff had booked it from the gal ogling room.

"Huh?" Comes Anna's reply with a mighty big yawn as invisible birdies fly by her head. The implication goes right over her sleepyhead which Anna cocks when her growling appetite spots the fruits and veggies being freshly spooned out. "Ooh, lemme try some! Avocado and cucumbers sound like a yummy combination!" The guileless girl rubs her extremely full, but lately always bottomless hungry tummy, causing Amber and Hildy to chuckle at her innocence.

Anna shrugs as she leads the still deliriously smiling Elsa to the makeshift bed on the floor the good hostesses would share with their new friend Sofia, who was pleasant game for anything.

"Of course, I personally always turn in much earlier to achieve that perfect morning glow when I wake each day, do you not?" Snobbish Princess Hildegard, who had greedily taken first dibs for the window side of Anna's bed, flips her luxuriant locks of purple hair curled in flawless tight papers over her shoulder. The avocado natural green mask on her face that had never seen an unwanted sleepless night's bag or wrinkle gave the Princess of Freezenberg an almost comical look, had she not been so serious about it.

"I thoroughly agree, Hildy. A good night's full eight-hour rest is essential to proper, healthy skin." Amber blindly smiles from under her own fruit paste and cucumber mask to her longtime friend just as haughtily. "But you forgot the necessary touch of moisturizing green tea and yogurt lotion to rejuvenate your freshly washed skin before you apply the mask. Particularly after the ordeal of dancing all night with that dashing Masquerade lineup of Princes, then facing those negative drying, chilly temperatures of the outdoors as we all did to witness your most interesting birthday horn…playing, Queen Elsa." The fashion oriented Princess Amber gently dabs her pale cheeks with the special hydrating face mask that the cliquey snobbish young woman had picked up after their family's latest excursion to Paris' _haute couture_.

"I thought you hit the perfect note on that interesting ancient Bukkehorn you played, Queen Elsa. And those multicolored snowflakes you created were quite magical. I can't even imagine how you control them yourself! How the winter here is so beautiful to behold! When did your powers start?" Trying to divert the endless vanity competition between the princesses she knew well, quiet Cleo speaks up to the Queen after she finishes folding the cachet of costume jewelry and dress up gear that the six princesses within the spacious bedroom had assisted one another in removing with gracious compliments – whether genuine or merely polite – galore.

Princess Cleo moves her brushed out dark brown hair to the side and looks to Elsa with a sweet, curious smile. She, for one, had been a secret fan and was in awe of the Ice Queen of the enigmatic North. An admiring Cleo wanted to discover the mysteries of Elsa's incredible magic rather than primp or boast of herself like her friends.

"Why, thank you for asking, Cleo. I've just always had this ability with the ice for as far back as I can remember. But I didn't really learn how to master it until more recently, with Anna's help, to remind me I didn't have to face the unknown alone." Elsa comes out of her reverie with a grateful squeeze to her indefatigable little sister's hand that was sticky from the snowman shaped s'mores and red and green candied nuts Anna had been doling out to the peckish princesses while undressing from their costumes, brushing each other's hair out and as always, talking about their boyfriends.

"That's what sisters are for!" With a final chew on her stash of sweet nuts so her growling stomach didn't wake up any of her slumber party guests in the middle of the night, Anna raises her hands in a humble shrug to her big sister.

"Aww. That's so sweet. I'm so glad we're here to meet you two and the stunning countryside of your kingdom! As a skater, Hugo is ecstatic to be here in this winter Wonderland of yours. It's like a dream come true for us! I'm so excited about tomorrow, too!" Sofia giggles in girlish delight at this most magical Scandinavian kingdom.

"I know! Let's give the girls one super cool ice display since we're so lucky to have them visiting for Christmas! Come on, Elsa! Do the magic!" Anna enthusiastically makes the request of her older sibling to show off a bit, biting her lip in anticipation just like when she was a tiny little girl, because she knew what her Elsa was capable of.

"Yes. What a splendid idea, now that we are here! Do show off some of those famed Ice Queen magic powers we've heard so much about, please." Hildegard sits back on the bed like a Queen on her high and mighty loft lording over the gentry on the ground floor below her high perch.

Undoubtedly that was why she chose the choice spot between the two offered beds as the other five princesses get settled in their very filmy and silky nightgowns to their own selected places.

"Hey, Princesses. Stop badgering her and just go to sleep. Hasn't she had enough of being pulled and prodded for one day? Leave the girl alone." Rolling her eyes at the, as expected, silly feminine flurry of vain clothes and hair and gossip all sickeningly combined together, the toughened ladies' maid was still proudly wearing her pants and long sleeved burgundy shirt rather than sporting any silly girlish nightie offered.

Cassandra had curled up in her chosen secluded spot in the window box where the guardswoman could stretch out to be alone on her own terms at the stupid girly slumber party she had been conscripted to join.

"At least by someone other than a certain green-eyed looker." With a mature knowing smile flash in Elsa's direction alone, Cassandra purses her lips as she stares into the moonlight outside the darkened window that her fit body was perched astride.

"Ahem…" Elsa nervously coughs as she catches the dark haired woman's insinuation which goes over the heads of everyone else in the bedroom. "No, no. I wouldn't mind it all. I'm honored you would really like to see what I'm capable of." Inspired by the mere mention of her lover, the blonde beauty wearing a demure pale blue and lavender long negligee beneath a filmy blue ice wrap, moves her hands gracefully to icy cryokinetic use.

Elsa conjures up a magnificent canopied bed beneath her kneeling form on the mattress, causing she and the other mattress' occupants to hover upon its rising surface midair.

As it rises from the floor, the feather mattress Kristoff had brought in floats on the air beneath Anna and Sofia who gasp in delight and grip one another's hands in gleeful wonderment.

The ice monolith builds and builds to an exquisite construction of architecturally elegant icy scrollwork bedposts and fleur de lis upon its fancy rococo engraved headboard. Upon each section of the elegant furnishing was the embossed crocus symbol of Arendelle, etched in ice rimes.

As a finishing touch, Elsa the Ice Queen stuns everyone beneath a crystalline aurora borealis veiled silky chiffon canopy of verglas thin ice that mesmerizes the entire room full of ecstatic girls.

"Now THIS is a slumber party to remember!"

"Definitely worth the long, arduous trip to mysterious, frozen Arendelle!"

"Amazing little ice dancers!" Snowlady Eliana dances beneath her personal snow flurry cloud, almost regretful to not have her Olaf here to enjoy the beautiful scenery where she was standing at the base of the intricately patterned canopy bed Elsa had made.

The crystal structure was completed with tinkling melodic windchimes in the mesmerizing shapes of they and their dancing partners in recreation poses, just as the artistic Ice Queen wielder saw them at her party, makes each heart go pitter patter. The glassy ice figurines were each so authentically shaped and formed to costume and facial detail, that the gallant figures of those handsome princes and their ladies fair who attended the Masquerade Ball came to life dangling in a masterful ballet from the magical canopy above.

Dashing Black Knight Hans and his elegantly Aurora borealis Sleeping Beauty Elsa were leading the waltz, once upon a dream; Greek hero Hercules Kristoff was trying to keep up with his Robin Hood cutie's spins in the high speed galop; gentle soul Quasimodo James had been caught pirouetting between flashy gypsy dancer Esmeralda Hildegaard and shy ballerina Arabian Princess Jasmine Cleo in the quadrille; gentle Merlin Desmond had cast a spell over his enchanted glass slipper wearing Cinderella Amber to sweep across the floor to the polonaise; pathetic Pierrot Varian and slinky Little Mermaid Cassandra were thrown together to slow dance an awkward schottische; wily trickster Harlequin Ferdinand and his mysterious masked maiden Columbine Helena were performing a mature mazurka; Peter Pan Alonso rhythmically could fly at the whim of his Fairy Queen Titania Valentina in a lively Scottish reel; and finally Bullfighter Matador Esteban and his unlikely Flemenco dancer Johanne in her expressive shawls stole the show.

There was even a talented artistic depiction of newcomer Prince Hugo among the frozen figurine assemblage too, twirling his ice dance partner in the valiant garb of Prince Siegfried from the White Swan Russian fairytale beside a beauteous Sofia Belle in the stately cotillion.

"How stunningly beautiful these figures in ice we make!"

"So lifelike!"

"You are a true artist, Queen Elsa!"

"If only the real man would melt at my touch like this!"

"What a perfect way to end your amazing Masquerade Ball, with this memorable diorama visualization!"

The incredibly detailed paired figurines, in full Masquerade costume, dance above the feminine heads in the matching full-length mirror the Ice Queen had also erected with her incredible magic to showcase the ice ornaments of these fine young men and women to all in the room.

They spin and twirl in romantic dances under the iridescent canopy that sparkles and shines with the enhanced Northern Lights aglow in the darkened bedroom after ecstatic little sister Anna snuffed the candlelight out for full tantalizing effect.

The Aurora Borealis lights stream across the hushed world surrounding the magic kingdom of Arendelle where the Ice Queen reigned, illuminating the ice sculptures with brilliant colors and sparkle.

Her tinkling ice melodic windchimes in the shapes of the dancer romancers at the magnificent Masquerade this night sway with each maiden's heart as they each fall asleep under the frozen canopy dreams of young love in Arendelle.

* * *

 ** _WHOOO! WHOO!_**

Across the polar night sky tinkling with the iridescent snowflakes, a small owl cuts across the sky to a pair of handsome young men riding through the dark late night upon a golden dun steed.

They were both wearing officers' military jackets as they made their way on horseback across the kingdom's snowy fields towards where a quaint little cottage had been built in a cozy nook near the North Mountain's breathtaking landscape.

The nocturnal flying Strigiformes simply named 'Owl' hooted in the window he was hovering around to obtain instructions from his partner Cassandra as to where the tan-gray feathered bird was to lodge for the night under the strangely lit sky of this wintry foreign land.

The charcoal black haired female handmaiden had been cozily doted over by hospitable Princess Anna with cocoa, cookies and covers – all hot – inside the fancy paned window box.

While the icy windchimes danced within, gleaning all the attention, Cassandra surreptitiously awarded her feathered friend outside the window with a fingered sign of the letter 'V', that, to her intuitive sidekick, meant only one name to contact.

So Owl stealthily slips away under the cover of darkness to find him.

* * *

"Is the moon unusually cyclical tonight more than usual in this part of the northern hemisphere, or is it just me, Hans?" In the rear of the large saddle, Varian Gutenberg glances over to where his companion had been subtly startled to gaze up to the moon behind them.

Was silent Prince Hans craning his neck to glimpse the moon? Or was it the interesting display of Aurora Borealis illumination that was strangely emanating from inside the third story bedroom window of Arendelle Castle?

"She's a pretty amazing lady, isn't she?" In that selfsame fascinating moonlight, Varian sees beyond his scientific bent for once in his life. He adds his fixated attention on that same singular, third story window and the silhouetted young woman within he had instinctively recognized, even from the distance of the ground many meters below.

"Indubitably. She's a breathtaking wonder of nature." A starstruck Hans answers from his lead position in Sitron's saddle. He himself was still in awe of Elsa's cryokinetic abilities now enhanced by her Queen of the North Winter command of the Aurora Borealis lit sky he knew belonged to his powerful beauty.

"I meant Cass up there in the window." A blushing Varian's cute dimples show themselves when he realizes the crossed-wire two young men astride the four-beat gait of the fjord horse had two totally disparate females in mind.

Obviously the Danish Prince was daydreaming of another pretty woman.

 _Was **I** dreaming? Or did Cassandra not seem to dislike my fondling – ugh, **fondness!** – and actually accept my affectionate attentions tonight at last?!_

"Oh, yes. Yes, of course. Miss Schmidt is incredibly formidable." The embarrassed, but slick tongued Dane easily backtracks in his blissful reference to his own fiancée when he realizes his gauche mistake to this young companion and reapplies his complimentary words to the tall dark-haired Prussian guardswoman he himself highly respected.

"Yeah, 'formidable' suits her pretty darn good. I like that." Varian smirks at the memories of Lt. Captain Schmidt in guardswoman action. "With all the costume changing and disguising going on at the Ball – by the way, congratulations on your engagement to Queen Elsa – I didn't get the chance to confess anything much to Cass like you recommended. Do you still think I have a chance for wooing her seriously, despite our ages being several years apart?" Moonstruck Varian muses as Sitron briskly trots through the snow towards the designated target of the cottage at the edge of the mountainscape.

"I mean, Rapunzel and Eugene's ages are even more incongruent than mine and Cass'. Is it too much of a gap for her to see me as more than just a friend? I don't know if I'm imagining things, but it seemed that she was looking at me in a different way tonight – oh, hi, Owl." Uncomfortable when it came to discussing matters of love, the inventor raises his arm by rote for the predatory bird Cassandra had trained since it was a wee owlet fledgling to land its sharp talons around his forearm.

Varian did not at all appear as recreant as the brilliant young mechanic sounded on the heady subject of women he was pondering aloud. But romance sensible Prince Hans was obviously too preoccupied with his own thoughts to oblige the inquisitive alchemist tonight.

"So how did your meeting with the King go?" Varian abruptly inquires of the Danish Prince, having a feeling that weighty encounter was still preying on Hans' mind.

Varian remembered the look on Hans' face when he emerged from King Agdar's study, looking like he had just stared death in the face as Hans stiffly straightened his Prince Phillip's black pleather doublet he had been donning at the Masquerade Ball.

"Fine." Hans answers guardedly with closed eyes and a deep breath as he was yet digesting the outcome of what had happened at that significant meeting. He lets out a secret pent-up sigh in prayerful gratitude that he indeed had been able to deftly maneuver the King of Arendelle into allowing his eloquent subordinate to stay for the Christmas holiday here in the kingdom.

Hans was only too glad that levelheaded Kristoff was present at the end to codify the King's sense of fair-minded balance and evenhanded rationality and give the Prince of the Southern Isles that triumph, at least.

But the rest of that discussion did not go entirely satisfactory. And for once, articulate Hans had no idea how he was going to break it to his Elsa.

"Though, right after the holy celebration here with the family, I've been deployed to the country's midsection, where the Sjoforsvaret shipbuilding headquarters reside. There, as the King's direct Vise Admiral representative, I've been instructed to oversee the official sendoff ceremony of the refitted HmNos Gler and remain on board to inspect the craft to its seaworthy restoration during its first month of voyage." With an exceedingly discouraged countenance, Prince Hans explains how, though he felt he had a win in his charmingly polite, insistent cajoling to remain in Arendelle for Christmas as he promised his Elsa, the cunning King also had a definite decisive victory he decided to play in this game versus the young Dane who would someday soon be his daughter's husband.

"That's… good… Right? At least he didn't send you immediately back to India or Asia or the South Seas or wherever you go seafaring. Sounds like you'll be stationed in Norway a while, so you can still be fairly nearby Elsa as she prepares for your wedding here." Logical Varian says, not quite getting the whole Admiral/King versus his Vise Admiral/Danish Prince contentious relationship yet.

"Do you think Mr. Bjorgman won't mind if Owl stays with us in the cottage tonight? He won't be much trouble, I promise. I don't want to let Cass' little friend out of our sight. Gee, I miss Rudiger. I hope he's not too scared." Timid Varian pauses in the unsure musing of his relationship with Cassandra Schmidt to diverge his thoughts to the well-being of the small feathered friend on his arm, as compared to that of his missing raccoon buddy.

"Did you ever have a pet, Hans?" The spiky haired lad asks out of nowhere.

"I consider my dear stallion Sitron a friend more than a pet. A horse is a bit more independent than other smaller mammals. Hold on tight, I'll show you." With a saucy glint in his eye, Hans admits with a loving pet to proud Sitron's grateful muzzle as he urges the eager stallion to let loose to a rollicking canter across the snow coated field.

"Whoa, that's fast!" An exhilarated Varian still was young enough to chuckle with glee at the thrill of speed as he holds on tight to the saddle straps and rear cantle he was riding upon.

"I've never told anyone, but…there once was a little kitten when I was very, very young." As Sitron slows while they near the cottage, Hans starts to speak softly and openly. "So soft and pale with tiny furry paws, and the most beautiful blue eyes that looked right through me. The wee kitten found me crying in the barn and was so sad and lonely she seemed to just want to be loved, like me." Fondly he recalls the minuscule motherless kitten he found in the massive equestrian Ladegården barn of his father's one day back in Egeskov when he was a boy of only three years of age.

"And what happened to her?" Smoothing back his mussed hair, Varian asks with curiosity at the open ended feline conversation piece as he settles down from the lively late night sprint.

"My older brothers drowned her in the moat when they found out how much I cared for the tiny creature." Hans states, devoid of emotion, or at least trying to appear so.

"Drowned your kitten?! That's terrible! How could you ever forgive them?!" Varian's anger lashes out at the mere thought of such cruelty inflicted on a young child, especially by family members who were supposed to share a fraternal bond.

"Because that beautiful lady up there showed me how the Lord God created us all to forgive our brethren, no matter how wrong or malicious or spiteful their hearts may have been. We are all aspirants for pardoning on this earth."

"That sounds like a God I should get to know more, considering how many 'brethren's' forgiveness I need after my own vindictive rampage back in Corona eight years ago." Varian still held a guilt for his violent, bitter crimes that no amount of human kindness or pity, he felt sometimes, could ever pardon. No matter how many times Rapunzel or Cassandra assured the young man it was so.

"I'll be glad to share my faith of the forgiving Savior who takes away the sins of the world, and instructs us all to forgive other's trespasses, too. He gave pardon to each one of us— to _anyone_ who asked truly, even a grave sinner such as I." Coming out from his doldrums for the Christian imperative, Hans reaches out to the younger man, remembering his own path to Redemption that needed some encouragement too, once upon a time.

"Thanks, Hans. When my mom died when I was real little, my dad blamed everyone, especially the Church, for not helping her when she was sick. But I've grown curious of the subject lately when I watched everyone else go to worship in Corona. Cass, Princess Rapunzel, the King and Queen, even Eugene. But I was too scared to ask anyone about it, thinking I would look like a dumb, numbskull kid who knew nothing and didn't belong to their club." Varian opens up to Hans on this delicate subject of religion that the alchemist loner was never taught growing up as an outsider who thought differently than other people.

"The best thing about our Good Shepherd Jesus Christ, Varian, is that He came to this world to bring the outcast children—more than anyone—like lost sheep, into His loving fold. Our Faith is not a club. It's our refuge. Right Sitron?" The redheaded Prince gazes around to see the smiling face of his golden dun steed nod in satisfactory agreement.

"You see, we are all God's creatures. I don't view my stallion, Sitron, as a mere pet, per se, and I thoroughly understand your attachment to your absent forest friend through my own sentiment for **my** boyhood companion, when those of the human race were not quite as welcoming." Hans empathized with like reformed loner Varian as he pets Sitron, glad for this chance to take the steed out for an invigorating midnight ride across the pristine fresh fallen snow of Arendelle hillside in the moonlight for old times' sake to clear his head.

The Prince of the Southern Isles himself required this unwinding after this glorious night's adventure. So what better way than racing the wind with his beloved fjord horse beneath the experienced equestrian?

As he dismounts his steed and approaches the small cozy cottage, Hans now recollects how he earlier had met the forgotten, left behind young scientist under circumstances which brought them both out onto Arendelle's expansive estate property to its snowy white retral west this late at night…

* * *

 ** _Previously…_**

Varian had been wandering around the empty Great Hall after all the other guests had been warmly welcomed into Arendelle Castle's guest bedroom upstairs interior. But the awkward boy, as being far less than royalty, had easily fallen between the hospitable cracks with all of the key players otherwise accounted for.

"Mr. Bjorgman told me to find you to say he'll put us both up for the night in his cottage out back. He'll meet us at his and Princess Anna's home in a short while and we should let ourselves in if we get there first. It's unlocked." Prince Hans had stated then as he emerged from the King's study to urge Varian to follow the tall Prince up the stairs and down the Arendelle halls on their way out towards stable end of the third story interior passageway which Egalitè introduced them to.

Halfway there, Prince Hans instinctively paused at Princess Anna's bedroom door where a montage of girlish laughter was emanating, accompanied by a certain cryokinetic cold temperature drop in this section of the Hall.

The Prince of the Southern Isles delighted in the cool sensations cascading across his skin that instantly took away some of his anxious disenchantment.

"Maybe we – uh – better get going. We still have to pick up our clothes where we left them in the stable loft." Varian interrupted the spellbound Dane, whose hand rested on the door to immediately withdraw as he backtracked down the hall behind a beckoning Varian.

"My gear, unfortunately, was previously loaded onto that flying Carpet when that French guy purloined my bags, along with Rudiger." The dark-haired alchemist darkly shook his fist at Prince Ferdinand's recent memory in the pitch black of the secret ladder stairwell when they entered the connected lighthouse tower loft area.

"Guess I just have to improvise with what he left here." As Varian wriggled out from his white Pierrot the clown costume, he looked somewhat out of place putting on the French Prince's Legionnaire officer's charcoal uniform black jacket with fancy gold trim and buttons and epaulettes. The awkward lad completed the odd fitting style with some wine colored trousers that were a might too loose and a tad too short for the tall and lanky twenty-year-old lad.

"Perhaps Mr. Bjorgman will have a change of clothing for you when we arrive at his abode." Hans collected his Sjoforsvaret officer's naval uniform that diligent ladies' maid Cassandra had seen to being washed while the men were attending the Masquerade Ball.

"I hope so. I've never really worn red before." As he assessed the trousers of the freshly washed uniform outfit, Varian cringed at the dapper French Prince's extravagant taste in fashion that the logical scientist did not espouse as he tugged on the Legionnaire's jacket collar uncomfortably.

"It's really not so bad a color, I do it all the time." Flashing a cocky smile he tried to feel, Prince Hans had brushed a hand through his rumpled titian hair locks after he removed the dashing Black Knight costume black leather doublet and tight inner black shirt from over his lean body.

"Okay, I can see that you have a lot of muscles… And…scars…?" Recently thrown into medical training of the human body, Varian squinted in the dimmed light with a clinical eye over the Prince of the Southern Isles' fine form and firm physique. The stick scrawny boy just out of his teens didn't expect to see that hiding beneath that suave exterior of the charming Danish Prince who appeared more of a dandy on the outside.

"I've done my foolish best to earn them all over the years." Deadpan Hans answered drolly, the tone of his slim yet potently muscular build was forged by not a small amount of pain and suffering along adolescence to maturity.

"Yeah… In your experience, Hans, do women find an impressive physique more… attractive?" The young alchemist raised the query of his own romantic status that he was now more inspired to pursue, after tonight.

His baby blue eyes comparatively examined Westergaard's well-defined chest and wiry lower torso, as the Dane undressed and re-dressed swiftly before him. "For instance, should I try to beef up a little more to please Cass?"

"In my experience? Hmph. To be honest, my friend, in comparison to other brawnier men, including my twelve brothers, I was always considered the scrawny weakling…and, even if my physique was more attractive if I must say so myself, I would still be the least desired brother to all eligible royal ladies, since I was the youngest and furthest from the Crown. With little or no experience with the fairer sex beyond my lofty pursuit of Elsa of Arendelle, I claim no right to give any advice to any man on romantic matters." Hans had scoffed at himself and his own mountain of mistakes when it came to his views on how to woo a woman.

But when he finished pulling on his tall black boots and buttoning up his Navy blue uniform jacket, Prince Hans clearly detected Varian's disappointment and shame face self-knowledge that he himself sported a body far less than adequate to offer a lady.

Particularly one as 'formidable' as Lt. Captain Cassandra Schmidt of the Corona Royal Guard.

"Except, perhaps, to offer the soulful knowledge in extolling the Lord above for creating the female sex to be far more intelligent and insightful, not to mention willing to look far deeper than the surface than we trifling, more visual men do. The ladies search for virtuous integrity and meritorious value, intellect and sound judgment to be the greater impression than any physical attribute. In sum totality, most women seek for the magnitude and strength of the heart beating within. Consequently, there lies the true measure of a man." The remissive thirteenth in-line Prince of Denmark opened his yet tender heart in concern of females whom he held in much regard, despite his home nation's current worldview that demanded the rule of male primogeniture which strove for dominance.

 _'You're perfectly masculine.'_

Hans heard echoes of Elsa's delicate voice whispering the sublime line in his memory, bringing a profound smile of pride to his lips as he finished buttoning up the jacket of the Naval Forces she inducted him into.

And he swore allegiance to his Queen and her country for what seemed forever ago now ever since.

" _'The true measure of a man'_. Gee, that's good stuff. No wonder you're going to marry a Queen." Apparently assuaged by Prince Hans' wise counsel yet again, an impressed Varian Gutenberg yanked up his oversized, bright red pants and tightened it with a well-turned belt around his less than stellar musculature waist.

"Yes. Yes I am." This man to man talk with Varian alleviated a great deal of his displeasure at the King's ruling, and all Prince Hans felt was the warmth of love in his heart for his darling Elsa, who would still be his in the new morning.

* * *

"It's quite uncanny that _this_ would be the only door open to me in this kingdom tonight." Hans snaps back to the chilly present as he strides up to the quaint cottage and gazes at it.

With an incredulous face, Hans simpers to himself now at the irony of it all that he would be staying his first night back in Arendelle under the feisty ginger Princess' personal roof.

"Huh?" Varian cocks his head at the indecipherable remark as he follows Hans' leading Sitron into the barn that Kristoff obviously had erected close by his newlywed home.

"Nuance." Hans responds with a roguish smirk nod to his big brother 'thief.' He seamlessly finishes accommodating Sitron in the cozy warm, small barn stall before he dares to cross the threshold of Princess Anna of Arendelle's new household, as charming as it may be.

"Oh Anna. It looks like you've found a place of your own—chocolate fondue and all." Hans chuckles as he and Varian enter the cottage through its backdoor kitchen entrance near the barn stall enclosure obviously furnished for Sven.

The pair of visitors find a mess of foodstuffs on the counters—breakfast dishes unwashed in a dry sink, and some cookery still scattered on the table after weeks of absence, with the sticky coating of chocolate chip pancakes and the unmistakable scent of burnt coffee wafting around the homey kitchenette/small dining area.

The visage of varied underclothes strung across the hand crafted cabinets behind the stove, apparently left to dry there after some watery accident, made the newlywed cottage even more quaint upon first viewing.

"Hans? Varian? Sorry I'm late, but I had to go back to pick up Olaf. My father-in-law was not so discreetly giving me endless warnings for keeping tabs on you tonigh–whoops. Heh heh heh. Sorry, Anna - _I mean me – I!_ – must have forgotten to clean up before we left for – _umm_ – the Snow Palace in the North – Umm… I forgot that we just booked it, and left the house in a hurry. I generally do the cleaning up when I get off work at sunset, but it looks like I didn't do very well last time we were here. Wow, it's even messier than my Ice Harvester stall in town."

Hard-working man Kristoff comes bounding in with the admission of being the one to primarily keep house around here with his dizzy bride spending the majority of her time up at the Castle with Elsa and their folks during her sister's melancholic months of loneliness.

 _Well, looks like that's all about to be changed, thanks to this guy. But how am I going to explain to Anna her father's order for Hans to stay over here in **her** house for now? My Feistypants is gonna kill me when she finds out he's staying here! Argh!_

Now wearing a tight borrowed jacket from the servant's hall cloakroom, Kristoff Bjorgman comes into his own kitchen with eyes bugging out at the unexpected chaos. With sheer embarrassment on his pink cheeked face, the tall blond mountain man goes around picking up the bits of incriminating clothing and messy plates and dirty placemats and napkins.

"Wow. Your house is a wreck. I didn't know kitchens could get so filthy. It's not a good idea to leave food out on the table, you might attract bugs. Looks like Anna's not being a 'good housekeeper' like Gerda and Eliana taught her." Obliviously rude Olaf comments at the disastrous state of affairs the kitchen – not to mention the rest of the cottage - was left in.

He attended many 'good homemaker' classes where Gerda tried to pound into the haphazard Princess' ginger head the week before the wedding back in July.

Kristoff frowns down at the unhelpful snowman at his side for besmirching his sweet little bride, who couldn't help but be a mess, however she tried.

But Anna had an excuse this time. The young lovers had to leave the homey dwelling in much disarray after their secret early morning rendezvous had been quickly abandoned when that urgent message from GranPabbie arrived for Kristoff to leave for the North in crisis.

"No need to apologize. Varian and I are indebted for your hospitality in giving us a room for the night. We would only be too happy to lend our use to whatever task in setting the kitchen in order as small recompense. I am no stranger to this type of toil aboard ship, and I'm sure my young friend will assist in whatever's necessary to make this room shipshape." Hans and Varian exchange a comically weirded out look as each begin to clean a section of the disaster, table and beneath it as well, neither even trying to imagine how the newly built house, where only two adult people resided, had come into such disorder.

That's when Hans, believing he was helpfully pitching in to assist Kristoff in the hasty cleaning job the 'cabin boy' had become quite adept at in his pirate ship galley days, ducks down to retrieve a runaway teacup –

And stands back up, hopelessly hooked inside a pair of Anna's palest green silk stockings and lacy knickers.

"Ha ha ha! Ho ho ho! Ha ha!" The three young men let out some pent-up laughter to relieve some of the tension each had been feeling after this monumental night attending a Royal Ball for the Queen.

"Hee hee hee. This is funnier than it looks like to me." Olaf comments as he heads to the food pantry for moralizing nourishment after being discarded by his girlfriend on this late night.

Owl flies in the window, lending his flying talon assistance to extract poor Hans from being entangled in the ginger princesses' lacy underthings any further.

 _Just what I always wanted._

"Right." Kristoff quickly grabs Anna's unmentionables off Hans' head and tucks the fabric frillies into his shirt with a shameful chuckle. "Let's just get changed out of these blasted strait jackets before we get back to clearing the kitchen. Then I'll break out some real midnight snacks and Akvavit before we crash asleep for the night." Shedding his self-consciousness at the shared levity, Kristoff smirks as he reaches for a bowl full of unknown wet ingredients and oats he generally made for Sven that smelled of some sort of spicy berry laced hops and fermented beans.

"Whoo-whee! Stewed to perfection! The longer the better, that's what we Ice Harvesters always say up in the mountains! It'll put hair on your chests, boys! Maybe even give us the motivation to get this whole house spick and span as an early Christmas surprise for Anna in the morning, right?" Kristoff says encouragingly after a long swig of the freshly brewed liquor.

"Sounds like fun." Varian says toothily as he accepts the dishrag assigned to him by the inspired gift-giving enthused, fund-limited young husband who had been searching for a special, last-minute surprise present for his gal who hated the mundane chore of cleaning.

 _And it's free._

"Just follow my lead, guys! I'm an expert at cleaning the house!" Olaf's head enthusiastically emerges from being inside the excessively large cookie jar in Anna's kitchen pantry. The eager snowman had accompanied Kristoff earlier to his small abode.

The tall mountainman had dutifully brought home the despondent snowfriend at his little wife's request to have company tonight. Or more likely, get Olaf out of the castle and/or trouble, and leave all the guests scattered around the big house at peace.

"Cleaning is almost as fun as making the mess!" The ever-optimistic snowman starts his end of the 'cleaning' task by shoveling in his hungry mouth the remaining stack of chocolate chip, syrupy pancakes. Though Olaf was unaware he was dripping the sticky maple substance all over the floor as result of stuffing too much in his mouth.

"Gee, can't wait. Just like the old days on Captain Houtebeen's ship." With a grimace at Olaf for adding swabbing the deck now too to the list of after-hours chores, Hans shares a sardonic grin with his fellow conscripted shipmate Varian.

As for Kristoff, he pleasantly furnishes the pair with a flurry of sweeping brooms and washcloths, sacks of dirty dishes and piles of dry clothes to fold.

But the cleaning tasks reminded Varian of how much the science genius enjoyed doing the wash with the exacting ladies' maid with the bewitching eyes in Corona. So he didn't mind taking on that part, dreaming of pleasing his Cass.

 _"My head started reeling. It gave me the feeling the room had no ceiling or floor!"_ Lyrical Hans decides to quicken the tasks with his own waltzing with the broom around the room to the melodic song as Kristoff puts his muscle to the test to scrub the sticky table and stove.

Varian then helps Olaf 'carefully' tackle the mountain of dishes – with swift, dexterous Hans vigilant and ready closeby to prevent Princess Anna's dishware breakage - before the three exhausted men turned in for a well-deserved, long winter's nap.

* * *

"So there you are, Idun. I was wondering where you had got into, my beauty." King Agdar whispers in the dimmed moonlight as he enters the royal master bedroom wearing the deep burgundy silk robe that Kristoff had furnished and fetched earlier for the costume immobile King to change into in his downstairs study, before speaking to Hans.

Agdar had half expected his wife of twenty-five years to have accompanied the robe back down to the study. Perhaps she would help him undress and discuss the evening's winding down as the close couple had for countless nights together since their wedding took place on a New Year's Eve one quarter century ago.

Even with his diminished sight miraculously restored, King Agdar still had the propensity to reach out for his other half to be there for him to lean on, the shoulder to lighten his load of responsibility and burden and lead his often troubled and uneasy way.

"Surely you're not asleep yet? I could have sworn I saw your lovely eyes light upon me when I first entered the room." King Agdar says enticingly to his often teasing Queen.

Silence.

"I daresay I look much younger now without that damnable costume's beard. A moustache is debonair, but a beard of such a length as that adds years to a man, wouldn't you say?" King Agdar jovially strokes his once more delightfully bare chin as the smiling King disrobes and climbs into the king-sized bed alongside his wife.

No response.

"My vision's returned, and feel quite young enough to be worthy of sharing a bed with such a delectable creature. You were absolutely stunning tonight in your queenly robes, Idun. But I must say – no pun intended, my darling – you are a sight for sore eyes, _min kärlek,_ seeing you here waiting for me in our bed." Using his mate's own affectionate term for him that meant 'my love' in moments of passion, Agdar rather intimately glides his long limbs towards her in a stretch that envelops his thin little woman.

His arms pull Idun to his cold body that felt whole again for the first time in a long time, and eager for her warmth and comfort on this tough, emotional night.

But Idun shrinks away, having heard – after much coaxing — the fundamental content of her husband's conversation with Prince Hans from a cornered Kristoff. So the fuming Queen was not at all agreeably responsive to her mate's mutely entreated touch.

The seething woman, after peeking in on her daughters and their slumber party guests to assure they were content, had already changed from her own costume into her nightgown and had gone to bed.

Purposely alone.

"It _has_ been a fairly exhausting evening, my Queen, and I must say I can't blame you for retiring so early. But is tonight's commemoration of the birth of our first beautiful daughter not cause for some small, _umm_ , celebration?" As he shuffles around on the bed in the struck silent room, Agdar pauses to light the candle in a holder that he sets upon the nightstand to look his oddly silent wife in the eye before he settles back onto the bed with expectant open arms.

"Why are you sending Prince Hans north to captain the Gler?" But totally changing the subject, a stiff Idun's detached, pointed voice and angry words throw cold water on her nuzzling hubby's ardor, causing Agdar to immediately desist his petting.

"W-what?" The startled man pulls back from his romantic caresses which his bride of twenty-five years never before denied, until now.

"Are you retracting from your word of honor, given in front of dozens of our esteemed guests, in allowing our Elsa to choose her own life's marriage partner, Agdar?" Queen Idun's indigo eyes open wide and accusingly up at the flabbergasted moustached man hovering near her.

"What?! Why—? No! Idun, as you well know, my word **_is_** my honor. I am aware our Elsa has selected that young Dane despite the prestigious list of suitors assembled. And I have agreed to not second-guess her decision. She is an adult now – and a capable ruler at that – so I, as her proud father, will not stand in the way of her happiness." The temperature in the room drops suddenly when Agdar attempts to dig himself out of the ditch he dug deeper this night.

"Then why are you sending her intended to sea again before the wedding is to take place?" A peevish Queen Idun argumentatively props herself up on the pillow out away from her viably whole bodied man. "I was so proud of you when you conceded to wisdom and gave Elsa the freedom to select her own choice of suitor. You gave her the opportunity to acknowledge her true love for the man she was engaged to, despite your attempted interference before." Idun evocatively clutches at her own ring finger with a plaintive look.

"But now I find you are backing out on your own word?! Prince Hans is the one who will make our Elsa happy! Do you still hold such contempt for the 'Danes', as you crudely call them, that you really are blinded by hatred, not love?!" Idun dramatically holds her heart, glaring at her husband more angrily than she ever had before her life.

"Idun, please! Understandably, you are not well versed in our Sjoforsvaret naval law protocol to know it requires an officer to spend so many hours on duty aboard ship before he can earn his stripes and bars to be more than a mere ceremonial rank officer. That Danish young man has only been inducted into our country and resided on our soil for less than the six-month requirement to officially become a Norwegian citizen. Surely, you recognize Elsa would wish for her fiancé to be a full-fledged member of our kingdom and have served in our Navy as a full, high ranking Sjoforsvaret officer, deserving of all the amenities before achieving the next step as the monarch Queen's consort? I am only ensuring proper procedure for that to take place, my love, and what would be more fitting than to launch the very vessel the Vise Admiral is familiar with?" King Agdar wisely leaves off _'since he's the one who originally crippled it and ordered it to go down in the Moskenstraumen during that sea battle with the pirate sea monster Draugen._ ' The intellectually snobbish Royal and lifelong Naval man, who prided himself on knowing the rules and regulations of his beloved country and protocol demands of his Navy Forces, backwards and forwards, flaunts his knowledge of naval statute before his incredulous wife.

"Then, seeing as that I, at the tender age of sixteen, had not been informed that I was absolutely required by naval law to either a: serve as full-fledged officer on board ship or b: stay over six months residence of living in this country, I must declare myself an illegal fraud in our marriage. Since it was not _procedural_ when we pledged our wedding vows twenty-four years, three hundred fifty-four days ago when I was yet a _mere_ underage citizen of Sweden, had not lived a single day on your glorious Norwegian soil beforehand nor served in your auspicious Navy. Not to mention being _wholly_ unworthy by the standard the Sjoforsvaret rules and regulations to stand at the side of the sanctimonious King of Arendelle! Good night, Your Majesty!" And with that explosive remark that had King Agdar totally stunned silent, Queen Idun rises up from the bed and crosses the room, throwing her robe over her still seething small frame.

She storms out of the royal bedchamber in a huff with a pursed lip sassy, impudent glare at him in the large, ornate door as she leaves.

"Idun! Don't be ridiculous! As a royal female, you were never required to serve in – ** _Wait_**! – the naval service— ** _"_**

 ** _SLAM!_**

An agitated King Agdar scrambles to get his arms in the inverted silk robe to give chase to his irate wife and better explain his clumsy words that set her normally even temper off so ferociously.

"…as Prince Hans does, due to the fact he was in service to his country and protocol has required for generations all Prince consorts must serve time in our armed forces, because he is a man." He finishes his sentence, deflated, speaking to the bedroom door that had slammed in his kingly face.

But as the King clumsily stumbles out into the exit corridor, Agdar watches his wife enter Elsa's bedroom just down the hall. She locked the door noisily behind her with one last forbidding look in his direction that obviously said: "Leave me be."

"'Yet man was born to trouble, surely as the sparks fly upward.' _Job 5:7_ "

A flustered Agdar feels some momentary solace in quoting Biblical hero Job, an individual who experienced physical, mental and emotional turmoil and as much agony and pathos as any man who ever walked on this earth.

With a resigned sigh in a cold brown study, Agdar trudges back, slumped shoulders, to a spacious empty bed for a now doubly anxious night of little rest, in deep consternation amid many reflective self recriminations.

* * *

 _Min kärlek_ – my love in Swedish

 _min kæreste – my dearest in Danish_

* * *

 _'O Tannenbaum_ _(O Christmas Tree_ )' – German Christmastide song music based on 16th century Prussian Silesia folk tune by Melchior Franck with lyrics referring to the fir's evergreen quality as a symbol of God's constancy and faithfulness by Leipzig composer Ernst Anschultz in 1824.

 _'Ten Minutes Ago'_ – by Santino Fontana from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical 'Cinderella'

* * *

Hello, Frozen friends!

BAMMM! This one starts with a bang and ends with one too! :

Looks like King Agdar is in the doghouse with his wife for putting a monkey wrench in Helsa's wedding! Elsa's blissfully unaware at the Princess slumber party, while Hans has to wrestle with the wedding impeding development tonight.

Knowing our clever Dane, he'll probably find some way around his antsy future father-in-law's rules and regulations for some alone time with his lovely Ice Queen to sort it all out.

I gleaned the title "Canopy Dreams" from the psychological analysis that 'a canopy represents the heavens' with 'religious or spiritual connotations' and reference to cultures where weddings are performed under canopies, symbolizing dreams of marriage, love and romance, or safe and warm feelings of good luck in future travel plans.

All of which may be in Helsa's near future…

Whew! Psychoanalysis in Frozen Again!? o

Thanks for reading all the Frozen Again emotional pre-nuptial turmoil under Hans and Elsa's 'Canopy Dreams'! Can't wait to hear your reviews of this dreamy slumber party chapter!

God bless and have a safe a happy Halloween! BOO!

Love, HarukaKou


	43. Chapter 42 - The Skater's Waltz

_We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

 **"Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act VIII**

 **Chapter 41**

 **"The Skater's Waltz"**

 _"Happy, merry, holly, jolly holy season's greetings here!_

 _Me and my family have loads to do at that time of year!_

 _Hanging wreaths, knitting mittens, Advent candles to wear!_

 _We've lots of tradition things for that time of year!_

 _Oh, happy, merry peace on Earth, faithful tidings of good cheer!_

 _Ringing church bells, lights on trees, lingonberries everywhere!_

 _Sugar rush peppermint sticks, cookie shaped reindeer!_

 _I love sharing what fun we do at that time of year!_

 _So happy, merry yuletide carols, sledding friends are dear!_

 _Building cute snowmen is what we do in Arendelle, any volunteers?_

 _Hot cocoa and saffron buns will make shivers disappear!_

 _A skating frolic's our new tradition for that time of year!"_

Olaf, the merry snowman certainly enjoyed the Christmas season, and would celebrate it with as much joy as any being ever did.

This new, modified version of his yearly festive song permeates the cold air of the outdoors as he flung open Kristoff and Anna's cottage door.

Olaf had been sure he heard a commotion of jingle bells and a sled approach from where he had been sleeping. Dreams of sugarplum fairies danced in his head in the empty tub that Kristoff pulled up for him last night in the cozy cottage front room. Olaf rushes outside with squinting eyes that catch aglow at the nearby ice pond.

There, in the distance, he could just make out where two young men were in skates, first stepping onto the still water's frozen solid surface.

"JustHans! I'm an expert at the glide and pivot! Wait up!" Excited Olaf stumbles down the icy patch front step in an unholy pile. His discombobulated body parts just then look up to note another viewpoint in his confused snowblindness.

The tinkling bells did not come from the site of the young men at the pond in this early morning, dreadfully chilly weather. But rather from the decorated saddle and bridle of Princess Anna's grey fjord horse named 'Kjekk.'

Princesses Anna and Sofia both had silently awakened in much anticipation of the coming day. Plotting in silly mimes, the like-minded friendly girls had gingerly snuck away from Elsa's soundly sleeping, smiling dream to gigglingly scamper through Arendelle Castle's third-floor secret exit to the stable area.

Kjekk had then quietly whisked the ginger Princess and her new friend to the cottage where a sleepless Anna wished to surprise her still fairly new husband with a morning kiss.

Sofia had a hankering to join early riser Prince Hugo for a quick, cross-country trek that the caramel-haired princess thought she spotted her athletic Russian Royal Prince outside the window at dawn heading towards.

 _ **TIPTOE TIPTOE…**_

Princess Anna stealthily sneaks into her rear room kitchen through its backdoor. There, her cute little nose scented the tantalizing aroma of hot coffee and frying potatoes of some sort with the silhouette of a tall man in the darkness at her stove.

 _Kristoff's making me a surprise breakfast?! How romantic! He must have sensed me coming through our psychic link! Ooh, I love you so much, you gorgeous manly man –_

"Guess who, my great big buttery, hunky morning beefsteak! Huh!?" Anna snakes her hands around the head of the man standing at the frying pan, flipping some sort of omelette pancake recipe that Kristoff obviously had no experience in cookery to even attempt.

 _Something doesn't feel right here._

In her enthusiasm to be spontaneously clandestine, Anna didn't notice the man she snuck up on in the darkened cottage wasn't wearing much more than a robe, nor was he as tall or broad shouldered or wild haired as her mountain man.

 _Not enough muscles._

In fact, feeling around this male body in the pitch black quarter of the kitchen, Anna was disgusted to find that the man in question, was sporting sideburns.

 _Who's been sleeping on my sofa?!_

"Good morning, Anna. It pains me to have to inform you that I am _not_ your 'big buttery beefsteak.' But I appreciate the morning hug nonetheless."

 _Smooth as velvet and smug as a fox…It's his voice!_

Anna's sticky glomp stiffly freezes in place when the icksome reality of it all comes crashing around her bright _red_ ears.

"Red?! What are you – ?!" Removing herself bodily from the half-dressed man, Anna only gets this out before the quick Dane sticks a freshly fried potato pancake in her wide-open mouth, which about to unleash unpleasant noises.

"May I say in advance that I greatly thank your husband for the hospitality of opening his home to Varian and I last night, when your father, the King made it explicit that there was _'no room at the inn',_ so to speak. King Agdar impressed upon Kristoff to take myself and a tired Varian in for the night." Hans pauses for air, with eyes assessing how to subdue her gingery wrath.

He watches Anna silently chew the rolled up pancake he had stuffed in her mouth, glad her contorted face indicated she was somewhat pleased with its flavor.

"You and I have not always been on the best of terms, my dear Anna, I acknowledge it is my folly entirely. But please hear me out when I say that I sincerely wish to express my eternal gratitude to you for bringing me back here when Elsa needed us most. I love—I adore—your sister and consider myself the most fortunate man on God's earth for her to choose me above all those other princes. Through this deep bond of love I feel for Elsa—and she for me— I hope you and I can build back our trust in one another. You gave me such unmitigated hope through our correspondence to bring me back to her kingdom, and in common safeguard of Elsa's emotional and physical welfare I pray we can expand our future affection as brother and sister, over the years as Elsa and I progress in the wedded bliss of holy matrimony. Thusly, to you, her most stalwart defender, I will forever vow to protect and preserve her happiness with all my heart, body and soul, Anna. As a start, did my special recipe potato lefse warm you up on this bitter cold Scandinavian morning, Princess? Care for another?" This entire rambling spiel is verbally expelled in a few quiet breaths as a tentatively smiling Hans deftly flips another potato lefse pancake with the expert spatula in his nimble hand.

"Oo-kay." Anna responds with suspicious hesitation, but she accepts another pancake and continues to chew on it, mulling over all the words which verbose Hans just spoke so early in the morning.

"Good." Hans smiles and secretly sighs with pleased relief, thinking that exchange went rather better than expected. Anna, however, seeing his smug face, was about to open her mouth again, but the Danish smoothie sees this and once again cuts her off.

"I was making coffee and these protein-filled warm egg and potato pancakes for Mr. Bjorgman, awaiting his return from taking that Russian Prince Hugo up to the ski slopes. Earlier this morning, while Kristoff was out, a rather disheveled Minister Kai came by with these Arendelle ceremonial uniforms, inquiring about the Christmas Bell-ringing Ceremony for this afternoon which had to be altered due to Sven's absence. So I offered my services in any way I could to spare your poor husband of some of the burdens of this celebration responsibility. Mr. Gutenberg had many ingenious ideas on the use of some unlikely farming machinery for resurfacing and clearing the courtyard's densely snow-covered ice. We have checked the ice edge for thickness to ensure of no bumps or cracks while packing in the excess snow to use as containment for the skating exposition proposed last night. Varian and I have already prepared in anticipation for the day of festivities, after lending our humble assistance at dawn to clearing the aforementioned Courtyard ice for the skating frolic. I have since drawn another warm bath and have clothing set out for your husband's imminent return before we depart for the festivities at the castle." Hans' running off at the mouth and engaging green eyes motion to the couch to the cornflower blue suede jacket and navy striped inner shirt awaiting Kristoff which sat upon the neatly folded sheets and pillows.

Hans had slept on the small couch uncomplainingly for a few hours between cleaning the house and clearing the 'skating rink' alongside Kristoff, Varian and several willing servants.

 _Apparently all in a day's work here in the magical_ _kingdom_ _of_ _Arendelle_ _._

"Gee, sounds like you guys have had a busy morning already…" Anna couldn't help but snigger at the thought of prim Prince Hans having to do all this heavy labor. "Thanks for helping Kristly out, Hans." But the Christmastime goodness ingrained in her that the joyful gal was already starting to feel pricks Anna's conscience to show gratitude.

Though the thought of her hard-working Kristoff taking a bath was invariably tempting, the sun was coming up and Anna knew the she had to get back because Elsa and the other girls would be awakening soon.

"Ummm… I have to be getting back now." Suddenly unnerved by sharing this intimate breakfast alone with the alluring redheaded Prince wearing little more than a bathrobe towel, Anna awkwardly stands from her wooden chair and moves towards the rear kitchen door of her home. "When you see him, tell Kristoff –" She starts to instruct as Hans turns back to flipping more pancakes for the industrious Ice Harvester's plate to add to the stack he was preparing on the breakfast table.

"'Good morning, _my great big buttery, hunky beefsteak''_?" Cunning Hans could not restrain himself from teasing Elsa's little sister with whom he had so much emotionally confrontational history.

"Ugh! Why did I think I should ever bring _**you**_ back here, you jerk?!" Like an abrupt thundercloud, Anna angrily grumbles, throwing a towel at Hans and her hands up in the air. Anna bangs the door as she storms out of her own little house, resenting ever having a hand in inviting one Hans Westergaard back into their previously uncomplicated, happy lives.

"We'll see you later at the skating party, Princess." Hans rubs in one last jab to his favorite sparring partner as he puts a final potato lefse atop the stack and takes a long sip of his freshly brewed coffee.

"Mmm. Just the way I like it – dark." Hans murmurs into his mug of black coffee, surprising himself at how enjoyable it still was to bait the easily set off young woman.

"Behave yourself this Christmas, Westergaard." He reprimands himself with a stare in the pan's silvery surface which more than a bit of elbow grease gave back its original shine. "Father Christmas doesn't bring gifts to naughty boys, remember?" He chuckles to himself of the ' _Julemanden_ ' (Christmas man) who never left him any presents in Egeskov for just such a reason.

After all, Hans' father and brothers and teachers alike always deemed Hans a ' _naughty devil boy_ ' who ' _didn't deserve Christmas presents'_ like the other young princes did.

"Maybe this year my shining North Star will make it different…" Hans says to his reflection wistfully, visions of his beautiful Queen Elsa of Arendelle enchanting his reinvigorated psyche.

Just then a wet rat Varian in similar skimpy towel comes inexplicably shivering into the kitchen to collect with blacksmith tongs the two thin pieces of concave metal he had put into the stove earlier to quick dry his spiky hair.

"There! Dry as an autumn leaf in thirty seconds!" Using his pliable, youthful body as a live test dummy in yet another modern experiment, Varian Gutenberg proudly emerges from beneath the bowl shaped, special metal fabrication he had just invented to look at an intrigued Hans.

"Yes. And no doubt just as crisp." Glad Anna had just recently departed so she wouldn't be there to witness this scandalous scene in her kitchen, Hans reaches over and pinches the ends of Varian's long black hair spikes. They crumble off into his fingertips, thankfully only at the edges which touched the red-hot metal experiment.

"Heh he heh. Guess this one goes back to the experimental stage. Practice makes perfect, right? I'll work it out soon, with a little more observant study. He he heh." Determined Varian chuckles nervously at himself for jumping the inventive gun.

Again.

"Hope I'm not such a failure in the skating rink, too. I don't want to be a major disappointment, for Cass' sake." Varian sighs fretfully at his most recent scientific blunder, combined with the young alchemist hermit's anxiety at never really experiencing a day of skating out on the ice, nor even ever playing out in the snow with other kids his age at wintertime.

"Then, shall we go for a little practice to ensure that's not the case? You said it yourself about practice achieving perfection—if worked at and studied." Hans felt some similar outcast camaraderie with the young genius, and wanted to help advance his new friend's naive attempts at romance now that his own was **that** close to being secured.

* * *

The morning dawned crisp and clear over the skies of Arendelle. The birthday Queen awakens with a warm kiss of the sunlight refracting light across the window from her cherished diamond snowflake engagement ring and onto her cheek.

 _Hans…You were utterly magnificent last night._

Elsa yawns and stretches her long elegant arm upwards towards the display of chimeric windchimes still hanging overhead of her Black Knight Prince and she in fairytale Sleeping Beauty garb yet dancing above her head.

"So beautiful." The platinum blonde whispers almost incoherently against one of Anna's pillows upon the canopy bed that she and Anna and their slumber party guest Princess Sofia had been sharing.

Lady Cassandra had already stealthily left Anna's bedroom for her early morning constitutional – rain or cold or shine – that kept the strict woman fit and strong and in shape, as per the tough woman's usual healthy regimen.

"Yeah, yeah. You've been drooling on that Red all night, sleepyhead."

Sitting straight up immediately, Elsa was startled to find herself the only slumberer yet reclined on the created ice canopy mattress.

"Oh, no! Did I oversleep?! How could I have done such a thing as hostess! Where are all the other girls?" The Ice Queen blushes a fetching shade of deep pink that gives the young monarch a lovely glow against the backdrop of the blue sky morning in the pristine beauty of their unmatchable Scandinavian homeland.

"They're all up and about, getting ready for the skating exhibition after breakfast. Don't sweat it, big sisty! Besides, that Smoothie spent the majority of his dreams with you, too, from the way he was mooning and singing and dancing over the frying pan back at the cottage like some lovesick schoolboy. You've got that Red wrapped around your little finger, Elsa." Anna teases her big sister with a crooked smirk at the recent recollection of the cozy early morning incident between herself and her former archenemy having an unexpected, very interesting rendezvous in her own homey little kitchen.

"Was he? You've seen Hans already this early in the morning?! I mean…ahem... Was he sautéing potato lefse?" Queen Elsa attempts to calmly rationalize, beyond lovesick herself, as she feigns tidying up the sheets and pillowcases while she rises from the bed. Her senses were instantly enticed on the subject of one Hans Westergaard who had come home to sweep her off her feet, just as her handsome dream prince, heroic knight in shining armor promised he would.

"Yeah. They're pretty good, too – considering Red made them. How did _you_ know about his breakfast menu?" Anna licks her chops of the syrupy morning treat that she had swiped off the table where versatile Hans, wearing one of Kristoff's oversized nightshirts, had been dishing up breakfast for her hard-working man.

"May I remind you, little sister, Prince Hans and I have spent many mornings making lefse together before." Elsa smiles coyly enigmatic to her sourly frowning little sister at the fond memory amidst tumultuous times on that dangerous pirate ship where she and Prince Hans first re-encountered one another.

"Oh, have you? Do tell, you Majesty! This sounds extremely intriguing!" Princess Amber emerges from behind the changing screen in Anna's bedroom where she had been primping over her skating outfit.

This latest, pale green velvet one was from the many in her heavy wardrobe trunk that this fashion plate young Princess of Enchancia was having the devil of a time deciding over.

"Well…I…" Elsa was beyond flustered by the sudden, intimating question from the curl-bobbed golden head beneath a tall, black sable fur winter hat for Russian nobility called a ' _gorlatnaya'_. A traditional British gold and silver sash adorned with teal puff balls that matched her brocade Bangalore scarf kept in place the layers of her frilly yellow dress over thick woolen chartreuse velvet stockings in the rather eye-catching design of Princess Amber's globetrotting, multicultural winter skating attire.

"How pretty you look, Princess Amber! We love frilly pom-poms here in Arendelle! It's just like Anna's!" Eliana, the little snowwoman exclaims with clapping hands of delight. She had been busying herself setting up Elsa's morning ablutions of washbasin and towel and a stylish manteau de lit scented of perfumed toilette.

The mercurial snowgirl had brought a bedgown for each of the slumber party members when she and several ladies' maids had been called in to see to the young womens' requested early morning wardrobe change.

"Oh. Maybe I should wear the other outfit, after all." The shimmering Princess puts on a smile as her vanity flattens at simple Eliana's unassuming words.

But just as Amber was about to return to the changing screen for the umpteenth time, her best friends, Princesses Hildegard and Cleo, stick their heads back into Anna's crowded bedroom.

"It is good to see you up and about at last, your Majesty, after that wonderful Masquerade Ball and slumber party! But, for heaven's sake now, you must hurry up, you three! Those boys have already scarfed down their breakfasts and are itching to get to that skating rink!" Bossy Princess Hildegard announces in her snobbish tone with a flip back of her long waves of dark hair at Amber.

"That's the pink shawl Desmond gave you for your birthday last month, isn't it, dearest? He, at least, will be pleased to see you wearing it at last. Poor boy can't skate a lick though, bless him." The high and mighty Princess of Freezenberg states as she glances Amber up and down her long nose.

"You're wrong, Hildy! Desmond promised me that he has been practicing since last year's disasterous skating party. And James said that he has improved greatly." Princess Amber surprises herself by defending the shy, studious and rather unassuming prince of Burgundy who was obviously sweet on her.

"Yes, I was there when James was teaching Desmond. He's so much improved, staying erect on his skates now. Morning, Queen Elsa." Wearing a frilly muslin hat, the more gracious Princess Cleo chimes in, looking very demure in a chocolate brown and tan dress that was completely fur-lined. She gains Amber's grin and a jealous Hildegard's chagrin, while Elsa and Anna exchange a look while braiding one another's hair.

"Well, we shall see, shall we not?"" Her own velvet skating cape adorned with gold and tassels, Hildegard flashes Elsa and Anna a winning smile. "They have no idea where Sofia disappeared to so early this morning. That blowhard Prince Hugo has been showing off to the King all breakfast. Do you require any of our help in getting changed, Elsa dear? I'm sure Cleo wouldn't mind laying out an amazing skating outfit from one of Amber's many _haute couture_ styles packed in that huge trunk from her layover in Paris that she's been going on and on about!" Princess Hildegard lends a sincere smile to the quiet platinum blonde Queen of this kingdom and _kindly_ offers her best friend Cleo's services along with Amber's clothes.

"Thanks, but that won't be necessary, girls. Stand back and watch." Anna declares as she just finishes brushing out and braiding Elsa's stylish side braid up in plaits. She takes a step back from her sister to let the Ice Queen strut her stuff.

In an instantaneously dazzling display of magical ice sparkles, Elsa forms her pale blue Ice Queen gown around her tall, slender form. Then, after a second thought glance in the mirror, Elsa artistically outdoes herself before the fashionistas' admiring eyes.

In a silky display of aurora borealis imbued shimmering velvet pale blues and lavenders and lilacs swirling around her, a breathtaking formfitting skating dress transforms her normal Ice Queen attire down in subtle, gorgeous ways.

Her off-the-shoulder icy dress displayed verglas trimmings and crystalline iridescence all about the Northern Winter Queen's cryokinetic masterpiece.

"Told ya." Anna proudly smiles with a rub to her wobbly tummy.

 _ **CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!**_

Princess Cleo of Corinthia couldn't restrain her applause for the amazing Ice Queen's mesmerizing abilities. She even invoked normally blasé Princesses Amber and Hildegard to join in the bravo for Elsa's incredible artistic talent which beautifully exceeded where the finest seamstresses on the continent didn't dare to go.

"Shall we join the men downstairs now for breakfast, ladies?" Elsa never felt more confident and attractive in her ice magic, knowing her heart was secure with her lover and her family and friends all near and dear were close by to celebrate the Christmas holiday like she and Anna had only dreamed of long ago.

Leading the troupe of princesses in a girlish giddy, giggling group, a blissful beaming Elsa was all smiles to enter the bustling Dining Hall.

That is, until she found her dream Prince was not one of the ones present among the serious faced, staid group of dignitaries and emissaries who were scheduled yet to meet with the King this afternoon for dealings of the nation.

Elsa stops still in her tracks at the decidedly aloof aura in the spacious breakfast area between her normally close knit parents who were each at the far ends of the dining room table.

"Good morning, my darling girl! How did you sleep after your glorious birthday night? Not too cold, I pray?" Queen Idun purposely draws her daughter to her side of the long table where most of the guests had gathered at the dark-haired, older Queen's pleasant invitation after they filled their breakfast plates at the replete buffet.

"Don't all of you girls look lovely in your skating outfits! How bold and adventurous! Such fetching treats you will all look for your lucky young men! I envy your youth and vitality to go out and enjoy the cool, brisk air, instead of being cooped up in this stuffy place with boring meetings your obdurate father has arranged for our dull afternoon in this cold castle." Elsa's mother's smile seemed a bit bitter as King Agdar rigidly rises from his uneaten breakfast plate to give his elder daughter a stately bow.

His eyes were trying to diverge from gazing upon Elsa's shocking bare shouldered, form fitting, and decidedly _evening_ outfit this early in the morning.

"Did you find your slumber party pleasant, young ladies?" King Agdar uncomfortably makes an attempt at conversation as he gives Elsa and each of her female guests a polite nod of greeting.

"The slumber party was very enjoyable, Papa. It was a wonderful idea. Thank you." Elsa cordially replies to her father for the group of young ladies.

"I hope you didn't find it too cold and chilly last night. This castle can be uninvitingly arctic sometimes." Idun's drawn indigo eyes pointedly dart to where her husband King Agdar had been holding court across the long table with only friendly King Roland, the inquisitive Duke of Weselton and his obese cousin, Valdemar.

They each occasionally tried to strike up conversation with the dour faced King in the cold atmosphere he was propagating, but Agdar was taciturn.

"Now that our beautiful and regal Queen Elsa is here to see to her guests, if you will all excuse us, Minister Kai and I must instruct the servants to see that all the fireplaces are to be well-stoked. It has been brought to my attention we must ward off the inclement weather drafts for our guests in this centuries-old establishment that obviously requires some updating." Agdar responds in kind to his wife's frosty comments, with an overly obliging attitude to relieve his Queen's complaints of their substandard home.

"After breakfast concludes, I hope to see you young people, as Prince Hugo had prodigiously wished, enjoying the fresh air and bright sunshine upon our kingdom's morning landscape that I'm sure my gifted daughter will make even more advantageous for winter sport. Will it not be most pleasant to view the ice skating festivities with our girls and their new friends later on in the afternoon once we conduct our meetings with the visiting dignitaries, my Queen? Then we may all converge to ring the bell together at the ceremony to start the Christmas holiday season for the villagers." On second thought, Agdar extends a gentle smile and invitation to the woman who had been giving him the cold shoulder all morning since she arrived at the breakfast table. He had been eagerly awaiting to make amends with her after last night's argument.

But so far Idun had not relinquished her anger at him.

"I would prefer to be excused from attending the negotiations, Agdar, as you would obviously better attend to them so that I may be a spectator of the skating competition for our daughters. Perhaps I will even take the opportunity to go into Arendelle to visit our citizens and take part in their holiday celebration start already this morning. If you'd be so kind to escort me, Chancellor Esteban?" Idun, though, continues her quiet protest against her obtuse mate with the detached words, devoid of the royal couple's usual affectionate nicknames as she turns to her dear friend from Avalor instead of her husband.

"But of course, my poco avé canora (songbird). Johanne and I were planning on attending the skating competition ourselves. I am enthusiastic to view the presentation as it has been many years since my last outing to a true skating exhibition. We will surely keep one another warm. If that is all right with you, my dear friend, Agdar?" Esteban poses the unassailable query in a way that it would be undiplomatic for Agdar to deny.

"…Good. Yes that will be fine. Please do, keep one another… warm… I will see you afterwards for the Bell Ringing Ceremony, my dear." King Agdar says, awkwardly tripping over his own words as he tries to gain Idun's unattainable smile. "Roland, Miranda, gentlemen." A defeated Agdar witnesses how the tall, debonair Chancellor leans back in his seat to wrap a familiar arm around their lifelong servant, Johanne.

She was on cloud nine, happily attending to her mistress Queen a few mornings more before her scheduled relocation to Avalor where she and Chancellor Esteban would marry and reside in the future, much to her sad older brother Kai's sadness.

The large-set man, at his wife Gerda's prompting, begins setting up the Christmas decorations to preoccupy him now that the birthday masquerade decor had been taken down.

With the removal of her hairpin with deft hands, the roguish South American royal deftly loosens the gray-haired ladies maid's bun tresses. It hung more loosely and lovely to frame her face as Johanne had been styled the night of the Masquerade and she was his red-hot flamenco partner.

"Now, I am ready to face the cold, whenever you are, ladies." He says with a flirtatious raised eyebrow look at his more sedate fiancée and her Queen.

"Oh, you are incorrigible, Chancellor." As Esteban leads she and Idun on each extended arm out towards the rear access cloak room, Johanne chuckles at her fiancé's frivolous behavior.

"This is true." Esteban comments with a tender smile down at her as he strokes his curled moustache.

The once stoic, plain woman attempts to smooth back a loosened lock that framed her indisputably yet handsome face that possessed that certain glow upon it that manifestly screamed : _' I am loved, at last.'_

The other female now at the table who wore that same unmistakable expression raises her eyes to catch a glimpse of the svelte silhouette racing across a distant pond. There Prince Hans' peerless visage was giving instruction to an awkward, knobbly legged young man flopping in all directions on the frozen outdoor surface.

"There you are." With a whisper, Elsa's spirits instinctively rise as she keenly watches her Hans elegantly glide across the frozen pond to right the inexperienced youth to his wobbly feet before displaying his own ample set of moves like a skating pro to ice dance, jump, and spin before Varian's jaw-dropped amazement.

The redhead, as if sensing eyes upon him, just then looks up towards Arendelle Castle, striking quite a provocative pose as he shields his eyes from the sun to see into the far-off window.

But just then Sofia and Prince Hugo come riding up to him, gesturing for Hans and the dark-haired inventor to jump on the horse drawn sleigh Kristoff had furnished to pick up the skaters and bring them to the courtyard.

"Ready to go and play at our Arendelle 'winter frolic', Elsa? Isn't that a funny name for a skating party?!" Anna receives a mental signal from her Wind Whisperer husband that he and the most important attendee were soon to arrive at the courtyard.

Anna finishes shoving yet another piece of jelly rye toast into her hungry mouth as she had been noticing her sister's big blue eyes widen and flash in lingering anticipation to soar along with that talented Red's every smooth move.

"Yes it is." After taking only a peck or two of her breakfast in her excitement that the others had already partaken of, the sleepy-head beauty Elsa gives a polite curtsy to her father the King and a queenly nod to all the other guests at the dining table who had been left behind in the room.

As she exits the Dining Hall, Elsa catches sight of a few of the visiting dignitaries waiting at the King's study to meet with the monarch, including a spurned royal prince or two who merely award the off-limits Ice Queen with a disdainful bow of respect.

Then an excited Elsa takes Anna by her giggling, squeezed hand to lead the other bundled up princesses out through the rear exit towards Arendelle's courtyard.

* * *

The multiple servants who decorated the Castle for the Masquerade Ball just yesterday had stayed on to begin the task of adorning the kingdom's Palace with Christmas Yuletide decorations now.

Silver and gold tinsel, bells in red and green ribbons, and wreaths with blue-and-white snowflake and crystals, were gracing every corner of the castle.

Elsa and Anna welcome their new friends just their age into the Winter Wonderland of their courtyard. The Ice Queen doesn't disappoint as she adds her own creative decorating skills to the frozen pair of fountains, with glistening sparkled results.

Next, Elsa forcefully places her high-heeled foot down to the cold ground until it freezes over with a thin layer sheet of ice from where the blonde beauty stood, all the way to the far corners of the brilliantly frozen courtyard.

"Nicely done, min kæreste." Raising a pair of ski goggles from his eyes, Hans Westergaard, out of the blue, comes racing up on skis to the edge of the courtyard with the brown haired Russian Prince who arrives just seconds behind, both out of breath.

" _Udivitel no!_ (Is amazing!)" Was Prince Hugo speaking of Elsa 's cryokinetic transformation of the courtyard before their eyes? Or was he talking about the fact that this foreign Prince of the Southern Isles - _of all places_ \- should turn out to be an ultra experienced, high slope skiing expert as well as a challenging short run sprinter at cross country skiing?

"I'll say! You guys practically tied! I've never imagined anyone could ever nearly be as fast as you, Hugo! Especially on so slight an incline!" Princess Sofia makes the mistake of giving some male other than her boyfriend too much praise, causing Hugo's amazed smile to then turn on Hans with a pursed competitive frown.

"Technically, Hans _did_ get here first." Varian settles the question when his scientifically exacting mind arrives with Kristoff driving the sled to pull up to the rear side courtyard with Varian and Sofia in the rear seat together.

"Hmph. Skiing is way easier than ice skating." Hugo snidely comments under his breath to which a dared Hans' lips curl into a challenging smirk of his own.

"Care to make a wager on that?" Hans asides as he and Hugo take a seat on the ice bench Elsa intuitively had created on the sidelines for the two competitor boys to remove their skis in exchange for skating blades.

"Name the stakes." A deliciously challenged Prince Hugo also had an older brother to whom he would always be game to take a dare.

"You find a way to give my fiancée and I some cover time to sneak off to be alone and out of her father's glare for a half-hour at sunset." Cunning Hans had been planning this romantic assignation with Elsa since last night. Perhaps he could take advantage of a little interference from this unlikely source for a quixotic rendezvous as he replaces his skis for a pair of men's skate blades that a footman silently supplies.

"And if Sofia and I win? What is it that will be our prize?" Hugo poses the question to Hans as he attaches the curved blades of his own skates in qualified quick succession.

Hans cocks his redhead, considering the idea for a moment before speaking. There, in the distance, his viridescent green eyes alight upon a certain glimmering castle in the air, and an idea pops in his head.

"You appreciate fine artistic structures, like in your homeland, correct? I will give you directions to take your Princess sightseeing to a Palace made entirely of pure ice high up in the mountains that will blow your mind beyond your wildest dreams." Hans had a feeling this would entice the Russian Prince with his well worded temptation. The offer gains Hugo's look of intrigue at the thought of visiting such a mountain winter sportsmen's dream.

"Game on." The Prince of Kiev had heard rumors of the legendary frozen mansion of the Ice Queen of the far North. He accepts the Prince of Southern Isles' dare with a firm shake of the hand as each rise from the bench seat where they held their hushed conversation.

"Are you two plotting something over there?" Princess Sofia asks as she blithely executes a cute spin and loop jump after a quick turn around the supercooled courtyard Ice Queen Elsa had brilliantly created.

Hans and Hugo exchange a guileless look at elegant Elsa with a shaky Anna trying to regain her skating legs as she hangs onto her sister to approach from behind Sofia.

" _Nyet_." (no) The two, tall, trim, dexterous young men treading ice before the curious females answer their inquisitive pretty gazes simultaneously with the most innocent of countenances, full of charming smiles.

"I don't trust either of them." A folded arm Princess Anna grimaces to Kristoff as he joins them at the rink from the stable after attending to their horse drawn sleigh. The honest Ice Harvester gives a suspicious glance to the two sickeningly, treacly faced rogues and their disarming smiles that had been obviously hiding something dastardly underhanded from the womenfolk.

"That goes for all men." From the sidelines, Cassandra Schmidt agrees with Princess Anna's assessment as the independent handmaiden was walking the edges of the courtyard rink. The tough young lady was doing her best to not appear to be searching for a certain skinny young inventor amid all the other girls who easily found their male partners readily accessible for their silly skating frolic.

"By the way, Princess Sofia… Didn't I see Varian with you on that sled?" The raven haired guardswoman with the sharp eyes was sure she spotted her awkward, long limbed fellow Curonian sharing transport as it was cutting across the field to the now frozen courtyard here.

"He's still in the stables, adjusting his skates." Kristoff plainly answers Cassandra with a big thumbed mitten pointing back towards Arendelle's multi-stall horse stable building.

"Sounds like him." Cassandra rolls her eyes at the always fiddling around genius boy, who found room for improvement in practically every gadget and mechanism known to mankind.

And even some that were not known yet his whirring brain would try to formulate.

"Sometimes Varian's too smart for his own good." She mutters, a tad annoyed to not get out on the ice already to instead chase after her mad scientist alchemist. The tall able woman, who had not yet strapped on her provided skates for her own practice run, rolls her eyes and marches in the snow towards the stables to fetch her oft-late companion.

* * *

"My Queen, you do look a treat this fine morning." Hans, now donning his Sjoforsvaret Vise Admiral uniform quite proudly, deftly skates up to his pale blue, fading to violet organza trimmed with iridescent snowflakes sweetheart with a gentlemanly kiss to her ungloved cool hand.

He scans Elsa's deliciously tight-fitting shoulderless gown ( _as expected_ ) skating party version of her Ice Queen attire. But upon inspection of her filmy, almost see-through iridescent chiffon ice petal skirts that swished in the breeze as she skated, Hans found he had to restrain himself from giving that low wolf whistle he could still hear his older brother Didrik employing in such situations.

Then his hungry eyes cause him to resent all the other young men assembled who could also view his Queen's scandalous curves shockingly displayed before the gathering.

"I thank you, Vise Admiral, for your approval. At least I have yours." With a slight reference to her paternal parent's unease with her fashion statement from earlier, Elsa smoothly skates up in a mesmerizing pirouette spin to display her daring costume especially for her fiancé.

Confident on the ice Elsa shows off all of her model-like fashion's tight around the torso, yet billowy around everything else, new outfit's advantages. The ice crafted creation shivers and twirls in the breeze around her tantalizingly lithe pale body surrounded in wisps of chiffon and organzas envisioned in ice.

"Do you ever necessitate for my approval, Elsa?" Hans breathes in Elsa's cool ear as he wraps his arms around her rather familiarly in public to practice the couple's first partnered skating moves on the ice. He was secretly glad the King was not yet present, as Hans, running his hands fluidly along Elsa's lines, was becoming acquainted with how much intimacy ice skating partners required.

"I'll take whatever you have to offer, my handsome Prince." As they skate in unison across the ice rink floor, breathless Elsa seductively whispers as she deliciously feels nimble-fingered Hans' hands snake their way around her diamante bejeweled pale blue torso to feel their way around her hips for the first time—all for the sake of the skating, of course.

Then the agile young man spins her around three times in perfect rhythmic succession before drawing his Elsa back in for a synchronized pair, one-legged glide to travel clear around the rink.

"Wow! You look so good together!" Princess Amber exchanges nods with her brother James and fellow princesses Hildegard and Cleo all dotted across the ice rink practicing.

"Should've figured Hans would be good at this, too." Anna murmurs as sourly as her swishing tummy felt this morning. But Anna's frown inverts when her big blond boy comes skating up to her on a pair of wobbly legs that the lifelong Ice Harvester never quite got the knack of doing elegantly.

"Kristly, you and I have to try that spinny thing."

Now that statement causes Kristoff's hard abs stomach to ache.

"Impressive, comrades." With folded arms, Hugo thought he was the ultimate authority about all things ice as he gives Hans and Elsa's first stab at being a combined pair some respect. They displayed a certain indefinable grace and poise of unity that his critical eye appreciated more than the other swooning girls and their envious male partners gathered on the ice.

"Have you skated in competitions together before?! You two are going to be absolutely amazing in this skate off exhibition!" Sunshiny Princess Sofia claps in unadulterated friendship that was stark contrast to her sullen longtime boyfriend's competitive streak.

"I LOVE skate-off exhibitions!" Olaf suddenly exclaims, waving his arms around from the sidelines he was approaching with Eliana. They were helping Gerda bring out some cups of hot cocoa and crumpets at the stall beside the benches Kai had instructed the servants to set up for the royal visitors' comfort during this wintertime skating frolic.

"What's an exhibition?" The dumb snowman murmurs out the side of his crooked mouth to Eliana as he trots from the plowed snow banks blissfully onto the ice surface towards where Elsa and Anna and the others were talking.

Just then, still holding his newly refined blades, Varian dashes out from the stable, where he had been tweaking his new skate design, towards the courtyard behind them. "Watch how balanced these are!" He eagerly shouts in excitement to Cassandra who was chuckling right behind him as she pauses at the bench to attach her newly provided, special skates.

But watching his long-legged friend, and lost in her eyes he was dying to show-off his new invention, Varian forgets to strap his own redesigned blades tightly to his footwear as he blithely follows Olaf's lead out onto the ice.

The skinny, awkward boy finds himself skittering and off balanced, nearly falling to a pile on the slippery ice until a more agile Cassandra rushes onto the icefield to steady him, but a flailing and kicking Varian unwittingly knocks them both down to the icy ground despite her best efforts to halt him.

"Now, THAT'S a prime example of an exhibition, snowman." Sporting his burgundy and aqua ice hockey jacket that wore the crest of Enchancia on its lefthand chest, Prince James jokes, getting elbowed by his sisters on either side of him for being rude.

"That's not funny, James. Poor boy may be hurt." Shy Cleo speaks up for once, stopping James' gleeful chuckles dead in their tracks. The dark-hair ponytailed Corinthia Princess, in her demure muted pale pinks and mauve long dress decorated with flower buttons and feathers skates over to lend her kneeling assistance of the downed young stranger.

"Uh – Cleo! I didn't mean –" Putting his foot in his mouth, Prince James stops in his smooth skating course to reach out back towards the departing gal. The, at times thoughtless, yet well-meaning ice hockey player runs a hand through his flustered bangs that had fallen to his instantly ashamed face.

"Nevermind her, James. Cleo always gets herself in a fit of a self-righteous pickle. _I_ thought the jest was amusing and in good fun. Let's share that hot cocoa now." More flippant Princess Hildegard, in her primped cerulean blue frills and strings of pearls, maneuvers the distraught young Prince of Enchancia away in the opposite direction towards the refreshment bar.

"I guess. He looks okay." James looks to make sure that Varian truly wasn't hurt as the Ice Queen uses her ice magic to help steady him to his feet with Cassandra's already up and about help, or he would quickly lend a hand. But the mellow prince often gave up easily after being persuaded to obey others whims' and not listen to his heart instead.

"Here, hold onto me." Cassandra instructs Varian, genuinely anxious at the sight of his awkward arms and gangly legs going in every which way making her heart leap. "Let's try strapping on those new skates of yours properly before we come back out on the ice, silly." Cass softly berates Varian as she brushes back his sticky-uppy tousled black and teal bangs.

Then she leads him on her strong arm to the nearby bench to recheck the straps on his newly remodeled, remastered skating blades.

"Oh, yeah. I messed up again. Whoops." With a shiver of his wet cold posterior that hit the ice pretty hard, Varian cutely states with a self-deprecating smile up at the tall, dark-haired woman whose piercing gray eyes always enthralled him.

"This is true." Esteban adds his favorite little axiom with a shrug at Johanne, who elbows him again.

"You'd forget your brilliant head if I wasn't here to hold it on for you." Cassandra uncharacteristically pets Varian's chapped trembling lips as she displays her tender side which she rarely showed to anyone. Then she kneels to Varian's feet to ensure that he secured the newfangled blades he invented on correctly this time.

"You're the best thing that ever happened to me, Cassie." Remembering what Hans' said about women and second chances, Varian breaks through his fear to honestly admit in a blush. It reddens his cheeks from more than the rush of cold air on this Norwegian morning.

While that sweet tableau of awakening young love was occurring with the backdrop of several other couples performing their own romance on the ice dance in the few moments of allowed practice time, another visitor in Arendelle was on the sidelines watching with keen interest at the foreign sport taking place.

"That was a textbook execution of the long jump combination from your pair, Prince Hugo. And an impressive side-by-side synchronized close spin from you two, as well, Queen Elsa. Truly, it is good to see such professional performances and true skating technique so early in the morning." Chancellor Esteban of Avalor steely praises Hans and Elsa's, and Hugo and Sofia's practice runs across the cleared ice rink in the courtyard.

"You sound like you know a thing or two about ice skating, Chancellor. That is fairly impressive for someone hailing from a South American nation where little, if any, icefall precipitation is ever present in the climate." Prince Hans is conversationally engaging to the older gentleman as the Danish Prince and his fair Queen tread ice near the sidelines for a breather from their skating practice.

"I must admit I have been an avid fan of the beautiful winter sport since my ambassadorial travels often took me to the high mountains of Peru where the elegant pastime is embraced by many competitors there for great prizes of distinction and wealth. I must also admit to partaking in my younger days and being the victor in a few frolics such as this as my only venue for escape in the darker days of my youth – for strenuous exercise purpose mainly, to rejuvenate the blood, of course." The tall, refined South American gives a tug to his jacket lapels as he mildly brags past exploits of a younger man.

A younger man who needed some diverging recreation every now and then to take his mind off the trouble in his home kingdom of Avalor when an evil sorceress had stolen the kingdom and all but destroyed his _familia_. (family)

"Of course." Elsa smiles sympathetically at his slight shiver, despite the warm fur collared long coat this affable old friend of her parents was wearing.

Chancellor Esteban had come out this early to accompany and assist his newly betrothed, Johanne, to serve out hot cocoa and coffee and other refreshments to those young people involved in the festive skating match.

"The holiday decorations which have been arranged here in your kingdom does put one in the celebratory joyful mood, Queen Elsa. It is only a shame my creaky old bones, after that thrilling night of dancing the Flamenco, are protesting, or I myself may have entered the competition with my spry bride-to-be. With my stylish form and classic moves combined with my beauteous, elegant fiancée, we would have undoubtedly taken the trophy." Esteban jokes and boasts and flirts all at once with the titillated Johanne, making her laugh again in ways she never thought possible anymore.

"I am no such thing, you irascible charmer." Johanne lightly smacks Esteban's shoulder as he affectionately pets her blushing cheek with his warm, tanned hand.

"I've an idea!" Prince Desmond suddenly pipes up as he and Princess Amber join the growing group hear the refreshment table. The top student of the Royal Prep School in Enchancia indeed had improved in his ice skating thanks to many practice sessions this season with Amber's twin brother, James.

The timid young man, who once had quite a fear of even stepping out onto the ice in his youth, could now face his aversion to the slippery frost surface, had overcome many of his past fears as he matured over the years.

Mainly because he wanted to impress a certain golden-haired vision of beauty named Amber.

"No, never mind." But his shyness never completely faded as Desmond sheepishly withdraws both verbally and physically, moving several paces backwards on his skates after every eye lands upon his unexpected outburst.

"Come now, we want to hear what you have to say, Desi." Not inhibited at all Princess Amber would not allow Desmond slip back into timidity again. She insistently tugs her habitually recalcitrant young suitor back to the foray, as his backbone, so to speak.

"Um… I was only going to nominate Chancellor Esteban – since he seems to know everything about skating technique and style, and isn't participating in the competition – to be the judge of this skate-off. I mean, I thought it might be more logical rather than each of us voting on the other pairs when some of us really don't have the credentials to assess what technical and artistic elements are necessary to judge properly." Saying more words in this thirty-second span of time than he probably had in the past couple days, the retiring Prince of Burgundy puts his judicial book learning to task on the unbiased rules of nominating one disinterested party as opposed to the mob rule of competitors voting against or for one's friends and rivals alike on the field.

"That sounds pretty fair to me, giving us more of a chance to focus on our own skating rather than consider how the other teams are doing. I like it better that way. Dez. You've got my vote. How about you girls?" Prince James holds his own democratic vote of sorts as he raises his hand while turning his blue-green eyes to Princess Cleo particularly for her forbearance for his mocking slip-up earlier.

"Whatever you say, James." Always primping, self-absorbed Princess Hildegard of Freezenberg was too admiring of herself and her bouncing curls in the shining reflection the sparkling ice at her feet to have her sensibilities care about the young prince's compunction for a fairness doctrine.

"I agree with the vote. This outing is meant to be an enjoyable holiday exhibition, where we intend to spent pleasant time with one another and each do our best to bring pleasure to the season, not merely mar it was competitive rivalry alone. I will be happy to sit on the sidelines and cheer you two on, James, Hildy." Princess Cleo concedes to James' open mouth and Hildegard's triumphant grin.

"Why thank you, Cleo. It is very good if you to realize James and I stand a better chance of securing first prize together, due to my excellent taste, recognized grace, and competitive spirit you lack, Cleo. Your skills lie in other fields, my dear friend." Princess Hildegard once again misses the point as she claims James' arm.

He sadly watches the girl who was more like the fun-loving boy's conscience than just a mere friend, leave the ice.

"But style and beauty are way more important than winning, Hildegard. That's what I believe anyway." Just then, the heir to her throne someday, and trying to grow magnanimously into it, Princess Amber's tiny bit of vanity still shows through every now and then.

"That is true. But victory and style both mean little if fairness and evenhanded integrity are not employed." Always chic with a fair amount of feminine vanity herself, Elsa could see Amber's point, to a degree. But the Queen of Norway was also elegantly groomed to sit on her kingdom's throne someday, with her father's overwhelming righteous sense of nobility impressed on her and passed down as it had been for generations of the Norwegian Royal bloodline.

"Here here, min kæreste. Chancellor Esteban is the perfect choice for upstanding judge of this friendly little competition. We second the nomination." Hans boldly takes the initiative, that sure he was of his fiancée's opinion. Elsa nods to Hans in total agreement, with a gracious smile for the Avalor dignitary.

"I will only be too glad to accept the delightful duty, my young friends. But with the condition my Johanne and this lovely young lady can confer with me their valued opinions?" Esteban takes the cue, with an arm each around Johanne and Cleo's shoulders.

"Indeed, that would be equitable with me – I mean us." Hugo was so set in his ways as a singles competitor, but sweet Sofia was weaning him into thinking as a skating pair more of late. So he too gives a consenting nod towardsvEsteban, who smiles.

"That is, if it's understood that you confer no ice magic powers - _which would certainly give your team the edge -_ will be employed on the competitive field, yes?" The Russian Prince surmises the self-denial of Elsa's Ice Queen prowess that he had seen a little of last night and heard of much before being bandied about in royal circles.

"Of course, it goes without saying. Queen Elsa can restrain her gifts of the ice." Hans makes the second statement confidently as he gives Elsa's suddenly stiffened shoulders an encouraging squeeze.

The Danish Prince was totally unaware that he was repeating the very words of her father King Agdar from many years ago that always stuck in the frightened little girl's psyche which never wanted to disappoint the most important man in her life.

Elsa gulps at Hans' unconditional defense of her against Prince Hugo's implications, feeling the tingles of her Ice Queen cryokinetics coursing through her veins.

"The Queen of Arendelle possesses an enormity of intellectual capacity to choose _if_ and _when_ to use her cryokinetic magic. You need not be apprehensive of _our_ integrity, sir." Though Elsa was not affronted, Hans obviously was insulted by this impudent foreign man's insinuating audacity as he takes a stance on the ice in front of the platinum blonde woman he loved.

"It was never my intention to offend, Prince Hans, Queen Elsa. Please pardon me if I gave that impression. I trust you both entirely." Prince Hugo apologizes after Sofia elbows him in the ribs to be so rude to their new friends, as he gives Elsa a gallant bow on his balanced states.

To which, indignant Hans merely stares silently down his pointed celestial nose, his male ire up and itching for a fight.

"Hans. Please. _'But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance…'"_ Leaving the Galatians Bible verse open-ended for her angry lover, Elsa was a mature woman now who had increasingly grown into her ice prowess control. With Hans' emboldening help, Anna's sisterly friendship and God's abiding love that her parents – though they did wrong in some points of raising her in her childhood – were wise enough to instill in the unassuming girl a faith that, through it all, would overcome all troubles.

The pair had become so close, with a press to his hand and large eyes gazing expectantly up at him, Elsa knew Hans would complete the holy words she knew he had come to also cherish to calm his unhappy youth's bitter soul.

"'… _Kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness and self-control.'_ Galatians 5:22-23." Taking the Biblical Scripture to heart with a remorseful sigh, Hans murmurs the remainder of the New Testament verse to her before turning to Prince Hugo.

"Apology accepted, my friend. Let us share the joy of the season in a worthy game." Breaking the hot tension that was especially palpable in the cold air, Hans gives Hugo a genuine smile as the two young men exchange a nod and handshake.

"Agreed." Consummate ice dancing skater Prince Hugo gestures for his partner Princess Sofia to be ready to accompany him out onto the center of the ice like a true ballroom dancer.

The pleased Arendelle Queen then gives her Prince her most soothing, tender smile, gratified her young man was so sure of her and defensive that it inspired renewed confidence in herself too.

 _I like how you can always do that for me, my handsome Prince_. Elsa thinks with an adoring gaze upon her betrothed. She consciously puts her ice abilities aside to compete as a normal woman and best skating partner that her sleek Danish Prince deserved.

"Then shall we begin this competition? How do we decide who goes first?" Glad he did not have to step in to break up the building confrontation, Chancellor Esteban Flores asks the question, primarily of Elsa as she was the monarch of this nation.

"Ooh! Ooh! Wait, wait! I'll hold up straws to see who goes first!" Olaf excitedly offers any aspect of the game he could participate in. Olaf looks sadly around the table to find no straws present. So Anna quickly gathers up some fallen sticks from the tree-lined courtyard edging for Kristoff to snap in two or three different sized twigs for eager Olaf to use.

Two by two, Hans and Elsa, James and Hildegard, Hugo and Sofia, Varian and Cassandra and Amber and Desmond, join Anna and Kristoff by Olaf.

He excitedly bounces around at the table, holding up the branch 'straws' with a goofy grin to each set of competitors.

The female partner of each the six young pairs moves forward to select a crisp brown stick.

"Eek!" Princess Hildegard shrieks and drops her chosen straw when the stick wiggles back up at her.

"Whoops, sorry! Sticky fingers!" Olaf giggles when one of the branches he was offering turned out to be his left arm forefinger that she was unlucky to pick. Plunking it back in his socket, Olaf then spins around and resets the sticks behind his back, splunking them into his midsection snowy mound in equalized heights instead.

"Try again, please." After all was said and done, the order of the lineup of the skate off, from shortest twig chosen first to the longest one to perform last was:

Amber and Desmond, James and Hildegard, Anna and Kristoff, Hans and Elsa, Hugo and Sofia, and finally, Varian and Cassandra would finish out the ice skating exhibition.

"Oh, how exciting! We are the first couple in the exhibition, Desi! We shall endeavor to shine before everyone to make this presentation's introduction great." Lofty Crown Princess Amber takes hold of her shy Prince's plump hand that was already perspiring from the tension he was feeling the moment they stepped out together on the ice.

"Then let the first Arendelle Ice Skating Pairs Competition begin!" After a trio of chairs at the refreshment table are set up, three sets of quickly scribbled number markers from 1 to 9 are placed on the table before them.

With Johanne on one side and Princess Cleo on the other, Chancellor Esteban steps up to the plate of being elected official arbiter of this friendly youthful competition with two lovely ladies at his side to confer with.

"Thank you." Princess Amber whispers as she elegantly removes her hand muffler to place down on the judges table. Then the pale peppermint green dressed girl with the holly sprigs accented in her long golden hair waves grabs hold of Prince Desmond's trying not to freak out hand.

"Just like you did in all those practices with James, Desi. Just don't look down." With a whisper in his blushing ear, Amber was blissfully unaware of how terrified of the ice he was. Ice-skating was probably pretty high in the top ten of Desmond's long list of frights that the sheepish boy had compiled since early childhood.

But to impress Princess Amber as they matured together, the Prince of Burgundy was desperately trying to overcome each one.

But no matter how much practice Amber's twin brother, James – who was star player of the hockey team – included his bashful friend in during his ice hockey half-time breaks, Prince Desmond could never see himself as a great skater.

Or even a good one.

But he would try his darndest for Amber's sake now.

The Baroque era music of Bach's languid and sedate " _'Air from Orchestral Suite No. 3'_ " begins to play softly in the background. Queen Idun had kindly offered to supply the music after conferring with the entrants which classical piece chosen by each couple she would play for them on her piano which had been rolled onto the balcony just overlooking the courtyard where the proud mother could watch her children at the frolic and be part of the festivity.

So, beneath the tall and stately, black sable hat, the highbrow Princess of Enchancia, who was a fine ice dancer in her own right, prompts her self-conscious chosen partner to join her in a lovely display of skating.

Performing just enough of the compulsory aspects, Prince Desmond, wearing his signature indigo blue striped suit, frilly tie and periwinkle cape, follows Princess Amber's graceful artistic interpretation. The timid youth was keeping his focus on her smiles more than his fears as they glide together across the courtyard's ice rink at a careful, yet elegant pace.

The lovely young woman in her stylish scarves understood her meek boyfriend's reticent nature and chose their music accompaniment thusly. So she was content to have her partner gently lead her in a few languid side-by-side spins and gentle hops more than hard jumps until the cute pair complete the three minute performance in a slow and steady manner.

Once impatient and self-centered Amber was now mature enough to consider others more. Over the years Amber had worked on getting timid Prince Desmond to come out of his shell. And that lesson taught the fast-paced Princess patience and generosity in soft, subtle ways that exemplified the goodness of her soul.

 _ **CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!**_

As the yin-and-yang couple complete their skating program with a sweet spinning embrace, the growing crowd of onlookers applaud. Beyond several interested members of the staff decorating the courtyard were a few early riser townspeople who wanted front row seating for the Arendelle Bellringing Ceremony that was scheduled at noon time with the royal family.

8 - 5 - 8

Johanne, Esteban and Cleo raise their numbered scorecards, causing Amber to squeal with delight in her partner Desmond's disbelieving-he-did-so-well ear as she squeezes his hand tightly with glee at the high marks.

"That was lovely, Princess Amber, Prince Desmond." Elsa takes her queenly role of praising her new friends seriously, from where she had been practically sitting on Hans' lap in the crowded 'bullpen' side benches she cryokinetically created earlier.

"See? Told you didn't have to worry about it. High five, Dez." Prince James skates over with a hand extended to slap that of his friend who rose to the occasion despite all of his fears of the ice and falling and jumping. Not to mention his inherent shyness to the intimate proximity of the hands-on sport with James' twin sister.

"Ouch." The shy Prince winces slightly at his more fervent friend's heartfelt hand slap. "No falling or slipping permitted. No falling or slipping permitted. No falling or slipping permitted." The shellshocked young man with the tan coiffed hair was stuck repeating the self-imposed edict still echoing in his mind, not believing he had succeeded and overcome this bigtime fear.

"We succeeded beautifully. Now, let's go have a sit down, Desi." A glowing Amber exchanges their tried-and-true, two by two grin with her twin sibling over her shoulder as she compassionately leads her trembling partner to the pair of seats James and Hildegard vacated.

The more quick-rhythmed and expressively elite, snobbish music of Vivaldi's _"Four Seasons 'Spring'"_ unseasonably soars across Queen Idun's piano keys when livelier hockey player Prince James and flamboyant fashion plate Princess Hildegard step out together on the ice to strut their stuff.

While James was undoubtedly a great athlete who excelled at the forceful strength and power technique aspects of the sport, Hildegard opted for a more traditionally elegant approach to figure skating.

When the golden haired athletic young man executed a pretty daring take off triple axel jump at the music's soaring refrain, his partner Hildegard chose to stay on the ground and perform some expressive twirls she believed displayed her frilly, long mauve pink gown to better advantage instead.

Although both were technically and artistically proficient in their own rights, this couple was not exactly in time with one another. They broadcast an almost argumentative, vying-for-leadership mood, unlike a proper cohesive skating pair should project in their performance.

For the rest of their music it went much the same. James and Hildegard's effortless movements may have been in time with the music, showing character and rhythm and use of the dance, but that all important relationship between the partners did not reflect at all in the character of their skate all the way to Vivaldi's symphonic crescendo.

 _ **CLAP…CLAP…**_

The lackluster applause that followed reflects that of the, at moments, somewhat erratic program.

Now that is was over, it was pretty clear to both James and Hildy, along with everyone else, that neither complemented one another as the less athletic, but more united Amber and Desmond who skated before them.

While critical judge on athletic form Chancellor Esteban appreciated Prince James' obvious capabilities on the ice, he had to abide by the rules he knew. He had to deduct the pair several marks for not being in sync with one another at all whatsoever, nor even making the attempt to, with snobbish Hildegard often skipping some of the most important technical elements.

On the other hand, Johanne approved of the Princess of Freezenberg's more classical ice dancing technique, while she found James' splashes of athleticism too overtly overwhelming for the artistic side of the ice skate she preferred.

Simultaneously smiling to one another, Esteban and Johanne hold up the drastically opposing numbers of three and six.

As for the third member of the judging panel, Princess Cleo was having a tough time raising her numerical card. She did not wish to hurt the feelings of her snobbish childhood best friend who often treated the less ostentatious Princess of Corinthia like a second-class citizen.

Plus there was that underlying rivalry between the two princesses that grew exponentially with their dual affections for the friendly, winsome, easy-going Prince of Enchancia, who diplomatically showed every sign of liking both of them evenly.

But indecisive diplomacy never won the heart of fair lady. And never a true lady who had any sense of justice.

6 – 3 – 3

"What?! Cleo! That was an excellent performance! I am shocked and appalled you judges did not appreciate my impeccable skating program!" Insulted Hildegard tosses back her purple locks that had been so delicately styled in a high bunch cascading around her vexed face now looking with antagonism at her friend.

"That may be so, Hildy. You were wonderful, as a singles skater perhaps. But your skating _**together**_ wasn't quite right. I'm sorry, but you didn't seem to ever progress during the performance to understand one another's rhythm. That's what I was trying to tell you before." Princess Cleo quietly confesses in an almost tearful whisper, as she averts her eyes from her angry faced best friend.

"What do you mean?! James and I complimented one another! I demand a recount!" The spoiled princess of Freezenberg stamps her foot on the ice, feeling offended and snubbed by her closest companion.

"No, Hildegard. They're right. You and I might have done a great job each on our own, skating our own thing. But we were hardly a worthy combined pair. C'mon, we both know it. The goal of playing intense ice hockey taught me never to be a sore loser. That's the only way for life to be fun and keep us on our game for new challenges." More fair-minded and just, Prince James concedes to the opinion of the young woman who was more his conscience's guide. His parents, King Roland and Queen Miranda, look down from the balcony with pleased smiles at their son's spoken up wisdom.

"I…suppose, James. Looks like I have to learn more about team sports. And _listen_ to Cleo's advice more than just hear it. I'm forever hogging the limelight, but that's my nature." Unusually self-deprecating Princess Hildegaard scoffs at her vanity softly. "Cleo would certainly have been a better partner for you, James, because she always is ready to go half-way and adapt to _your_ style of fun. Just like she has uncomplainingly done for me all these years, too. All this time, I just didn't want to admit it—until now." Addressing the touchy subject of the girls' almost decade-long rivalry over this handsome, affable boy, Hildy gives her two friends a soft smile as she concedes on many fronts to link their hands in an unspoken blessing.

"Merry Christmas, Cleo." Taking a deep breath, the more assured, self-secure princess extends herself to initiate a hug full of friendship. And forgiveness was silently begged for as well for failing to notice how well Cleo and James fit together spiritually, more than she and he ever did.

"Merry Christmas, Hildy!" Cleo erupts in the joyous expression as she warmly enjoys the hug and then pulls a blushing, ignorant of this catfight over him, James as well into the trio's friendship embrace on the ice.

"Aww…That's a perfect intro into our Christmas season presentation, isn't it, Kristly?" Anna was viewing this soap opera, care of her new friends from Enchancia, with a sloppy expression full of tacit emotion concerning their relationship status.

The three skating friends exit the ice rink for one of the side benches together as one, quite a bit to discuss between them now.

In a complete Winter Wonderland shift, holiday girl Anna had chosen for her skating mood music _"Joy to the World_ " from Handel's ' _Messiah'_. As her Mama's talented fingers easily play the self-described, 'joyful' tune, Anna, in her pale blue velvet shirt and fluffy white pom-poms, leads Kristoff, who had ditched his blue coat to now just be sporting his tight, striped vest, onto the ice.

The mountain man may have been shy it times, especially to be on such public display at a subject he was not that familiar with at all, nor very skilled at. But if his sweet gingerbread cookie wanted to do this together, Kristoff Bjorgman would give it a valiant try.

"But are you feeling better yet, Baby? Are you sure you want to do this? We could sit this one out and just watch the others…" Kristoff was trying to be as helpful and accommodating to his girl, whose psychic signature had been giving him so many mixed signature signals this morning.

But feisty Anna was so busy all this morning, getting ready and practicing her happy little heart out that she had refused to address those issues to herself even, never mind say anything was amiss to her anxious young husband.

"No way, Kristly! I want to win!" Anna takes a deep breath before making the battle cry, rallying herself as much as Kristoff.

The festively festooned Princess had added some extra golden bells from her wedding crown – the same one she had worn in her sunflowery wedding veil to this hunky man about six months ago – to her pale blue velvet frock's new ice dancing overhaul.

Kristoff shrugs, the mellow fellow used to abiding to his peppery mate's whims. And if Anna really wanted to ring in this Christmas celebration on the ice in this outlandish skating competition, he would do it.

Queen Idun plays the joyous intro music of Handel's 'Joy to the World' on Elsa's new white grand pianoforte as Anna drags Kristoff onto the center ice stage.

The forcefully smiling young girl and her compliant partner spin around the ice rink in a jaunty, frolicking manner to the glorious music that totally suited the triumphant, classical Christmas piece.

As Kristoff does his best to keep up, Anna, as if trying to prove herself, launches into a fervent series of expressive spins and hops set to the 2/4 time music that had the audience already enthused and laughing with joy.

Kristoff nor Anna may have been as rhythmically sound or elegant skaters as the past pairs already gone by had been, but Anna's lively and interesting interpretation of the piece's step sequences made up for it.

Even Elsa had to join the audience in clapping with glee to see Anna's large muscled partner try to mimic the elastic gal's playful movements on the ice.

Elsa smiles to her effervescent baby sister's, perhaps not polished or fluid, but fun and lively skate, with strong Kristoff game to be her big lumbering shadow.

Hans stands behind her seat, hands on Elsa's shoulders, basking in the soft chuckles at her beloved single sibling when Anna brings this 17th century 'Joy to the World' to life with tinkling bells and prayerful hands raised grateful to Heaven merrily as she zips pass, waving wildly in time to the music to her big sister with a razzle at 'that Hans.'

"There's our holiday girl, spreading love and joy this season already."

About halfway into the joyful program, Idun was not startled by her husband's sudden appearance at the sound of music familiar. She almost expected his cool hand upon her shoulder to be there as she played the seasonal favorite, just as he always did in years gone by.

"She is a gift to us all." The Queen could not help but share his sentiment with a proud motherly smile back up to her King standing behind her, trying to make his first overtures of begging for forgiveness to his slighted woman.

Enjoying Agdar's massage of her stiff neck, musically inclined Idun competently continues to play the classical Christmas carol her daughter requested for the skate to put everyone in a happy mood.

But Idun withdraws her quick smile when she recalls their recent tiff as the raucous skating program nears its finish. Just as the giddy ginger Princess was aglow that her skating had succeeded in inspiring the joy of the season, and maybe even this argument between her parents too, something suddenly goes wrong.

During her final long spin and set of successive tiny jumps in time with the notes of the higher octaves of the ' _Let Hea~ven and Hea~ven and nature sing_!' crescendo, Anna's happy little lithe body, that had been running on vapors of enjoyment amid the sounds of laughter and applause and bells, suddenly becomes dizzy and lurches forward. She forces herself from retching at the sudden move, stopping so suddenly at that speed it sends the ginger Princess for a split second head over heels in an unintended spill.

It would have surely sent her spinning body from the sheer momentum catapulting across the rink to skid across the ice on her pretty face –

 _ **GASP!**_

Everything happening too fast, Elsa jumps up from her bench seat with the ice she had been mentally restraining, to react to the abrupt accident about to occur. But terrifying visions of a pair of much younger sisters frolicking in the snow created in the castle Throne Room flash through Elsa's mind. Anna's falling accident again panics her as she sees her horrified younger self's ice magic unwittingly unleash a striking blast that only made things worse for her little sister, replaying over and over in the Ice Queen's distressed mind.

Sensing her alarm, Prince Hans was immediately at her side, steadying Elsa's trembling shoulders and looking calmly inyo the chaotic eyes witnessing this scene in terror all over again.

"Elsa, soft snow mound several feet in front of Anna. **Now**." Hans' insistent directive enters Elsa's frazzled head and she instantly obeys, sending soft layer of snow down across the cold hard surface of the ice a few feet before Anna.

But fortunately, due to his wide open Wind Whisperer ability of inner insight, especially for his Baby love, Kristoff's matching spin instantly halts and he makes a dive to the snow-covered ice surface to break his flailing partner's fall instead.

It wasn't so strange for Anna to be pushing herself so hard, especially since she liked to win any game so much. Kristoff had been picking up Anna's confused mental state for the last minute or thereabouts of the skate, so the limber young man was already rready at split second notice to be her hero.

 _ **CRASH!**_

Kristoff uses all this muscled force to envelop his girl within his body, without crushing her, to diverge his added momentum to cross the frozen surface where Anna was spinning out of control.

His catapulted form shields Anna in a big bear hug embrace, Kristoff going down hard, but not badly broken or scarred, due to the snowmound that Elsa had swiftly created at Hans' command.

Hans and Hugo were quick to skate up and lend assistance to a shellshocked Kristoff who took the full brunt of the impact for his little wife. They pry open his arms and lift Anna up to her nearly weeping, traumatized older sister, right at her side.

"Anna! Are you all right?! ANNA!?" Elsa cries out, clutching Hans' arm and caressing Anna's blessedly unharmed face. The Ice Queen was fraught with emotion as Hans cradles Anna in his arms with a deep look of genuine worry on his pretty boy features.

"Whoa… Hans? I'd recognize your thick cologne a mile away. Is this like a nightmare or something?" A woozy Anna quips to Hans as she reaches over to pat Elsa's quivering cheek hovering over her after a few tense seconds of the dizzied girl's senses being whacked out of her.

Anna wakes up and waves to the crowd who spatter applause in relief, as brave Anna proves to a distraught Elsa and her frazzled parents just rushing down to the scene that she was still intact.

"Anna! Are you unhurt?!" The Ice King and his Queen holding tight to Agdar's cryokinetically conjured sled arrive through the air in a matter of seconds to their accident prone child's side.

"Just my pride." A weak-voiced Anna smirks with a shake of her addled head. "Ugh. Guess my tummy's pretty upset with me. This is way worse than my usual gassy." She cutely complains, holding her stomach, with eyes closing in the sheer pain Anna was doing her darndest to deny for some days now.

"Min Flicka! _Away in a manger, no room for His rest. The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head…"_ Queen Idun starts to sing a healing Christmas melody as she was accustomed to doing for her clumsy younger child growing up wild as King Agdar gathers Anna up from Hans' warm arms into his anxious stiff cold ones.

"Everyone! Enough of this! Come inside out of this cold! No more of this competitive skating nonsense for delicate Princesses." The spoilsport King, as per usual, blames the game for Anna's injury that was merely an accident.

"No, Papa! Please don't cancel the games! I just got a little winded with a slight tummy ache, that's all. Silly me must've eaten something _disagreeable_ this morning." Speaking in her wheedling voice, Anna shoots Hans and his early potato lefse smothered in maple syrup a smirking inside look. "Please don't stop the fun! I wanna watch and find out who wins! I'll be right as rain soon. I'm dying to see Elsa's performance! Please let me watch!" Looking up into her Papa's pale hazel eyes, Anna cajoles her anxious father in her sweet baby voice that always got him to do whatever she wanted.

"We're only halfway through! Pretty please? It's Christmas."

"Well… I suppose. But then you must promise to come rest with Mama and I, Gingersnap, for the remainder of the day. No more stress for you today. I will call in the Royal physician to come and attend to ensure nothing vital inside has been dislodged in that fall. You look rather peaked." Agdar touches Anna's head to check her temperature.

"Elsa can perform the Bellringing Ceremony on her own for the people of Arendelle while we watch from the balcony, if you're feeling well enough by then to view it, Anna." Juggling responsible leader and father, Agdar, knew how much this observance meant to the citizens of Arendelle.

So he also realized they, as rulers, must perform this obligatory duty to show all was sound within the royal family, lest the nation founder.

The King murmurs beneath his frosted moustache with a serious gaze upon his older daughter. "You must remain here out of respect for the other competitors and also to demonstrate to the citizens who have come out in this cold weather that they may still continue to enjoy the start of this winter solstice into Christmas season commencement."

"Yes, Papa." Elsa nods in full comprehension of her sovereign duty, but her previously blissful insides were now a jumble of worries for Anna's oddly inexplicable collapse.

"Good citizens! Princess Anna has merely tripped on the ice and will be fine soon to participate in the festivities of the season in the upcoming days leading to Christmas! Please do not fret and continue to fully enjoy this skating exhibition with your Queen Elsa." The conscientious King speaks to the hushed crowd, alleviating some of their worry for their beloved little Princess, even as he carries her away.

"I'll be watching from the window, everybody! Lend Elsa all your love and support in my absence!" Unselfish Anna gives her all to smile to the crowd before she turns to her big sister. "Good luck, Elsa! Show us one of your awesome performances. Try to keep up, Red." Anna encourages her sister with a wave and teases Hans at the same time, even if she felt like she had been kicked from inside and out as she bravely smiles anyway.

"Oh, and take care of Kristly, Olaf." As her father and mother take her inside the castle, Anna was glad to see her sturdy Kristoff, though still sitting on the ground in a pile shaking his head, seemed to be in one piece.

"Don't worry, Anna! Kristoff has a 'hard skull', remember?" Olaf gives her a branchy thumbs-up as the little snowman skates over to the Ice Harvester's wobbly side.

"Did anyone get the number of the sleigh that hit me?" Kristoff slowly comes to with Olaf applying his midsection as ice compress to Kristoff's growingly red, egg shaped noggin that bumped the ice surface. The tall blond shakily stands to his feet with a little help from James and Desmond from the icy mound he mostly landed on.

The mountain man who had suffered worse bumps and bruises in his life to his tough skull before, had heard his klutzy bride's pleading voice and instinctively sensed she was safe, for the most part.

Anna was thankfully unharmed by her dizzy skating accident, in part thanks to Elsa's soft snow cushion, along with his own selfless interception to take the brunt of the fall.

The rough-and-tumble mountain man would do it again for his Feistypants, any time.

Strong silent type Kristoff Bjorgman quickly comes to and scrambles to his feet to stumble skid across the rink in pursuit of his wife departing on her father's magic ice sled into Arendelle Castle with all due speed.

At a loss for what to do next, Chancellor Esteban and the ladies of the judges panel put facedown their scorecards of 3 - 2 - 5 for Anna and Kristoff's eventful and clumsy, yet undoubtedly spirited and lively performance, that was at least joyous, until the end.

"The King has instructed we continue this competition to its finish, so the kingdom can proceed as normal to the Arendelle Bellringing Ceremony afterwards to initiate this holiday season. For the better good of the country and its citizens, it is the right thing to do, Chancellor." Councilor Kai quietly comes from behind to speak civilly to Esteban where the Avaloran emissary was seated next to Kai's similarly anxious sister Johanne, in worry for the little gingersnap Princess.

Kai had finally gathered himself, at Gerda's gentle prodding and Agdar's authoritative goading, to help prepare the castle to oversee the annual Bellringing Ceremony.

"Yes, I agree. We all heard that lovely and brave _myshka_ (little mouse). Princess Anna wants to see a proper competition. So let us give it to her, my friends. I'm sure it will make her feel better." Prince Hugo took Anna's begged request for the competition to continue to heart as he easily accomplishes a practice loop jump before returning to bench seat beside Sofia.

"We shall strive for performances that will not let the Princess down." Seeing this would calm the jittery crowd down, svelte and sinewy Hans takes up the challenge with a just as confident triple axel jump to display his aptitude and talent for the winter sport.

"Come, min kæreste. We must give Anna a show to remember." Hans takes hold of Elsa's trembling cold pale hand in his heated warm one.

With a noted nod to Gerda, who had scurried to appeal to her friend from the Arendelle church choir in the crowd to take over the reins of the piano accompaniment, with an encouraging smile, Hans pulls Elsa by her two hands out onto the center of the ice.

To the haunting Beethoven melody of 'Für Elise', Prince Hans leads Queen Elsa in a beautiful ice dance where elegance and grace was the utmost theme.

Poised Queen Elsa responds to her debonair Prince's stable, yet fluid body movement. The iridescent wisps of her chosen skating costume glisten in the morning sunlight as the well matched pair flow and swirl in spins and dips across the frozen skating rink in a lovely unified display of artistry and romance combined.

As the evocative music told of Hans and Elsa's yearning love, filled in a dreamy sequence of tender moves with one another. In a side-by-side step sequence, Elsa was depending wholly on her fiancé's excellent agility as he eases her single raised long-legged form like a filmy cloud across the ice.

Elsa does her best to forgo all the negative anxiety that responsibilities of the crown and Anna's earlier accident brought back. Together, as one, she and Hans sweep across the ice in perfect unison with each another, astonishing the hushed crowd.

Hans performs a stunning lasso lift above his head as the lovely music flares, Elsa taking the star sideways position of her upper body being parallel to the ice by Hans' strong arm. But in this exhilarating high-altitude speed with the wind through her hair and fluttering her dress exquisitely in icy flower petals all about her, Elsa could glimpse something above the crowd of wowed onlookers.

From swift moving royal carriage, that spared not the horses, comes the harried arrival of her father's elderly Royal Physician whom she recalled from her early youth coming to visit when her mother was terribly ill with the cholera pandemic from tainted seafood.

 _Is Anna that sick?! She said she was all right! I wonder what is so wrong to have made Papa call_ ** _that_** _doctor in?! I can't bear to see Anna not feeling well at Christmas time. She's been looking forward to it so much!_

 _ **SLIP!**_

But all those confused, negative thoughts filled with doubt and anxiety steal Elsa's focus away from Hans' gorgeous, intense eyes. And in that vital split-second of their increasing rapid speed, as the pair were swirling around the ice wrapped together, she misses his extended hand…

Elsa may have suffered an even worse fall than her sister in this daring skating maneuver dubbed the 'death spiral' for good reason, where one broken hand link between partners could have spelled disaster.

That is, if Hans Westergaard had not the strength and perspicacity to stretch lunge forward to grab Elsa's other hand and ambidextrously lean to his left side skate and almost immutably switch gears on his own.

Without missing a beat, Hans deftly changes his toe anchor to continue to circle his pale blue ice partner on the deep edge with her slender, willowy body almost parallel on the ice held for an entire dramatic rotation around the courtyard ice rink.

In perfect rhythm with the music, perceptive Hans brings Elsa back up to him as he wraps both arms around her intimately close and safe and warm, kissing away her fears in what seemed perfectly natural symbolism of the poignant 'Für Elise' music score.

The pair spins back into one last smooth spin around the ice in a common axis, holding one another in this close embrace to the exquisitely romantic tone of Beethoven's most romantic piece's climax.

 _ **CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!**_

The audience was utterly bowled over by how seamlessly their young Queen and her chosen suitor Prince floated together with the majority of effortless movements in time with the music that reflected the tender emotion nuance of their classical music.

The trusting, passionate, beautiful relationship that had grown between Elsa and Hans was made obvious to all spectators – even the King of Arendelle, whose guarded eyes were upon his first child and her selected mate.

Agdar had to honestly admit how well they fit together from where the King had been watching from the balcony above.

Anna was now carried by Kristoff on the balcony to view her big sister's skating performance, whether the perplexed old doctor inside the upper bedroom liked it or not.

"Even a fool could see that they are made for one another." Idun comments after peering over her stiff-necked husband's shoulder. The Queen gives her wide-eyed mate a saucy smirk as she wraps a shawl around her younger child's shoulders where she was leaning against Kristoff's strong chest.

8 - 9 – 9

The nearly perfect triple 9 score again sends ripples of applause and cheers through the crowd of onlookers.

"Thank you." Hans charms the ladies in the audience by responding for his team in a gentlemanly, sweeping hand bow.

Elsa wishes she could use her up to now muffled cryokinetics to fly up to the castle balcony and check on how Anna was doing, but she refrains as Esteban addresses her.

"That was a nearly flawless performance indeed, Queen Elsa, Prince Hans. But to the critical eye, there was that one slip and lunge, as gracefully fluid as you did in masking it…" Perfectionist, by the book judge Esteban was extremely pleased Hans had so deftly pulled Elsa out of the off-time death spiral's danger with finesse.

But unison and timing were two essential parts of the four characteristics to evaluating perfect pair spins as Esteban cocks his trained head with a sympathetic smile to the redheaded Prince.

"Don't listen to him! That was amazing, big sisty! BEST SKATING EVER! Period." Fangirl Anna's cheery voice was loudest of all. It gladdened anxious Elsa to hear Anna so sprightly from where she was wide awake on the balcony in Kristoff's arms, clapping her little gloved hands so hard they hurt.

In fact, everything hurt on the inside. But the feisty girl would not show it to the crowd of Arendelle townspeople below, their visiting royal friends, her parents and especially _not_ Elsa at this happy time of her birthday and Christmas combined.

"Don't worry so, min älskare. Anna looks fine." Prince Hans was the master of emotional disguise, his handsome face a mask of encouraging assurances as he wraps his arms around Elsa's shivering shoulders. He couldn't show the anxiety he felt for Elsa's piquant sibling's inexplicable collapse of the ice.

After all, Hans felt he and Anna had become close – even friendly – during the recent confrontation with the Devil Troll King to reclaim Elsa's heart.

"You see, good citizens! Your Princess and Prince Consort have recovered from their accidental fall already. Let us give a round of applause for their good health and speedy recovery before continuing with the next couple's presentation." Esteban smoothly takes the reins of the situation at the tittering voices of the wary audience, as he leads them to clap and shout approval for Anna and Kristoff, who swiftly peek back over the balcony shyly to their adoring, cheering crowd.

"Prince Hugo, Princess Sofia. If you would?" The Chancellor motions for the Prince of Kiev and the Princess of Enchancia to step together onto the ice.

"With pleasure, we will hope to entertain and bring smiles to the good people of Arendelle, sir." Charming Prince Hugo gives his most dapper, low bow first to the no longer alarmed audience. Then, he awards another to Sofia, whose cheeks flush pink just lovely as they take to the ice's center stage side by side fluidly.

The triumphantly gregarious march of Berlioz and Lizst's ' _Symphony Fantastic Reveries'_ suite begins to play. Experienced figure skater in his frozen homeland of Russia, Prince Hugo, with well-defined lines in his slick matching tuxedo with tails, leads an pale indigo satin and lilac lace double skirted Princess Sofia for an ambitious skate together along the ice.

To an enthusiastic run through the piano keys playing, Hugo shows off his skating skills, with step sequences and rhythmic transitions, complete with numerous salchow and toe loop combination jumps that bright and chipper Sofia matched him for jump for jump, side-by-side.

After all, their years of practice together since childhood displayed the pair's seamless connection to one another.

In lifts and spin after spin, Hugo and Sofia were so flawlessly accustomed to one another and well practiced, it showed.

But partway through their well rehearsed program, even to the perfection of their own death spiral, Hugo sensed the audience was not as enthused as they were watching Prince Hans and Queen Elsa. So he decides to step the performance up again.

"Axel throw jump, Sofie." In a low whisper in her ear, Hugo informs his partner of the small shift from the easier to lift jump takeoff they had practiced before to be replaced by the more difficult axel throw.

"Ookay." Sofia agrees, but with some reservations of the one technical aspect that the experienced skating pair were yet to perfect. Yet she would always do her best in everything she set her heart to doing, especially for the boy she had come to care so much for.

So in rhythm with one another, Sofia matches Hugo's acceleration speed increase across the ice before the pair launch into the taxing axel jump where the distance, speed and height had to be absolutely perfect or else –

Courting another disaster, Prince Hugo was so competitive he had forgotten one little detail. That was the importance of sleek athletic costuming – not frills and lace - required for such a throw that his Sofie usually sported in their attempts to execute this difficult element…

 _ **R-R-RRIIIIPPP!**_

His decorated gold embroidered suit jacket's fancy waist buttons catch on Sofia's trailing lilac lace extra skirt as Hugo was focusing on perfectly tossing the small girl through the air.

That little snag blessedly wasn't enough to cause Sofia to stumble or fall.

The expert skater in Prince Hugo made it not as noticeable in his level manner of stepping out of the throw's delivery. He coolly chooses to simply tear Sofia's ripped costume part from his chest and toss it aside carelessly.

They then continue on their practiced program instead of him improvising to smoothly blend and embrace his flustered partner close as Hans did after their slight error.

Not to mention the fact that Sofia's pretty lace skirt was distractedly torn and fluttering crookedly between her legs for the remainder of the otherwise flawless performance.

 _ **CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!**_

The applause was not half as thunderous as it was for their adored Queen, but the Arendelle citizens were polite to the pretty, visiting Princess of Enchancia and her Russian counterpart beau for the well-delivered, technically difficult, fast-moving performance.

Out of breath, her bouncing brown curls up in a stylish comb Princess Sofia sheepishly gives a bow to the audience, her pretty costume bedraggled, even as Prince Hugo smiles confidently that they pulled off a win.

9 - 8 - 9

An impressed Esteban fully awards the professional quality technical performance in trained unison throughout to the challenging ' _Symphonie Fantastique'_ that was pitch perfect for a skater's display.

Princess Cleo was equally impressed by both Sofia and Hugo's athletic control and effortless flow through Berlioz and Liszt's exhilarating music that, to her, made it totally comparable to Elsa and Hans' beautiful grace and elegance with their moving Beethoven piece.

But a horrified Johanne, noticing the costume malfunction and the Prince's lackluster gallantry concerning the princess' fashion, as only a proper ladies' maid would, deducts that crucial point that would have put their pair ahead.

Hugo sends to Hans a twisted smirk that plainly stated the competition between the men was not yet over.

Now that the two teams were essentially tied, both handsome young males were already considering as to how the tiebreaker would have to be carried out, most likely as a one-on-one skating duel between them.

As this was all occurring, shaky Varian Gutenberg was being led towards the center ice floor by the most non-ostentatious female competing today, who needn't worry for her tight, unobtrusive costume to get caught on anything.

Normally down-to-earth Cassandra Schmidt would have shunned this sort of freak show. But the athletic young woman had been a secret skating enthusiast all though her lonely childhood, when in the cold streets of Prussia – before the Captain of the Guard kindly adopted her – the orphan girl could always keep her mind and body practiced and well-toned, preoccupied and trained alone on the frozen ice there.

 _Since we're not in the glaring view of fellow townspeople we know in_ _Corona_ _…_

 _…And there's no annoying Fitzherbert to ridicule us…_

After that awful mermaid costume fiasco that kept her muscle toned body so very constricted all night, Cassandra was just itching to cut loose and be free to fly and jump and kick and spin in a competition just like this.

 _So what the hell do we have to lose?_

"Are you ready for this, Varian?" As she fluidly moves across the ice like a sleek black panther, Cassandra glances over to the lanky young man who had agreed to her unspoken request to join in the competition, despite his better sense.

But Varian would do anything for his Cassie when he saw the light in her eyes glow at the tough guardswoman's one and only hidden passion he'd seen since they met.

"Ready… Ugh… As I'll ever be?" An unsure Varian takes to the ice at her side nonetheless after a few minutes of practice in the sidelines with his new skate design that Cassandra was trusting the inventor boy to wear as well, without question.

She gives a soft smile to the nervous, dark-haired young man who was staring at her with trepidation etched across his cute features that looked especially sweet in Arendelle's borrowed velvet blue coat and striped vest she had to last-minute tighten the buttons thereof around his tiny waist and nonexistent hips.

"Hey, look at me, Varian." The catty, gray eyed young lady, simply wearing her normal, tight black pants and dull orchid and wine colored tunic guardswoman outfit, gives her tentative younger sweetheart _– Are we that?!_ – her full attention.

"We practiced with your new skate blade design and they work really great. You were really great. You're a brilliant inventor, and a pliable, quick learner, Varian, so you don't have a thing to be nervous about. Just focus on me and forget that we have an audience, okay? It'll be fine if you think it's just you and me on the ice, right?" Cassandra quietly speaks to her shy recluse alchemist as they float on the frozen surface of the courtyard side-by-side on the elongated metal blades he had redesigned just this morning.

"Yeah. It'll be easy for me to focus on you since I only see you in the crowd, Cassie, because I love you."

 _Did I just say that OUT LOUD?!_

Varian, in his flustered excitement to perform good enough to be worthy of standing beside this tall, athletic, gorgeous partner had relented to the stubborn and bold little voice in the back of his mind that recalled Hans' advice to have the courage to open up his raw emotion to the only girl he ever, ever cared for now at this chance they had to be alone.

For several silent, palpable seconds as the pair approached the center of the ice, Varian loses himself in Cassandra's wide exotic eyes as his true confession slipped out with his long-held unrequited love, at last, unwittingly declared.

Never one to waste words when actions spoke louder, the tough as nails, strong guardswoman gathers her wide-eyed male counterpart's deeply red cheeks in her gloved hands to land a wet kiss directly on his shocked quivering lips as her wordless reply to his admission.

While their first liplock only lasted a moment or two as the couple spun into the designated center stage start, it was more than enough to have emboldened Varian's stimulated senses to fully rise to the occasion.

Sporting his inventor's metallurgical enhanced toe pick and innovative elongated blade that revolutionarily ended well beyond the back of the pair's skates, Cassandra leads Varian in an unorthodox, but invigorating ice dance to the fun, fast-paced tune of Mozart's _'Rondo ala Turca'._

The quick, quirky music lends to the most technically challenging, yet emotionally rousing program to date, as the trio of judges, onlookers from town and servants from the balcony above join in the astonished audience already crowding around the frozen courtyard to watch the final performance.

Upon these more efficient skates, customized by the male skater himself for sure metabolic power, and the optimal length of blades for better control, Varian follows Cassandra's lead to hit each and every note in perfect rhythm with the music and one another alike.

With finesse that showcased the up-tempo Mozart classical piece to a tee, Cassandra was pleasantly surprised by how braniac Varian had quickly mastered the sport she so adored.

As if in complete understanding of one another at last in the confession of love that had just flared before everyone's eyes so publicly, expert Cassandra and pliable Varian ice dance as never dreamed before in either of their reclusive, solitary, independent lives.

The blossoming relationship between the newly realized couple was wonderfully expressed in the quick and precise spins and perfectly executed side-by-side jumps. Their mirrored take-offs, difficult twist lifts, and scrupulously rotated throws were directly attributed to the quick study physiologist of biomechanics and body movement kinesiology that Varian was.

The astute young genius had mentally bottled and transcribed the proper rhythm and timing from his earlier watching the movements of the skating couples who had gone before.

Because he vowed to not let the woman he loved down in this, or anything he could turn his brilliant mind to solve.

Varian was an intelligent enough man to embrace Cassandra's aggressive style as she takes lead with wild and passionate intensity.

But somehow, the originality of the female rather than the male skater doing the throws and leading the jumps was invigorating for the astonished crowd to see. There were still many fun and refreshing moments amid the wild and uproarious confusion of the Rondo's thrilling motif.

With his bright eyes in sync with her every movement, Varian never strays his focus from his beautiful Cassie's mesmerizing, fine form and athletic feats on the ice as she was the one to launch the wiry and pliable young man in several throws that Varian, inspired by his strong, robust female, landed with precision.

From start to finish, Varian partners Cassandra in unexpected technique and flow to achieve utmost unison and timing, the quality of their rhythmic posture, rotation speed and that indefinable glow of the first moments of true love on display for all the dazzled world to see enhanced their performance greatly.

As the fast-paced music comes to a dramatically sudden halt, tall and strong Cassandra had never imagined she would be so thrilled to end up with a man so intimately dipped in her perfectly timed, physically powerful arms.

And the fact that this before unpleasant idea involved one of Corona's former diabolical criminals in particular, totally blew the justice seeking handmaiden away.

 _We ladies up here seem to be strangely attracted to criminally reformed men who could be wicked, and wouldn't… Right, Raps?_

Now that the thrilling skate was over, Varian gazes breathlessly up at Cassandra, not at all vexed nor embarrassed that the tough woman had uniquely and successfully taken the lead of their pair in place of her thin, lanky partner for the most of this one-of-a-kind, unprecedented performance.

 _ **CLAP! LAUGHTER! CLAP CLAP! LAUGHTER! CLAP CLAP CLAP!**_

Amused, exuberant laughter intermingles with all the uproarious, impressed applause of this entirely entertaining frolic's totally unexpected final performance that the good people of Norway needed as respite after all the bitter cold and terror and fear they had recently experienced.

9 – 9 – 9

Whether due to unique Lady Cassandra's secret hidden talent in excellent skating lead; Varian's masterful new skate blade improvement for better controlled edges and acceleration; or the sheer blissful sentiment of young love finally come to full fruition before the audience in a dynamic skate interpretation on this lovely winter afternoon; the three judges award the final skating pair with a perfect flawless score for their contemporary unique style together.

"Congratulations, Varian, Lady Cassandra. You both truly deserve this win." Hans was first to skate over to the unexpected dark horse couple of pairs skaters give as he gives his ingeniously quick learning, new young friend from Corona a pat on the shoulders.

"It seems to me you've found your partner not lacking, m'lady." Hugo states the obvious with a smirked salute from Varian to Hans, as the proud young man submits to give the charcoal and black bob haired athletic woman a full bow.

Cass has to hold up her shaky inventor boy when King Agdar soon arrives down at the ice rink with a heavy trophy to present to the victors of the sporting event his children participated.

"On behalf of the kingdom of Corona, we thank you, your Majesty." Cassandra bows her head reverently to the Norwegian King as she accepts the trophy with a gracious curtsy. She had learned every bit of royal protocol when her Dad brought her to work at the palace in the service of the Crown of Corona.

And she learned well it, along with everything else determined Cassandra Schmidt undertook in her life, now with an intriguing, obliging young man to accept the tough lady for all she had to offer in this restricted Victorian era.

"We all hope that Princess Anna is feeling better, Sir. We enjoyed her performance and that of Prince Kristoff, as well, so much." Princess Sofia gently prods Hugo to agree with a nod.

At her kind words, the provoked King stays enigmatically tightlipped.

"I thank all of you participants on behalf of my daughters, as well as the panel of judges, and the citizens who have opened the Kingdom of Arendelle to much excitement on this blessed season in our kingdom already."

"Now that this tournament has concluded, if the rest of you will kindly make your way back to Arendelle Castle's front entrance as we prepare for the customary Bellringing Ceremony to commence this year." The King appeared to be in a hurry as he addressed all the formalities for his citizens before turning to Hans.

"Come, Vise Admiral." Is all the dignified King orders as he impatiently stands at the courtyard siding.

Hans scurries to remove his skate blades strapped to his shoes at Elsa's father's beckon.

"Is anything wrong, Sir?" Once he swiftly strides across the rink edge to join the King, Hans asks his commanding officer warily with Anna's collapse earlier weighing heavy on his mind.

It caused Hans to be more anxious for the ginger Princess he had such a history with, perhaps owing to her big sister's terrified countenance before the Ice Queen left this skate-off's conclusion to be represented by Hans alone so as she could return to the Castle to check on her little sister.

"Queen Elsa requests your presence." Is all the curt monarch replies, the subject apparently closed to further discussion. The Admiral's mind apparently was wandering in deep thought as his cryokinetics motivate the steps to be a frozen escalator to hasten he and young Westergaard's ascent to the second floor.

In the interim where he dutifully followed, Hans holds his tongue, considering the stern expression on his future unsettling father-in-law's concerned profile, as the tall and svelte pair of silent men cross the upstairs halls of Arendelle Castle, single file towards Anna's quiet bedroom.

* * *

 _Haute couture –_ High fashion in French

 _Gorlatnaya – A_ tall, black sable fur winter hat for Russian nobility

 _min kæreste_ \- my dearest in Danish

 _myshka_ \- little mouse in Russian

 _min flicka_ – my little girl in Swedish

 _min älskare_ – my love in Norwegian

* * *

November holiday greetings, dear Frozen friends!

Whew! I know it's been a while! But with all the birthday present making and party planning for Setsuna's happy day and visiting relatives for Thanksgiving, I haven't had much time for story! But at last a moment to catch our breath has come! And it's always a long one when my scribbled notes pile up over the weeks to keep adding! :0

So here it is! It was an eventful, surprise 'Skating Frolic' (as they used to call a skating party back in the day) for the Frozen girls and their guests! I hope you enjoyed the exciting competition! Did you put your bet on the winning dark horse couple? : (Relationship cementing blossoming love for Cass x Varian at last on their last day in the romantic matchmaking paradise of Arendelle! :)

I finally had the chance to include in this chapter an old passion of my sister's & mine growing up - Pairs figure skating! Can't you just envision Helsa gliding in one another's arms so beautifully graceful and poised and full of pure love for one another, boisterous Anna sprightly and lively with big Kristoff trying his best to keep up, along with all the others in their own skater's waltzes in your mind? There's no place better to intimately ice dance and throw two young people together than on the dangerous, cold ice to cling to one another for warmth, eh?

But it's also a major accident waiting to happen zone! What's up with poor Anna?! And she was having so much fun before she tripped on the ice. Stay tuned for the next, romantic Christmas in Arendelle installment, hopefully to be concluded by next week on this busy birthday week off!

God bless you all as we enter this holy season when _'God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son…'_ to save all of mankind from sin.

Can't wait to hear your reviews! See you soon!

Love and Christmas greetings to all,

HarukaKou


	44. Chapter 43 - Ring in the Season

_Christmas music and carols set the mood of the blessed season of giving in this chapter! When researching the history of Christmas songs, we found many of the most famous ones we all know were written post-1841, the year in our story where "Frozen" is taking place. Yet, there is still more than a smatter of timeless classics I've been able to incorporate in my Yuletide tale! I hope they inspire you as they have inspired me to sing along and feel the joy of the Christmastime cheer! Merry Christmas-time tidings of good cheer, Frozen friends!_

 _– HarukaKou_

* * *

 _We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

 **"Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act VIII**

 **Chapter 42**

 **"Ring in the Season"**

_"'On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me: twelve bells-a-ringing'…_

* * *

The redheaded Prince follows the solemn older man's rapid path into Arendelle Castle, up to the second floor hallway where Agdar had just carried his ailing child.

There was much ado of people standing in front of the King and Queen's master bedchamber, all wearing fretful looks upon their faces.

Queen Idun and a professional looking man, who was holding a foreboding black leather doctor's bag, were just finishing up some serious discussion.

"Oh, Hans, dear. Thank goodness you are here." The anxious faced older Queen takes hold of Hans' elbow and gives it a squeeze. "Please go right in, Elsa needs to ask you to do something for her. Everything is in such a tizzy today." The usually nonplussed Queen Mother herself seemed to be stirred up over some unknown quantity.

And the source thereof, Hans' heightened senses knew, was right behind that engraved wooden bedroom door that the Queen had been pacing in front of with the staid royal physician as Idun ushers Prince Hans in.

"Elsa? How is your sister? Huh? Kristoff? Why is he laid up in bed?" Upon entering the darkened bedchamber, Hans was thoroughly confused.

He found the ginger girl whom he expected to find there after nearly taking that horrible spill earlier, was not the one tucked under the covers of the large master bed.

It was her blond mountain man husband instead lying beneath the bevy of blankets, propped up on a mountain of pillows.

As for Anna, she was seated on the bed's edge, with Elsa standing close by, quietly conversing with her sister.

"Why is Red here?" Spying Hans over Elsa's shoulder, a pink-cheeked Anna twists her lip sourly, causing a surprised Elsa to spin around on her icy heel.

"Hans!" She looks over to him with tears running down her trembling cheeks, thoroughly perplexing the young Dane.

Again the Prince of the Southern Isles goes into utter shock when the platinum pale Queen turns around and throws her arms around Hans' neck.

"Min kæreste, what is it?" Not accustomed to seeing his quiet, sedate lady in such an emotional state, Hans glimpses Anna's imperturbable expression. The restless ginger was massaging Kristoff's muzzy head on her parents' bed where the Ice Harvester was lying semi-conscious and slightly moaning.

"I'm so happy, Hans. This is such a wonderful day for our family." Elsa breathes into her fiancé's tickled nape with a relieved smile that extends from him back to Anna who sticks out her tongue at Hans in a nonsensical expression.

 _More and more confusing…_

"What auspicious news brings this about, my darling?" He had witnessed missions of many varied dangerous scenarios which brought the members of the Bernadotte clan to the point of tears – and Hans was fairly sure he was not responsible for any of it this time.

From near-death experiences to rediscovery of thought long-dead parents, to Snow Queen mirror magic and Devil Troll King strife, Hans was baffled by all these thoroughly confusing sights and sounds that welcomed his worried senses.

But neither Anna's unreadable demeanor, nor Kristoff's obvious concussion, and/or broken bones or worse hardly spelled 'happy day' to him.

"Babies… Baby… My Baby's going to have _my_ _baby_ …" But Kristoff's incoherent murmurings answer Hans' question for him.

"Yeah! Anna's going to have a baby! How'd that happen?! It's like magic! She didn't have one this morning! Is the baby hiding in here?" Innocent snowman Olaf chimes in, clapping and hopping about the busy bedroom as he reaches up to touch Anna's tummy, with no idea of what he was talking about at all. Her Mama and all the handmaids and the doctor seemed to be so interested in prodding and poking and listening to Anna's midsection close.

Olaf had followed Hans following Elsa and Anna's Papa's harried trail up the stairs to the master bedroom where everyone seemed to be congregated in a state of disarray.

After a minute or two of wordlessly staring at Olaf and his insatiable curiosity she would have a hard time explaining, Anna climbs onto the bed and literally beams down at her man who was lying on his back.

"Sorry about that scream in your ear, my big buttery muffin. But I was so excited to hear we're going to start a family of our own, it's like the greatest, super Christmas present ever!" Anna declares with a deep breath and rub of her rather full stomach.

Kristoff weakly smiles up at her as he comes to from Anna's enthusiastically shrill scream that knocked him out cold earlier. The high-pitched sound was still ringing not only in the Wind Whisperer's ear, but also echoing through his affronted swirling brain synapses that mentally collapsed after his energetic little wife heard the doctor's pronouncement.

"Princess Anna is with child? My congratulations to the kingdom. Is that not excellent news, my Queen?" Hans inquires of Elsa after a sigh with relief at the now comical scene. The tough little young mother-to-be was giving her husband ministrations with sweet – if not tender – hands.

A cooing Anna pulls Kristoff to her lap and rubs the large red bump growing on his noggin after the dizzied blond's head came smashing down against the King's bedroom desk in the melee of first news excitement.

"Baby… owww… My baby…" The Ice Harvester's mind was yet swirling from his bond with Anna's psi-link that the intuitive young man thought was a bit crowded and wacko of late.

And now he knew why.

"Yes, it is wonderful. Thank you." Elsa nods a lackluster response to her polite young man who tickles the back of her neck into a smile rather than the frown which had been creasing the thoughtful brow on her gorgeous face.

"Then what is the matter? Do you not care for the idea of having children around?" Hans asks about the touchy subject tentatively, a million new questions now popping up in his mind about the Ice Queen's perhaps dislike and aversion to 'discordant' children.

"No, of course not! There will be a new member of our family to shower with love, soon." Deeply blushing in shame on the topic her fluttery mind dare not entertain at the moment, a mortified Elsa utterly shoos away her slight grimace that only her Hans knew well enough to distinguish.

 _That's a relief._

Longing for a family of his own all his discarded life, Prince Hans already was harboring dreams of the future child( _ren_ ) he would be so lucky to father with his Norwegian beauty.

Elsa swallows under Hans' inquisitive, intense gaze before continuing to speak.

"People have already gathered in the courtyard for the Bell Ringing Ceremony. Although I believe after his accident, it will not be safe for Kristoff to be the Master of Ceremony Bellringer to usher the Arendelle Christmas bell to the Cantebile high tower as he usually does every year. I don't wish to risk his falling from such a height in his bleary state of concussion, so I see no other recourse but to replace him at the ceremony scheduled in just a few minutes' time." Elsa whispers to Hans as she points him to the balcony window to view the expectant, populated courtyard below.

"However, the only other experienced Arendelle Bellringers – who in the past used to convey the bell up to the Belfry tower over a decade ago – are rather elderly now, and definitely out of practice. Our citizens will be so disappointed if we must cancel this traditional start of Christmas." Elsa pulls Hans aside after the got-it-together Ice Queen supplies Anna with an ice pack for Kristoff's big bruised noggin as they watch the ginger girl wrapping the ice in a stray pair of pantalettes she gathered from under her bed.

" **I** offered to do it, 'cause I'm ace at climbing now! Kristoff brought me up to the mountains for climbing training a million times! But Mama and Papa both said 'no'. Spoil sports." With a pouty face, Princess Anna was still born ready and willing, but she would have to be getting used to her new 'delicate ' condition that would prevent her from doing the many strenuous activities the feisty girl enjoyed.

"I thought I was just being a little extra gassy because of all that yummy pumpkin pie Gerda and Mama cooked up last night!" Feisty as ever, her excruciating stomach pain's violent fits of nausea aka morning sickness had now passed enough for the energetic girl to volunteer to replace her unfit, dizzy husband from the annual honor of being the Grand Master Bellringer granted the dangerous task of attaching the raised huge Bell to its tower.

But Anna's father had vehemently objected to her ridiculous offer, with Mama and Elsa being no help either. Both doe-eyed women were worried for the just declared six weeks' pregnant girl that they would have to begin insisting on slowing down from being so active…somehow.

"That's why I asked Papa to call you here, Hans. As an able seaman, whom I have witnessed firsthand, I know you have no fear of heights. And I know you are a capable sailor who will know how to correctly tie the ropes that attach our massive, heavy, ancient Campanile castle bell to the tower headstock. Oh, I'm doing this all wrong! I'm sorry, Hans, I'm in such a jumble this morning. Ahem...may I request you, Prince Hans of the Southern Isles, to assume the role of Grand Master Bellringer in Mr. Bjorgman's place this year to help our kingdom of Arendelle ring in the season? I have already discussed this with Pap—the King." Adding the quick disclaimer that her father was begrudgingly on board, Elsa bites her lip nervously as she looks to Hans.

"After all, Arendelle is your kingdom now, too, Vise Admiral Westergaard."

Her blue orbs twinkle at him with the fluttery-eyelash appeal. Elsa thought she already knew what her young man's response would be, but it tickled her pink to make the formal request anyway.

 _My kingdom, too?_

"It will be my high honor to do all in my ability to accomplish this task in benefit for the good citizens of this great nation. And above that, I relish serving at the pleasure of my beguiling Queen, in any position she entrusts to me." Prince Hans puffs up with pride that his Queen Elsa would think to include him in the auspicious ceremony of this magical northern kingdom of Arendelle.

Hans gratefully squeezes Elsa's hand that had landed lovingly upon his brightly glowing cheek.

"I do trust you, in **all** things, my handsome Prince." Elsa revels at Hans' touch with a soft smile full of love, as the pair lose themselves in one another's eyes.

Then the door opens to the master bedroom and the King and Queen of Arendelle were accompanied by that dour doctor entering the room where Anna was softly singing an old Lutheran Christmas lullaby to ease Kristoff's head wound.

 _"'From heaven above to earth I come  
To bear good news to every home;  
Glad tidings of great joy I bring,  
Whereof I now will say and sing:_

 _To you this night is born a child  
Of Mary, chosen virgin mild;  
This little child, of lowly birth,  
Shall be the joy of all the earth._

 _Give heed, my heart, lift up thine eyes!  
What is it in yon manger lies?  
Who is this child, so young and fair?  
The blessed Christ-child lieth there.'"_

"That was quite lovely, Gingersnap." King Agdar strokes Anna's ginger head lovingly before turning his attention to Hans with a more serious look. "Ahem, Vise Admiral. If my daughter has informed you of your assignment, sir, you may be excused to acquaint yourself with the other church bell ringers gathered below to take instruction from them as how to best perform your duty at our traditional ceremony. I have instructed Minister Kai to speak to those involved to inform them of the cast change. My wife prefers for us to remain here with the Princess, so it will be up to you to take orders from the Queen directly as to the timing of the ceremony." King Agdar instructs Hans, coldly exact in what Elsa had already informed her father she wished to occur.

"On my honor, Admiral, I will serve your kingdom and its offices at this celebratory time of the year, to the utmost of my abilities." Hans deftly bows his head to King Agdar, who merely nods in acknowledgment as he moves towards Anna and Kristoff.

Hans backs away from his respectful address to the King to lock eyes with Elsa, who wiggles her fingers at him with a biting lip grin at her father's chilly reception.

In the next half hour's time, intelligent and dexterous Prince Hans was introduced and hearkened to the older men's sage advice. He indeed quickly familiarizes himself with the mechanism of Arendelle's architecturally sound Campanile Belfry.

The high Arendelle Belltower had been decorated with festive Julebukken and made previously ready last evening by Kristoff and the other church bell ringers after hours of practice for this year's Christmas 'Ringing in the Season' Ceremony.

From the yoke headstock to clapper Bell below the sound bow, Prince Hans admires the over six foot tall bell that was near his height. It had been polished and shining silver with its elongated cup-shaped cast metal embossed with Arendelle's crocus symbol crest in seasonal design from top canons down to its flared thick rim.

Sprinting up in a quick run-through from ground level where the bell had been stored in a nearby palace shed housing for the rest of the year, Hans times his swift movements down again from the belfry tower to the ground level courtyard.

There, Hans gazes from the expectant faces of children with their families in the citizens of Arendelle crowds all gathered around for the much anticipated Christmas Bell Ringing Ceremony which the Queen of Arendelle had reinstated two years ago after a thirteen year long absence.

This bell apparently symbolized much in this country, of not only opening the holy celebration of Christmas, but also the traditions in memory of happier times in the kingdom, when the gates were wide open and their beloved royal family were not in sheltered hiding from their people.

Keen to listen Hans had picked up all this gleaned information from overhearing the townspeople talking to one another as he conversed with the male church volunteers who had been scheduled to help raise by hand the large heavy silver bell.

All the people were especially pleased to attend this year's celebration that marked the return of their dear native son, King Agdar and his lovely Queen Idun, after the entire nation had been in mourning for these four years of their absence from the kingdom.

"We hope Queen Elsa will be able to ring that weighty Christmas Bell all by herself! I heard our feisty Princess Anna won't be joining her after the unfortunate spill on the ice this morning!" One plump-cheeked brown bun-haired woman gossiped to another.

"The Queen is so tall and elegant and powerful, though she is just a slender sylphlike little thing." One old man concluded to the despair of the crowds.

"She'll be too sad to ring the bell if Princess Anna is hurt bad!" The quavering young children and twitching older women all talk at once about the dire rumors that the Christmas bell may not be rung at all today due to the early morning skating accident some witnessed.

"Let's pray for our dear Princess to not be laid up in bed, paralyzed permanently like we heard the footman say! She was so sprightly and full of life, poor lively little girl!" The older choir woman, who had taken on the role of pianist for the remainder of the skating competition, adds to the doubtful conjecture of the rumors spreading like wildfire in the castle's silence.

Anxiety was the overall sentiment for a great deal of the nervous crowd where canards of dread had been abounding for the past hour of uncertainty.

"It must be true! Kristoff and Sven aren't here to even haul the bell into the castle entrance! It's still the stable." One bent over grandfather points out that tittle-tattle tidbit with his cane.

"I bet the King is probably going to cancel Christmas because Princess Anna is sick. The bell won't ring, the whole kingdom won't celebrate anymore, and we won't get any presents this year." Once sourpuss face little boy kicks the snow bank curb with the unhappy negative thought cascade.

The pinch-faced boy pulls his bundled up little sister's blonde hair done up in a long, side-braid styled like her idol Queen Elsa.

"No! Queen Elsa loves Christmas! She won't let him!" The mournful-eyed toddler girl was so small and frightened, and about to burst into tears at her cruel brother's taunt that it touches Hans to speak up.

"That's right. The King will do no such thing, children." Trying not to eavesdrop, or give the appearance of it anyway, Hans could not keep quiet any longer as he had been in the shed checking on the Campanile bell's tackle that secured it to its sleigh. He had attached his horse Sitron to be the lead of the special sleigh cart to take on the transport of the ceremonial item in Sven's absent place.

"King Agdar will NOT cancel Christmas. He is our smart, thoughtful leader who recognizes very well God's glad tidings of great joy through the gift of His Son, the baby Jesus, as our most precious present, who will always live in our hearts, and be our sweet friend all through the year, if we love one another in the true meaning of Christmas. Remember, just as God gave the best gift of all to us, we in turn must give freely to each other as its own reward. No one can ever hide such love away from us." Prince Hans takes the time to pause in his duty to kneel down before the little girl and boy arguing in front of the Arendelle stable.

"Truly, Prince Hans?" The wee girl instantly recognized and was in awe of Queen Elsa's handsome suitor.

"Truly." Charismatic with all females, young and old, Prince Hans gently wipes away the blonde child's tears with tender thumbs.

These children were among many listless ones, who, along with several old men and women of all ages, had been trudging about the street, waiting. They each had been thinking the holiday season that they had been looking forward to may return to the past of being quietly uncelebrated by the whole kingdom altogether.

But still they remained gathered in the tinkling snow in the bright sunshine, yet hopeful of ringing in the season of Christmas together as one, after the long, hard cold winter.

As agile Hans deftly leaps atop the shed's pitched roof outer gable, each of the citizens blink up in the blinding sun at the handsome young redheaded Prince with slight glimmers of hope in their suspicious, doubtful eyes.

"Good people, your concern for your Princess is admirable. I can happily inform you that I have just been in Arendelle Castle where Princess Anna is being well attended. And I can assuredly share with you the fact that your lovely, vivacious Princess full of life will be in fine form to celebrate Christmas and share her immense capacity for love with you all." Hans' strident tone bolsters the people of the kingdom who adored their picture-perfect royal family and its attractive Queen who took sincerely to heart the physical and mental welfare of her citizens as well.

"And you're right, min dyrebire (my little dear), your beautiful Queen Elsa, whom I adore, indeed loves Christmas. Because she believes, with all her heart too, in God's promise of love bestowed upon us at this time of year." In his most mild voice now, and like an acrobat, Prince Hans hangs down from the shed's low gable to touch the weepy-faced little girl's cheek.

With a tender brush of her hair the winsome young man rests her tousled, mimicked blonde braid back into place over her left side chest.

"Hee hee hee." The little blonde child giggles at charmer Hans' tickle under her chin to make her laugh. Then in one swift motion, he gracefully leaps down to confidently stand in front of the crowd before the shed doors.

The Danish Prince's few words and message of hope along with tender kindness causes the entire disheartened crowd to soon share smiles and pleased nods at this positive messenger of general goodness of their dear Princess' health and their beloved King and Queen's conviction to espouse the Christmas spirit.

"My friends. Let us all this year not only physically ring the Christmas Bell out of tradition, but also lift our voices and cheer to show to the Arendelle Royal family how much sharing this joyous season of giving – not receiving – with them and one another means! Let from our hearts be a great outpouring of blessed love to the glory of God Almighty who has mercifully watched over and safeguarded Queen Elsa and Princess Anna, to reunite with their parents King Agdar and Queen Idun, back to our wondrous land! Are you good people ready to ring in the season in that spirit of joy and love and gratitude to encourage Princess Anna and her family and give them a celebration of Christmas to never forget?" If Prince Hans Westergaard excelled at one thing – _humility forefend him from counting his other numerous credentials_ – it was his unmatched style of eloquence in rousing speechifying.

"Merry Christmas to Arendelle!"

"Merry Christmas to Arendelle!" With a roared shout, the rallied citizens of Arendelle answer Hans' stirring call, reinvigorated to ring in the season properly with merriment and laughter.

Unified in one voice, they raise their hands and hearts and minds together to the inspiring speech of Prince Hans.

Looking very dapper and commanding in his Sjoforsvaret Navy blue officer uniform, he assuredly knocks in signal to the closed shed to have the volunteers usher out from the darkened stable housing the hallowed Arendelle Christmas Cantabile Bell.

The tall silver Bell that had been kept well-polished and preserved for hundreds of years in this kingdom full of traditions is wheeled out by Sitron into the light. The golden-dun fjord horse proudly wears the wintertime blanket that held the Royal crest of Arendelle and the holiday Julebukken symbols alike as the Sitron proudly pulls the weighty sleigh bed with the monstrous, silver and gold, decorated bell strapped upon it.

 _"Oh come all, ye faithful, joyful and triumphant. Oh come ye, O come ye to_ _Bethlehem_ _!"_

At the Vise Admiral's fitting Christmas carol's soaring introduction and beckoning hand, the re-inspired crowd follows Hans and Sitron carting the large silver bell down the cobblestone lane. From the stable shed rear they come back out around towards Arendelle Castle's front bridge entrance where the Bell tower was at the end of the road, vacantly awaiting the silver Christmas Campanile to complete its festive scene.

Hans smiles when the large wooden Castle doors open to reveal Queen Elsa's stunning figure.

Elsa had changed from her skating outfit to her formal Christmas dark blue long velvet gown with white fur mantle accentuated with red berries and sparkling with ice crystals streaming from her every pore to greet the ceremonial Christmas Bell's arrival.

As the procession was excitedly approaching the Castle, Prince Hans spies where a smiling from ear to ear Princess Sofia was with Prince Hugo hand in hand. Her parents King Roland and Queen Miranda, along with siblings Amber on Desmond's arm and James linked in a trio with Cleo and Hildegard, soon join them at the front door when they hear the melodious procession.

A pleased Chancellor Esteban also had emerged at the entrance from where he had been holding court in the King and Queen's absence among the several emissaries, ambassadors, dukes and duchesses who had not yet departed Arendelle after the Masquerade Ball.

Johanne waves to her friends from town, as even her brother, Councilor Kai, warily makes a showing alongside the Reverend clergy on the east end of the castle frontage.

Those friendly faces and royal visitors stood in the background sides of the castle façade while energetic Varian and Cassandra had, last-minute, decided to join Hans and the people in the street.

The young inventor rushes forward with his newest, latest invention which was to be Princess Rapunzel's Christmas present. The spiky, dark-haired young scientist eagerly adds his ingenious keyboard piano-cymbal-harmonica multi-instrument strapped around his slight frame.

Varian inserts his music making all-in-one instrument invention to the joyful procession as the mathematician competently performs the harmony backup. For music was essentially about numbers of timing and rhythm stirred by the heartbeat of romance that the young man's blossoming love for his Cassie had awakened.

Varian's now requited girlfriend Cassandra unashamedly steps out to prompt the less animated church musicians mixed in the crowd to join in, too. With some various string and woodwind instruments she had gathered from the castle's music room, the blunt guardswoman urges them, in no uncertain terms, to join Varian in accompanying Hans' powerful a cappella tenor in the 'O Come All Ye Faithful' Christmas composition.

Attractively smiling as he hears the music rise behind and in front of him, commanding Prince Hans gloriously projects his powerful voice as he not only leads the group of Bell Ringers and the Campanile Bell into the castle precinct, but also the re-energized entire town's citizens and Christmas Carolers to join in as well.

 _"'Come and behold him, born the King of Angels!'"_

rushed The triumphant Christmas melody rings through the cool crisp air as nimble Hans races past Elsa— _with a spontaneously irresistible split-second capture of his Queen's stunned, mouth-watering lips as the confident man flies past her—_ up through the castle interior towards the Bell Tower to guide the incoming Campanile in.

"' _'O come let us adore Him! O come let us adore Him!"_

His beautiful golden voice continues to belt out the Christmas carol by the English hymnist John Francis Wade that certainly expressed the joy of the season. But even as his voice becomes fainter as he climbs altitude, the crowd raises their voices in joyous unison, just as the Danish Prince intended, to inspire the citizens and Royal family of Arendelle alike.

Feeling the spirit of the season, Princes Hugo and Desmond lend their 'muscle' to the trio of older men heaving and hoisting the large dome bell to set in place in the bell tower where Master of Ceremonies Hans had just arrived to receive the Christmas Bell.

Hanging from the tower like a stealthy cat, Hans adroitly grasps the dangling rope noose. He uses all his raw power strength to pull the thick hemp rope to loop the tower in just such a way to rest upon the big wooden headstock's sturdy lumber.

He masterfully checks the double ropes around the massive yoke that they were strapped securely while he was adeptly balanced at the dizzying height of the tall tower.

 _"'O come let us adore Him! Christ the Lord!'"_

After a heady view from this height of the breathtaking kingdom, its adoring people gathered in adulated admiration, and the pure snow white vista landscape of the preeminent country beyond every angle this castle's monarch ruled, Hans peers down through the wooden hatch he slides open to see his stunning platinum beauty who outshined them all, there alone.

* * *

 ** _A few minutes ago, inside…_**

 _"Sing choirs of angels, sing in exultation! Sing all ye citizens of Heaven above!'"_

"Listen Anna, they're caroling. You've always loved to hear the carolers at Christmas time." Idun says nostalgically, recalling the small little girl who raced to the closed castle gatehouse and pressed her ear to the walls.

Though she knew they'd never open, Anna ran down to the gate just the same every year, to hear the pleasant sounds of people outside the secluded kingdom sing joyful songs of Christmas fun the outgoing girl longed in sharing. "And now they're right outside your window bringing the Carols home just for you, min spadbarns." Idun remembers wanting then so desperately to allow her pretty little girl with the bright ginger hair and even brighter eyes to venture at least for one night on Christmas Eve to be out in the town with other human beings celebrating.

But her recluse Papa was too concerned for his girls in those times to ever permit that to happen, for fear Elsa was not ready to face the quizzical world which would surely mistrust her and her amazing abilities. Agdar remembered that he wasn't ready when he was just a teen so he knew she wouldn't be as well.

 _"'Glory to God in the highest!'"_

"Caroling, Kristly! Just like I planned. Yeah..." Anna was fighting another wave of nausea that had the new mother-to-be curling upon the bed now in her recovered hubby's place.

Anna closes her eyes as she squeezes Kristoff's massive bicep oh-so-tight, trying to battle her pain and overwhelming fatigue. But when the braided young woman hears the citizens of Arendelle all raising their voices together for the spirited Princess who adored celebrating holidays with her loved ones more than anyone, she forgets her pain for a few minutes.

Surrounded by pillows to ease her lower backache, Anna sits up straight in the large bed to enjoy the multitude of voices in holy song.

"I want to watch Elsa ring the Bell from the balcony!" Her normal exuberance returns, and a smiling Anna tries to get up, though dizzily stumbling from the bed. A recovering Kristoff staggers to his feet and scoops his again lively bride, glad to see her not so sickly or dispirited as she had been for the past hour or so.

 _"Oh, come let us adore Him, oh, come let us adore Him!…"_

After all, nothing was worse than to see his boisterous, noisy, clamorously joyful Princess sad.

"Anna! What are you doing, boy! Is she going to be warm enough after that trauma?!" King Agdar returns to the master bedroom just in time to witness a compliant Kristoff carrying Anna towards an open door that led to the balcony's frigid weather overlooking the front entrance vista.

"We are, some of us, used to the cold, Agdar." Queen Idun responds cattily cool, even as she wraps a warm scarf around Anna and Kristoff's combined necks, symbolically tying them together with a pointed look at her husband that plainly said: _'Happy?'_

"I'm fine, Papa! C'mon! They're singing Christmas carols!" Anna's aquamarine eyes glow from beneath that woolen scarf she calls out to her worrywart father, her invite drawing him out to the balcony as well.

 _"'Ye Lord, we greet Thee! Born this happy morning! Jesus to Thee be glory given.'"_

"It is indeed a splendid sound to hear the citizens sing praise and glory to Him whom we owe this blessed Christmas season to. Such strong vocalization and enthusiasm this year, eh, Idun?" The King too was moved by the scene of his citizens enjoying the season so enthusiastically to give encouragement to their ailing Princess.

 _"'Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing!'"_

"If you don't mind the nippy cold… Since Anna appears to be feeling better…Then perhaps I can escort you down to this glorious outdoor caroling notion, my Queen? I can still see you wearing this at our first Bellringing Ceremony together those twenty-five years ago." Agdar extends yet another olive branch as he collects Idun's most favored fur stole. The one that was white and snowy and soft that he remembered buying for his young wife a Christmas past ago that he wraps around his little woman's still slim and slender shoulders.

"Good Lord, it makes you look like that girl of seventeen I was about to marry all over again, my swan." Agdar whispers in her ear, trying to make up for their earlier argument.

"Thank you, no, Agdar. I have already chosen this warmer cloak that I wish to wear today." Idun purposely brushes the chic winter stole aside in exchange for a black cloak she grabs off the coat rack nearby. "I promised our guests King Roland, Queen Miranda and the Chancellor to join them downstairs at the Ceremony once Anna was comfortable. She seems so to me in the arms of the honest man she loves and trusts, who fulfills her every bidding uncomplainingly, without gated restraint or undue cold detachment at her request." Fighting tears, Idun purposely sweeps the small girlish wintertime stole from her shoulders and replaces it with the black cloak that her big sister Arianna had recently sent her for Christmas.

"Young love." Idun approves of Kristoff's doting over Anna, watching him chuckle with love's endless forbearance at the ginger girl's silly, not very funny jokes in his ear about Hans' singing.

 _"Oh, come let us adore Him!'"_

"Excuse me." Idun does not wait for Agdar's stuttered response as she hastens leave their master bedroom and join their Royal visitors outside with Elsa waiting at the front steps for the ceremonial Christmas Bell to be rung.

"But, Idun!" The King was torn between following his wife downstairs or staying here with his under the weather child. His pale hazel eyes scan to see that the soaring tenor voice leading the vast crowd of his citizens was none other than that of the second-in-command of his Navy whom Agdar had collected to perform the delivery of the ceremonial Bell at Elsa's bequest.

 _"Oh, come let us adore Him! Christ the Lord!"_

"A fine skill to rally the citizens with such a fine voice in praise of the Lord. Good choice, my Snow Angel." Agdar murmurs in approval of this Westergaard boy to himself on many levels, regretting his coolness to Prince Hans when they arrived which Idun alluded to now.

The King peers over the balcony to view the limber young Dane leading the happy crowd in both morale and song before making an agile dash up to the Bell Tower to attach and hook up the huge Christmas Bell's roof stanchions.

"Did you say something, Sir?" Kristoff asks against the bitter cold balcony wind the big blond was cuddling his ginger gal close to shelter from as he turns to his father-in-law with the query.

In Kristoff's strong arms, Anna was totally enthralled by the exciting scene below to notice her Papa was even present.

"Just… I'll be going down to attend the ceremony with your Mama and Elsa after all, Anna. Will you be all right?" Agdar had already quickened his pace back into the master bedroom with a set path to its exit door.

"She'll be just fine, Sir." Kristoff answers as go-between with Anna's attention now on the quintet of helpful citizens and princes assembled together below at the thick ropes they had been using to ingeniously wench up the Bell to the tower of the Castle.

Hans must've been somewhere in the tower, just about to give his cue to the Queen once the Bell rope was lowered to her.

But once in the Hall, instead of going down to the audience as he first intended, Agdar follows Prince Hans' wet boot tracks up to the belfry tower that had come through the center of his family's castle home.

The King finally watches the adept Danish young man expertly loop the thick ropes up and around to secure the canons by the Bell's crown to be properly aligned with the headstock yoke like a pro.

As Hans keeps the ropes taut while capturing the loose end, he peers down through the small trapdoor, hoping to see Elsa's slender pale neck gazing back up at him through it.

Everything appeared to be going well, but Hans sensed Elsa was uncomfortable to be the sole royal pulling the heavy rope, with all eyes upon her alone, as her own eyes were darting from him to connect with Anna's on the balcony, where she and Kristoff were waving.

"Oh Elsa. I wish I could be down there for you, to help you draw that rope. I didn't realize it would be so cumbersome a pull for a single person alone. You and Anna together were strong…" An agitated Hans speaks to himself as his mind races to think how he could ease the weight from up here without being deafened by the large bell's proximity.

What Hans did not realize, was that his future father-in-law, the King of Arendelle, was within earshot of the echoing belfry tower.

"Allow me to arrange that, Vise Admiral." The Ice King swiftly conjures up a solid ice post placed safely behind the thick Bell rope for the agile young man to slide down in record speed to be there to pull the rope alongside his solitary young Queen.

"I remember the heaviness of that dense rope myself. I'll keep it taut up here while you make haste down to join Elsa. Then I will drop the rope through for you two to ring the Arendelle Bell together. You await my signal. Understood?" King Agdar gives the order low in his baritone as the singing, music-making crowd had come to an expectant hush in lieu of the pivotal moment when the beautiful ruler of Arendelle would ring in the season for them.

"Thank you, your Majesty." Hans quirks a smile of unforeseen respect, bowing his head in gratitude to King Agdar and grants him a salute before the prince's slender and sleek form quickly slides down the ice pole to elegantly land on the steps, just a few feet down directly beside a shocked Elsa.

"Hans! But aren't you –?" A pleased, but surprised Elsa smiles her most epic grin to her fiancé, who suddenly, miraculously appears at her previously anxious, unsettled side.

"I'm not the only one who knows you were not meant to do this alone, min elsker." As the thick rope drops down from the Bell tower's dark hole above for Hans to catch, Elsa feels her young man place his warm hands over hers as her gaze looks upward to where her Papa had sent the ceremonial Bell rope down to them.

Instead of being the one to pull the heavy rope for his little girl as Elsa remembered so vividly in Christmases from her youth of yore, King Agdar had magnanimously sent Prince Hans in his place this time.

 _Thank you, Papa._ Elsa silently mouths up to her first hero who awards her the salute that the Admiral monarch of the country never had to give anyone else, for he was raised and groomed all his life to be the supreme leader of both kingdom nation and naval armed forces.

But times were changing.

After giving a departing King Agdar a few moments to leave the bell tower, Elsa waves up to Anna who was pointing at Hans and laughing with Kristoff in the balcony above.

With Hans' fingers firmly around hers, Elsa signals to her prince that she was ready to pull the weighty Bell rope in synchronized unison with a brilliant smile.

After all, it wasn't only strength needed here, but the spirit of heart, where Elsa felt Anna close right by her side as she gazes up to her best friend and little sister Elsa knew was cheering her on.

"This is the moment we been waiting for, everyone! Let the Christmas festivities begin!" Elsa announces, projecting her high voice to the large crowd. She was no longer self-conscious to be standing at the front steps of the castle entrance in the spotlight because she was not alone.

Everyone was with her, after all.

With Olaf rolling up at the last minute to grab hold of the rope tassel to lend his support, Elsa and Hans become lost in one another's eyes again, as together as one they pull the Arendelle Cantebile rope up and down several times in perfect melodic rhythm with one another in steady and strong heart beats.

Sharing a look of pure love and lasting happiness of peace on earth with the citizens who glow with pride at the harmonious scene, Elsa and Hans, hand over hand, heart in heart, together ring in the holiday season with the traditional Christmas Bell that chimes throughout Arendelle.

 ** _DING-DONG, DING-DONG, DING-DONG, DING-DONG, DING-DONG!_**

"Bravo! Wonderful! Thank you, Queen Elsa! Thank you, Prince Hans! Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Season's Greetings! Merry Christmas! Yay! What a handsome couple you make!"

Hans had indeed rallied the citizens of Arendelle, with the people, young and old, shy and bold, fun and dull, all enthusiastic to ring in the season with their royal family. The satisfied crowd punctuates the much-anticipated Arendelle Bell Ringing Ceremony with a montage of cheers and applause right after the final chiming bells finish ringing throughout Arendelle to bring in the season of Christmas' light and love and joy to come.

 ** _CLAP CLAP CLAP! CLAP CLAP CLAP! CLAP CLAP CLAP!_**

"Merry Christmas, min kæreste." Not disappointing the wowwed crowd's expectations, Hans abruptly turns to Elsa, sweeping the slender, tall beauty off her feet and into his tender embrace to land a gentle kiss on her delighted parted lips.

Olaf does his best to copy the same dashing maneuver with Eliana who was on hand nearby clapping. But the inept snowman falls apart, carrot nose and all colliding with Eliana's more petite root. Nonetheless, the little snow-woman chuckles in delight and smooches Olaf on his chilly snow cheek.

Many of the happy townspeople mimic their Queen and her handsome suitor with hugs, embracing one another. Even those who remembered what Hans Westergaard had done nearly three years ago, now decided to forgive him as well.

Just as their magnanimous Queen chose to pardon the handsome Prince of the Southern Isles as the good Lord called us to do, made especially poignant at this forgiving time of the year.

And those who didn't know what Hans had done were undoubtedly charmed by the Queen's dashing action hero and inspiringly good-looking fiancé.

"Everyone! We thank you all for attending and giving this celebration your great support! We realize you all have your own Christmas family traditions to get to now, but if you will indulge your Royal family and stay a little bit more in Arendelle Castle? We wish to celebrate with you an important, special announcement concerning your dear Princess Anna of Arendelle that will be the best present of all to us this year!" King Agdar had gone upstairs and collected Anna. She was feeling uplifted and better enough to come down with the joy filled pronouncement from the doctor.

Anna's father had brought his little girl – with Kristoff trailing close behind – down to the Castle's open door foyer entrance were Queen Idun had been waiting at the open door with a warm coat and hat to place upon the head of her younger child.

"If you would do the honors, Mama?" Kindly smiling beneath his moustache as he puts Anna down to stand between them, King Agdar turns the prestigious announcement over to his wife.

A startled Idun steps forward from where her husband, Kristoff and Hans were supportively flanking the beaming young girl wearing one of her mother's stylish large blue outer coats over her puffed pale blue velvet attire. Anna wildly waves to the townspeople, along with Elsa on her other side as the big sister squeezes her little sister's hand.

"It is so very good to see you all here to join us at this joyous Christmas season start, dear friends! We deeply lament the far too many years that we have been parted, but have peace in our hearts to know how our daughters have opened up the kingdom and their hearts to share their love with you, our beloved citizens." Queen Idun gazes proudly from Elsa's exquisite face to Anna's bright one, knowing the sisters' unbreakable bond that had been tested in fire and ice, had shone through strong and true and fearlessly unselfish to include their citizens as friends in these past years on their own.

She links hands and smiles with her two beautiful, mature young daughters as Idun draws each lovingly to her motherly side.

"As a delighted mother, I feel privileged to announce the happy news for both our girls. As you probably have heard, your Queen Elsa has chosen, and will soon be wed to her courageous and valiant betrothed—Prince Hans of the Southern Isles!" With a defiant back glance at her husband who tenses behind her, Queen Idun gestures to Elsa and the man at her side, Hans, who nobly bows to the audience.

"And now, to add to our family's bliss, before all of our eyes, your tiny Princess Anna of Arendelle, has grown up into a brave and beautiful young woman, married in true love to her utterly good, always helpful, strapping mountain man, Kristoff Bjorgman. So, we are beyond pleased to also tell you that in the summer, Anna and Kristoff will be welcoming to the kingdom of Arendelle the newest member of our happy family. Our baby is having a new baby to bring back the joy of God's blessing to our lonely kingdom that only having a child around can bring!" Recalling with nostalgic fondness those happy, limitless days of her idyllic young life, fulfilled by having her beloved King's children, before fear set in to ruin it all. Idun now contentedly looks upon her glowing child who was with child.

The tearful Queen Mother hugs Anna in a show of her support and love for her fine girls and their own growing families the quiet little matriarch could only fantasize of years ago.

"To our Anna and her Kristoff's new baby, coupled with our Elsa and her Prince Hans' imminent wedding! Two wondrous new additions to our family!" Idun kisses first Anna, then Elsa as the trio embrace. Then she extends that motherly kiss to an embarrassed Kristoff's blushing cheek, and finally Hans' in speechless gratitude as she announces this Christmas' joyous double news to all of Arendelle.

"HOORAY! To Anna and Kristoff's blessed new baby! To Queen Elsa and Prince Hans' happy wedding! HOORAY!" The citizens of Arendelle proudly respond in kind to their older Queen enthusiastically as Elsa warmly hugs her baby sister, who was not so much a baby anymore.

She then relinquishes Anna to Kristoff as Hans claims Elsa in his embrace.

Queen Idun joins in the familial love placing her hands on Anna and Kristoff's shoulders in a parental blessing before the people of Arendelle, with a look to her husband on the other side to make the same gesture to the other young couple.

Rigid King Agdar pauses at his wife's raised eyebrow insistence before he acquiesces with a closed eye sigh before the crowd of his citizens to give his Royal blessing to Elsa and Hans' union with a warm hand on Elsa's bare shoulder and a stiff palm to rest upon Hans' tall, uniformed one.

"Let the Christmas festivities begin! Please join us in the joy of decorating Arendelle Castle together!" With her father's hand encouragingly upon her shoulder coupled with Hans' at her side, the younger Queen of Arendelle's pleased as punch, laughing voice tinkles through the cool, but festively apropos, winter air.

The kingdom was full of electricity and the people's obvious excitement as the eternally shy young woman - _who dreaded opening the gates once upon a time_ \- now welcomes in the bustling crowd of citizens and friends, who this time happily accept their Queen's invitation.

"You've turned into quite a popular, outgoing and gracious monarch, my Queen." Prince Hans whispers in her ear, the only one to remain outside with her to greet each and every one of the incoming townspeople, as King Agdar and Queen Idun had ushered Anna and Kristoff inside out of the cold with their other Royal guests who followed.

"As long as you're here to stand at my side, Hans, I can be anything. But if you will… you may shake the hands of the more boisterous, big, rough men, my Prince?" The platinum blonde's innate shyness around men especially still peeks through a mite, despite her best face at it. Elsa silently signals for Hans to clap hands of the next set of big brawny farmers approaching as she just nods and rather daintily greets the gentle women and their small ones to come into the Castle.

"I will do all to strive for your happiness from this moment forward, my betrothed, as I anxiously await you to set the date of our connubial bliss to make mine complete." Hans murmurs in Elsa's titillated ear, before dutifully charming all the rough-edged citizens with his "Merry Christmas" greetings to the the townspeople streaming in with his disarming smile.

Hans' enticing expectation for their upcoming matrimony was perhaps spurred on by her mother's prompting of their 'soon to be wed' status, causing warm shivers to be sent up and down the Ice Queen's spine.

It was a strange mixture of pure joy and ecstatic trepidation combined as Elsa siphons off her excited frissons into an extra ice banner that read _'Joy to the World!'_ to stretch across the Castle's foregate, much to her citizens' clapping delight.

"Do come in to share in the glad tidings, good Arendelle citizens, as we welcome you all to join in our kingdom's celebration!" In his resounding tenor, Hans fills in where Anna would usually sound off. The bold redhead gathers Elsa's chilly hands and rubs to temperate them as he escorts his Queen into the warm Arendelle family Christmas festivities with a confident, debonair smile upon his winning features which Elsa basks in.

* * *

 _'Deck the Halls with boughs of holly, fa, la la la la, la la la la! Now the joyful bells a-ringing, fa,la la,la la, la la la la! Lift our hearts like birds a-winging! fa,la la,la la, la la la la! All ye mountains, praise the Lord!'_

The rest of the day was chock full of season's greetings and decorations going up with the pleased citizens joining in with offers of their own traditions to add to the fun.

From candy cane making, to choral rounds of caroling to candle wreath lighting, the busy sights and sounds smelled of gingerbread baking to fill the joyous atmosphere of the once forgotten Castle.

Although Anna was feeling a little dizzy and her concerned Papa continually insisted Kristoff or he have a chair ready for her to take a necessary break, the lively gal would never miss out on all these exciting Christmas time activities that the Arendelle people brought to the table within the bustling Castle.

By sundown, the sparkling interior was decorated from top of the front stair entrance foyer to the just cleaned up ballroom and the hallways in between, with many of the eager citizens helping Idun and Anna and Elsa distribute the full collection of Christmastime decorations which had been long stored within the Castle's attic and storerooms for too many lost years.

Sacred angels trumpeting the Christ child carvings, Julebukken wooden cutouts, holly and garlands, strung bells of silver and gold and bows of green and red and white and shining blue make the once forlorn, lonely place an unforgettable dazzling holiday vista.

The artistic Ice Queen lends her cryokinetic assistance to whomever dared to ask, particularly useful in the high cathedral ceiling tasks where ladders usually would have been required. Elsa adds her frost gossamer glistening to every heartfelt decoration she hung at her family, friends and citizen's sides.

With Anna and Idun smiling to watch Elsa in action, Arendelle Castle was being decorated top to bottom splendidly by the womenfolk who stayed indoors at the fireplace warmed hall where there was much love and friendship. Christmas time stories and jaunty carols of holiday songs were being shared with the once unapproachable royal family.

Their visitors, citizens and servants alike all chatted with the Arendelle family for the rest of this exciting day, with endless talk of birthing babies and wedding preparations with happy times to come to the kingdom again as only a gaggle of ladies could.

As for the men, King Agdar proposed decorating the exterior of Arendelle Castle with bells and garlands and wreaths of every shape and size to be hung in the frigid cold that he was more comfortable in entertaining.

After showing the younger boys the decorations he had the servants cart out from the storeroom, the King pulls a few of the town's skilled workers to the side. Agdar quietly leads them into a sectioned off workman's shed full of tools and tables that had been covertly stationed in the back of the stable.

There, collected and neatly stored on shelves and benches, were raw geological petunse and glazing materials amid the professional sculpting tools from around the world. The wide selection of carving knives to chisels, sculpting picks, augers and files to modeling hammers and mallets, to a high-heat clay firing pit kiln for porcelains and pottery, the men would hardly have expected to find these many laymen tools in the possession of an aristocratic Royal King.

"God knows I have had time to hone this hobby of mine, where the intense kiln heat was never an issue." Agdar doesn't go into full detail of how his Ice King magic could come in handy in super cooling the 1400 °C fired hard-paste porcelain fast, but he knew those present had an inkling of his cryokinetic abilities, now that his elder daughter had plainly displayed the inheritance. "But again, with this among many other aspects of the gifts He had granted me, I have fallen short." Agdar explains with a degree of regret, running his hands over his early failed pourings of faceless angels and patchwork shepherds glued together and finally the painstakingly detailed faces of Mary and Joseph gazing down at the Christ child.

Agdar had been constructing this outdoor centerpiece, minus the wooden stable for the large sculpted porcelain Nativity he had taken years to carefully sculpt and glaze each piece for his daughters as a present on each Christmas past. The King had studied and learned the art of sculpting to hone his patience and control of his ice powers in the Navy when all he could do was long for home.

And when he got back, Agdar had used his talent to spend a great deal of the seclusion in his sheltered kingdom intricately finishing the Nativity pieces he started ages ago.

From shepherds, to donkeys to sheep and cows to the angel; Mary and Joseph, to the sweet baby Jesus himself in the manger acquired during his maritime journey, Elsa and Anna's father had designed, carved and sculpted one each year out of love for his children those thirteen forgotten Christmases when Arendelle was in virtual lockdown.

"The final piece of this well worked creche was the structure barn itself, for I must admit to not having one percent of the skill of carpentry and architecture I so admire. So the Nativity never went up yet, as well as this star I sculpted but did not know how to safely be fashioned to somehow hang above it all. I never did have the chance to finish this for Elsa and Anna growing up. Perhaps this year that the Lord has granted me back is the one that I would hope to complete it."

"Perhaps some of you gentlemen know a thing or two about carpentry and would be kind enough to assist me in completing this labor of love for my girls this Christmas? I have heard many hands make light work, though I have always been a stubborn obstinate disbeliever in that fine proverb." Agdar asks of the older men who had obediently followed him to his secret workshop the King had hidden away from his curious children behind the stable tackle stall.

Several of the carpenters and workmen nod and smile pleasantly to their King and were already sorting through some of the wood planks that Agdar assembled while others were drawing up a plan.

"It would be my honor if you allow me to also assist, your Majesty. These figurines you have crafted of kaolin and feldspar mineral composition are quite impressive. From the painstaking glass work that must've been put into sculpting and kiln firing this ass and cattle; to the meticulous expressions on each of the life worn shepherds as well as holy Mary and Joseph's faces, to the captured innocence in the Baby Jesus' glorious eyes gazing up to His Father in Heaven, each show your scrupulous dedication. I can certainly see where Queen Elsa has inherited her creative artistry from." Caught up in the remarkable array of art, observant Prince Hans had quietly followed the King and his entourage of older workmen. He had watched them surreptitiously sneak into the workshop just behind the stable stalls close by where the Danish Prince had been visiting his horse Sitron with some pilfered sugar cookie indulgences.

"Why, thank you, Prince Hans. The baby Jesus with his bright smiling eyes was Elsa's favorite piece when I presented Him to her and Anna on a Christmas over a decade and a half ago." King Agdar smiles fondly at the memory of the joy on his children's squealing faces each year he would bring out one of the fragile Nativity 'dollies' for his little girls to play with.

"Let me guess. This one was Anna's favorite." Kristoff had a sixth sense about things when the King and Hans encounter the young Wind Whisperer who had been instructed by Queen Idun to be mentally monitoring King Agdar and Hans should the twain meet to keep the Christmas spirit of peace between the two.

The mountainman had hurriedly finished dangling from the roof to hang the last of the Christmas bells Anna had insisted he place along every one of the tall Castle chimneys. 

_So we can all hear them ring when Santa and his reindeer sleigh come tomorrow night!_

"Ooh, I'm so cute! My ears have only been knocked off three times! I can see both ways at once." Putting on a funny voice much akin to when he mimicked Sven, but in a higher pitch, Kristoff enters the shed and holds up with a jaunty shake the small, misshapen, runty sheep who had patchy wool spots and crooked, derpy eyes. Not to mention the cracked, re-glued again and again, super deformed ears.

"How did you know? Anna never did lose her attachment to this shabby little fellow who was the one I first took a stab at sculpting for the children when they were just wee little things. As you can hopefully see my sculpting abilities progressed with time." As the group of men chortle at the blond Ice Harvester's mimicry, King Agdar humbly chuckles to himself at his past sculpting efforts.

Agdar pats that wonky sheep and short stub-haired donkey which were his beginner's attempts. But each piece indeed improved after the meticulous King had practiced further and taken a great deal of time and effort over the years. But the young father had loved his two little angels enough to try his hand at making something special for them each year.

"From one dabbling artist to another, there is much inspired aptitude to be admired here, Admiral. It is apparent from every one of these and the hours of work each represent, how much you loved your children growing up, to have put in all this effort to produce each impressive piece." Hans had a good eye for artwork, as he himself, a proper well-rounded gentlemen in the arts, had also dipped his hand at sculpting, mostly fantasized depictions of a certain beautiful blonde Princess from the North he would be wise not to mention at the moment to her father.

"You sculpt as well, Prince Hans? What were your subjects? I would like to see some of your past art." Agdar plies some pleasant conversation with the polite prince, but Hans' heart sinks with the guilt his poker-face does its best to hide.

"That would be enlightening, Your Majesty. But my past works pale in comparison to yours." Hans sagaciously employs the complimentary way out of the dicey situation.

"Yes, Agdar. I agree with Prince Hans on the quality of your art. The young man obviously shares your deep discernment and understanding of beautiful things, with the generous heart that was inspired by God to create them." King Roland had been requested by King Agdar to oversee the indoor Christmas decor of the Castle should the females need some muscle while the Arendelle King snuck outside to attend to his special gift he needed some professional help with assembling.

But after sampling too many cookies, pie, and marzipan from the kitchen that Sofia and Amber and their friends Anna and Elsa had been cooking up with their Queen Mothers, Roland remembered his promise to Miranda to watch his waistline for this Christmas when she chased him outdoors to help the men.

"He undoubtably has that." Considering Hans' good taste, Agdar looks upon where a sheepish Prince Hans was ably assisting one of the Arendelle carpenters the King had brought in, drawing up how that difficult porcelain star would configure precisely so it would be seen and in scale from a distance, yet hang properly safe over the roof of the cave-like stable they had been rapidly manufacturing to house the one-third scale porcelain statues the Arendelle monarch had sculpted, fired and glazed.

"I must thank you all for your help in finishing this long-in-coming gift for my girls. Just in time, too, before it's too late and they both grow up entirely." Agdar again sighs, feeling terribly old now, with Anna to be a new mother and Elsa conclusively to be married soon.

His precious little girls whom he had tried to keep so safe and secure, and away from the harsh world, had matured all too soon nonetheless.

"Your daughters will always be your little girls, Agdar. Even if they grow up and invite other men into their lives. One does not detract from the other, you know, though it appears to be so at first glance. I have found out myself that God created the human heart big enough for your Navidad Angels to share with at least two gentlemen, without overcrowding." With his classy Español accent, Chancellor Esteban strokes his polished goatee as he retells a lesson from his elderly _Abuelo_ (grandfather) Francisco about an older man recognizing the wisdom of knowing when to let go.

Esteban recalls having a difficult time letting go of his little 'Navidad Angel', his young cousin Isabel – whom Esteban always treated as the daughter he never had – when the scientist genius girl suddenly announced she would marry a stranger to them that shocked the rest of her _familia_ , including Esteban.

Recalling those emotional days, Esteban accentuated the fact by placing the Joseph figurine to stand in the background of the Nativity crèche, whose superstructure was already up, to lovingly watch over both Mother Mary and the Christ child. It was true that Agdar himself painted on the face of Joseph the enlightened knowledge to stand behind, with a fatherly faith that plainly spoke of humility and the deep acceptance of this special Baby's purpose to suffer a horrible death someday he could neither protect from, nor deny the heavenly glory of.

"Share my angels?" Agdar murmurs aloud with a thoughtful nod to Esteban who had peeked into the King's workshop after a heads up from Johanne, who had heard from Kristoff, where the men all were gathering. His icy hazel eyes scan how Hans and the carpenters had been joined in their woodworking architecture by Kristoff.

"A woman has more love to offer than we men can ever comprehend fully." The Chancellor of Avalor wisely comments. "Oh, and I was sent by my Johanne's kindly sister-in-law to fetch you and all these fine workmen for a mid-day snack of bread and cheese." He says on a quick change of subject, his own stomach rumbling for the tasty treats.

With a debonair bow to those present, Esteban then retreats at the call of sweet cinnamon rolls and fresh baked bread being served in the Great Hall by Gerda's piercing, cooing voice.

As most of the older workmen take their lunch break at the Chancellor's invite, the King watches how fastidious Hans and undeterred Kristoff shake them off and continue to work well together side-by-side, hefting wood planks high and nailing them in at the old carpenter's blueprint instruction.

Familiar with an ice saw, Kristoff easily uses a regular handsaw to slice the wood structure like a hot knife through butter as adaptive Prince Hans skillfully wields the hammer like a pro, as the two indomitable young men build the creche of the Nativity Manger scene, showing the King their dogged determination.

 _Sharing is the first gift, the true gift of Christmas, after all, you stubborn man._

The honest voice inside the good man's conscience pricks at Agdar as he considers his older friend's poignant words. The King secretly smiles beneath his ginger moustache at how well Anna's strapping young husband and Elsa's competent fiancé collaborated to tirelessly lend their able hands to the King's long time project.

 _"'I saw three ships come sailing in, on Christmas Day, on Christmas Day. I saw three ships come sailing in, on Christmas Day in the morning."_ Prince Hans suddenly becomes aware when he catches Elsa's father's intent gaze upon he and Kristoff across the room.

So what for the self-conscious young man to do with his nervous energy but sing?

The red headed Dane utilizes his golden throat to start to warble an age-old tune with his gorgeous tenor as he finishes swinging another nail into its wooden slot.

 _"'And what was in those ships all three, on Christmas Day, on Christmas Day? And what was in those ships all three, on Christmas Day in the morning?'"_ Kristoff Bjorgman was never adverse to breaking out into song or _joik_ himself. The musical Saami man with minstrel blood in him joins in assuredly with his mellow mid-tones while he continues to sand the jagged edges of the purposely roughhewn wood to avoid a dreaded splinter from the holy display.

 _"'O they sailed into Bethlehem, on Christmas Day, on Christmas Day; The virgin Mary and Christ were there on Christmas Day in the morning.'"_ Blending his baritone to Hans and Kristoff's shared duet to make it a jolly trio, Agdar puts an arm around the only remaining old carpenter chewing on his pipe beside him as the joy of the season is injected into the busy workshop by the power of music Hans which began.

"Why, you boys are mighty good enough to lead our carolers on our Christmas Eve Julebukking trek from house to house in Arendelle! What say you to that idea of joining us as we start our caroling ramble here at the Castle when you celebrate the inauguration of this beautiful Nativity scene, your Majesty?" The Arendelle Lutheran Church Chapel priest, as he had been partaking of holiday eggnog the Queens were serving up in the Great Hall with the sweet scones and candied nut rolls, had wandered away for some quiet prayer time.

That's when he was sure he heard a trio of heavenly voices harmonizing with the old Christmas favorite that Navy men generally sang in rounds as they hoped to return home from their far-flung voyages, at least for the special day of Christmas to spend with their families.

"Well, Father, I don't believe –" Agdar, as usual, was automatically about to back out of such a public embarrassment, speaking without even opining with the two young men of his daughters.

That is, until his eyes caught sight of that crooked, mottled cotton ball covered little sheep that reminded him in painful flashback of the precious little ginger girl who begged to go caroling every year. And every year he foolishly denied her the adventure when his wee gingersnap heard the parishioners echoing traditional Christmas songs blithely in the streets of Arendelle without her.

"– I should say, I don't believe we _could_ refuse. As long as we can keep it a secret between us, so as we may invite a few special ladies to join your 'caroling trek', as you have so-dubbed it, with us as a Christmas Eve night surprise?" Having a change of heart conversion to be more sociable and open was not an easy thing for the ice cold cucumber recluse of a royal King.

But for the sake of his two girls – make that three, with his wife Idun also necessary to inspire this year – Agdar would give it a try.

"Yes, your Majesty! Everyone is welcome to sing the praises of the Christkind with us. Good sirs! We would be most honored to have your three glorious voices lead our caroling trek in song!" The deafening high volume Reverend jubilantly exclaims with a clap of his liturgical hands as the King walks back with the clergymen into the Great Hall.

"The matter is settled then. But not a word to Queen Idun, Queen Elsa, nor Princess Anna. Nor any delicate female who may inform any others between now and then, for that matter, if you please, Reverend. Let this be our little holiday surprise." Agdar warns the loose-lipped Reverend who smiles and nods compliantly without saying another word.

"Come, gentlemen. We have progressed extremely well, due to your assiduous industry. You must both be hungry working so diligently on our project. As soon as you have completed that section, let us take a break with the others for a while, lest my suspicious ladies are liable to think I kidnapped you. Or worse." Agdar found his strained mood concerning these two young usurpers of his daughters' affections of late changing to humor as the holiday afternoon wore on. Glancing from Kristoff's lumbering stride to Hans' more polished gait on either side of him, Agdar heeds his wife's desires and was giving himself a chance to get to know them.

And so far, he found he was not unimpressed.

Thus far.

"Oh, drat. I told Varian those goats Anna wanted up there would come loose if we didn't tie down each leg to the gable. So much for 'the sciences of equili-equili-brio-something and tring- tregro- tragrono-dromedary'. I better get back up there and fix it right before it gets too dark and Anna sees them drooping. Hans?" Kristoff gives up on the camel-like big words Varian laid on him as he shields his eyes from the falling sunset to see two of the Julebukken wood cutouts down, fancy scientific terms or no.

He had climbed up there and harnessed them together at his hasty bride's direction, but Varian - who had been conscripted by Cassandra to aid him – had his scientific notions for the swirley-horned goats to be climbing on the castle roof with the center of gravity point only strapping them.

But obviously that science was faulty, for the cutout Julebukken had fallen back flat on the roof precipice.

"Certainly, Mr. Bjorgman. The science of equilibrioception has all the physical qualities of balance, and trigonometry indeed involves the lengths and angles necessary for your harness. However, the capricious wind has her own ideas on the subject of gravity. Come, I'll help you restore those ornery billies." The Danish Prince yet again impresses the King with his easy conception of the metaphysical desirable point between two surfaces and yet still possess the charisma to be genial. Hans respectfully bows his head to Agdar to follow Kristoff the back way up to the roof to repair the wobbly decorations.

When the King enters the castle by himself, a flustered Elsa approaches her father with the visiting King Roland and Prince James flanked on either side of her.

"Papa! Our guests have taken great interest in viewing our Sjoforsvaret Navy's new steamship technology innovation and are requesting a firsthand tour." Pleased to find her Hans still intact, Elsa was glad her father was in a pleasant mood and here to deal with these kinds of issues that she, though the leader of the Admiralty — _as she forcefully informed her dashing Prince once upon a time_ — was hardly qualified to show around these older men, interested in the onboard ship workings of their formidable Navy she had not served with and knew little about.

"What a craft! The Norwegian Sjoforsvaret is as formidable as I always believed! My James here could benefit from seeing how a well-run Navy such as yours, Agdar, can broaden the mind far beyond mere hockey and playing around with young ladies. And I daresay Desmond's father would agree with me that he could use a few pointers from your impressive armed forces and that notable ship that has just come into dock today as well." King Roland and his son James had been fascinated by the appearance of the sleek and mighty HmNoS Gler which had docked in Arendelle overnight.

"Certainly, Roland. As it is already nearing darkness tonight, my Vise Admiral would only be too glad to show you, your son, and friends our fleet's facilities early tomorrow morning on a guided tour on the grandeur of the HmNos Gler. It has indeed returned to dock after being newly renovated with the latest updated technology of mast and steam." Proud Naval man King Agdar unwittingly assigns his compliant junior officer, Prince Hans, to the task of a tour that would no doubt take up most of tomorrow's Christmas Eve morning when the King would be busy with his last minute present's final details.

Elsa's heart sinks, though her pretty forced smile would not convey her disappointment that she and Hans had not been able to spend much quality time together yet. Not since the morning, with all the excitement of Anna's announcement, the kingdom's Christmas decorating and guest entertaining.

 _But it is only December 22nd. There will still be Christmas time for us._

Impatient Elsa takes strength in how dashing an obedient figure her Prince Hans made when he and Kristoff re-entered the Great Hall and was informed by King Agdar of his duty schedule to visit the Gler in the morn.

Hans' green eyes encapsulate Elsa's, even as she is yet again whisked across the room by some more cooing visitors needing her approval of proper baby names.

 _Responsibilities must take precedent for us, for now, my darling angel. Then our reward will be all the sweeter when we are at last together on Christmas Eve, you breathtaking creature…_

* * *

 _'And when we're together, I'll have all I wished!_

 _All around the Christmas tree, there'll be dreams coming true._

 _And when we're together, my greatest gift is you…'_

* * *

Min spadbarns – my child in Swedish

Min kärlek – my love in Swedish

* * *

 _'The Twelve Days of Christmas' –_ 18th century English Christmas round with lyrics by James Halliwell 1841

 _'Deck the Halls' -_ 18th century Welsh folk song by John Parry and John Hughes, set to Mozart's 18th Sonata

 _"Hark the Herald Angels Sing_ " – Felix Mendelssohn, Charles Wesley 1826

 _'O Come All, Ye Faithful' –_ John Francis Wade 1744

 _'Good Christian men rejoice!' – John Mason Neale 1837 to J.S Bach's 'In Dulci Jublio' music_

" _I_ _Saw Three Ships Come Sailing In"_ \- Willian Sandys 1833

* * *

Felice Navidad! 10 days to a Merry Christmas, Frozen friends! ^0^

Here's the first of the three-part Arendelle family Christmas extravaganza I'll be releasing throughout this Christmas countdown! I hope you enjoyed it, and feel the spirit of the season too as you can sing along with 'Olaf's Frozen Adventure' songs plus the pre- to mid-19th century carols woven through the chapter to give that holiday mood!

Whee! Anna's having a baby! Kristoff's Feistypants will have a lot of learning on how to be a good and responsible Mother! Good thing Idun is back to be an example and answer her questions about the next phase of Princess Anna's young life- the mystery of 'Motherhood'!

As his Queen has been hoping and praying and giving her husband the cold shoulder about his attitude problem with son(s) in laws, that Christmas spirit finally seems to be affecting Papa Agdar! Hans is definitely leaving an impression on his future father-in-law as he watched his capable future-son-in-law be there for Elsa at the Bell-ringing ceremony and they subsequently worked on Christmas decorations together. Hope our dashing Dane doesn't blow those good vibes as Christmas nears…

Stay tuned for the rest of the holiday magic! I wish you and yours a happy and blessed Christmas to come as we 'Ring in the Season' together!

Don't forget, in all our busy decorating and present gathering the true reason for the season of generosity and giving love! Merry Christmas to all!

Love, HarukaKou

P.S. Hans seems anxious to set the date for his yearning lover Elsa, our Hans-some Helsa couple's upcoming wedding details are soon to be revealed! Love and romance will definitely ring in through Christmas and the New Year here in 'Frozen Again: Love Never Ends'!

* * *

" _Vom Himmel hoch, da komm ich her"_

 _'From Heaven to Earth I Come'_ – Martin Luther 1534

 _'_ _Oh, my beloved Jesus here please make,_

 _Yourself a pure, gentle bedding to take_

 _Your dear rest in this heart of mine,_

 _That I never forget Yours enshrined._

 _I will be cheerful with You e'vr by me,_

 _My heart leaps, always singing freely,_

 _No silent lips content, only joyful tongue,_

 _I sing the sweet tone of Your cradle's song._

 _Praise to God on the highest throne,_

 _To everyone He has given His Son!'_

 _The host of angels rejoices and sings_

 _A glad New Year to earth Ye bring._ _'"_


	45. Chapter 44 - Secret Santa

_We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

 **"Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act VIII**

 **Chapter 44**

" **Secret Santa"**

' _Good Christian men rejoice! With heart and soul and voice!_ _  
_ _Now ye hear of endless bliss, Joy joy! Jesus Christ was born for this!'_

* * *

 _ **Hours later, after the bubbly Royal Buffet and the townspeople had said their fond farewells to the festive Castle…**_

"This is a very odd place to find you, sir. Is this the exercise renowned in the Sjoforsvaret Navy I've been hearing so much praise of all night? I suppose you sailors must yet keep fit in the limited space onboard ship. Now I see why my father is cautious of sparring with your Navy."

"Not exactly naval protocol, no, my friend. More like recovering lost treasure for a none too conscientious snowman who has slippery fingers." Urbane Hans holds up some of the sticky candy pieces Olaf had dropped in the knight's room he had been holed up in.

Hans chuckles at the inane awkward body positions Olaf's fine mess of late-night present conjuring had gotten the usually graceful Prince contorted into.

"It is a shame about that little wager we had being so damnably dashed by that upstart inventor and his newfangled skates. I was very much looking forward to seeing that Ice Palace you spoke so highly of." This obviously gnawing at him all day, smug Prince Hugo brings up the subject out of the blue as he saunters up to where Hans was patronizing a busy Olaf, who was on the floor trying to reach his knobbly short arms beneath the chess set oak table in the other corner of the Knight's room armory.

"Indeed, Varian and Lady Cassandra's amazing victory was unexpected for myself as well. Particularly after witnessing your vast skills and Princess Sofia's, combined at ice dancing, I was certain you would take the trophy." Hans was feeling rather silly now lying facedown on his belly as he responds to the haughty Prince, looking up from where he had been helpfully collecting several of the white and red Christmas candy button decorations Olaf had dropped that had rolled under the table.

Most of the spilled candy retrieved, Hans deftly slinks out from behind the bookcase and mahogany cabinet and was back out on his two feet in no time to straighten himself up before the Russian Prince.

"Here you are, Olaf. But I highly advise these now are only to be used for decorating purposes." Hans smiles to the snowman who blows some dust bunnies off the sweet licorice beads his long arms had retrieved from beneath the ancient Viking heirloom armor on display in the Castle Armory Olaf had been working in.

"Got it, JustHans!" Olaf happily replies and shows just how attentive he was being by popping one of the black licorice chews into his mouth.

"They're still tasty!" His carrot nose twitches with the instant sugar rush gratification. "I wish I could visit the Ice Palace already to celebrate Christmas with Marshmallow and the snowgies to give them their presents! Everyone's busy again tomorrow…So…I was thinking we have to go tonight to get there before Christmas Eve! Plea-eessse, JustHans?" Not quite appearing sane, a wild eyed Olaf simpers up to Hans with a toothy grin as he offers the fallen candy in goodwill generously to Prince Hugo who declines.

"Olaf. The journey, minus either flying reindeer or Carpet, would take at least a half-day to traverse, in good weather. So at this rate of shortened daylight time of year, with the falling barometer, we would be forced to stay overnight at the Ice Palace, and that would be completely out of the question. This Christmas Eve I am absolutely requisite to spend here in Arendelle with Elsa and the family." Recalling his first trip by horse in the bitter cold of the Eternal Winter those two and a half years ago, Hans quietly tries to shush the wheedling snowman as Elsa and her father, discussing some further outdoor ice decoration in the shape of the Arendelle crest, walk past through the open door hallway.

Hans and Olaf both wiggle their conspiring fingers and treacly smiles in guilty greeting from the floor level up at the highly amused, perceptive young Queen stifling giggles at where they were obscured in the armory, unbeknownst the unobservant King.

"Then perhaps it is possible to kill two birds with one proverbial snowball, Prince Hans." Stepping behind the door, Hugo had not drawn attention to himself until King Agdar had safely passed.

"I'm listening." Hans responds cautiously to the tall and handsome, pushy young prince.

"You begin your journey up the mountain, as you said, by horse tonight with the anxious snowman. Tomorrow morning, Sofia and I will make the formal request to Queen Elsa to personally direct my dogsled team up the North Mountain part ways for us to go on our yearly mapping ski and sled orienteering venture, with the pretense to convey us up towards her Ice Palace. We will encounter you at about the halfway point with your horse, waiting by say, some natural physical marker of your choice. A romantic frozen lake, a dreamy glade of frosted trees, you get the idea. Or perhaps one of those famous Norwegian cascade waterfalls that I hear so much talk of in this kingdom?" Fond of the snow and ice, Hugo hailed from a predominantly chilled section of the world himself. So he appreciated the idyllic beauty that could be found in the pristine fresh-fallen snow and ice coated landscapes.

"So, upon catching up with you, Sofia and I will insist on continuing on our ski trek with Comrade Olaf up to the mountain to deliver gifts to those interestingly named servants there of 'Comrade Marshmallow' and 'Comrades Snowgies' while you 'escort' your beauteous Elsa home. We'll speed skate down after our delivery and surely make it in time for Christmas Eve. Thus, we all get our wish: you and your Queen will have time to sneak away to find some valuable holiday alone time together back down the mountainside; Sofia and I enjoy our favorite hobby of skiing and hiking as we do every Christmas Eve for the remainder of the way up to that glorious Ice Palace destination shining on the hill; and Comrade Olaf will have the opportunity to bring to his North Mountain family his thoughtful gifts. It is a perfect scenario, _da_ (yes)? And all this will be accomplished with none of the ladies' parents the wiser that we were free and unchaperoned at last." The Russian prince plots this restricted romantic collusion all out plainly for a slack-jawed, speechless Hans, with the ingenious proposal, flourished twist of his wrist and snap of his fingers to prove the simplicity of it all.

"If any questions arise should we return and you had not as yet, Sofia and I will say you were detained with those fascinating sounding Snowgie servants. And that would pertain to us as well, vice-versa." With a caddish wink, the Prince of Russia's fertile mind was hatching collusion and alibis that even clever Hans never even considered.

Hans was about to open his mouth to decline the brash idea, but Olaf jumps in here.

"Oh, oh! The snowgies will LOVE that, Comrade Hugo! Can I call you that? It sounds so cool. Comrade. Comrade. It just rolls off the tongue, like sugar crème fillings. My little brothers adore meeting new friends and NEVER want to stop playing! They dream of eating everything sweet in sight! I know they're going to love these gingerbread cookies that Gerda and Johanne and I baked in their cute little likenesses for the Christmas surprises for my little brothers!" The excited snowman exclaims, any roguish talk going right over his head. Then he returns to his methodical, slow counting and tagging of the red and green frosting monogrammed cookies. Olaf had candy canes wrapped in each goodie bag he assiduously was hoarding for the hundred or so bouncing brothers Olaf had taken the trouble to get to know and love and name personally.

"After a patch or two, all will be just about ready and we can go! I'm almost done counting and wrapping up the snowgies' presents, JustHans! This big one here is for Marshmallow." Olaf proudly displays in Hans' face the decidedly larger parcel of a thicker gingerbread cookie that would need to be reassembled on a large table before giving to Queen Elsa's twenty-five foot snow beast bouncer that Olaf so named 'Marshmallow'.

"No, Hugo, I'm sorry. Princess Sofia may join us for your skiing purposes, if you are certain she'd enjoy the sport in these cool temperatures in the high altitude of this country, but I would prefer to keep Queen Elsa out of this, please. After all that's happened, I wish for her holiday to be unsullied and spent with the ones she loves here in the bosom of her home, not out in the bitter cold of the solitary North Mountain. We can make the trip and be back in time without her knowledge, I suppose." Gently pushing Marshmallow's cookie aside as he locks horns with Prince Hugo, the reformed redheaded Dane, had Elsa's best interests in mind.

On top of that, he had been trying his best to be wholly honest, righteous and in the up and up nowadays, as Hans thoughtfully ponders the moral jeopardy of all the deceptive ins and outs of the scheme to Olaf's panicked look behind Hugo's audacious back.

"Perhaps it is too cold and bitter for an impromptu trip to that 'high altitude' mountain and you may fear your horse, whom you have spoken so highly of, will lose its nerve?" Hugo sensed Hans' discomfort with the slightly underhanded arrangement that would have the Vise Admiral both disregard his naval duty and deceive his fair Queen. So Hugo decides to apply this one last bit of a dare.

"No, my Sitron is steadfast. Have no concern of that." Hans counters low with a torn grimace across his handsome face, weighing the consequences of the venture as he strokes Sitron's indignantly insulted muzzle tenderly.

"JustHans doesn't get cold! And he's more fearless than anyone I know! He braved his way to the Ice Castle in the middle of a blizzard with Sitron before! He knows his way blindfolded to the North Mountain without your fancy 'oriental tea and maps'!" Unusually perturbed, Olaf would not stand for his hero Hans being besmirched by this challenger of a foreign prince.

Folding his arms, Hugo takes a step back, trying not to snigger at the dizzy snow creature's misbegotten linguistics of the map-using, cross-country sport of ' _orienteering'_ as the snowman surprisingly seemed to get pretty hot under the collar for his friend.

"Everyone here has been so busy with Birthday masquerading, or Christmas decorating the castle or talking to visitors or about Anna's new baby _– wherever it's hiding_ – that they forgot about my trip they _promised_ me before, to see my big and little brothers _before_ Christmas. It's one of our Christmas traditions! But that's okay. It's only me missing some of my family at Christmas. But if JustHans doesn't want to bring me…I understand. I know you didn't _mean_ to let me down at that time of year." Exchanging his ire for a cheerless sigh and a kick of the hay on the stable ground, Olaf's drooping orange carrot sniffles forlornly.

Rubbing his blurry eyes, the softly sobbing snowman has to use some extra frosting squeezed out of his borrowed cake decorator to re-glue on the bead licorice pieces he used as the charcoal buttons on Wilhelm's cookie that was now quite crooked and sugar-coated drooling.

"At attention, midshipman." Dusting off his naval jacket along with his intrepid nerve, Hans goes into his Naval Kommander mode as he stands tall over the growingly depressed snowman.

A startled Olaf puts down his cake frosting tool and holds his breath with an immediate salute at his honorary mariner title that the little snow person took quite seriously.

"Have no worry. As soon as you complete your gift creating mission, your Kommander **will** personally see to transmitting you to your brethren with your generous tidings of good cheer to spread your yuletide merriment, _before_ Christmas Eve. We needn't hassle Elsa about it." Meeting Hugo's compliant nod, Hans felt edified to see Olaf's own abysmal features in a frown instantly turn upside down into a great big smile. "As you say, the royal family is rightfully preoccupied with the bounty of the season here in their home with visitors and cherished love ones to circle around. They may not miss me much as a newcomer to the family, but I'm extremely convinced they would never forget you, Olaf. We will greet your family at the North Mountain and surely hurriedly return you by Christmas Eve evening to spend the rest of the holiday with your loving family here." An ace at logistics, the Prince of the Southern Isles does not shrink back at his unforgettable recollection of the arduous journey from Arendelle, up through the North Mountain, and finally to the Ice Palace at its peak that his beautiful Queen masterfully erected in a single night.

"Be at ease, sailor. Haven't I heard that _**you**_ are Elsa and Anna's best Christmas tradition?" Hans had taught himself to master reading people, picking up little nuances and eavesdropped sentences here and there all day that may come in pretty handy for the chameleon manipulator if he was so called upon to lay on the charm.

And a disconsolate snowman wasn't much different.

Lowering his salute with a wobbly lip, Olaf recalls that special Christmas two years ago when he tried so hard to find the perfect 'Christmas tradition' for his girls. Only for them to discover all together that their beloved snowman, ever since they were tiny things, had been their greatest tradition all along.

Speechless Olaf now literally glows with happiness and pride up at Hans, glad to be reminded that he symbolized that tie that binds Elsa and Anna's sisterly love together.

"We will set off later tonight, Olaf, after we bid the family goodnight. But before we leave, I am compelled to speak with the Admiral. He had already assigned me to a tour of the Gler in the morning, so I am honorbound to request leave and explain my itinerary to him, at least." Hans informs the giddy with excitement snowman, even as the wheels in his brilliant brain were spinning at full throttle.

"I will leave a note for Elsa that must not be delivered until after tomorrow's late evening post so as not to disrupt too much my angel's precious first real Christmas time with her reunited family." Hans then addresses Hugo as the conscientious Prince of the Southern Isles extracts a pen and paper from inside his Navy jacket's inside pocket to script the missive.

"If all goes well with the King, and you are still interested in seeing through this _innocent_ sports oriented journey to Queen Elsa's Ice Palace, Prince Hugo, yourself and the Princess Sofia may ski to accompany Olaf and I the rest of the way, in all due haste on this unorthodox expedition. I am bringing two swift horses, so as we may all return to Arendelle in time for Christmas Eve, if you so choose to ride, without inconveniencing Elsa or her father." With a handshake extended that accentuated the gallantry he expected from his counterpart during this proposed venture, Prince Hans offers his aid to Prince Hugo.

"Sofia and I will be ready and packed with maps gathered for our dogsled journey early in the morning, and then we will continue up the mountain on these back-country skis your geeky inventor friend Varian just created for us, probably to make up for being such a skating frolic sniper. Sofie and I are dying to try out these new speed skis in the country where skiis were invented, Westergaard." The ski-competent Prince of Kiev, who was always in search of setting new speed records, would not pass up the chance he thought had been dashed by that scrawny inventor boy and his guardswoman's inconvenient skating miracle on ice.

But the self-confident Russian Prince does not reaffirm he would _not_ approach Queen Elsa to take them Nordic ski sightseeing up to her Ice Palace, omitting to Hans his intention to still go through with his ingeniously proposed, foolproof plan for spreading Christmas romance.

Hans nods to the intrepid younger Prince, his large red ears pricking up when he hears Elsa's lilting giggles emanating from the upstairs bedroom where her baby sister was holding court in her Mama's room.

There, the ladies were gathered in a sewing circle to wish Anna well of the Christmas holiday and give their convivial advice to the young new mother-to-be.

"Only… Please abide by my wishes and say nothing of my evening departure's distraction. Let us simply allude to some excuse of gift shopping when the pretense of my scheduled tour duty aboard the Gler becomes unfeasible by nightfall, if you are confronted as to my absence. I fear Elsa will insist on following me, and I do not wish to disrupt her Christmas time with Anna and her kin too much unnecessarily, nor for her to attempt travel in the dark of night as I must." Hans had vowed to always consider his future bride's safety and happiness more than his own, though he had fantasized of spending one first Christmas with his lover for ages.

But if he must endeavor alone by horse, braving the cold, on Christmas Eve to make Olaf's Christmas dreams come true, her cherished little childhood friend's proposed trip northbound would be one such sacrifice Prince Hans would make for his Queen.

That and finding the most winning tact for confiding his scheme to leave Arendelle with Olaf for the Ice Palace, unbeknownst to Elsa, to her intimidating father tonight.

"You plan for every contingency, do you not, Comrade? I admire your perspicuity. You will no doubt make a great Admiral and King someday." An impressed Hugo comments approvingly of the strategic Dane who was scheduled to marry a Queen.

"Hah! I am but a humble officer of the Sjoforsvaret, who serves merely at the pleasure of my Mistress Queen and the Admiral of the Fleet. Even though I may marry the monarch of this country, alas, I will never be more than that of her Prince Consort. And you know that full well, Hugo." Nervously contemplating his discussion with King Agdar, Hans snorts at himself in a chuckle at such an outlandish prospect ever coming to this thirteenth in-line, discarded, unwanted 'devil boy' dishonored princeling such as he.

"Time will tell." Pompous Hugo responds enigmatically with plots of his own, dancing in his head. He had the feeling he was standing in the presence of a decisive and brilliant, great leader who would forgo his own ease in a warm palace in exchange for essentially babysitting one whiny little snowman.

" _The holly and the ivy, when they are both full grown, of all the trees that are in the woods, the holly wears the crown…_

* * *

 _ **As the polar night's twilight darkness envelops the Kingdom…**_

The bustling dinner for the visiting dignitaries and village peasants alike hosted by the Arendelle Royal family winds down, along with this time of year's early sunset. The early darkness told the satisfied citizens spreading Christmas cheer all day at the castle, now to go to their homes and start their own family celebrations.

Taking his respectful leave from the King and Queen, and bidding Elsa a stolen kiss 'goodnight', Prince Hans travels to the Arendelle stables. There, he exchanges the heavy saddle of his eager horse Sitron for a lighter, long distance travel one, replacing the ornate festive Arendelle blanket with a thicker, warm insulating fleece for the steed.

Then the precautious orchestrator methodically fills Sitron's saddle bags with an extra food supply and emergency backup tackle and gear of rope, picks and grappling hooks and such.

He subsequently leaves several filled water canteens and added bagged dog feed of frozen salmon he picked up in town to the rear sacks of each of the ten husky dogs that belonged to Prince Hugo's already locked and loaded sled team.

"' _Away in a manger, no room for his bed. The little Lord Jesus lays down his sweet head. The stars in the sky look down where He lay. But little Lord Jesus no crying He makes.'"_

Quietly humming, animal lover Hans had befriended the group of well-behaved canines over the past few days each time he would visit Sitron, his fjord horse. Knowing acutely what it was like to be left out in the cold, Hans included some treats and fond petting for the restless dogsled team who may have felt forgotten by their master.

Prince Hugo had hastily equipped the dogs and their sled for the journey in the morning so he could instead enjoy the holiday toasts and festive celebrating inside the warm castle tonight.

Once he confided in the King, who took the concealment rather well, if judging from the amused glint in his hazel eyes to mean anything, Hans' smooth tongue had easily gained leave from his Admiral. King Agdar even kindly offered to take on the naval tour of the Gler for Prince James and friends in Hans' place.

' _My own gift project is nearly complete, thanks to your obliging aid and Kristoff's, Vise Admiral, so I believe I have some free time now. Elsa will have no cause to believe you are anywhere but on particular late night duty onboard ship I will denote.'_

Grateful to the King who sympathized readily with the cunning young man's selfless sacrifice, Hans, though physically preparing for the ambitious trek tonight, still had a previously arranged extra mission after dinner to juggle.

The horse trader he had met between here and Trondheim from their original journey North had come to Arendelle to sell his wares in the town. Recognizing Torvik immediately, Hans had become reacquainted with the transport merchant at the Bellringing Ceremony.

After settling a few requested back payment debts, the Danish Prince had spoken to trader Torvik, who also was Oaken's visiting cousin, concerning that beautiful Fresian horse they had scraped together just enough funds to rent on loan at that time. Hans' silver tongue had also allowed them to borrow a Volstok wagon, the stunning white Fresian mare, along with a small Gudbrandsdal colt Anna named 'Guddy' from the money-minded trader.

This morning at the Bell Ringing Ceremony, Hans had requested for Torvik to send for the unmatched equestrian pair the horse trader had stabled in the next town.

Hans believed the re-encounter was a Providential a gift opportunity, if just to bring back fond memories of their remarkable journey to Lofoten island that started it all, what seemed a lifetime ago.

 _Once a phenomenally miraculous lifetime ago._

Hans was still enraptured of his good fortune that he had not only met, but he fell in love with the girl of his dreams, who now had agreed to love and cherish him 'til death do them part' as his wife.

 _My wife! Perhaps a New Year's bride if I play my cards right…_

Hans Westergaard could not wipe the silly grin off his overly ambitious face as he and an excessively pleased Sitron, self-satisfied to be reunited with the lovely wispy long-maned, white mare Iriserende at his side, had returned to the castle's rear cottage of Kristoff and Anna's.

After a quick word with the harried mountainman – who was being celebrated tonight in the castle Billiards Room with akvavit and wine galore by the gentlemen visitors for being declared a new father-to-be – Hans had made a stop to Kristoff's Ice Harvester storehouse, just across the castle bridge in town, with the watered and fed Gudsabrandal colt he had purchased from Torvik for Anna.

 _A cute little goodwill bribe never hurt easily agitated little sisters I hear._

Looking quite sleek in the romantic mystery of his secret surprise hidden under the cover of darkness, Hans cautiously rides into the castle courtyard with the white Fresian mare he had bought outright with the remainder of his monetary funds as a gift for his Elsa.

The experienced equestrian parks the skittish horse who fondly remembered his tender stroking at the cottage lean-to stable where Sven was usually housed.

Walking back to the Arendelle stable with purpose, Hans pauses now in the intersection doorway to double check he had collected all his gear for the trip up the mountain before leaving for his accommodation at the cottage to pick up Olaf, warm undergarments and change of clothes.

Hans' trusty dagger almost comes out when thought he heard something rustling in the dark stall until the edgy young Prince realized his peaceful surroundings.

"Olaf? Thank goodness, it's just you. Have you been waiting out here for me all the while at this time of night? Didn't I tell you to go rest at the cottage while I saw to some last minute affairs in town?" Hans quietly asks the snowman who was still checking twice his bag full of goodies he had handmade for Marshmallow and the snowgies.

Olaf was now wearing a red and white fur trimmed outfit that made him look quite festive.

"The girls are having another sleepover, with their Mamas now too, that I'm _still_ not invited to. But that's okay! I'm soo excited for our adventure tonight, I couldn't rest like you said to, when I got thinking we won't get back in time to light the tree! So I came out to count snowgie cookies again to calm down while I waited for you to start our trip." Feeling left out, Olaf admits his insomnia and anxiety with a great big yawn that showed off his one big tooth right in Hans' face.

"I promise we'll make your special delivery tomorrow evening and be back in time for Christmas Eve dinner with the family the next day, Olaf. Once we get out to the wide open road, you may ceaselessly chatter to your heart's content. But there's no dawdling, playing around, frightening the horses, nor falling off between here and the North Mountain, Midshipman. You are to be on your best behavior, and all should go according to plan. Understood?" Hans had pulled his auxiliary Arendelle cloak from his satchel to cover over vivid Olaf's bright red outfit.

He places a tall black guardsmen hat on each of their heads that he had found resting near the stalls to disguise the pair's striking hair and hat colors against the white snowy background entirely. "We don't wish for Elsa to find out we've left and have her worry unnecessarily, do we? Not when we both know how much you mean to her and Anna at Christmastime."

The Vise Admiral's strategic head already was mentally mapping out his path to the North Mountain Ice Palace there, but Hans still found time to explain to the naïve snowman the need for secrecy.

Olaf's big mouth had its drawbacks, as well as its lovability as the animated snowman grins in a great big smile from ear to ear.

"I LOVE you, JustHans! I'm so glad Elsa is going to marry you! If she didn't, I'd marry you myself, you're so nice to me!" A teary-eyed Olaf throws his thick red velvet suit arms around the tall Prince's long legs as the sticky snowman hugs Hans desperately, not quite getting the whole picture, again.

"Please keep it down, Olaf, or we'll wake everyone and become very unpopular. What an inspired outfit you're wearing." Amused, Hans teases the little snowman's red and white furred Santa suit with a poke at his stuffed tummy, as Olaf drags his stuffed bag full of goodies out from the stable to accompany Hans' walk back to the cottage.

"Whew! You being so trim and slick, you won't ever have to worry about being overweight. But I've gotta tell ya, it's hard to have a sagging stomach! Those cookies put pounds on a body! I'm bringing lots of extras Gerda made, just in case some break on the trip! You guys can eat the crumbly ones." Olaf merrily sings nonetheless while complaining of the struggle to walk and no doubt cracking some more gingerbread cookies on the way, until Hans lifts the noisy snow being and his goodie bag easily to perch on his straight back.

"Allow me to make things more expedient." Hans graciously offers to let Olaf piggyback ride on his surprisingly strong shoulders all the way to the faintly lit cottage across the snowy field.

"Whee! This is fun!" Olaf giggles gleefully at being hefted up and not so vertically challenged anymore.

"Now, let's be as quiet as possible while we pass under the castle's bedchambers above." Hans whispers in a hush to Olaf as he heads to the faintly lit cottage behind the castle across the snowy field.

"Aye-aye, Captain!" Olaf chortles, as he cups a branch over his big noisy mouth while Hans grimaces up at him.

Balancing tall-hat wearing Olaf from being blown around to and fro beneath the oversized grey cloak on his shoulders with one hand, Hans' long legged lean form deftly carries Olaf's big tied bag full of cookies and candy canes gift-wrapped for his little brothers over his back in the other.

"Hey that tickles!" Olaf could be heard chortling across the snowy fields behind Arendelle Castle as his feather stuffed tummy in his bright red suit brushes against his ticklish spot with every passing step, making poor Hans quaver in anxiety of being found out…

Inside, Elsa and her mother were entertaining the late-night crocheting circle that Princess Amber suggested.

The ambitious Princess Amber of Enchancia knew a great deal of stitch work, and wished to create some personalized embroidery upon the new set of knit scarves and hats the local Arendelle knitting lady sold each of the young ladies for their gentlemen friends as extra stocking stuffers.

The familiar sound of a soprano horse whinny in the distance, coupled with a high-strung giggle closer nearby causes Elsa to look up from where she and her mother were sitting on the settee in front of the fireplace where Anna was on and off dozing.

"I wonder where that Palace guard is off to come this time of evening…" Elsa murmurs to herself, mildly wondering if her eyes are playing tricks on her as she gazes out the large window.

But the observant Queen did not quite recognize the extremely tall, extremely slender man wearing the tall black hat and grey cloak uniform of her kingdom as he was top tipsy, broad-shouldered shakily lumbering across the field.

 _Hans?_

After all, the wobbly gaited man hardly possessed her sleek and tall, redheaded Prince Hans' chic manner or stylish posture or stride.

 _Why did I just think that? My Hans is right here in the Castle, helping Olaf decorate the stables with Kristoff and Papa. I suppose I'm just a little uptight with all that happened today. Elsa, you have to chill out!_

Talking to herself inwardly in her little sister's lax way of speaking, the Queen of the North Winter glances over to where impatient Anna had woken up from her mid-stitch snooze to verbally struggle with the thread, and the needles, and the tiny stitchwork–

"Arggh! Fine, you dumb needle! I'll just make the 'B' for Bjorgman in lower case!" The ginger girl, who had little patience - _if any_ \- for such mundane, tedious tasks such as fine needle craft, had violently growled and tossed her project aside in frustration for the umpteenth time this night.

Angrily, she was about to sling the green cap she had selected for Kristoff across the room.

Or better yet, toss it irrevocably out the window.

This time she really goes through with her threat to the pesky fabric. Anna stomps to her feet and throws open the window she was sitting nearby in her Mama's rocking chair.

In one fell swoop, Anna chucks the well-worked green hat out the dark window. Watching her despised stitchwork forlornly flutter to the snow, Anna smirks triumphantly until she too spies the retreating equines.

"Hey, isn't that –?"

But upon squinting her eyes in the dark, the ginger princess was almost sure that she glimpsed Hans Westergaard's pointy nosed profile weaving like he was intoxicated across the way, moving towards her cottage in the moonlight.

And he was dizzily sporting one of those big, funny Arendelle guardsmen hats too.

"Hmm?" Elsa glances over to where her little sister was now leaning out the window as the elder sibling was just putting her final elegant touches on the suede gloves in artistic, fine needlework. Elsa had beautifully crocheted in silver and gold thread upon the pale blue suede gloves a monogrammed 'HCW'.

' _Hans Christian Westergaard.'_

"No, it's nothing…" Anna glosses over her gnawing suspicion so as not to alarm her big sisty by informing her that her 'classy' sweetie was drunkenly weaving across the snowfield like he had one mug of Christmas egg nog and rum too many.

 _Jerky Red. Don't mess up my guest room in your drunkenness._

"Who's up for making some cocoa and Christmas cookies for Slumber Party Part two?" Anna explodes with the sugary idea she knew would take some time and Elsa's attention for the rest of the evening where a tight Mr. Westergaard might come prowling.

The ginger Princess' hand shoots up high in the air of the Conservatory where Queen Miranda was guiding Princesses Amber, Sofia, Cleo and Hilde to be working together on their stitching meticulously.

"Ummm…I have a previous engagement with Prince Hugo to go skiing early in the morning. And probably all day, if you'll excuse us, Your Majesties? I'm going to turn in early, if that's okay with you guys. Sorry." Sofia bites her lip as she awkwardly makes the excuses for the strange note from her Russian boyfriend, insisting on the next morning through all the day long's must-see assignation which the footman delivered an hour ago.

"That's alright, Sofia-dear. Anna, Mama thinks you should have some quiet, complete rest for the night anyway, too. I'll stay with you tonight. Thank you, ladies, for a marvelous day, but we'll finish these tomorrow. There's still time before Christmas Eve and this new young mother to be needs to retire early. Excuse us." Queen Idun responsibly speaks on behalf of her daughter who was too new at this idea, and too stubborn to realize she was more delicate now that she had a baby growing within her body.

The newly assessed pregnant Princess rubs her growling stomach and looks wheedlingly up to her concerned parent.

"But I'm eating for two now, too. And whoever this little bundle of love is in there, he sure is a sweets monster, making me hungry for treats all the time!" Anna wasn't fooling about her tapeworm like symbiont who was growing within her as she had been having visions of cookies dancing in her head all evening.

"Of course you are, min flicka! Let us get to the kitchen table to see what tasty late night snacks Gerda has cooked up for us before we turn in, girls. Miranda?" Relieved it was mere hunger on this first night, Idun dotingly leads Anna on her arm down to the kitchen. She remembered herself how first pregnancy vacillated between feeling terribly sick and terribly hungry with more than enough queasy, clingy, uncertainty mixed in for good measure, too.

 _About time your Kristoff made an appearance to steady his girl as a reminder of who gave her this joy - and pain to fight for. I wonder where he and Hans disappeared off to after dinner…Could it be Agdar dragged them into his yearly 'secret' Christmas Nativity making? That would be a fine setting for the three of them to get to know each other more. That is, if my stubborn gentleman doesn't let his prejudice get in the way._

 _Oh, Agdar,_ _min kärlek_ , _please let the Christmas spirit make you my hero again…_

With a tight arm around Anna to make sure she doesn't fall down again, Idun's expression was full of love and hope as she follows Elsa's wistful gaze and a yearning stroke to the pair of velvety svelte gloves in her tender hands intended for her equally velvety svelte young man under the window's streaming moonlight.

"Come, my beautiful girl."

 _Please Lord, let this be the one Christmas we can be a truly perfect family again, without doubt, without fear, without sorrow. Just love_. With a supportive squeeze to Anna's hand as she gestures for Elsa to join them in the hall, Queen Idun makes a wish upon the falling star that shoots across the dark night sky of evening which happened to flow over Hans' dazzling magic snowman covered redhead.

' _Come, thou long expected Jesus,_ _  
_ _born to set thy people free;_ _  
_ _From our fears and sins release us,_ _  
_ _let us find our rest in Thee.'_

* * *

Morning dawns in Arendelle with the Royal family and their group of visitors all rubbing the sleep from their eyes to begin a busy day full of gift making, present purchasing and wrapping as all prepare for their Christmas Eve's bounty tomorrow.

"Good morning, my Swan. I trust you and the princesses all slept well. My, my, you look ravishing today, Idun. Christmas suits you, my Queen. Doesn't it, Roland?" King Agdar turns on the charm at the early morning breakfast table when he looks up from the morning letters he was reading to spy his petite wife and the cabal of females who had come down from the third-floor bedroom.

"Shameless flatterer." Giving Agdar a sideways simper, Idun civilly makes her appearance to the rest of her guests staying over in their kingdom. With a benevolent smile for all, the petite Queen escorts the young ladies and Queen Miranda from last night's sewing circle.

"Good morning, Roland. Miranda and your girls had an idea to make these festive colored ribbons for us each to wear. So sweet of them to put us all in the Christmas mood." Idun receives her husband's morning kiss and smile better than yesterday's cold breakfast encounter, as she gives the visiting monarch from Enchancia a congenial nod as well.

The Queen of Arendelle shows off that she was wearing some homemade Christmas finery and ribbons streaming with dyed feathers and colored tassels decorating the velvety bow in her bunned hair. The bows matched in the different hues preferred by each of the young women in various colors now displayed as they join the men in the dining room.

Obviously, the late-night sewing circle had used the remainders of their buntings and decorative findings to create some holiday cheer to gift one another in the spirit of the Christmas soon to come to Arendelle.

"Visions of beauty in the form of Navidad festooned ladies always can give a man a good appetite. Does it not, Minister Kai?" Chancellor Esteban says upon entering the Dining Hall just at this moment, awarding an affable smile to Kai.

But the rotund Arendelle councillor does not return it. Instead Kai chooses to disdainfully stick up his nose in the air to sourly reply to the man: "One corporeal carnal desire of the flesh has nothing to do with the other. Particularly not at holy Christmastide." Kai stifles a sneeze while serving out the morning tea over the feathers he was allergic to on each of Sofia, Amber, Hildy and Cleo's heads. But the lively young women's feathery decor bobs around the table as Kai dutifully seats the vivacious visiting princesses at the dining table.

Esteban merely shrugs with the inextinguishable smile on his experienced face as he shares a chuckle with Idun across the table.

The young women were excited to finish their breakfast to have the chance for a shopping spree into town where Elsa promised to take them into the local sweetshop close by.

Anna had been aching for the sugary Christmas pecan logs from her favorite bakery all night, where the young women could maybe even pickup some final sweet-toothed gifts for their respective sweeties.

"Anna insisted we make an extra pair of Christmas ribbons for Gerda and Johanne, too. Have you seen either of them yet this morning, Esteban?" Idun innocently glances around the dining room where the faithful servants were usually to be found with foodstuffs on platters, dutifully at work.

"I cannot vouch for Señora Roservalen, for she was a-bustle at the kitchen stovetop. But I can attest my Señorita Johanne was very fine this morning. We spent time together in the larder in the wee hours of beautiful Norway's late morning daylight. But who needs the sun when I have Johanne? I cannot tell you how romantic it is to peel potatoes by candlelight in a small pantry beside the woman you love." Esteban's roguish eyes light up when his tall and slender fiancé enters the dining room to bring in the steaming hotplate filled with the famed potatoes that the older gentleman had assisted her in expunging from their skins this morning.

" _How can I catch a sunbeam like Johanne?_ " The suave, dark-haired Duke of Avalor urbanely harmonizes a catchy melody, dancing about in tune with the music as he selects the red with gold streamers bow.

Idun smiles to watch the sophisticated Chancellor stalk his prey like a panther before he accosts Johanne in the hallway to romantically tie the bow at her neck collar from around her pleasantly startled back.

"Hmph." Kai prickles his nose at the sappy scene that his younger sister hopelessly fell for, as he helplessly sighs.

"Where is our Anna, my love?" The King changes the tense, unpleasant subject for his right-hand man with sugary words to his wife whom he seats beside him at the breakfast table.

"Well, if you can remember the initial term of _my_ first pregnancy…" Queen Idun gives a little wince at the nonstop morning sickness memory that hardly abated for the entire nine months.

"That bad, eh?" The father remembers how many discomforting mornings and what little interest in food his tiny young wife had those twenty-five years ago when she was first carrying Elsa.

"Poor Gingersnap. How is she, really?" The concerned grandfather to be asks with a nervous stroke to his ginger moustache.

"Hungry!" It would take more than a little morning sickness to keep this Feistypants down and away from her favorite hobby of eating yummy things.

Princess Anna comes bounding into the dining room, determined to be full of vigor after her early morning 'chuck-uppy' fiasco and mad rush to the outhouse that sent the majority of her visiting guests scrambling from the Queen's bedroom.

"Has anyone seen Olaf? He never misses a good breakfast!" Anna looks from Eliana's blank face standing beneath her to her mother's smilingly apologetic one and then up to her father who suddenly gulps down his entire cup of hot coffee Kai had just poured.

Fortunately for the Ice King, a burnt tongue was pretty out of the question and easily soothed with the rest of his coffee slushy. But it certainly gave him an excuse not to give his daughter a completely honest answer.

"Ugh. Whole hog sausage." Although it was normally one of her breakfast favorites, Anna's spirit was too dampened to face the greasy fare right now. Her wobbly stomach pleaded otherwise after she had rushed it to the buffet table until her cute little nose was overwhelmed by the pervasive scent of fried mystery meat she usually held in such high regard.

Anna cradles her wobbly tummy with a defeated sigh.

Immediately right on cue, help arrives to steady her with a bolstering embrace.

"I gotcha, Baby. Come sit over here and have some of these nice, soft, fluffy pancakes I already put on your plate, instead. Thick, warm, extra syrupy just like you like. Yummy." He coos to his wife in an almost baby voice himself now as he gently leads Anna to the table.

Kristoff had come back to the Castle in the middle of the night, worried for Anna, After pacing the halls a while, he had crashed on the couch in the vacant sitting room, where he startled the morning charwoman.

The sleepless mountainman had arrived before daybreak to check on his little woman – the mother of his future child. And when the mentally sensitive young man felt her distress and stomach upset was occurring upstairs, he came running.

The Wind Whisperer had skipped up three steps at a time, and to his harried mother-in-law's delight, Kristoff insisted his restless girl lay back down in her own bedroom. So he carried Anna there, leaving the King and Queen's master bedroom in need of open window fumigation for the rest of the day.

"You're the best, Kristly." Deliriously smiling as her husband leads her to the seat beside him, Anna felt comforted enough to halt her nausea by her sweetie bear hubby's gentle voice. She remembers his tender caresses that had held her uncertain, pain-wracked body close to him, so there'd be no more puking again, singing silly lullabies under the covers of Anna's bed to soothe her.

"Pancakes really make me feel better, even that Red's. Where is he, anyway?" Anna glances around the table when a light suddenly goes off in her head.

 _{"Oh, right. That drunken sailor probably has a hangover_! _"}_

Anna turns to Kristoff with rolling eyes and a mental message which he tries to laugh off.

Biting her tongue, Anna regrets her muttered reference to Prince Hans' whereabouts as she sees Elsa's sad-eyes when the Queen could not find her missing fiancé in the dining room, either, upon entering it.

"Oh, ahh…that is…ehh…I…uhm, that is, ah-hem. Excuse me, I have already spoken to Prince Hans early this morning with the imperative request for him to…uh…ascertain the Gler is shipshape and running in tiptop condition to exhibit to our honored guests this afternoon. Is that not right, Roland?" Agdar speaks up here after clearing his throat several times as he involves his regal counterpart with the uncomfortable words that the King of Enchancia is forced to nod to.

Agdar strokes his moustache repeatedly as he stumbles through the cover story to blame the current location of a certain young Vise Admiral of the Sjoforsvaret he had somewhat promised to hold up the guise thereof.

"Oh? Then, why are _you_ going to personally attend the ship if your commanding subordinate is already on board assigned to that duty?" His Queen suspiciously questions her guilty acting mate, certain by now after their quarter-century of marriage that she sensed her man had something up his sleeve.

All the goodwill that came with Anna's happy announcement goes back in the doghouse at the burgeoning idea of her husband having the gall to send Prince Hans away again. Particularly at this Christmastime season Elsa was hoping to spend every second of with her handsome fiancé who had been away too long already.

"Yes, there is that." The Norwegian King was never good at thinking ahead, especially not in concern to falsifying himself for the sake of a Danish Prince who is wooing his daughter.

"What, I meant surely, Idun, is _after_ he saw to the general workings of the ship as a whole, I instructed my Vise Admiral to reconnoiter the Gler's safe trajectory path for its first week of January launch to the North of our country, with particular interest in taking into account the consideration of ice floes on the North Sea at this time of the year. I trust Vise Admiral Westergaard implicitly as an experienced naval man to secure that there will be no…extenuating circumstances or conditions which will require the ship's course correction during all hours of the day. There are weather patterns to be taken into account for its initial passage during the winter months when dangerous icebergs run rampant." Agdar was making it up, rambling, as he goes under the glare of Idun's interrogating indigo eyes, as well as Elsa's quizzical azure blue ones staring at her father's explanation of her fiancé's sudden duties with much interest.

"I assure you it is absolutely vital to the Fleet to know of these critical points, prior to demarcation of maps and such before the year's end. They must be ready for the redeployed ship to be launched in early January to take its first full voyage across such a distance." Agdar smiles winningly at his wife and daughters, hoping they would buy his Navy fish story.

"And as for your question, Anna, I believe Olaf wished to travel with Prince Hans to accompany him to Kristiansand on the coast to pick up some Christmas gifts, 'for his family' I think I heard your snowfriend say." Thinking his stiff excuses sounded valid with these little personal touches, King Agdar looks directly across to smile to Elsa at the other end of the table.

"Prince Hans seems to be an extremely conscientious and naval officer, my dear. I believe our Sjoforvaret is in good hands there. And he was only too glad to offer his services now so that he may surely return in time for our family Christmas party celebration the day after tomorrow." It touched her father to see the anxiety and sadness cross Elsa's pretty face as he extends his consoling words to her that her fiancé would certainly be in attendance at least on Christmas itself.

 _I can't believe I'm doing this for that Dane! Keep up the Christmas spirit, man._

"Thank you, Papa. I'm sure he will." Gathering herself, Queen Elsa answers in a regal tone that insisted she not overtly show emotion, nor displeasure nor discouragement. But it was all plainly written in her eyes.

As the breakfast finishes more somberly than it started, the guests cordially follow either King Agdar or Queen Idun to the opposite ends the Castle. The Queen mother leads her group of ladies, plus Esteban - who was eager to be in Johanne's company - to the Arendelle Chapel to attend Mass and choir practice required for Christmas Eve service.

The King and his entourage of men had subsequently ventured out, all bundled up to face the cold morning weather to visit the HmNos Gler down at the docks.

After a quiet word with Queen Miranda, Prince Hugo, who had stayed behind, collects Princess Sofia in the front hall. She was already dressed and ready for their cross-country skiing escapade with a big bright smile to face the delicious cold snow.

"Queen Elsa, Sofia and I are off to dogsled and ski across your breathtaking land. Far be it from me to ask you to personally escort our sport that would intrude upon your busy Christmas traditional activities here at home. So may I instead request that you merely point us in the direction of that beautiful Ice Palace of yours which we have viewed from afar, overlooking your glorious kingdom of Arendelle? And perhaps provide an updated map or two? It would be a stunning achievement for our orienteering class excursion to start by dogsled, then cross-country ski to stand atop that splendid North Mountain we have heard so much about. Ah, what a thrill to look down over your spectacular nation from that dizzying height it will be! I do hope we can find it accurately with our not so detailed maps of this area…" Dramatically wheedling, Hugo pauses in the Castle vestibule, timing it just right for the moment Queen Elsa would pass on her way from the Throne Room to the Castle Chapel where her mother was entertaining the other guests who had not gone sightseeing the naval vessel with her father.

"I… Yes, of course, Prince Hugo, Princess Sofia. I agree, the view from atop the North Mountain is unmatchable. But before you begin, I must warn you both that the journey you undertake is not an easy one. Please allow me to accompany you, at least part of the way. I must inform the Queen that I will not be coming to the Christmas church choir practice, while I draw you up some maps and clear your route up the incline which will be most suitable for your dogsled and skiing purposes." Playing right into Hugo's designing hand, Elsa politely responds to her pushy, smiling guest and his shy companion.

" _Blagodaryu_ (Thank you). That would be most gratifying, Your Majesty." With a triumphant smirk, Hugo puts his hands in his pockets, feeling the note Hans had written with a confident air.

The Russian Prince had no intention of leaving it on the letter desk as the Danish Prince had instructed either. That would be no fun at all.

'Заснеженных горы, заснеженных долины, Плато заснеженных, одетый в белый,Мех-одеяние мужики, меха-одеяние дворян,Дети, облаченные в мех, видят свет.'

 _(Snowbound mountains, snowbound valleys, Snowbound plateaus, clad in white, Fur-robed workmen, fur-robed nobles, Fur-robed children, see the Light.)_

Prince Hugo begins to hum the 16th century Eastern European Christmas carol of _'Кэрол российских детей - Carol of the Russian Children'_ as he purposely passes the desk where the evening post – as Hans had specified _–_ was to be left for Queen Elsa after Minister Kai had just finished sorting the incoming morning mail for the rest of the castle.

Hugo mischievously winks at Sofia, who giggles at his jovial mood and old Russian Christmas tune's childlike singing.

"What are you up to, Hugo?" She asks in a whisper as the pair prepare their supply bags and maps which Elsa had marked for them to review.

"Perhaps this kingdom's Queen and her wily Prince could use a visit from the secret Santa of romance, eh, Sofie? Heheheh." The dark brown haired Prince of Kiev smiles into his cute girlfriend's lovely sparkling pale blue eyes that light up when she catches that playful glint in her guy's normally blasé gaze.

The Queen of Arendelle courteously nods to Hugo and a lip-biting Sofia as the platinum blonde quickly leaves to inform her Mama in the Arendelle Chapel of this December 23rd spur of the moment itinerary.

Before she left to accompany Hugo and Sofia to start off their journey, Elsa had the thought to check in on Anna, who had returned to her room to rest after breakfast. The sylphlike slender Queen was satisfied to hear from outside the upstairs hall, Kristoff's loud resounding snore combined with Anna's more staccato one in perfect harmony with one another.

She gingerly peeks into the room to see the married couple resting peacefully on the bed.

Elsa was content to see her pregnant baby sister safe, secure and smiling as she peacefully snuggles in her man's gentle, yet strong arms.

 _How lucky you are, Anna, to be able to sleep without fear, married to the man you love, so cherished and warm. You deserve this quiet peace time together this Christmas._ Elsa thinks, carefully closing the bedroom door at this early morning hour mutely soft as not to disturb the resting young married parents-to-be.

 _Married_ … Elsa glances down at the lovely iridescent snowflake ring glimmering up at her in the hallway window's sunlight which was streaming through its panes.

 _My poor Hans is on yet another assignment for his holiday vacance… I suppose a Navy man's work is never done…_ The blonde young Queen did not fault her lover – nor her father who had passed on the duty to his Vise Admiral, as was his command prerogative.

Nor did she blame the eager visitors whose curiosity and interest in the naval forces calls for this unexpected change of schedule to the quiet family Christmas.

It was simply God's will that Elsa employ the patience she had honed as a lonely teenager, and wait – as her wise Mama had told her once – until her delicate flower was ready to blossom to full bloom.

 _After a long, cold, hard winter… I've heard that the best flowers blossom in the spring…_

The Ice Queen mentally makes the analogy she had read somewhere before to herself in answer to her fiancé's question of their impending wedding date. It had been preying on her mind since her Birthday Masquerade Ball when Hans dared to lay it all on the line with her Papa until their matrimonial path was clear.

"' _A great and mighty wonder  
Our Christmas festal brings:  
On earth a lowly infant,  
Behold the King of kings!'"_

But there was an overwhelming peace in Elsa's pounding heart for her young man's stunning, viridescent green eyes she saw in her mind as she hears the choir led by Queen Idun's lilting soprano voice singing the timeless Christmas hymn.

Elsa inwardly praises the Lord for her good fortune to have the love of hearth and home as the song echoed through the halls of Arendelle Castle the young Queen was purposely striding down.

"' _And we with them, triumphant,  
Repeat the hymn again:  
"To God on high be glory,  
And peace on earth to men!'"  
_

* * *

The bracing cold of the Norwegian outdoors was a Winter Wonderland for Princess Sofia of Enchancia yet whose southern homeland in Spain rarely saw this great amount of frost and snow, if any, throughout the year.

She had visited Hugo's northern hemisphere country many times during their long friendship of sports and more, and Sofia was absolutely enamored with the pure magical whiteness that only this level of the snow and ice only could make.

"Your kingdom is so breathtaking, Elsa! Thank you so much for letting us share in its magic at Christmastime." The sweet girl pontificates on the frozen beauty of nature surrounding her and her boyfriend wearing their matching thermal ski suits as their dogsled treads softly beneath the tinkling branches.

"Please, it's no trouble. Eliana and I are only too happy to show you both our countryside's pristine pleasures." Elsa courteously responds in kind, feeling rather free and easy out here on the wintry paths behind Arendelle Castle that led up the North mountain, some distance away.

The quartet had traversed the sun-kissed snows of morning quite fluidly, riding in Hugo's well supplied dogsled which progressed rather smoothly with the Ice Queen's cryokinetics leading the team successfully uphill.

Elsa had volunteered to take the adventurous pair on the best route and had done so expediently after Prince Hugo's request for this noontime journey prior to Christmas Eve where the Ice Queen knew she could easily direct them over difficult sections of land, such as frozen brooks, icefields and other natural barriers.

Elsa helped speed up the dogsled with a little magic to powder the slippery terrain and easily build timesaving pathway bridges that circumvented kilometers of road traveled to save time for the team.

"Yes, _indeed_. We thank you for leading us up the path this far, Queen Elsa, especially when you are sorely needed back home at the Castle. We deeply appreciate the comprehensive roadmap which you also have so artistically articulated, your Majesty." Hugo pipes up from where he was standing behind his dogsled lead.

"If I may ask, is this area we are approaching one of your nation's famous midair frozen cataracts? I believe, it signifies just about the halfway point here on our map. Sofie and I would so enjoy taking our skis now across the rest of the elevated landscape, would we not, Sofie? After diligently studying and plotting the distance on the rest of the trip from your broad map of the North Mountain Ice Palace, I can definitively be sure of our arrival. We'll travel cross country with these newly designed skis our mutual inventor friend, Varian, has modified especially for us." Prince Hugo points over to the skis strapped to the rear of the dogsled team.

"With them, we will certainly make it back in time to Arendelle to spend Christmas with the family, Sofie. That is, after a pleasurable jaunt down this brilliant countryside of yours." Prince Hugo unloads his scheme to Elsa when the trio takes a pause for lunch with the dogsled team beneath the tinkling iced willow branches dangling over a giggling Sofia.

"Are you sure? I can accompany you a little further, if you'd like that?" Elsa offers Hugo, though her eyes, her ears, every sense of the Winter she was now mistress of, told Elsa that something was afoot. And it was close by.

"Oh, no, no, no! Hugo and I have to do this alone! I mean, our orienteering professor would take off points in our map reading and probably would call your directional lead – _though much kindly appreciated –_ to be sort of like…cheating." Sofia makes the excuse to Elsa after a quick peek through the binoculars that Hugo handed her to see—not the Phoenix North mountain, but the nearing arrival of a dashing Prince on a white steed.

"You have already given us a huge head start, Elsa! Thank you so much! But we have to be going on our merry way solo! Or would that be 'duo'? Either way, we have to be hitting the trail. Right, Hugo?" Sofia's adorably sweet cheeks smile broadly at Elsa as she elbows Hugo to finish shoveling down the cold ham sandwiches Eliana had packed in the picnic for the trio.

"Yeah, thanks, Queen Elsa. _Proshchayte_ (goodbye)." The Russian Prince hastily shoves the rest of his unfinished sandwich in his coat pocket and saddles up his dogsled with Sofia already loading herself on board, holding the map open for them.

But as the dogsled spins around and goes up to a diverging path of the North Mountain which the map specified would be a little more treacherous, a disturbed Elsa shakes her head at their dizzying rush away.

"Wait! You're going the wrong way! That path is far more challenging!" The alarmed Queen shouts the helpful warning to the departing pair as a flabbergasted Eliana, still strapped in the rear of the sled poking around for doily leaf napkins, is whisked away with them.

"We thrive on challenges!" Sofia calls back giddily with an enchanting wave.

"Oh, no, I think Prince Hugo dropped something." After picking up his discarded sandwich wrapper with the rueful look, Elsa spies a piece of folded paper on the snow covered ground where Prince Hugo had been standing and eating his sandwich.

She innocently kneels down to pick up the sealed letter that surely must have been jostled from Prince Hugo's pocket in his rush to leave when he stuck the sandwich in.

Now, the Queen of Arendelle would never have been so uncouth as to rudely peruse someone else's mail. But this particular article certainly called the beautiful blonde's attention for its strong hand and elegant style of penmanship unmistakably belonged to her Hans.

And the letter was not addressed to Prince Hugo at all. It was addressed to her.

* * *

 _To: Her Majesty, Queen Elsa of Arendelle_

 _My darling Christmas Angel,_

 _May I begin by begging for your beneficent pardon in advance, should I not make it back to Arendelle Castle in time to spend this upcoming Christmas holiday with you?_

 _Your dear friend and mine, Olaf, has explained to me his heartfelt woes of missing out on bringing his handmade Christmas presents to his family of Marshmallow and the Snowgies before the holy day as it appears he previously promised to them to celebrate the season._

 _And so, with the authorization of the Admiral who had kindly offered to take on my assignment tomorrow morning on the Gler personally, I, in my humble capacity, shall endeavor to escort the sentimental snowperson – whom you cherish as a symbol of the great bond between yourself and your sister through your young lives – to your extraordinary North Mountain Ice Palace, so that he may complete his generous mission with his kinsmen._

 _Though it pains my heart that has yearned a lifetime to spend this day on the calendar, marking the birth of our Heaven-sent Lord, with someone who loves me – someone in whom I have come to desperately love – I am hopeful to convey the depths of my emotion the gift of her affection which has brought me out from the darkness I was heretofore trapped in._

 _Nevertheless, I have set this mission into motion with Prince Hugo. He was most eager to bring Princess Sofia to your magnificent Ice Palace, as you no doubt have obviously acknowledged through his request for a mapped out route, to leave with the evening post on tomorrow, December 23_ _rd_ _._

 _I did not – I do not – wish to disturb your joyous festivities with the good citizens of Arendelle, nor desire you to lose any of your precious family time with your dearest loved ones, especially in lieu of Princess Anna's delicate condition. You should not be the one caused to feel compelled to escort Olaf up to the North Mountain and wrench you away from your family._

 _So, I have taken it upon myself to accomplish this not wholly unpleasant task in your place, min kæreste, as I feel it is my duty as your pledged protector and future husband. I can only hope that you, my wondrously good and loving girl, will extend your magnanimity to remember you have my eternal adoration – if not my actual presence, in spending your sweet Christmas time in the bosom of your family._

 _You and I have the promise of the future God has given us, when we will cement our relationship and surely enjoy the New Year together—and evermore._

 _With all my love and devotion, as I swiftly hasten to ascend the heights for Olaf's sake, then promptly as humanly possible return to you with my heart and hand outstretched when we will be conjoined as husband and wife soon._

 _And that would be this lowly young man's greatest present of all._

 _Anxiously awaiting for you to name the time and place when again our lips and hearts and souls can be as one,_

 _Your humble servant,_

 _Hans Christian Westergaard_

* * *

By the time She finished reading the letter, her face was a deep shade of pinkish red.

Elsa was awash with the blushed emotion of her humble fiancé's long-winded, apologetic, at times, forceful words of explanation punctuated by the passion and assertive desire for her to give him the lifeline as to when the couple would be wedded in holy matrimony with all the heady offices that blessed sacrament meant.

The note left the madly-in-love girl dizzy as she was caught up in her Danish Prince's romantic yearnings he had penned to paper with the expectation she would read it on the 'morrow.

 _ **CRUNCH. CRACK. CRUNCH.**_

 _GASP!_

Like a white doe in the headlights, a guilty faced Elsa goes into full Ice Queen mode, her hand raised and ready to shoot off a volley of ice at the downed branches breaking underfoot somewhere nearby.

And there he was, her gallant knight, sitting tall astride a steed—a white mare with a silky long white mane. He directs the horse to make her quick gaited way down the hillside towards the edge of the frozen glen that overlooked the stationary waters of an ice cascade nearby.

Prince Hans halts his Fresian horse, who had come to know the skilled equestrian Dane's style of riding, the instant his shielded, snow-blinded eyes adjusted to see the mesmerizing beauty standing in the glade several feet before him.

"Elsa?!" Hans immediately dismounts the no longer skittish mare that he, in his gentle yet firm way, had already broken in.

The tired exhaustion of traveling North through the bitter cold at this time of year was utterly dispelled from the heavy lidded redheaded man who had been riding all night. A chattery Olaf chattering incessantly by his side, riding Sitron to bring the secret Santa snowman precious gifts to his frosty brothers of the mountain, had kept him awake thus far.

"Hans!? Is that… Iriserende?" The young Norwegian Queen was completely elated as her handsome young man appears wearing his Navy blue Sjoforsvaret uniform proudly, and closes the distance between the two in heart throbbing record time upon the beautiful white horse she easily recognized.

Hans gazes at the Norwegian Queen and blinks several times with a rub to his sleepy eyes.

"She was supposed to be a Christmas morning surprise, you sly vixen! How is it possible you are here? Perhaps you are but a mirage after my long sleepless hours alone dreaming of Christmasing with you?" The Prince of Southern Isles throws abandon to the wind as he wraps a docile Elsa up in his strong arms and petitions for a sweet kiss from her with his most come hither, beckoning smile.

"You've been dreaming of me, too?" Elsa flutters her eyelashes up at her pretty boy young man, entranced by his exquisite greeting. "Oh Hans, she's the most perfect Christmas present! You know me so very well. Hello, girl, I have missed you _very_ much." Elsa coos as the pleased mare nickers her greeting and pushes Elsa with her muzzle towards Hans.

He takes the opportunity to capture another frozen kiss.

Their sweet lips over lips grow into something more passionate and fulfilling as Elsa and Hans, alone at long last are enveloped in the enchantment of this fantasized moment they both shared.

"…Hans…"Elsa breathlessly murmurs. "I found your note in the snow… It was beautiful." Elsa whispers erratically as her breath catches up with her from that momentous osculation they just shared beneath the dazzling frozen waterfall scenery.

"You've read it already…?" Suddenly stiff, Hans gulps down a swallow, his embarrassment turning his face quite red from his collar all the way up to his crimson big ears.

"You would give up your untroubled, ideal Christmas dreams in Arendelle with me, just to make Olaf happy?" Elsa asks her selfless young man to explain himself.

"…" The Danish Prince self-consciously averts his eyes from the gorgeous woman's quizzical allegation, for once not knowing what to say.

"Thank you—for being such a special man who would do that so selflessly." Feeling free and easy as the cool winds, Elsa wildly shows Hans her appreciation with a warm kiss on the side of his mouth that sent a shiver all the way up and down Prince Hans' reinvigorated spine.

Her spicy kiss inspires a soft groan from Hans as he hungers for her supple form to be pressed to him and banish away the bitter cold he had been sleeplessly braving outside in the darkness.

"It is to be my duty from now on to make you and yours happy, my beloved. So I would give my all to bring back a smile to your favorite snowman's face for Christmas, and fulfill his holiday happiness, for you, _min elsker_." Using the Norwegian term of fondness, Hans glances back to acknowledge his fellow all-nighter riding companions.

But Olaf and Sitron were nowhere in sight.

 _Where did that silly snowman get off to…?_

"'… _Лохматый пони, лохматый волов, Нежные пастухи ждут этого света; Маленький Иисус, маленькая мать, Добрый Святой Иосиф, приезжайте этой ночью. Мех-одеяние мужики, меха-одеяние дворян, Дети, облаченные в мех, ждут света'"._

' _(Shaggy pony, shaggy oxen, Gentle shepherds await this Light;  
Little Jesus, little Mother, Good Saint Joseph, come this night.  
Fur-robed workmen, fur-robed nobles, Fur-robed children, wait for the Light.')"_

Hans was sure he heard Prince Hugo and Princess Sofia's voices somewhere up yonder merrily singing a carol that grows fainter and fainter in the distance.

The keen redhead turns and scans the area to his rear. He squints his excellent eyes, just able to make out the silhouette of Olaf beneath his bright red Santa hat. Olaf and the sack of gifts he had been carting around was being transferred, with Hugo's help, into the dog sled in front of Eliana and Sofia before taking off again North at a swifter rate.

Hans smiles when he hears Olaf's warbly voice join in learning the Russian children's Christmas carol as he goes with his new friends on their fast-moving dogsled.

 _I suppose he'll make it in time…But shall I play this out a little more, my darling…?_

"Yes, I read as much in your lengthy missive." Elsa teases about the top-secret letter that Prince Hugo had masterfully dropped at her feet at the most opportune moment, which brings distracted Hans back to the intoxicating present.

The Queen of Arendelle had her man in her arms now and did not intend to let him go again. However, the Prince of the Southern Isles seemed to have some Machiavellian ideas on that subject all his own.

"Elsa. I specifically told Prince Hugo NOT to tell you of my mission. So, I must insist you return to Arendelle now whilst I continue onward and upward with Olaf, wherever he has wandered, to deliver him safely up to the North Mountain Ice Palace. I will, as stated in my letter, try very hard to return, without delay, for Christmas day in Arendelle, or thereabouts. But I feel I cannot disappoint Olaf. Not now that all his hopes have been riding on this trip to his family. Likewise, you should be spending these Christmastime precious days with your family and loved ones. Please, my Queen, allow me to do this for you. I will, no matter how harsh or monotonous the path, continue with Olaf on Sitron, while you take Iriserende home to your warm Castle. You need not join us on this tedious journey, my love. I instructed Prince Hugo not to concern you on this matter to avoid just such an argument between us at Christmas." A stalwart Hans pulls back from their embrace, physically lifting Elsa by her slender waist to be loaded onto Iriserende's saddle like she was no more than the fragile porcelain doll he must handle with care.

"Then let's not have one." Elsa juts her chin up and states the words defiantly to the man's stunned features. Her ice playfully rises beneath her feet and Elsa starts to ascend and leave Hans behind in a trail of falling snow dust.

"Huh?" Hans watches the dazzling female rise upon her dazzling ice pedestal in the dazzling sunlight until all three utterly blind him to blink against her radiant, coruscating incandescence aglow in the noontime rays.

"You are not my lord and master. At least not yet, Vise Admiral Westergaard." Fluidly building herself up to the top of the cascade with her icy pedestal in a matter of seconds, Elsa was feeling rather giddy. She had read her fiancé's love letter/scheduling note/commanding order just seconds before the selfsame officer appeared before her so romantically possessive and commanding, presenting her a wonderful gift of her beloved horse, between his smoldering kisses.

"But I am still your Queen." Seeming to enjoy herself, the Ice Queen sends Hans a look that again sent chills up and down his stiffened spine. His mind recalls her Black Ice Queen reign and the ultimate power at her disposal then as he was gazing up at her punishing feet.

"You are undeniably that." Nonetheless, a determined Hans uses his dagger and sword to undauntedly rappel himself up by handholds of the ice monolith to her. With such agility and trust combined, he leaps and jumps on moving platforms the Ice Queen laughingly created to finally ascend the frozen cascade waterfall she was waiting at the top of for him.

"That was invigorating." Once deftly there, Hans runs his gloved hands along Elsa's velvety blue arms, following the resolute young woman to stand atop the icy waterfall into his embrace for another emotion filled dramatic romantic tryst.

"Olaf is in the capable company of Hugo and Sofia to take him to the Ice Palace, a fact you know very well by now. So, you are obligated to come home with me now, commander." Elsa makes her demands as stubbornly she denies him her cool lips.

"Am I? Are you planning to pull rank on me to keep me subjugated, even after we're married, your Majesty?" Prince Hans accepts that Olaf was in decent hands with Prince Hugo and his experienced dog sled. But the man in him would fight for the principle of the matter that his bride-to-be seemed unrelenting upon.

Like a stealthy fox, his long limbs bring Hans up to Elsa's level atop the iridescently glimmering waterfall cascade.

"Not unless you force me too, my handsome Prince." The tension was so thick it was almost physical, as the mental and emotional struggle rising between Elsa and Hans was scintillating to say the least.

Drinking in the beauteous Queen of Arendelle's lissome curves within her velvet blue dress, a guilty Hans suddenly recalls romancing another female member of the Bernadotte Royal family. It was nearby another quixotic cascade where he felt so confident and sure that he had that poor girl eating out of the palm of his hand, that he couldn't resist flaunting it.

 _ **Cough. Cough.**_

 _Perhaps Princess Anna will soon look more kindly on me for bringing her the gift of the Gudbrandsdal colt she befriended on our adventure before_. Choking on the memory, Hans uncomfortably recalls his slyness in wooing the girl so desperate to be loved that he saw in naïve Anna's eyes back then.

Now the roles were in reverse and Hans felt he was the one being deliciously captivated by the masterful woman he was a prisoner of love to.

Feeling exquisitely warm despite the cold temperatures of this winter snow paradise, Prince Hans helplessly gazes from Elsa's intoxicating eyes in the misty view of the dizzying heights of the natural frozen waterfall and back down again to where Sitron had returned after depositing Olaf with Hugo's sled to stand beside Iriserende some forty feet below.

Both steeds were pacing at the ground level, gazing up at the cat and fox game the amorous couple were vigorously playing.

Sitron was confident in his best friend's agility, though the newcomer white mare was near in panic at the sight of the athletically fit and charming young man fearlessly cutting across the sky's cloudless blue. On magically appearing ice steps Iriserende watched in horror gallant Prince Hans glide on the frozen waterfall that his Ice Queen had built like an escalator to draw her man up to her.

Once there, Hans awarded Elsa with a payload of passion after all the effort she put him through to get to his delectable treat.

"Oh Hans, this is like a dream for me. At last I can stand here in the frozen ice cold that is completely part of me, with everything so very still and pure and pristine white and beautiful, wrapped in awe of God's glory. Up here I can feel so free and liberated in the arctic breeze there no way to really express it. And with you now at my side, I feel I can do anything. There's nothing I fear anymore." As Hans alights to the waterfall peak, a completely self-assured Elsa shares with him a hushed youthful giggle as he wraps his encouraging arms around her slender back during their wistful exchange, enveloping her body to lovingly fit into his, hand in glove.

" _I'm dreaming of a white Christmas."_ Hans begins singing the sentimental words to a melody the thin air of the sky itself was echoing through the fir trees, as if in answer to her, like tinkling bells passed down through the ages.

" _Just like the ones I used to know."_ Elsa picks up on the pleasant, wind-tossed melody with some plaintive lyrics written upon her own heart that the winter sun kissed there.

" _Where the treetops glisten, and children listen to hear sleigh bells in the snow."_ At Hans' soaring tenor's phrase, Elsa causes the spruce fir trees to tinkle their resonating crystallized verglas high boughs that mimicked the sound of Christmas bells ringing.

Together they enjoy the Christmas time duet harmonized with one another on this idyllic day when Hans and Elsa were both in wonder of God's resplendent creation and the fact He gave them this moment to realize it together.

"Tell me, min elskede. How did you manage to purchase Iriserende from that trader, Torvik? If he had heard – _and of that I have little doubt_ – of your imminent… ergh… _position_ in this kingdom, he would hardly give you a bargain. As I recall from Anna's tales, he was a tough salesman asking a fortune to rent some horses and carriages last summer. And I also thought I heard rumors that you had spent all of your worldly funds on the trip halfway around the globe with Prince Ferdinand to come here." Breathing in his pervading scent so close to her, Elsa murmurs, recalling the stories of their past meeting with the Fresian filly's horse trading, skinflint owner with great detail.

Elsa gazes down at the breathtaking horse she had been thoroughly surprise gifted by her beloved Prince, in apparent admiration of her fiancé's skills at the art of the deal, with even the tough trader who drove a hard bargain.

"Due to my current lack of capital, indeed, I offered him but a trade." Hans gives Elsa a raised eyebrow smirk that told her he believed she got an excellent deal. "It's not much. A mere pittance, really." The redheaded Prince dangles the words in front of her until a coquettishly smiling Elsa was hanging on his every word.

"Well? What do you possibly have he would want from you in trade?" Elsa asks in a low sultry voice with a stroke to her man's tight chest beneath his navy velvet uniform. She was nearly panting with curiosity as the chilly high-altitude seemed to do something to her inhibitions.

"I simply offered trader Torvik a special stall in the Arendelle entrance concourse for him to sell his memorabilia merchandise… at our wedding." With a quirky smile and soft nibble to Elsa's pleasured, softly moaning neck, Hans admits playfully into his platinum Queen's tasty ear.

"You did what?! The wedding date is not even set yet!" Shocked awake by the honest audacity of the redheaded man to take such commercialism liberties with _her_ kingdom – with _her_ once-in-a-lifetime **wedding** ceremony's trappings – _I just want everything to be perfect_ \- Elsa spins around.

She wiggles out of Hans' embrace so fast she did not take into account her jolted body actions would send the poor young man, perched just so agily on the precarious edge of the frozen waterfall crest, to slip backwards on his tall heeled black leather boots to go plunging downward dangerously off the forty foot-high cataract…

 _ **WHOOSH!**_

Before a stunned Elsa had the presence of mind in those frightful seconds of her Hans' hands slipping just out of reach, an indigo, purple, crimson, red and golden swirled black and blue flash breaks across the sky line to halt Hans' soundless descent.

"That's what I'd call the shortest lasting, quickest 'ex-fiancé' betrothal, wouldn't you, your Majesty?" As she capably catches Prince Hans' flailing body and pulls the thankfully slender man into her, Cassandra Schmidt's sarcasm was evident.

Her saucy, high-pitched voice cuts through the tense chill to Elsa's only minutely jealous, grateful ears.

The guardswoman and her wide-eyed alchemist boyfriend had been flying over the Norwegian countryside in search of whoever came first, Queen Elsa or Prince Hans, upon the newly returned Magic Carpet.

The ancient magical being had this morning come back to Arendelle after delivering Prince Ferdinand Egalité and his long-suffering intended Duchess Helene home to the _Palais des Tuileries_ in Paris.

There, Ferdinand's Mamére, Queen Marie Amélie, was in relief to have her devil-may-care, roving eyed son take on his duty now to the French Crown and cease these youthful wanderings of sowing his wild oats with French army and Legionnaire or any other hero group he could rally to, once and for all.

Even if that settling down meant his marriage to the unpalatable, non-Catholic Protestant German Duchess Helene of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, who unfortunately had a stoic mind of her own.

But if that kept Queen Marie Amélie's roguish Ferdinand Philippe home, Mamére would cling tight to the holy rosary she had been praying upon each day and night and then some for her boy to come home and simply smile.

"Never." Elsa shares her mirthful empathy with the polar opposite, dark-haired tough young woman whom her cousin Princess Rapunzel had sent by serendipity to attend the Queen's Birthday Ball in Arendelle in the woefully pregnant Corona Princess' stead.

Besides becoming a dear friend to both herself and Hans, Elsa would be eternally indebted to Corona's Lieutenant Captain of the Guard – _who would no doubt take on that auspicious lead role in the Prussian kingdom someday, and deservedly so_ – for her unwavering support and help during the recent struggles in Svalbard.

Not to mention Cassandra's able assistance in bringing Hans home to Elsa.

"Here. You had better keep this one on a tighter leash. Just as I intend to steer mine right, lest either of them land themselves in trouble again." With a controlled glance to Varian as together they heft a winded Hans back to the top of the frozen cascade, Cassandra's exotic gray eyes meet Elsa's azure blue orbs. She makes a simpatico correlation to the brilliant pair of _'could be wicked and wouldn't'_ young men reformed for the sake of love.

"Thank you for the steadying save." Feeling slightly embarrassed at being unseemly clumsy, Prince Hans brushes his titian red sideburns and tousled hair back, along with his nervous mannerism of straightening his jacket under Elsa's cool hands that were secure on his shoulders.

"Lady Cassandra, Varian, my dear friend, Carpet. What is it that brings you all out here to our wondrous countryside?" Then, sophisticate Hans attempts to change the conversation, as if no gauche slip and clumsy fall had even occurred.

"Well, as you can see, Carpet just got back to the Castle this morning. Cassie's been anxious to get back to spend Christmas with her Dad, and so have I. mean, wanting to see _my_ old man." Backing away from the petrifying idea of crossing swords, again, with Cassandra's strict lawman of a dad, there was a certain glint of nostalgic emotion in Varian Gutenberg's cerulean blue eyes at the thought of his own father.

That look evoked the knowledge in Elsa and Hans both that Varian cherished his single dad – whom he had almost lost by his own hand before – more than words could say.

As welcoming and promising as spending the holidays in Arendelle was proving to be, and the idea of a castle full of noisy newborn babies not so much, Cassandra still **had** to make it home in time for Christmas.

Christmas was that one day the year when even a tough dad like Captain of the Guard Josiah Schmidt felt free to show his great affection for his one and only adopted child.

"We've already said our goodbyes to your folks and given our thanks for putting us up for the past few nights. But Rapunzel will kill me if I didn't remember to give her favorite cousins the hug I promised I would to each in her place. Don't worry, Princess Anna already got the lion share of hers. I've still got the big bear hug squeeze mark scars to show for it." An uncomfortable Cassandra shows off her own brand of subtle humor as an attentive Carpet creates the plush staircase of himself for her chiropractor required bones to easily disembark to stand atop the imposing frozen waterfall beside the Ice Queen.

"Wow, you guys don't go halves when it comes to impressive scenery. No wonder you were so dogged about coming back to claim your amazing woman." Cassandra chuckles nervously to Hans, as she looks over the frozen solid cascade that she, at first, steps lightly upon.

The tall dark-haired woman, wearing her fur hooded mauve suede coat, tentatively approaches Elsa who was decidedly different than her friendly feisty sister, if the Prussian young woman who too was never a casual friendly hugger, was any judge on the matter.

Cassandra pauses awkwardly with arms gracelessly outstretched to Elsa in an even attempt to take on the tentative tall blonde's shy recalcitrance that moves a pasty-face smiling Elsa backwards. Elsa, while not technically 'hands off' anymore, was still uncomfortable, as a matter of 13 yeara of habit, when faced with hugs.

"I find it is most advantageous to utilize the element of surprise before entering a full frontal assault on any irresolute adversary." Smug, crossed-arm Hans coyly leans back against the rock ledge with his legs crossed arrogantly, to whisper over uncertain Cassandra's shoulder.

Taking this man she admired's precious advice into account, the dark-haired female merely has to give Varian a glance behind her for the young scientist to come to her aid.

 _ **FLASH!**_

Hans bravely massages his fingers down her spine to soothe her and simultaneously lands an open mouthed kiss to the rear of the exposed nape of her pale neck to shock a titillated Elsa.

Not knowing which way to turn Elsa flinches at the bright flash of light and pauses in her bashful retreat, giving Cassandra all the time she needs to execute the hug in a direct approach, while the genius boy she had a soft spot for employs his latest and greatest experiment in a modified, handheld 'Inverted Instant Image Transfer' device, or the 'Triple IT', which had a totally scientific theory than either Niépce's heliography Bitumen of Judea paper coated with silver chloride or his more famed partner Daguerre's silver plated, silver iodide coated copperplate idea.

Varian's own experimental alchemist take on photography involved heated gelatin emulsion dry plates of glass rather than paper or metal cured with mercury vapors in an instant chemical mixed solution contained within a handheld device of all his own design.

The scientists' game little gray-brown raccoon buddy – who looked quite decked out in the viva la France filmy scarf of the French flag flying at his neck to the black beret fixed crookedly atop his fuzzy head – holds up the scientist's ingenious contained chemical flashed artificial oxy-hydrogen, burning calcium carbonate limelight that blindingly went with it.

"While the picture develops, we can fly you to down to your horses waiting below." Collecting his equipment hurriedly, with Rudiger the raccoon plunked on his lap by Cassandra, Varian pleasantly offers a fast ride down.

Gentlemanly Hans escorts Elsa to alight upon Carpet who waves at the couple graciously when Elsa gives his soft pile a friendly shake.

The quartet of humans land back on terra firma in one piece thanks to Carpet, much to Sitron and Iriserende's relief.

"What a pretty horse. I bet she could full gallop really fast with those aerodynamic body lines." Varian comments with a calming pat to Iriserende's neck when they land close by the skittish mare. He never lost his fondness for God's creatures amid all of his science experiments, with his inquisitive bent that always shone through.

"It appears that you and I have a predilection for gorgeous, well formed females with fine contoured definition." Hans purposely insinuates as he rubs a caressing hand over the pale mare's shining white coated backside.

In a matter of seconds, the alchemist produces his experimental Triple IT's volatile chemical reaction within the clicking machine miniature box's well worked gears and shift levers. He removes the thin glass plate from the quick drying solution when exposed to air on which now emerges one of the world's first instant photographs.

There in the crystal clear, bluish tinted photograph, Elsa was sandwiched by Cassandra's obligatory promised Christmas hug in the forefront with Prince Hans' sneaking hands assaulting Elsa in the rear to keep the thoroughly shocked young ruler in place just long enough for a candid shot.

"Next time I'm going to work in getting the full color spectrum involved for better effect. But the whole blue-and-white shading pretty much works for this one. I bet Princess Rapunzel will love it. Just look at this stellar view." Ever the alchemist, Varian clinically speaks as only a scientist could as he inspects the picture produced from his inverse glass instant image transfer machine before displaying it to his unsuspecting subjects at the base of the frozen cascade waterfall.

"At least I don't look like I'm being strangled like in this one." Cassandra pulls out from her pouch pocket the other glass inversion image instant transfer which Varian had taken before of her proxy hug for Rapunzel with the ginger Princess back in Arendelle before they left.

In it, a too toothy smiling Anna was so eager to give Varian a great shot for Rapunzel to see as an extra special present, the feisty ginger had been cutting off the guardswoman's blood circulation for so long, so in the picture Cassandra appears sickly white as a sheet.

"An Inverted Image Instant transfer of me for cousin Rapunzel and the whole Royal family of Corona to see? But…it's not my good side…" A whiny Elsa murmurs, displeased with the ingenious picture's result in a teensy-weensy display of her feminine vanity.

"Every side of you is better than ' _good'_ , min älskare. Believe me, I'm this close to have had the privilege to glimpse all your angles." Hans makes a close fingered gesture with his hand as says approvingly of the fully developed photograph of Elsa and Cassandra's shared hug. "I like it." He tries to diffuse the situation with some rowdy rejoinders before the feverishly blushing Elsa.

The Danish Prince guiltily gulps though, when he spies a certain handsome, amorous young man, if looked at closely, to be lurking in the background with his face buried in a shocked Elsa's braided hair.

"Glad we're not showing it to the Admiral." A candid Hans whispers furtively as he points out to Elsa the erotic lurker in the picture's background as Elsa covers her face in mortified shame.

"Come on. You look beautiful in it. Thanks for everything, Queen Elsa. Have a Merry Christmas. Let's go, Varian." Her promises to Rapunzel fulfilled, pragmatic Cassandra had little patience for women's vanity. With a clap of her hands she rushes her new boyfriend back onto the Flying Carpet, who had the wherewithal to track and point out where the playful raccoon made a beeline high up atop the ultra tall spruce virtually hiding from her critical eye.

"We wish you a very Merry Christmas, too Lady Cassandra. Please tell the King and Queen and Princess Rapunzel and Prince Eugene with their pair of brand-new little ones that we pray all God's blessing for a bright new year to come." Elsa basks in Hans' agreed warm smile as he lifts her easily on Iriserende's saddle to have a front row seat to wave farewell to the flying Carpet in his passengers.

"Let's get going, Varian! Grab that stupid masked bandit of yours before he disappears further into those massive high trees." Cassandra had her trained eagle eye out for the mischievous, playful raccoon who was playing hide and seek with her.

"Okay, Cassie. Goodbye, Queen Elsa. Bye, Hans. You've been a great friend and taught me a lot on this trip about… life." That enigmatic salutation was the awkward boy's way of thanking the sagacious Dane for his advice on women and the right time to make a move on them which had paid off dividends.

"It's been a pleasure, Varian. Say 'hello' to new 'Papa Storbror' for me." Hans answers with a smile to his fellow ne'er-do-well who also struck feminine gold as the Flying Magic Carpet salutes Hans and Elsa with a tassel before taking off to the sky.

"Oh! There it is! I almost forgot!" Varian calls out when Carpet just ascends to the top of the fir tree level for Cassandra to grab and shake upside down over their rug the raccoon thief who had taken a shine to the wrapped present Carpet had brought back from his trip to France.

"We found this wrapped present from your friend Prince Ferdinand before in the bag stitched on Carpet when he first arrived. Don't know how Rudiger got a hold of it between then, heh he heh." Trying to impress a rolling eyes Cassandra with his guts in a rather clumsy leap halfway down, Varian apologizes for his sticky fingered little friend as Carpet dips down again to pick him back up.

But Varian pauses to speak to Prince Hans astride Sitron one more time as he hands the Frenchman's gift over.

"Just keep your ebony angel warm, my friend. Never let her down nor give her cause for that smile to leave you. I'll never cease praying to God that I will be able to achieve the same for my pale angel here." Hans gives one last tidbit of advice for the younger man to find success in love which is more important than success in life.

"Keep my ebony angel warm…?" Varian mumbles softly as he hops back up on Carpet who returns with Cassandra to retrieve him and then set out on their journey back to Corona were Carpet would finally be going home to a new growing family.

"Don't get any crazy ideas from that bard, Mister…" The liberated woman says despite herself being secretly pleased with the nickname upon overhearing the younger man's dreamy words and eyes glazing over her as he places one daring arm around her shoulders.

"Oh, sorry!" Varian pulls his appendage back and scoots away on the already moving quickly sonic speed Carpet. But Cassandra, thinking twice on the matter, contritely tugs him back with her arm around him tight now. Just so as not to have him slip off the midair magic vehicle as the young males tonight seemed wont to do.

When he was fourteen and she twenty-one, the years made all the difference. But now that she had become aware Varian was of proper mature courting age, Cassandra could more and more perceive the brilliant young man's endearing attractions and teach him how to cut loose a little bit.

"Just hold on tight long enough, Varian, and I'll show you all of my darkest feathers." She gives her lean young man an enticing smile and seductive whisper in his ear that had inexperienced Varian utterly stumped.

Especially when the responsibly adept older woman brazenly crawls across a wide-eyed Varian's shocked into submission lap.

 _Ready as I'll ever be!?_

She grabs a tight hold of his squealing raccoon friend by the its wriggling tail, even as Rudiger, greedily eyeing some of the biscuits Hans had bribed him with to sit still on Carpet when Varian returned, almost tumbles off Carpet's sudden sonic speed without a seatbelt.

"Good catch." Varian squeaks out, every fiber of his being trying to calm himself and be contented with having a trembling Rudiger only on his lap for now.

Although a satisfied, smirking, sexy Cassandra was ever close at his side…

* * *

"Another crisis averted." Elsa giggles to Hans as she waves goodbye to their Prussian friends who were truly well on their way beyond the horizon, huddled close together on Eugene's flying Magic Carpet, after all.

"Alone at last?" Hans concludes in a gentle voice with a mixture of relief and amusement that Cassandra and Varian were safely on their way home for Christmas, and Sofia and Hugo were enjoying themselves with the joy of the season while bringing Olaf and Eliana up the mountainside.

Hans was secretly glad that he and Elsa were finally free to spend some holiday vacation time alone together.

Hans chuckles as he ensures the tackle on Sitron, only to find that Olaf had left a scrawled note tied to the horses' reins that plainly said:

" _Secret Santa Olaf will be home for Christmas!"_

"Iriserende is such a perfect present, Hans. So thoughtful and attentive a special Christmas prize. I love her very much. Thank you." Having time now to admire her Fresian horse's shiny iridescent coat that lived up to her name, Elsa was more than satisfied with this first Christmas gift as she pets her lovely white mare who responded in kind to her mistress' soft touch.

"Merry Christmas, early, my darling Elsa." Feeling rather romantic now that they were alone, Hans prompts Sitron to move closer alongside Iriserende. He leans over and bestows Elsa with another kiss the Danish Prince believed he deserved for the well thought out present.

"Merry Christmas, Hans." Elsa titters nervously as her young man leans in for yet another kiss.

"I don't know about Sitron, but Iriserende seems ready to race home for Christmas." Now back on sensibly prosaic ground level, Elsa leans back to a safe distance and a takes a deep breath before she confers the sudden challenge.

"A race? I thought _**I**_ was the one in a hurry…" Hans cantors Sitron even nearer to Iriserende close enough for the horses' heads to nuzzle.

"Let's not hurry anything, my handsome prince. Just enjoy every sweet moment together in peace, and as a family. This is going to be the most wonderful Christmas we've ever had in Arendelle, isn't it, Hans?" The once unsure girl gazes over the countryside that was no longer in danger of an eternal blizzard.

For Queen Elsa of the North Winter had a heart that was secure with the ones she loved dearly, now gathering close to her.

"You're right, min kæreste. It couldn't be any better, now that I'm free to spend my first Christmas with you, Elsa, my angel. You are and ever will be the only true owner of my heart." At the scene of the two horses nuzzling, Hans is inspired to try again, leaning over in his saddle to kiss Elsa on her now moistened, luscious lips.

"And once you name that oh-so-important day, my love, my heart's joy will overflow. I swear to never miss a single Christmas Eve to be with you ever again." Hans then delivers an extremely passionate, tender kiss full of yearning and promise as he and Elsa lock lips from across their saddles.

"Care to race my lovely, brand-new present home, my darling Danish Prince?" Exhilarated by his kiss and sweet devotion, the Ice Queen prompts Iriserende – who seemed to be in full cohesion with her mistress – to suddenly gallop forward out from beneath the tinkling ice willow's entrancement and onto the open fields where the pale matched, high-strung, female pair takes off through the snows.

"What will be my prize when I catch you, my stunning Norske filly?" Sitron could be a speed demon when his boy master set him to the test. And the golden fjord horse may have had the incentive now as he storms across the snowfields to catch up to Elsa and Iriserende enough for Hans to reach his hands out to unclasp Elsa's braid and loose the strands of her long blonde tresses.

"I will keep running until I do catch you, have no doubt, Elsa of Arendelle. On my honor!" Prince Hans defiantly takes up the challenge with this announcement to the chilled winds left in the Ice Queen's exhilarated, laughing wake.

Hans only pauses a moment to sit back and watch Elsa's gorgeous mane of platinum locks he deftly loosed wildly unfold on the rustling cold breeze to mirror her white filly's silky long mane.

Then he nudges Sitron to give chase to his spirited lover who dazzled the winter snows kicking up in the road back to her kingdom at the base of the mountain where she had welcomed him to her home.

And there, the Arendelle family Christmas would include this previously lost, listless, last Westergaard child who had dreamed on many sad Christmas Eves alone, to spend one special Christmas surrounded by people he loved, who loved him in return.

People who forgave him, because forgiveness was born through Grace, once upon a cold midnight clear in Bethlehem, as a grateful Hans sings the haunting hymn of Christmas worship in his native Danish tenor while following his Elsa home.

"' _Midt i den mørke vinter om nat ved Betlehem._ _Den rose fin og lille har dejlig duft og skær; den lyse for os ville og sprede mørket her;i sandhed mand og Gud;  
af syndens nød og pinehan nådig hjalp os ud. __Midt i den kolde vinter om nat ved Betlehem.'"_

* * *

' _A tiny babe was born in the midst of  
The dark winter on that night in Bethlehem_

' _The forsaken Rose sweet and small  
Has lovely fragrance and petals marked;  
A bright new city for us waits because  
In Him the Light erupted through the dark._

 _With Truth of heart, Man and God join;  
Through the distress and torment of sin,_

 _By Grace, He came to save us in the midst of  
The cold winter on that night in Bethlehem'_

* * *

' _Good Christian men rejoice!' – John Mason Neale 1837 to J.S Bach's 'In Dulci Jublio' music_

" _Away in a Manger' ('Luther's Cradle Hymn'_ ) – Martin Luther 1523 set to German folk lullaby

" _The Holly and the Ivy"_ – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 1812 set to anonymous 16th century British folk tune

 _A Great and Mighty Wonder'_ \- 15th century Michael Praetorous music, John Neale lyrics 1840

' _Кэрол российских детей - Carol of the Russian Children'-_ 16th century Russian Christmas carol

 _"White Christmas"_ \- Irving Berlin 1942

" _Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus_ **"** – Friedrich Watt 1744

' _En rose så jeg skyde' (The Rose Shoots Up)_ – Danish Christmas hymn by Michael Praetorius 1609

* * *

 _Blagodaryu_ – Thank you in high-class Russian

 _proshchayte_ \- goodbye in high-class Russian

 _udivitel'noye –_ marvelous in Russian

 _Min flicka –_ my girl in Swedish

 _min kärlek –_ my love in Swedish

 _Min alskare_ – my beloved in Norwegian

 _min kæreste –_ my darling in Danish

 _min elsker_ \- my lover in Norwegian

* * *

Merry Christmas Part 2 in 'Frozen Again', dear friends! ^0^

Here's Part two of the 3 part Arendelle Christmas event, my dear friends!

Things were spicing up a little between our dashing Dane and his platinum Norske filly (great pet name, eh, Hans? Beats 'Red' anyday!)

Secret Santa Olaf is being delivered up to his North Mountain friends! Cass and Varian (gotta love an inventor who makes homemade presents!) are getting pretty tight and are on their way home to Rapunzel and Eugene and their twin bundles of joy.

Young lovers and nuzzling horses and flying Carpets and thieving raccoons and Christmas carols filled this chapter with glee! Elsa and Hans even had a timeless 'White Christmas' duet moment! (I had to let them sing it together - _even if the song is written exactly 100 Christmases hence -_ after listening to both Idina Menzel and Santino Fontana gorgeously belting out the heartwarming melody in a wind-tossed echoing, Ghost of Christmas Future kinda way! :)

Stay tuned for one more joyful, music-laced conclusion chapter full of fun and romance and love's true reason for the season Christmas sentiment minus the commercialism!

Merry Christmas Eve to you all, my dearest Frozen friends! I pray the Lord, who came to us down from Heaven to be born a tiny babe to bring us home safe someday, will bless you and your families with His Love all through these precious days of celebrating the Christkind.

'God bless us all, everyone.'

HarukaKou

P.S. The romantic kiss scene between Helsa with the scenic waterfall background can be seen on deviantart under 'setsunakou' OR on tmblr under 'queenelsawestergaard'. Please have a look to get the full picture. My artist Setsuna inspired this scene for me! Hope you enjoy! ^_^

* * *

" _Come and worship, come and worship  
Worship Christ, the newborn King!"_


	46. Chapter 45-An Arendelle Family Christmas

_We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

 **"Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act VIII**

 **Chapter 45**

 **"An Arendelle Family Christmas"**

 _'Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere! Go tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ is born.'_

With the backdrop of that glorious northern mountain range, it was not too distant in the surrounding forest behind Arendelle Castle that Kristoff Bjorgman found himself tromping aimlessly all afternoon.

Well, perhaps not entirely aimless.

His father-in-law's furtive footpath to seek out the absolutely perfect Christmas tree from their Norwegian countryside backyard at least gave the older man he was traveling alongside the smidgen of a valid excuse to go up the mountain.

Not to bring his big girl Elsa home or anything like that at all.

Perhaps, having second thoughts when he discovered Elsa had left home with that Russian Prince and his little girlfriend from Enchancia, the King just wished to ensure that his daughter was coming home soon, in time for Christmas.

"How about this old guy, Sir? He's about ready to go." Kristoff ventures to ask Anna's preoccupied father, as his 'man of nature' abilities gave him insight on the lifespan of this particular coniferous tree.

The tall, strapping mountain man presents to the King the even taller Scots pine tree whose long skinny trunk had a wide array of massive foliage that triangulated at the top of its crown to make a decent looking Christmas tree.

"Hmm? A proper Norwegian _picea abies_ features dark green needles that are rectangular in sections and blunt at the tips, with drooping branchlets and cones that hang down on their stems. Not to be confused with the common pinus sylvestris, whose cones stand erect over sharp pointed, much lighter blue-green needles." Agdar was not so much showing off his years of book-learning and nature lessons on the many species of trees he had studied over the years spent alone in his youth in his kingdom exploring _his_ nation's countryside.

No, he was being merely informative to his ignorant son-in-law.

But when it came to trees, though he may not have been able to recite all of the Latin names or genus species, Kristoff Bjorgman was none too ignorant. The big blond had wandered the same hills and mountains himself as boy and man enough to know when a tree was speaking to him to say it was ready and willing to leave this world in joy.

Expert with the axe and saw, the Ice Harvesters had taught him to cut down many old dried out trees for clearing harvesting paths, the warmth of burning in the fireplace, or doing the backbreaking work for others to put food on the table for he and Sven in their nomadic workman lives.

But never had Kristoff personally chopped a fresh, unblemished fir tree down in its prime for no reason other than to be a decoration inside a home.

 _First you cut down a tree and then you decorate its corpse with candles? I LOVE IT!_

"So, that's a 'no', right?" Kristoff asks the picky King, who looked rather odd wearing regular workman's clothes and plain tweed overcoat with ear covering cap that little mother-to-be Anna insisted he and Kristoff wear to keep warm in the dropping temperatures up in the mountain hills.

The pregnant Princess was heartbroken not to be able to go on this outing with her Papa and her strapping husband for the annual Christmas tree foraging mission up into the bitter cold woods this year.

But Queen Idun and multiple midwives who the anxious King had already employed to keep an eye on the feisty girl had put down their collective foot on the matter.

A young girl in her fragile condition dare not endanger the life of her child with an unnecessary, taxing excursion into the woods where only able-bodied men should endeavor out in this frigid cold.

Anna would be permitted – if feeling well enough – to be put in charge of the tree decorating tradition itself — her mother promised. The Queen also impressed upon her pouty little girl that this may prove to be another father/son learning experience in which the stubborn King could get to know her young mountain man more.

Her Papa would most likely come to appreciate that her Kristoff was capable enough to know these mountains like the back of his hand, to uncomplainingly go ax down a tree with him, _mano-a-mano_.

Most likely,

"I would hardly call this poor excuse of a diminutive Scots pine worthy of being the centerpiece of our Christmas celebration." Snobbish King Agdar looked down his long nose at what he considered the inferior Scots pine tree as compared to the proud Norwegian spruce he was ideally in search of.

"Don't let them hear you say that." The Snow Prince mumbles the warning, covering the pine's listening monoecious cones with his extra-large mittened hands. Due to the Snow Prince's extrasensory ability, he senses the older Coniferae was happy and willing to be welcomed into a warm, loving home in its dwindling days. Kristoff gives a brotherly pat on its reddish orange trunk that had survived over two hundred years of lonely growth on the outskirts of the forest, as well as two harsh and sudden eternal winters.

The least they could do was show this thirty foot dwarf tree some respect for that.

Thinking himself the more down-to-earth one on this matter of talking to trees, Agdar rolls his kingly eyes to the heavens as he walks forward up the hill, pale hazel eyes gazing around the bend eagerly in search of Elsa as he went.

"Well, how about that one then? She's a real beauty, and we'll still likely make it back before dark. Let's take this tree so we don't end up going around in circles." After a mental apology to the first, slighted tree, Kristoff points to a mediocre, regular pine close by that at least had that proper conical Christmas tree shape.

"No. It's far too sparse and not impressive enough to fill our expansive room. The perfect tree is yet to come, young man. You simply must be patient and wait before you settle. I know _my_ nation's countryside like the back of my hand." The chagrined ginger King removes his quite unnecessary gloves and hat and tosses them almost testily into his horse's saddlebag. He runs an icy hand through his wavy hair with a cool, cross look befalling his chilly handsome features.

"Uh…yeah…I'll just go up and get a bird's eye view for a sec. See if I can spy any good Norway spruces." Giving the irate man some space, Kristoff easily climbs up the tall fir, but he doesn't see any of the desired type in the near vicinity. So he scopes out the countryside for that fuller, darker green, much sought after 'Norwegian spruce' in its prime.

"Fine. But then please bear with me and just follow my lead." Anna's father kept insisting that he was too much a tree expert to admit he couldn't find that perfect tree, or get lost in the dark of his kingdom's proverbial backyard.

But the early darkness was beginning to descend and that fabled Christmas tree was not yet in sight. Kristoff sighs, putting up with this, all for Anna's sake.

The frustrated young man who knew these forests well was sure the pair had passed many suitable trees already. So, before he came down from the tree he had climbed to get a better view, the Wind Whisperer paused to ask the squirrels where the best tree that the King had in mind, would be.

King Agdar seemed less interested in finding that 'impeccable conifer' as he was in traversing up the mountainside. Here, perchance, the Ice King could trace where his older daughter had left the castle earlier this morning while he was touring the HmNos Gler with King Roland and his son, in his Vise Admiral's place.

Certainly, he had condoned Prince Hans to travel up to the North Mountain to escort Olaf with his gifts to see his 'family' at the Ice Palace. In fact, King Agdar was gladdened, believing it a fine way to keep Elsa celebrating Christmas home with the family.

But Agdar never imagined that irascible Prince Hugo would insist on asking for the Queen's personal accompaniment to take him and Princess Sofia up there and away from her kingdom.

The concerned King now felt compelled to spare his daughter the trouble and bring her home from that upstart Russian prince's silly cross country skiing proposal that just might cross her path with Prince Hans', unless her father brought her home first.

"I…uh…think you're right, umm…Sir. From up there I saw that this northeastern path _you've_ just about chosen, probably does have a better choice of the best Norway Spruce trees…uh…because of the rich and deep, moist fertile soil there." The normally frank and direct blond was starting to learn from a certain red-headed prince on the 'how-tos' in dealing with the reappearance of Anna and Elsa's intractable Papa.

 _'You deferentially concur with the authority figure on all subjects, praise his judgment as being analogous to yours, and make him believe he was the one who suggested each good idea in the first place. That is how to ingratiate oneself with this frosty King. And I should think this shaggy mane pony Christmas present will work for Anna, eh? That is, if you, as her husband, have no genuine objections to my presenting her 'Guddy' back to the Princess on Christmas morn?'_

"Glad we are in agreement, my boy. Your expertise in climbing as I witnessed in Flåm, with your skilled sawing of the tree once I chill its trunk for an easier cut, will all come in use once we locate the finest specimen I aspire to find." Prince Hans' sapient advice on dealing with the King does the trick for Kristoff as he recalls dribs and drabs of his last conversation with the wily Dane just last night before Hans set out to the mountains with Olaf.

"Yeah, that works for me. I've got a good feeling about this direction you've chosen…Your Maje…ugh…Admir…ummm…Dad?" Kristoff's mind was so busy keeping up with the squirrel chatter debate on which Norway Spruce they most recommended that he didn't discern what he was saying.

The King was caught off-guard by that familiar paternal address from this common mountain boy of Anna's. But surprisingly, the lonely man who never imagined he'd ever have a son, didn't quite dislike it as much as he believed he would, as he blindly follows Kristoff up the hill.

"Yes…well, _son_. Aha! There! I believe I spy the perfectly formed crown of our ideal tree up there on the next rise." Excited as a child, Agdar strains his eyes, amplified by an icy verglas telescope he just cryokinetically crafted. Through it he glimpses that dimensionally flawless, full-branched and lush Norway spruce on the sunlit, snow-crested glen just out of the shadow of the mountain.

"Great! Let's go get it!" Kristoff urges, his every molecule yearning to return to Anna back in Arendelle before dark, so as not to cause his girl worry when she found out they'd been gone too long.

Or more likely, Anna would come tromping out here up in the hills in the dark to fetch them.

 _'While shepherds kept their watching  
O'er silent flocks by night  
Behold throughout the heavens  
There shown a holy light_

 _Go tell it on the mountain  
Over the hill and everywhere  
Go tell it on the mountain  
That Jesus Christ is born'_

But by the time the pair of men arrives at that far-off tree's location in the deep valley glen, the 3 PM darkness of the eve before Christmas Eve had dramatically descended upon them.

"Umm, maybe we could make this quick…" After getting all his cutting gear out of his still reindeer-less, ice-powered sleigh he'd brought to cart the tree home, the Wind Whisperer, had softly asked permission of the fifty foot tall spruce with its twenty-five foot spread at the bottom to be the luminary symbol for the celebration of Christ's birth in Arendelle Castle.

He had just finished setting up the knee-level notch cut marks on its three foot diameter trunk and Kristoff made certain that he had cut a scarf in the side of the tree facing the drop zone direction that would endanger no other flora or creatures.

"Yes, you're right. The night is falling." Agdar concedes to his son-in-law's judgment here. "Elsa must be home by now." Closing his eyes, the King murmurs to himself under his frosty breath, trying his darndest to trust his little girls to be responsible young women now, enough to recognize when it was time to come home.

That's when Kristoff sensed Elsa's uninhibited mental signature approaching nearby.

 _Yeesh! Just in time before your Pops has a meltdown!_

Thing is, Elsa was traveling beside the one person whom Kristoff had a bad feeling wouldn't be too popular with her pensive Papa, found alone and unchaperoned with the breathlessly exhilarated young monarch.

"Ah! There she is! It's good to see her out and about again! My big girl must've simply gone out for some riding on this beautiful day with her friends! Did I ever tell you how excellent an equestrienne my Elsa is? She was a natural in the sport, ever since she was just a tiny babe." Swinging the lantern he'd just heedlessly lit, the Ice King proudly smiles to see in the corner of his eye that amazingly unfathomable trail of ice kicking up from the horse's hooves closing in from the distance.

"Oh, how much she loved to ride her white 'horsie', standing straight up with her wee arms outstretched like angel wings on her Papa's lap with the wind blowing snowflakes through her loosed long blonde hair then." King Agdar reminisces of those early, happy, untroubled days raising his tiny 'Snow Angel' to be carefree in using her ice magic out here in the open fields where no one could see.

"Uh-huh." Halfway climbing up the chosen tree to double slip-knot the rope anchor and tension pulley to encourage the especially large and tall tree to fell in the desired direction, the Ice Harvester tries to keep up the amicable conversation with his father-in-law.

On top of all that physical labor, Kristoff simultaneously was attempting to wave off and contact Hans to warn him from being caught by the King with the young Ice Queen alone all afternoon.

"I have this end secured!" The lifelong Navy man takes hold of the other end of the rope and attaches it to the prepared mountainman's pulley. "Is it my imagination or is that horse white? Yet Elsa no longer owns a white horse…?" A suddenly quizzical King Agdar was distracted as he offhandedly digs the pulley's anchor into the softened ground at a 45° angle without packing the dirt tight again as Kristoff specified, for both safety and directional tension reasons.

Unaware any of the goings on, the agile mountain man quickly descends the tree and begins notching a 'V' into the side of the tree that was to fall. With his double-bit axe, Kristoff's muscle-bound arms start swinging his blade down into the tree at the Ice King's targeted frost point where he weakened it.

"Is that rope loosening?!" With cold sweat pouring down from his cap-covered hat, Kristoff was just putting down his sharpened tooth, curved crosscut felling saw and wedges he had cleverly used into their sleigh's tackle bed when he notices in panic the groaning pulley the distracted King had not correctly anchored, suddenly pulls out from its tension held knot and goes slinging its heavy metal projectile across the plane at over 200 mph.

And to Agdar's horror, his laughing little girl upon her white filly was, by pure ill fortune, in the cross hairs of the dangerous likely beheading accident –

But fortunately for all, she had a Knight in shining armor waiting in the wings. Prince Hans had heard the Wind Whisperer's psychic feed minutes earlier and had veered off the main trail as not to be incriminatingly spotted by the King.

But in doing so, Hans had the vantage point that an unaware Elsa did not. He, upon Sitron's brave back launches bodily forward at an increased rate of speed to, as gently as possible, force bump Iriserende and consequently a befuddled Elsa out of the perilous spinning pulley's way.

As for himself, lucky number thirteen Prince Hans literally ducks at the exact moment to escape this unintentional executioner's beheading punishment yet again.

"Elsa! Are you all right, my Snow Angel?! Good God, that could have been a fatal accident! Once again your father's thoughtlessness could have foolishly lost you!" Flying over on his instant ice sled in the frenzied flash of a few seconds, King Agdar melts in a puddle of regret as he wraps his arms around his stunned, yet blessedly unharmed daughter he brings down from Iriserende's thankfully stable back.

"But, by His Grace, it appears I have a worthy second-in-command to stand as your better protector than I now." With icy tears in his eyes King Agdar looks up to Hans who had stared death in the face for Elsa once again.

The young and able Danish Prince was immediately there at her side, leaping down from Sitron to ensure that his fiancée was unscathed by the abrupt incident where he had forced her off the road.

"We would have to be in competition to say 'better protector', Admiral—and at least from my point of view, we are not." Choked up with emotion himself, Hans was grateful for this unexpected opportunity to prove himself to the strict King.

Agdar may not have looked so kindly upon the subterfuge involved this day before, but times were indeed changing.

"I once again must thank you for your timely arrival, Vise Admiral. On many accounts." An ashamed King Agdar tries to collect himself and his authority with a hand brushing back his hair in disarray along with the messy tears in his eyes.

"It is my honor to serve your family, your Majesty. And may I say, this is an exceedingly lovely Christmas tree you have chosen to grace Arendelle Castle with, this momentous season." Hans puts on his most disarming smile to lighten the heavy mood a peg or two while checking Iriserende for any unintentional bruises.

But he need not have bothered, for Sitron already had attended the previously skittish and frightened, but now calmed Fresian mare.

"She's fine, min elsking (my love). Her own attentive mate has been seeing to her needs." With grateful azure blue eyes that spoke volumes to Hans, who raises one brow in curiosity, Elsa nuzzles Iriserende's muzzle close to Sitron's with genuine warmth.

"I don't know about you guys, but I think it's about time we finished getting this poor, half-cut tree down the rest of the way safely so we can take it home for Anna to get decorating. If you two ice wielders wouldn't mind stabilizing big Lucey here with those dangling ropes now minus their pulley, I'd like to use my felling saw to get a nice flat surface cut the rest of the way. How's your arm at the two-man crosscut, Hans? It'll definitely go faster and straighter if we do it together." Kristoff picks up his sharpened tooth, curved crosscut felling saw with a wink to the thin and wiry redheaded Prince, wiping off the now relieved cold sweat that had poured down from his covered cap over his face.

"My lean arms may not appear so, but they were born ready." Evoking the tone and humor of an absent Princess Anna that made King Agdar and Queen Elsa share a smile, Hans removes his Arendelle long grey cloak and flexes his ample bicep muscle as he places the cloak over Elsa's bare shoulders with a smirk.

The youngest son of the snobbish Royal clan Westergaard had no qualms about going right to work on the other side of hard-working commoner Kristoff's crosscut saw, applying just the proper rhythm to the pull of the two-man crosscut that the Ice Harvester was fairly sure he could rely on in this seemingly Jack-of-all-trades Prince.

"It is a beautiful tree, Papa. Mama and Anna will be pleased." Elsa watches with admiring eyes her handsome suitor's fluid body movements as he proudly wears the Naval uniform of Sjoforsvaret which she always adored on her father.

"And are you truly pleased this Christmas, my Snow Angel?" Agdar looks down upon his child's gaze full of adoration for the Danish Prince who somehow continually earned his respect time and time again.

"More than words can say, Papa. Just like when we were little girls. But even better this year… I have a tremendous feeling that this is going to be the most perfect Arendelle family Christmas I ever imagined." Elsa whispers, full of happy emotion as she snuggles for the first time in a long time into her Papa's warm embrace as the two keep up the iced rope tension for the cross-sawing young men.

And he just as warmly hugs her back with the tender love between father and daughter the pair of ice gifted sovereigns had not felt free to share for a very long time.

"Okay, I think it's ready to call 'Timber!', Sir! If you'll do the honors –?" Kristoff announces with a great big smile as he and a satisfied Hans stand back from the 50 foot tall, beautiful Evergreen Norway spruce.

"Your Majesty?" Agdar deferentially bows to Elsa as he too steps back to allow the young Queen to be the true monarch in charge he had taught her to be.

"All right, then." Elsa smiles broadly in the dark, cold winter night as she gazes between the warm, caring eyes of the trio of men surrounding her. With Anna's spirit ever close in her heart, Elsa feels absolutely no fear, nor timidity as she just lets herself go.

 **"TIMBER!"** Her coloratura soprano rings crystal clear through the starry night sky.

In unison, the Ice Queen and the Ice King cryokinetically let go of the ropes they had been keeping the tension taut of on either side of the magnificent spruce Kristoff and Hans had manfully chopped down together.

The Norway spruce falls silently soft upon the pillow of magic snow the Queen of the North Winter had artistically created as her gentle winds float the downed tree towards the waiting sleigh.

There, Hans and Kristoff, under King Agdar's instructive supervision, use the ropes to securely tie the massive tree to the sleigh. Then they each attach their tackle as they ride Sitron and Iriserende on either side of the front of the sleigh to help pull the impressive tree home.

With the beaming Ice Queen silently standing in control at the helm, and her Ice King father proud to be merely watching that all went well from the rear, the sleigh swiftly maneuvers down the steep mountainside's hills back to their brightly moonlit kingdom of Arendelle.

Once again, feeling peaceful music inspired in her heart on this Christmas time night, Queen Elsa softly begins to hum one of the timeless hymn's beautiful verses with Prince Hans' tenor gently harmonizing as they drive into Arendelle village.

 _"Silent night! Holy night,  
Son of God, Love's pure light.  
Radiant beams from Thy Holy Face  
With the dawn of redeeming grace,  
Jesus, Lord, at Thy Birth!  
Jesus, Lord, at Thy Birth!"_

Through the streets, the good people of Arendelle look out the windows or step out their doors to watch and listen to the tender carol ringing through the cold night as the biggest, fullest and greenest Christmas tree makes its way towards the festive castle.

There a psychically alerted Anna had rushed from her bed to come running down to the open gate with her mother Queen Idun, with Gerda and Kai and Johanne and Esteban as well, all gleefully waving at the joyous sight.

* * *

 ** _The early morning of Christmas Eve dawns bright and promising…_**

"Oh, that was the **funnest** Christmas tree decorating party EVER!" Princess Anna had opted to stay in the Castle with Elsa in her room after the exciting night before of the entire Castle happily scrambling to put up the Christmas tree that Elsa and Papa had brought home – _with Kristoff and Hans' help_ – from the North Mountain forest.

An excitable Anna vividly recalls the unforgettable Christmas songs being sung, with glittery tinsel, glassy bauble ornaments, lighted candles representing stars with strung popcorn and gingerbread cookies all being hung on that huge spruce tree Kristoff had informed his little wife was named 'Lucey'.

 _Just like the_ _St. Lucia_ _! Does Christmas decorating get better than knowing the name of the tree you welcomed in your home?! Heeheehee!_

And the piece de resistance of Anna's night, the moment that made her totally forget all of her wobbly tummy trouble demands was when her Kristoff ever so gently carried her up the step ladder to lift her still small and thin body up entirely to place the golden star upon the crown of the Christmas tree.

"Last evening certainly was _more fun_ than either you or I have had in a very long time. All of us together, with Papa and Mama again as a family, Anna, made everything so magical, so unforgettable." Elsa more eloquently corrects her sister as she sentimentally remembers the night before herself.

"Especially that unforgettably ' _magical'_ ice mistletoe I saw you trying to pull on Mr. Red Silk shirt and that secret little present for you he was trying to secretly hang on Lucey." Anna teases her big sister, having witnessed Elsa aggressively tugging a tense Mr. Westergaard near the Christmas tree. Poor man was trying to hide both his present and her seduction from a watchful King Agdar who was standing like a hawk by the holiday punch bowl.

"I have no idea what you are speaking of, Anna." Her cute little nose up in the air, Elsa tries to cover up her flare of passion caused by just one little innocent sip of eggnog Princess Amber insisted she tried. But Elsa had no idea it contained just a touch of added rum which had stirred up the inhibitions of the platinum Ice Queen, who had little to no tolerance for alcoholic beverages.

"Besides, Prince Hans has already given me my Christmas gift, early." Elsa bites her lip, just then remembering how her thoughtful fiancé had pleaded with her not to speak of Iriserende until Anna's Christmas morning present of Guddy the Gudsbrandal colt was appropriately revealed by himself for the most gain.

"Ooh, Elsa! That sounds enigmatic. _I've_ already got the bestest Christmas present Kristoff could ever give me." Anna coos, showing off her lover's incomparable gift with a rub to her slightly bulging tummy. "Too bad it makes me sicky sometimes. Just like eating too much chocolate or buttery cookies late at night. But totally worth it." Battling the morning sickness she was slowly growing accustomed to, Anna deliriously smiles as she lies back down with a flop to the bed Elsa had just primly made.

"I can't believe it's Christmas Eve already! I'm literally going crazy thinking what to do first! Squee! What _are_ we gonna do first?! What are we gonna do with Mama and Papa all back and the gates open?! We are going to have so much fun, Elsie! Like our dream Christmas come true at last!" But before the yawning young woman, still mostly in her sleepwear, could climb back up from where she had wriggled herself in the midst of the fleecy blankets on the messy bed, she was already sound asleep and snoring.

"It's too early for you to get up. You just go back to sleep for a few more hours, Anna. I think I'll go down to see if Mama needs help with the music in choir practice. Or maybe Johanne could use some assistance in the last minute chapel decorations." Elsa had already gotten herself clothed and ready for the morning while her little sister was raving about last night.

The tall and elegant young monarch smiles in the mirror to see her slumbering baby sister before she quietly leaves the bedroom, attired in her stately, regal purple morning dress.

On her way down the stairs, Elsa was sure that she spied a little red elf – rather a tall and slender titian haired Prince – who looked so polished and gorgeous even at this early hour in the morning. He was sneaking into the living room and hanging several little present boxes onto the boughs of the massive spruce tree that was now fully and loudly decorated, as per Anna's colorful, vivacious style.

She did not wish to disturb Hans in whatever sweet gesture of generosity her handsome, winsome fiancé was up to, so Elsa quietly brushes past without saying a word, to walk into the connected Arendelle Chapel.

But there was nowhere his beauteous Elsa Bernadotte could go that observant Hans Westergaard would not have noticed in the corner of his keen, green eyes.

* * *

 _'Born Thy people to deliver,  
born a child and yet a King,  
born to reign in us forever,  
now Thy gracious kingdom bring.  
By Thine own eternal spirit  
rule in all our hearts alone;  
by Thine all sufficient merit,  
raise us to Thy glorious throne_.'

"Elsa, min Flicka! Oh my darling! How glad I am you have come to Chapel early." Since those horrid days held captive by that pirate, Queen Idun was always up with the dawn.

Her personal organizing of the church service for Christmas Eve was a special treat for the devout little mother this year, after five hard, absent ones, with the Queen mother returned to her family and home.

"Why is that, Mama? What's all the excitement about? Your choir does sound glorious this fine morning. So surely that is not the problem." Elsa nods to each of the choir members and orchestra musicians who were already making beautiful music in praise as they practiced.

"Well, you see, Sven and Svala have just arrived back at Anna's cottage with a message from Princess Valentina and Prince Alonso." Queen Idun takes Elsa to the side of the pews to quietly make the statement, glancing around particularly to where Chancellor Esteban was helping a smiling Johanne with the final decorations at the altar.

"Yes? What message did they send that has you in such a fluster?" Elsa asks in curiosity at her mother's pensive voice.

"The message was to Chancellor Esteban. They are planning on returning with the entire Royal family to South America on the King of Portugal's private yacht, soon after New Year's Day to make the long journey across the Atlantic. Their grand wedding, as you know, is scheduled for Valentine's Day in Paraiso." Idun whispers as she and her daughter walk down the aisle together.

"Yes, I recall Princess Valentina pointedly mentioning that." Elsa replies with an arched brow, vividly remembering the ostentatious Princess' declaration of her marriage to the Norwegian Queen's former Argentinian suitor.

"My good friend Chancellor Esteban is compelled to return with Prince Alonso in order to explain to his father, King Juan Ramón, of his son's life-altering romantic arrangement. The honor bound Duke has also confided in me that he honestly wishes to marry our Johanne and intends to take her back with him on this voyage to start their new home together in Avalor, where they will wed."

"Oh, I see. That's wonderful news, then! …Isn't it?" Her own wedding preparations still up in the air made Elsa's heart flutter just to think of all the arrangements her once inconceivable marriage would entail. And now, she realized, there would be a rash of other upcoming matrimonial plans they had to juggle around the days, on top of it all.

"It has been weighing heavily on poor Johanne's mind all morning how her older brother will react to the sudden news that she must leave immediately on a ship to Portugal to make it in time to meet Valentina's launch home. Perhaps with you here to give your blessing, Minister Kai will be more agreeable to the plan? I dare not ask your father to intercede. He can be very pigheaded about such matters, knowing how dear Johanne has been to him as nanny and lifelong friend." Even as Idun bitterly spoke of her intransient man, she knew that their long time Arendelle rigid regent, head servant, and close friend would also not be in peace with this situation.

"No, Mama. I've known Johanne and Kai all my life. Minister Kai loves his younger sister. He will be even more devastated to not be able to properly give away his sibling at her wedding. Faced with that eventuality, it's likely he won't allow her to leave, especially unchaperoned on a long ocean voyage alone with the Chancellor. And Papa probably will back him up. Christmas will be ruined for all of them." A worried Elsa bites her lower lip in consternation as she joins her mother in wringing her hands at their dour suppositions concerning the mature lovers.

"Then, why not hold their marriage ceremony right here, right now, in Arendelle before Chancellor Esteban and Miss Johanne must leave for that voyage to their new home in Avalor? If so, her family – which includes not only good Councillor Rosenvalen and his wife Gerda, but the entire Bernadotte clan, who are like family to the faithful woman as well – can be in attendance to celebrate her happy day of new beginnings." The handsome man with big ears and an even bigger strategic brain could not help but eavesdrop on the pair of Queens he had silently stalked into the Chapel, with the mere intention to stealthily sit in on his fiancée's practice recital.

" _Godmorgen_ (Good morning), Your Majesties." The Danish Prince gives an elegant bow to the two royal ladies in morning greeting of his native tongue.

"Hans!" Elsa swirls around, surprised, but not surprised, that her deep concerns were concisely and judiciously being addressed by the astute man she had sworn her heart to.

"Why, yes. That is a wonderful idea! It will solve everything! If they are already married and setting out on their bridal tour, Kai can rightfully have no further objection as to his sister being in Esteban's care. And Johanne will be so pleased to have Kai give her away, with all of us in attendance at the ceremony to send her off. You are as brilliant as you are attractive, Prince Hans!" Causing the blushing Danish Prince's cheeks to flush red from all her prais, Idun gazes to where Esteban was aiding a smiling Johanne in setting the holy candelabra on the altar straight in the proper order, Queen Idun latches on to the idea. In giggles, she ponders the perspicacious proposal.

"But what about Papa?" Elsa pours a little icy cold water on this early morning hatched plan, even as she gazes into Hans' eyes with utter gratitude for his always obliging, clever mind.

" ** _'What_** about Papa _?'_ "

King Agdar himself had wandered into the church chapel, drawn to the blessed holiday music his starved soul had yearned to hear from his kingdom's well-performed choir again after missing the last five Christmases, thinking each one would be his last.

Wide-eyed Elsa and Hans – whose hands had somehowe entwined between the empty church pews – freeze in place as the intimidating ruler of this land's low baritone abruptly intrudes into their conversation.

But one woman would never be overawed by his kingly aura. Though she was still so madly in love with him, his inflexibility made her blood boil in anger.

Until the next words which exuded from his mouth beneath that twitching ginger moustache.

"Is he such a monster, this formidable Papa of yours, that he would not wish for a long overdue love to finally shine upon the life of one of his dearest friends?" He quirks a smile at the conniving trio huddled in the rear of the Lutheran Chapel pews, gaining their rapt smiles as Idun, Elsa and Hans look to one another in pleased shock.

"Johanne? May we have a word with yourself and the Chancellor?" King Agdar takes the question by its reins, calling out across the church to the pair in question at the altar.

"I hear that you will be leaving us to start a new journey, my dearest nanny. Would it be amicable with you if we hold the wedding ceremony here already, today perhaps, to celebrate your joyful marriage with your family who loves you so dearly we only want for your happiness now?" 'Little Agdy' smiles kindly to his first friend, taking both of his dear old nanny Johanne's trembling hands in his stately ones as she approaches her King's beckon.

"Today? Here in our palace home parish…?" Johanne's once dulled grey eyes perk up even more at the idea, looking as if all the riches in the world had just been handed to her. "But…Your Majesty. What will my brother Kai say to this? He has always been so good a brother to me, I'd never want to hurt him." There were mixed tears in Johanne's normally sedate eyes as a compassionate Esteban wraps a warm arm around her fragile, thin shoulders.

 _"'Fear not," said he for mighty dread  
had seized their troubled mind  
"glad tidings of great joy I bring  
to you and all mankind.'"_

Everyone pauses, soaking up the practicing choir's Christmas tribute of _"While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks"_ by George Frederic Handel for several minutes before anyone says a thing.

"Johanne's happiness… What does that South American know of my sister's happiness that **_I_** have been watching out for all these years without _his_ help? What good were those silly correspondence letters I sent back to the roué 'return to sender'?! Where was he all these years to not come across the ocean to her if he cared so much?" Just outside the Chapel side door, and able to hear his King's words faintly as he gazes in through a stained-glass window, Kai himself had returned from his long walk outside.

The Arendelle Castle director had come to speak with the Lutheran minister as to the timing of the liturgical and Scripture readings in the church service for later tonight.

In the cold of the bitter winter outdoors this Christmas Eve, Kai had been angrily seething. The fat man had paced back and forth, observing for the past half-hour or so with tormented, guilty, jealous eyes, his younger sister and her attentive Avaloran beau's rekindled romance lighting the Advent candles at the altar.

But Kai was not a bad person. His intercepting the correspondence Esteban sent to Johanne those two and a half decades ago was, he thought then, an act of kindness for his impressionable younger sibling. He believed Johanne had found contentment in her work here with her Arendelle family. And that was before the royals had issues of their own which closed the castle gates down for the rest of the time—until recently, when bold Princess Anna dared to dream outside of the box, and showed her sheltered sister that love melts every cold heart.

 _"'All glory be to God on high,  
and to the earth be peace;  
to those on whom his favor rests  
goodwill shall never cease.'"_

So as he paced the snowy grounds, pondering these things on this blessed morning, the large set, balding gentleman was not untouched by the calming Christmas music. It inspired a peace in his heart towards love now that his devout wife Gerda had been gently, but firmly, trying to impress upon the stoic older servant these past few weeks.

That and a soft kiss of snowflakes which suddenly spills from the sky to land upon Kai's exasperated, tearful cheeks, melts upon his hot eyelids that had been raised to Heaven praying incessantly to God.

Not to give him incredible forbearance and merciful kindness the once headstrong young man lacked, but rather to simply keep things as they were, proper and unchanged, with that dashing Chancellor back on the boat returning home, leaving Johanne here at her home where she belonged.

As a youth, Kai could have lost himself in the cold logical world with the Snow Queen, if not for faithful Gerda's enduring devotion and patience to bring him back to the warmth of love.

' _Your heart is warm and your eyes unclouded by any trace of the cold shards now, my brave little Kai. So why do you still hide behind my old Mirror of Reason when Queen Elsa has shown you all the brilliance of her new Mirror of Love? The more you try to reason, the less reason you gain. But the more love you give, the more love you will be blessed with. So please embrace your new Queen's bright way, my beautiful little boy. God gave us His gift of 'Tenerity' – Trust, Encouragement, Nobility, Empathy, Righteousness, Inspiration, Truth, and Yearning. And through each virtue, we must spread His Tenderness to share with mankind, not hoard them away like an old miser. Especially not from those we love dearly, especially not at the Lord's precious Christmastime of charitable generosity.'_

Perhaps only in the quiet hush, close to a holy sanctuary such as this, with the angelic choir singing in the background, through the echoes in his heart the Snow Queen could speak to Kai. After all his cluttered heart's confusion revealed over the past few weeks, her gentle words make this all clear to him, and stiff Councilor Kai begins to open his eyes anew.

Eyes that now spill over openly with hot warm tears full of the understanding and kindness he had **not** prayed for, but had received, as God's incomprehensible Love granted to each of us unawares.

"Ready to go inside the Chapel and be part of the day, sir?" Snow Prince Kristoff had relayed his mother's message to Kai so the distraught older man could hear her gentle soprano voice in his head so succinctly.

Leaning on Kristoff's strong arm that offers him support and a handkerchief, Kai blows his big bulbous nose and shakes his head positively with his first genuine smile to the young mountainman as he wipes the tears from his own eyes.

The pair of men shock everyone by suddenly barging into the church's rear entrance.

"Were you going to inform me about the subsequent departure and special Christmas Eve wedding you seem to have all planned behind my back, Esteban? Or is your bride's older brother not even invited to walk his beloved sister down the aisle?" Trying to keep a straight face as he talked, Councilor Kai shook Kristoff off so he could march toward the tall, debonair Duke of Avalor portentously.

"But of course, Brother Kai. You are the _most_ important guest Johanne and I could ever be blessed to welcome to our joyous occasion. I will be honored to call you my _Hermano_ (brother), sir, and you Madam, my _Hermana_ (sister), from now on." In his lilting Hispanic accent, Esteban awards Kai with a sweeping bow and a gentlemanly kiss to Gerda's fat little paw.

The rushed-off-her-feet, flour-dusted housekeeper had been alerted by Kristoff, via Anna, to come running into the Chapel to perhaps circumvent an argumentative scene in the holy place.

"I am the one blessed to see my little sister have this second chance, despite my past mistakes, to experience the kind of tender, abiding love my Gerda and I have shared all these years. Thank you, Chancellor for making Johanne a happy woman at last." Kai finally lets go of that all too human shard of overbearing jealousy that had kept him prejudiced against the charming Chancellor all these years after he had returned Esteban's pleading love letters unopened.

"Then it is fortunate that we have the Bishop himself, right here at this beautifully festooned church you have all worked so hard in decorating, to perform the special ceremony, is it not, Bishop?" King Agdar steps in here to urge the none too pleased Lutheran pastor of this abrupt change of plans to his well mapped out Christmas Eve service he had been prepping all morning.

"Oh… Why not?" Growing a bit grouchy in his old age, the curmudgeon Lutheran Minister could not help but smile when he sees the blushing bride being sweetly dragged into the rectory changing vestibule.

There Johanne, already wearing for the Christmas service her finest frock of chestnut brown and deep salmon, was transformed.

In a whirlwind of new Christmas bells, pale blue gossamer veils and borrowed flower crowns from Idun and Gerda and latecomer Anna, first bride Johanne was dolled up like a true Lady by the artistic young Queen's magic silvery ice rose accents.

Her family had done her up proper—right down to the traditional silver sixpence the older ladies' maid laughed with glee to find in her shoe.

Chancellor Esteban was rewarded to be waiting at the Christmas altar for the woman he yet saw through the eyes of love as that bouncy blonde young girl of twenty again.

Sweet Johanne had brought joy and wonder into his gloomy life then, and was bringing love and tranquility to his fulfilled life now. The two exchange their vows of love and devotion in the sight of God and her brother, and in front of all her friends from the kingdom gathered at this quiet, private ceremony filled with romance and Christmas magic.

* * *

 ** _After Chancellor Esteban and Johanne_** ** _Flores_** ** _' wedding party dinner in_** ** _Arendelle_** **_Castle_** ** _'s Dining Hall…_**

"That was an amazing wedding! I didn't know I could still be a bridesmaid! It is so romantic to be married at Christmas time, with all the decorations of silver and gold and angels with the snowflakes falling **outside** the window reminding us to keep each other warm **inside**! Kristoff and I have to do it again someday - probably at our, like 25th anniversary year - but this time at Christmas!" Princess Anna was still exuberant from being called upon to be a bridesmaid, even if she was already married herself and expectant with child. She wiggles the wedding band on her gulping guy's hand with the crazy second wedding (or was it their third?) future plan.

"Well, it is Queen Elsa's second time as a bridesmaid. Is it not, your Majesty?" Princess Hildegard was a little miffed to have not been invited to the Chancellor's impromptu wedding ceremony, as she and Cleo had been out sightseeing with Prince Desmond in Arendelle village all afternoon.

"And you know what they say: ' _Three times a bridesmaid, never a bride_!' I'd avoid attending other women's weddings like the plague if I were you." Princess Amber did not mean to be unkind, but she did have quite a bit of superstition when it came to a proper lady keeping with tradition.

"I assure you that _my_ fiancée will be _Mrs._ Hans Westergaard in the near future, ladies. Superstition or no." Prince Hans returns, leaneing over the railing to land a surprise peck possessively on Elsa's chilly cheek.

He delivers some assuredly non-alcoholic punch for his Queen at the early Christmas Eve party/ wedding reception Queen Idun was throwing for her newly married friends, Johanne and Esteban.

"Shall you and I entertain your guests with your lilting vocals at this lovely pianoforte your parents gifted you for your birthday, min kæreste?" As the early evening sun was setting, Prince Hans sweeps a talented hand across the well-tuned keys which then sweep Queen Elsa into the Conservatory where a few more of the guests from her mother's choral society and their families had gathered.

There were also several of the church members and their kin who had come to view the stunningly majestic Christmas tree the King and his sons-in-law had brought in last night for the ladies to decorate.

"He's dreamy. Does he have any brothers?" Having no idea what she was asking, lonely heart Princess Hildegard sighs, feeling like a wallflower as she sways to and fro to Mendelssohn's score of 'Hark the Herald Angels Sing'.

"Don't ask." Rolling her eyes at the innumerable Danish faces popping in her head, Anna mumbles with her mouth full.

Excellent pianist Hans Westergaard first chose this piece for his silky voiced angel Elsa to take the harmony of, in his invited merry keyboard duet.

 _"'Peace on Earth, and mercy mild. God and sinners reconcile!'_ " Hans' golden throat croons, hands flying jubilantly across the keys with a nod to prompt Elsa to sing along for his delighted smile.

Green with envy Hildey makes a wish on the Christmas star atop the tree that she had a princely boyfriend who was half as romantic – not to mention good-looking – as Queen Elsa's.

" _'Joyful all ye nations rise!'_ " Elsa's high-pitched soprano fills in the soaring line of Charles Wesley's 1739 Christmas hymn.

 _"'Join the triumph of the skies!'_ " Hans playfully responds in his flawless tenor, then prompts Elsa to sing along with her next, pitch perfect octave higher lyric.

 _"'With angelic hosts proclaim:'"_ Elsa was getting into the Christmas spirit, trilling in her pretty soprano high octaves to her love's beckon.

 _"''Christ is born in_ _Bethlehem_ _!'_ "" Hans and Elsa's voices intermingle superbly as the glint of love found in one another's eyes was undeniable.

 _"'Hark the Herald Angels sing, glory to the newborn King!'"_

Hearing the duet's joyous melody ring through the castle, King Agdar strolls through the hallway, giving a pause at the Conservatory door to peer in upon his older girl and the dashing young man she had chosen to be her partner in life.

Elsa seemed so carefree sitting at her new piano, melodically dueting together with Prince Hans, hands lightheartedly flying across the keyboard over one another as they sat so complementary close, side-by-side.

"Well played." King Agdar murmurs under his breath that catches when someone sneaks up behind him.

 _Idun! There you are! You've been flitting about all day! Good, it's getting dark. This may be the best chance to reveal my present at last to all three of my girls!_

"They do complement one another, do they not? I'd say a perfect match." Queen Idun had followed her husband's meandering trail towards the lovely music Elsa and Hans were making together at the Conservatory piano.

"The young man certainly has a talent for vocalizing. But you always had a preference for the Westergaards' brassy flair." Wearing a bemused smile, Agdar could not help but jab and mildly step in it again with that saucy comment to his wife.

"And _you_ always have had a chip on your shoulder concerning the ' _Danes'_." Idun snaps back in a snobbish, mimicking voice, spinning on her heel to leave her irksome man skulking in the dark hall alone.

"With just cause – Ooh, that woman! This wasn't how it was supposed to go!" The ginger Ice King retorts loud enough to interrupt Hans and Elsa's playing at the musical string instrument, Elsa excusing herself.

The apologetic King regretted his flippant remarks, but his ashamed wife had already gone to attempt to halt Anna from pigging out too much on gingerbread cookies at the dining buffet.

 _Perhaps this requires another tact…_ Naval man Agdar thinks in sailing terms to himself as he waves to the Conservatory for Elsa to join him in the hall.

Hans accompanies her as they follow Elsa's father into the library where Queen Idun and Anna were arguing over a handful of frosting coated gingerbread men at the desert table.

 ** _CHOMP!_**

"You are going to regret that later tonight, Missy." Queen Idun was having a rough time imparting her personal struggle with pregnancy with her renegade feisty daughter they never had the heart to deny wallowing in sugary sweet snacks growing up.

"Perhaps you had better pay heed to your mother, Gingersnap. Or else you may not be feeling well enough to come outside to open your _favorite_ early Christmas gift made by someone who loves you dearly." King Agdar dangles the even sweeter treat before Anna's silently bulging out eyes. "And it's particularly exceptional this year."

Incredulously, Anna looks from her blank mother to the similar expression on Elsa's face where her big sister hung on Hans' arm, also wearing an imperturbable expression.

Then the peppery ginger's face lights up to corner Kristoff where the shy guy had been guiltily hiding from the guests. The awkward mountainman could be found stoking the fire at the fireplace in each room since after dinner, while keeping a watchful eye on his continually nonstop eating machine of a hungry wife bouncing from noisy spot to spot.

The Wind Whisperer had been keeping their mind meld communications at a bare minimum since yesterday with the excuse of Christmas surprises that would be blown if she should traipse through his mind like usual. Kristoff wasn't about to give away her father's big surprise either.

 _{"Hang on, Baby. It just gets better."}_ Knowing how Anna would love this second half of the surprise, Kristoff's sealed psychic message was as teasingly enigmatic as his smug smile and obstinate big manly 'hands on hips' pose.

"I promise you all, I had a little extra help, so it's very special this year. Come, children. My Queen? You must all wear your warmest coats and hats, please. It's growing chillier as night falls." With an enticing smile to all his guests and hand extended to Queen Idun, King Agdar had that mysterious air about him when presenting to his family the 'annual Nativity figurine' he had worked all year at carving in his 'secret' workshop in years gone by.

And this time he could share his furtive glances with Kristoff and Hans, Esteban and King Roland, as well as many of the friendly village carpenters specially invited to the Christmas Eve party where they had helped their King in his special last minute this time, gift giving mission.

"Kristoff? Hans? If you could watch that those two girls don't trip with their eyes closed. The frozen steps can be rather slippery." As King Agdar leads his hand-held-over-her-eyes petite Queen and the hushed group out from the Castle to the frosty front portico, he instructs the two young men at their side to be vigilant as giggling Elsa and Anna close their eyes and squeeze each other's hands just like they did each year when they were wee little girls.

An impatient Anna's excitement builds so much that she thought she would just pop, her eyes dying to flip open as Kristoff from behind steadies his bubbly Feistypants from jumping out of her own skin.

But she was game to enthusiastically wait until her Papa said all was ready, even as the church choir was beginning to chant and sing quietly in Latin the oldest of all Christmas hymns that seemed to suit the pianissimo moment of the hushed and holy, wintry theme they were stepping out into.

 _"'Corde natus ex parentis Ante mundi exordium  
A et O cognominatus, ipse fons et clausula  
Omnium quae sunt, fuerunt, quaeque post futura sunt.  
Saeculorum saeculis.'"_

 _(Of the Father's love begotten ere the worlds began to be,  
He is Alpha and Omega, He the Source, the Ending He,  
Of the things that are, that have been, And that future years shall see  
Evermore and evermore.)_

Leading Elsa by the arm as his well studied mind mentally translates the fourth century Latin piece titled ' _Of the Father's Love Begotten'_ , Prince Hans looks upon the platinum blonde's gorgeous face smiling, with eyes closed glowing in the moonlight as she feels the holy words reverberate within her soul.

As if he had stepped into some ethereal Christmas fantasy, Hans never thought he'd glimpse anything as beautifully pristine and innocent – _purple_ _face paint and all_ – than that of the Ice Queen whom the once cold calculating young man had fallen hopelessly in love with.

Nor did he, the outcast, unwanted, unloved, throwaway child, ever think he would ever be welcomed to such a place as here in idyllic Arendelle, in the peaceful setting of the bosom of his dream Angel's loving Christian family.

"All right, Idun. Elsa, Anna. You can open your eyes. It's ready." The King had gestured for the people around to hold their awe of the unveiled scenic Nativity crèche until his three girls glimpsed it. It now housed the full, meticulous set of the holy family with shepherds and sheep and cattle and donkeys.

Not to mention the new additions of that unforgettably detailed angel above the structure and the strategically hanging star that cast down an almost ethereal light upon the Baby Jesus.

It was all working perfectly, just as the intelligent King had devised his theory of a lit flame mirrored behind the sheeting long ago. But it took the know-how of the skilled carpenters and capable perspicacity of Hans and Kristoff to set all the parts Agdar had assembled into proper placement, at long last.

"Looky at that angel and how the new star shines on Baby Jesus! Look at the stable full of real hay for the animals! It's so lifelike, I want to kneel down to worship with the shepherds!" Anna was still as excited as a kid in a candy shop, admiring each of the figures with the new addition of the Angel in the star this year to complete the set.

"Oh, Papa! It's beautiful." Elsa whispers in awe, daintily touching the faces as she admires each of the now completely finished and assembled figurines that her talented father had painstakingly sculpted and painted, over the years for his children's Christmas presents.

"My funny little sheep finally has a real home!" Bundled up in a thick coat so she could hardly walk, Kristoff had to steady her, as Anna kneels down to the snow to sit beside her 'Mr. Wooly' little lamb.

The sparkling girl looked so sweet, like a part of the scene as she pets the sheep lovingly where the glued cotton ball sculpture lay by the manger beneath the lopsided donkey.

"You have truly outdone yourself for your girls, _min älskare_ (my love). Thank you for being such a good father to them in this. I'll go welcome the parishioners and invite all our citizens to view your masterpiece on their way to chapel." Her hardened heart melts down a little more this Christmas Eve night of selfless generosity. Moved, Queen Idun lands a soft kiss on her husband's cheek before turning to attend to their guests, and King Agdar's handsome face lights up like a Christmas tree.

He lovingly watches his stunning little Queen benevolently socialize with devout rich man and poor child alike who had been slowly gathering into the gates early on their way to Christmas Eve church service to see the breathtaking Nativity.

"So, my beautiful girls! On to our next special family treat!" The animated King claps his hands together, gladdened that his standoffish wife finally had kind words to say to him on this Christmas Eve.

"When you girls are finished examining your completed Nativity, I thought we could, as a family, attend the door to door caroling I pledged to the pastor we would join in celebrating this year, to bring the citizens of Arendelle to our Christmas Eve service."

"YYEEEEEE!" Anna does not suppress her squeal of pure delight as she jumps up from where she was kneeling at the manger and squeezes her father around the neck so tightly that the King was at a definite loss for words – not to mention breath.

"You're going to kill off your Dad for Christmas if you don't let up that stranglehold, Feistypants." As he walks by nonchalantly, Kristoff drolly comments in his nonplussed way that Anna _sometimes_ listened to.

"Oh! I'm sorry, Papa! But we're sooo happy for this super Christmas you've given us! Aren't we, Elsie?" The spontaneous young woman ditches her half choked father to twirl her teary-eyed older sister 'round and 'round the cobblestone ground of the ice and snow covered courtyard until both their braided heads were spinning.

"Absolutely." Hans speaks up for his speechless, dizzied fiancée as he steps in to stabilize rescue the more sedate sibling from her high speed baby sister's frantic excitement.

Anna sticks out her tongue at him, revealing a purplish/red/blue mouth interior due to the evidential boysenberry pie she had been helping Gerda mix in the kitchen previously.

"Where are your manners, min spadbarns. Especially in front of the Bishop and Pastor before the Christmas Eve service later this evening! Not to mention the Duke and _Duchess_." Amused by Hans and Anna's angsty brother/sister relationship, Queen Idun respectfully nods to the clerics as she then teases her newly wedded friends.

"Now what is all this fresh excitement about?" Idun thought she heard Anna squeal a second time with delight, and had returned to the crèche to insure her pregnant daughter did not overexcite herself.

Idun had been welcoming visitors into the Arendelle Chapel doors with Johanne and Esteban. The maidservant timidly yet proudly, stepped into society for the first time as 'Duchess', on her new husband, the Duke of Avalor, Esteban's, devoted arm.

"The King has fortuitously suggested we invite our ladies to accompany the choir caroling around Arendelle with us, and I heartily agreed it would be a splendid idea to usher the good people in to observe the Christmas Eve service in church with us." Hans puts his charming hand to relieving the last remainder of underlying tension between husband-and-wife he had an inkling was on his behalf since the Masquerade Ball three nights ago.

"Caroling? Why… Agdar, that doesn't sound like your doing." Idun bitterly recalled how her mate had prohibited the disappointed children on past Christmases from ever going outside, or even listening to – _nevermind joining_ – the passing singers from town.

For over a decade, King Agdar shunned the idea of the carolers who paraded just beyond the closed Castle gates and locked doors, for fear Elsa may lose control and be discovered.

"… I must admit, Idun, that when the good Reverend informed me of their caroling itinerary for Christmas Eve, I was inclined to decline once again. But the memory of Anna's enthusiasm back then made me feel it may be, at last, time to reenter the world of living. With so many new reasons to give praise to the Lord and enjoy life unshackled this year, I don't see a rationale why not to anymore." Agdar gives a side glance at Anna's stomach which Kristoff was tenderly rubbing.

The overprotective father even dares to glimpse Hans' arm resting around Elsa's contented bare shoulder that was no longer in fear of being touched.

And the mulish King lets out a resigned sigh to his dubious Queen's delight. Her doubtful eyes shift from dull to a more attentive, indigo glow, meeting his again with nothing but love.

"I've waited for years to hear you say that, min älskare." Queen Idun whispers, close to tears. She wished they were alone in the room so could speak all that had been captive in her heart for the past twenty-five years of the family's self-imposed exile, hidden from the world.

"If you haven't noticed yet, I'm a slow learner, my pet." Agdar was glad of heart to have his wife and life partner's smile granted back, beaming up at him properly again during this precious family time of Christmas Eve, when it seemed all that more dear.

Not to mention the fact that they had a wedding anniversary on the New Year soon to come in one short week's time he had to live up to.

"I've noticed." She responds, thinking on how to soften up her stubborn man to be amicable to hastening Elsa's upcoming wedding to the Danish Prince, now that the King appeared to be no longer that discontented with the whole idea.

Prince Hans was yet scheduled to return to sea in the near future to continue his tour of duty, and wily Queen Idun was now focused in finding a way around that, too.

With Agdar and Idun, Hans and Elsa, and Anna and Kristoff in the lead, and newly married couple Esteban and Johanne, with Kai and Gerda, King Roland and Queen Miranda, and their children taking the sides and rear, the jubilant choir of itinerant carolers go from friendly door to door, partaking of sweet treats and wassailing merrily.

 _"'God rest ye merry, Gentlemen, let nothing you dismay! Remember Christ our Saviour was born on Christmas day! To save us all from Satan's p'wer when we have gone astray. Ohh, tidings of comfort and joy. (Confort and joy.) Ohh, tidings of comfort and joy!'"_

Musically inclined Kristoff switches between his songful lute and that tuneful all in one instrument Varian had left with him to harmonize with many good ole carols like 'God rest ye Merry, Gentlemen' to 'Good King Wenceslas' and 'Here We Come A-wassailing' and back to a reverent 'Silent Night' among many others.

The church members, locals, visiting friends and royal family members all share in song and one another's company for the first time in forever in the pleasant, chilly winter evening in praise and thanksgiving and worship on this happiest Christmas Eve Arendelle had ever seen.

It was growing quite late by the time the jolly carolers arrived back home to Arendelle Castle's holy Chapel after visiting nearly every house in town that opened its doors to see its beloved royal family together and celebrating the joyous season with them, at last.

The Bishop and Pastor were both smiling broadly, for the carolers – most likely owing to the energetic inspired singing and presence of the young royal family – had brought in more citizens than the church had seen in decades.

The Christmas Eve service was warm and familial and splendid for all who attended. From its celestial choir music and singing; to the reading from the Gospel of Luke which King Agdar and Queen Elsa together emotionally read; to the Bishop's inspired message of the Holy song that connected Heaven and earth on that miraculous moment when the angels heralded God's incredible Love born from humble beginnings.

And that timeless hymn of 'Angels From the Realms of Glory's' triumphant verse was sung by Prince Hans in a solo request after the choir master begged the velvet-voiced young Vise Admiral to sing in their lead tenor's place, as he was ailing with a cold.

So, to Elsa's – and everyone else in the bursting chapel's - enchanted ears, Prince Hans had led the choir in vocalizing to the finest of his golden throated abilities God gave him, the inspiring hymn of that first Christmas at the close of the sermon to never forget the song of Christ's glory shared on this holy night over 1800 blessed years ago.

 _"Angels from the realms of glory,_

 _Wing your flight o'er all the earth,_

 _Ye who sang creation's story,_

 _Now proclaim Messiah's birth,_

 _Gloria in excelsis Deo!  
Gloria in excelsis Deo!_

 _Shepherds, in the fields abiding,_

 _Watching o'er your flocks by night,_

 _God with man is now residing,_

 _Yonder shines the infant Light,_

 _Gloria in excelsis Deo!  
Gloria in excelsis Deo!'"_

* * *

By the time the Christmas Eve Midnight Mass had concluded, Kristoff had to carry Anna from the church the remainder of the way home.

Partway through the sacrament of Communion, when the Bishop started waving the incense smoke filled thurible censer around with clouds of scented smoke, Anna was not feeling quite up to snuff.

Perhaps the combination of pregnancy, incense and downing more milk and cookies and treats that every Julebukken filled household had to offer the sweet-toothed Princess on their caroling adventure was not good.

But Anna soldiered on to stick out the Church service with her family until the last Christmas hymn of 'Silent Night' was sung.

 _"'Silent Night, holy Night._

 _All is calm, all is bright._

 _Round yon Virgin, Mother and Child._

 _Holy Infant, so tender and mild._

 _Sleep in Heavenly peace._

 _Sleep in Heavenly peace.'"_

"It's Christmas Eve and the stars are awake…" Gazing up at the bright sparkling stars from where she lay in Kristoff's arms, the overtired girl had drifted off to sleep, as the soft recessional hymn echoing them home instructed, even before they entered the Castle's doors.

"I'd better get Anna off to sleep in her room. It'll be a big day for her tomorrow. You know how she loves Christmas. Thanks for the Nativity and the wonderful night of caroling before that amazing Church service. She really enjoyed it." Kristoff pauses at the foot of the stairs to say good night to Anna's parents, the awkward boy quite at a loss as how to thank them for including him in it like a true member of the family.

"Thank you for all your help… son. Glad you are here to watch over her all night after such a taxing day." Inviting Kristoff for the first time to stay in the Castle, Agdar was grateful that Anna had such a stable loyal young man such as Kristoff Bjorgman.

Even if he looked and acted like a common mountain workman.

"Good night, Mom. Good night… Dad." Kristoff found addressing kind eyed Queen Idun in the familial way was not as hard as it was looking in the cool face of the King of Arendelle and uttering the terrifying word 'Dad '.

But Kristoff had a brave, honest soul. And it was just about Christmas, after all.

"Good night, Kristoff." Idun answers for both herself and her husband with the small chuckle she could not restrain as a gulping Kristoff tucks tail and nearly runs up the stairs with Anna bundled tight in his arms, double time.

"Are you laughing at me, my pet? Would you have me deter him, if the Snow Queen's son so chooses to call me 'Dad' rather than another proper respectful address? We must make allowances, for the dirt covered boy was not raised properly in his youth." Agdar clumsily makes excuses, he and Kristoff indeed having that bonding experience which Idun had hoped they would forge together on their trip to find a perfect Christmas tree yesterday.

"You are correct as usual, my love. This is going to be our most wonderful Christmas, now that we're back together as a true family." Idun declares with a true smile of contentment as she rewards her husband with a warm embrace and passionate kiss that promised of more to come if he continued to play his cards right as she enticingly leads him up the stairs.

"Do you think Elsa will be all right by herself down there, finishing up for the evening…?" Agdar pauses on the staircase, giving a slight glance back down to where his hardworking older girl, who had already bid them each good night, was yet seen at the writing desk through the doorway of the Conservatory.

"Oh, Agdar. We must trust Elsa by now to be a good and noble Queen. We've raised two beautiful girls who are as smart and good and decent as they are tenderhearted and kind. You need not worry for either of them! They've both proven how capable they are in everything they attempt, and finally allow them to embrace their destined loves that the Lord has gifted them with. Just as you and I have found His blessing in one another to enjoy together." Idun whispers in his ear, directly addressing his fatherly worry with tender, understanding love more than frustrated, cool anger this time.

"You're right, of course, Idun, _min kjære (my dearest)_. They're just like you." Continuing up the stairs, Agdar smiles with pride as he thinks of the responsible, capable mature young women his daughters had become in leading their kingdom _and_ their lives.

That's when the Ice King's keen eyes glimpse – at the last possible moment before he and his wife ascended the staircase – a certain slim bodied, quick moving man in uniform quietly enter the Castle entrance vestibule and make a swift turn in the hall towards the Conservatory.

 _It's that someone else who is just like me that I'm more concerned about tonight…_

All the sentimentality her husband displayed this Christmas Eve had showed her Agdar was not beyond help when it came to the young men in his daughters' lives. The fact that she could see her stubborn husband was trying to bend, albeit ever so little, showed to her that he was wholly worthy of her forgiveness.

So he must be rewarded now to make up for the past few punishing days.

"It's time to unwrap your first Christmas present from me, min älskare." Pulling his fine chin to give her his attention alone, Queen Idun whispers seductively in her husband's ear as her eager arms pull him up the remainder of the steps towards their bedroom that she had not resided in for the past few nights.

* * *

Attending to her royal duties of assuring that the holiday servant's gift packets were each personally handwritten, named and left on the fireplace mantle for Kai to pick up and deliver to those who had faithfully served them all through the festive season.

Elsa then returns to the desk to finish writing a royal note to the Bishop on his much appreciated Christmas sermon this night in the Chapel, based on that unforgettable "Gloria in Excelsius Deo", not to mention the orchestral performance.

A wistful Elsa blows out the lamplight on the desk, leaving the hearth fire flickering beside the fully decorated Christmas tree in the darkened Conservatory.

"Still at work I see, my Queen? Did no one tell you the story that Father Christmas only visits good little girls who are tucked up in their beds on Christmas Eve night?" Breaking the crackling fire's quiet, Prince Hans' smooth voice enters both the darkened room and Elsa's heart in his silky way.

"I don't know if that Christmas tradition counts for Queens who have much responsibility, even on Christmas Eve." A secretly smiling Elsa responds in a soft hush, just finishing signing her letter for the Bishop and placing it on the desk where reliable Kai would surely see to it in the morning.

"But there is one Christmas tradition I am absolutely sure yet counts for even a Queen." With that flirtatious statement, a confident Prince Hans skulks across the room in an arrogant swagger.

Standing before a flummoxed Elsa in the dimly lit room where the yule log in the fireplace cast interesting shadows within, Hans abruptly grabs hold of a shocked Ice Queen in her dark blue velvet fur trimmed gown and yanks her to him by her bare shoulders.

"Merry Christmas, Snowflake." Her defenseless hands and arms are thrust against his navy blue officer's jacket chest in a hushed thrill, Elsa's dashing betrothed stealthily holds up a cunning red bow tied sprig of mistletoe that he had been hiding behind his back over Elsa's absolutely surprised head.

"Now that I have finally caught you alone, may a lowly reprobate such as I beg for a kiss under the mistletoe, my Queen, as we welcome in this Christmas day together?" Hans teases in his low timbered voice full of airs, as he playfully asks for the festive osculation with a saucy grin upon his face that plainly said he knew he already had the woman's acquiescent consent.

 _I have you._

In one motion Hans wraps his other strong sinewy arm to dip a compliant, supple Elsa down in proper position like a fox who had his prey right where he wanted her.

"You may." A breathless Elsa's eyes invite Hans Westergaard's delectably moist lips to her cool ones before they close in utter delirium adoration while the young lovers bask in the playful Christmas tradition.

 _You have me._

"You are the melody to my harmony, the words to my tune, the music to my song, Elsa of Arendelle. Come, play with me tonight." After several thrilling minutes of quenching his passionate thirst for her desired kiss at last, Prince Hans turns to the romantic and leads his willing fiancée to the gold-trimmed, ivory parlor grand piano on the other side of the Christmas tree.

There at the piano, the two young lovers quietly perform a side-by-side duet in perfect harmony and melody of the Greater Doxology of the 'Hymn of the Angels', also known in its Latin as "Gloria in Excelsius Deo" (Glory to God in the highest) that Vise Admiral Westergaard had won acclaimed approval performing at the Christmas Eve Arendelle Chapel service.

All of Prince Hans' dreams of spending Christmas with the one who loved him were coming true tonight. He makes a wish on the shooting Christmas star he and Elsa glimpse, with her head resting trustfully on his shoulder, in the quiet, as it soars through the polar night sky.

With a kiss straight from their hearts, Elsa and Hans pledge undying devotion, endless hope and abiding trust for all their Christmases to be as full of joy and praise and family and love as this one—beginning with the promise of their bright future.

* * *

That self-same early Christmas morning shooting star zings across the well-past midnight sky down over to the western European country of Prussia.

Dreaming of sugarplums as she lightly slept, Crown Princess Rapunzel had envisioned a perfect, heartwarming holiday scene to begin the day with. In it, she would tuck her sweet pair of twin little ones into their tiny side-by-side beds that Gunther and the other Snuggly Duckling thugs built especially for them.

The hand-carved out tree with an attached little table, diaper bin and twin cup-holders, mirrored the décor of the pub hideout to make a special, double-sized cradle bed. It sat beside Rapunzel and Eugene's king-sized bed where the twin girls' little mama had been reading them a bedtime Christmas story before she gave Anxelin and Ruby their kisses goodnight.

 _'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house. Not a creature was stirring, not even a…mouse_?'

Groggy herself from not having slept well at all in days, the achy, still weak new mother closes her eyes and lies back to her bed. She had been avidly reading the book her own Mother, Queen Arianna, had early gifted of American literary writer Clement Moore's holiday poem _'A Visit from St, Nicolas'_ to her slumbering pair of little angels, when a sudden crashing noise in the hallway wakes the finally just drifting off diminutive sweeties.

"Eugene? Eugene! Did you hear that?!" The brown-haired girl whispers in a panic to her bedmate.

"Wahh-wahh-wahh!" Wiping her own sleepy eyes, Rapunzel sit straight up and leans over the cradle, trying to hush the two wailing babies who would wake the entire Corona Royal household up at this muted, still time in the early, early morning.

Anxelin and Ruby were as considerate as their father, with minds of their own when it came to the volume of their noise level.

"No, no, no, no, girls! Please be quiet for Mama this Christmas morning!" She pleads with the brown and golden headed pair of tiny babies, who pause for a split second and blink up at her before wailing even louder.

"Ohh! Something's creeping outside in the hall – _just like last night and the night before_ – that woke the babies up! Go see what it is! Then maybe you could come around and rock Anxelin's side of the cradle while I see to Ruby, before they waken Mom and Dad and the rest of the household. I think she's soiled herself. Again." The distracted young mother had not gotten many hours of sleep in the past week or so since her thankfully healthy twin children's hard-fought arrival when Varian and Hans had mercifully intervened to spare both babies and their struggling mama.

 _I wish Cass was back already…_

The Princess missed her level-headed best friend and handmaiden. Between the pain of her cervical pelvis closing after such a harrowing double birth, and the motherly worry that her tiny wee babes may not survive the night or hurt themselves or one another in their new bed the Snuggly Ducklings crafted, or –

Never overconfident, Rapunzel was learning a crash course on motherhood at this Christmas time. She was so relieved and glad that she had her real mother to help instruct and bolster her spirits when she became uncertain if she could cope with this new role in life.

 _As for her handsome husband_ _Eugene_ _…_

From sun-up to sundown this past precious first week of parenthood, Flynn Rider had been sweet and supportive. The ideal husband had been willing to bring her meals, amuse her with his tales of daring-do, read her congratulatory letters from friends and describe stories of Stan and Pete's comical exploits in the stables where Maximus was in charge.

He even offered to massage her weak and recovering back for hours on end, uncomplainingly posing as her easy easel, with brushes clenched between his sparkly white straight teeth, even if leaky paint dripped down on the rest of his fine features.

Patiently, Eugene Fitzherbert went the extra mile in assisting his lover in painting the bedposts in her spare moments of boredom, since the doctors advised the delicate Crown Princess to still to be laid up in bed for another few weeks after that traumatic birth cycle.

Eugene was even surprisingly great with the new babies, too.

He had no problem feeding them, albeit in a messy way _('Hey! Babies don't even know they have chins! They're all mouths_!'), no qualm about picking up the squirmy creatures and rocking them to sleep ( _'Nice and easy, like panning for gold_.'), no trouble dressing and undressing them _('Told ya, I'm not bad with the ladies. They always prefer my smooth touch._ '), dirty diaper doo-doo alert and all. _('Everything about babies now reminds me of the color brown. Gotta love 'em.')_

Their twin girls seemed, to Rapunzel at least, to prefer their hands-on, handsome Daddy's company – and not hers — most of the time.

They behaved and giggled for Eugene's entertaining spoiling and only cried or whined at her gentle dull promptings to eat or sleep, despite Rapunzel's best efforts to show her tender caring and motherly love.

It was all too inexplicable to the young mother.

 _They like you better, Eugene. And I can't blame them, you're soo sweet and good-humored, an attentive natural with our infants. Way better at it than me._

 _Maybe I'm not cut out to be a Mom…_

The Princess of Corona may have been suffering a tinge from the yet undiagnosed, but still experienced, "postpartum baby blues" after her difficult and stressful childbirth. And that included all the mood swings, crying spells, anxiety, loss of concentration, memory and difficulty sleeping she was desperately trying to hide from everyone for this past week since the babies were born.

Especially Eugene.

Rapunzel sighs, fighting that little niggling urge to be envious of how natural parenting came to her mate, while she was slowly getting the grasp of how to be a good mother.

However, although he was an ultra-caring, model husband and impeccable first-time father by day, it appeared that Rapunzel's mate was purposely opting out of any nocturnal babysitting duty by night.

"Eugene?" All these pent-up thoughts circling about her dizzied mind, Rapunzel strains her eyes in the dark bedroom, to find her man was neither in their bed, nor anywhere within.

Then she remembers. It was nearly every night this week that Rapunzel would wake up to find her husband missing from their bed he was finally allowed reentry to.

"Eugene?!" Rapunzel whispers in frazzled frustration at the night and day change (literally) between the kind, helpful, attentive daytime dad and his vanishing, deadbeat midnight Rider alter ego, especially on this early Christmas morn.

 _Where are you?_

The young Princess, starting to panic, must now put down one wriggling babe to pick up the other squalling one, their combined crying caterwaul seeming to be contagious before she could settle either stirred up infant down, as a dark shadow pauses furtively in the hallway…

 _All I wanted was a perfect family…_

* * *

 **End of Act VIII**

* * *

 _Min kärlek_ – my love in Swedish

 _Min älskare –_ my darling in Swedish

 _Min kjære_ \- my dearest in Norwegian

 _Min kæreste_ – my lover in Danish

 _mano-a-mano –_ Spanish expression meaning 'head-to-head combat', originally used to describe bullfights where two matadors were competing against each other as well as against the bulls. Basically a Spanish saying for "man to man."

* * *

 **Happy New Year, Frozen Again friends!**

Poor Rapunzel! That's no way to start off the New Year, girl!

But maybe it's a good segue way into ACT IX (9) of 'Frozen Again'!

Hello! I hope you all had a wonderful and blessed holiday with your family and loved ones too! Here's the final part of the 'Arendelle Family Christmas Special'! :)

Papa Agdar has finally come around to recognize his little girls can't be locked behind the gates forever and sees that Kristoff and even Hans are members of his extended family now too! The stubborn King has gained his wife's forgiveness on the holy night, and his daughter's gratitude for more than his sweet Nativity gift, as the enjoyed as a family the Christmas caroling tour out in the streets of Arendelle together with the people.

Now that everything is starting to go swimmingly in the Frozen north, it seems there may be a little trouble being Tangled down in Corona!

What's going on between happily married with children perfect couple Rapunzel & Eugene!?

This end is a little tease to the intro of the New Year story arc of Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends' Act 9!

It's one more short, far-flung adventure for the gang before wedding bells will be definitely be ringing in Arendellle for the Ice Queen and her Hans-some Dane!

So please stay tuned and stay safe and stay happy and healthy in this New Year 2018 we're blessed to share together as friends across the miles!

May God bless you with joy and peace in your hearts! :

Love,

HarukaKou

 _'This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!'_ Psalm 118: 24

 **P.S. The frisky Mistletoe scene between Hans and Elsa can be seen at Setsunakou at DeviantArt by my talented big sister who inspired the scene with her beautiful drawing of Helsa in the breathtaking holiday kiss! Please Check it out! :)**

* * *

"Go Tell It on the Mountain" – anonymous African-American spiritual song early 1800s

'Corde natus ex Parentis' ('Of the Father's Love Begotten") - 4th Century Christian poet Prudentius

"Good Kind Wenceslas" – 15th century Finnish carol written 300 years before published by John Mason Neale in 1853

"Here We Come a-Wassailing" – English traditional Christmas and New Year's carol 1840s

"Hark the Herald Angels Sing!" – Felix Mendelssohn & Charles Wesley 1840

"While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks" – Nahum Tate 1703

"God rest you merry, Gentlemen" - 16th century extant carol, printed in 1760

"Silent Night" – Father Joseph Mohr & Franz Gruber 1816

"Angels from the Realms of Glory' lyrics by James Montgomery in 1817, with merged refrain of "Gloria in excelsis Deo" (Latin for "Glory to God in the highest") 4th century Christian hymn, also known as the Greater Doxology 'Hymn of the Angels', written as the psalmi idiotici- private psalms of the Byzantine morning prayers. The Latin translation is traditionally attributed to Saint Hilary of Poitiers in the 4th century. The hymn sings with the words that the angels said when the birth of Christ was announced to shepherds in Luke 2:14.

* * *

 **HAPPY NEW YEAR 2019! ^0^**

 _'Here we come a-wassailing  
Among the leaves so green;  
Here we come a-wand'ring  
So fair to be seen._

 _Love and joy come to you,  
And to you your wassail too;  
And God bless you and send you a Happy New Year  
And God send you a Happy New Year!'_


	47. Chapter 46 - Sleep in Heavenly Peace

_We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

 **"Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act IX**

 **Chapter 46**

 **"Sleep in Heavenly Peace "**

 ** _CLUNK PLUNK CLICK CLUNK PLUNK…_**

 _Eugene_ _! Where are you?! I'm scared!_

Princess Rapunzel closes her eyes tight and tries to think of what happened at this very time yesterday and the night before, and the night before that, and so-on, in her cloudy mind every time the same situation occurred.

She had told herself each time that nothing was wrong when the frightening footsteps started and Eugene was nowhere to be found in the connecting room where he had been staying.

She truly believed that her now good and honest, reformed criminal Eugene, whenever she needed him in the night since their babies' arrival, was probably otherwise engaged.

Perhaps he was cooking up a midnight snack for himself in the kitchen, or tidying himself, as per usual, primping in the bathroom with some new exfoliatation lotion concoction to try. She even imagined he might be taking some extra-long late night trips to the outhouse for some mysterious male activities that the still naïve in ways of the world, innocent young princess was yet unaware of.

She could believe any of those scenarios more than her ex-thief husband's return to illegal activities, because Eugene was always right back in the bed in the exact position and exact state of dress (or rather undress) that she saw him sleeping in on the bed when he came beside her each bedtime.

In fact, Eugene fought hard with that old battle-ax nurse just to sleep close to the babies in the Princess' bed again. But the Queen still felt obliged to employ the old female retainer for the first few days after Rapunzel's childbirth.

Eugene had been grateful for his father-in-law's unexpected support in favor for him to rejoin a no longer pregnant Rapunzel in sharing the bed Eugene had been kicked out of some months ago.

King Friedrich actually went to bat for Eugene against Queen Arianna, concerning the sleeping arrangements of the brand new parents.

Rapunzel's mother had been concerned for her only daughter's fragile body and psyche while the King had the first-hand memory of his own insufferable lonely exile the old doctor and nurse insisted upon then. Not having his mate intimately close by to give his support and comfort, and most of all, his _security_ , was maddening.

Especially in 20/20 vision now of what happened with Mother Gothel, when Friedrich only had a night or two of sleeping in the same room with his wife and new baby to remember for seventeen more long, empty, lamenting years.

So King Friedrich could now sympathize with his son-in-law wanting to stay close, as the first-time, oft insecure mother was acclimating to caring for her newborn child.

Make that child _ren_.

* * *

 ** _CLUNK PLUNK CLICK CLUNK PLUNK…_**

As the ominous footsteps draw nearer to the bedroom door, edgy Princess Rapunzel scoops up Anxelin and Ruby both, hugging them close to her heaving bosom.

"Wahhh! Wahhh!" As the two babies unhappily scream, the panicking Princess puts them back down into the cradle and stands between it and the door. Her next reaction is to grab the iron skillet that was hanging on the side of the night table continually at her bedside. Her concerned father had installed it there just in case the mother lion had cause to defend herself and her young ones while her husband was compulsory evicted.

Rapunzel's instinctive thought was to protect her bairns as she moves between them and that intruder just outside her door, shakily holding the frypan. The quivering young woman stands at just the right angle so as not to be seen behind the door, lying in wait for whomever – or _whatever_ \- was turning the handle…

"Wahhh! Wahhh!"

 _Oh no! It's my nightmare scenario! Mother Gothel back from the grave and come to steal my babies! She's back and somehow found out about Ruby's apparently magical golden hair! I can't let her steal them! I WON'T let her!_

"Wahhh! Wahhh!"

 ** _BOINKK!_**

As her caterwauling childrens' cries continue to fill her ears in a cacophony of noise, Rapunzel's heart was pounding so loudly she could distinguish nothing from the chaos.

But that's when the girl who was 'pretty good' with a frying pan let's lose.

The tough little mama was not supposed to be out of her warm bed, never mind out in her bare feet creeping across the darkened chilled bedroom.

"Wahhh! Wahhh!"

She slams the frying pan down as hard as she could in true impulsive style mercilessly upon the head of whatever evil spectre had been listlessly pacing up and down the Corona Palace third story hall plotting to endanger or dare to kidnap her new babies.

 _Just like that horrible night mother and father told me about when that witch stole me as a newborn baby twenty-five years ago…_

 ** _S-SPPLATT! SS-SLLUU-MMPP!_**

"Eek!" With a girlish squeal, which was more akin to a mouse than a lioness, she had just crowned somebody squarely in the noggin, Princess Rapunzel scurries back into the room where her twins were squalling even louder.

"WAHHH! WAHHH!"

The panicking young woman quickly lights her bedside lamp to find out the identity of the intruder who'd fallen to his face wearing a dark maroon velvet hoodie. She finally garnered enough courage to pull the obscuring head cover back with the handle of her fry pan…

Only to discover in horror that it was none other then her beloved Eugene, with a similar dizzy chameleon Pascal knocked silly from the sheer force of her wallop, plinked off his shoulder.

A panicking Rapunzel hastily drags her husband by his clunking boot feet into the bedroom.

Shoved along inside, Pascal wobbles around for several seconds before he could look up with a drunken grin in double vision at his contrite faced girl.

"EUGENE! Oh, my gosh! Did I hurt you too badly?! Eugene, speak to me!" The young woman was beside herself with fear and shame to have attacked her unsuspecting partner in such a violent manner, with a serious weapon.

In a guilty panic, she tosses the culpable frying pan away, only for it to crash straight through the window loudly and clatter noiselessly to the ground.

"Wahhh! Wahhh!"

"Oh what a disaster I am! On Christmas morning, too! Oh, I'm as terrible a wife as I am rotten a mother!" As her babies' wails continue to ring in her wild ears, Rapunzel starts to weep at her own ineptness. She drops to her knees at her handsome husband's side and hugs his bleeding head while peppering his comatose face with her kisses.

Eugene was wearing the corded velvet cape and matching forest green vest she herself had dressed him up in that very evening before he left. She planned for Eugene to match her white and burgundy velvet dress they were to wear for the Christmas Eve church service.

But at the last minute, feeling low in spirits, and still recovering from her harrowing childbirth, the Princess felt unwell and decided not to go. Instead she sent Eugene and Pascal in her place to light the final candle – the pure white, spotless Christ candle in the center – on her precious Advent wreath, for her.

Her Aunt, Princess Wilhelmina, offered to stay behind to watch over the twins until mother and children were both peacefully sleeping while the Royal King and Queen attended the holy Christmas Eve service with their citizens.

Rapunzel must've dozed off when Eugene and the rest of the family got back from the midnight church service. The superb sneak thief had smoothly tiptoed back into their bedroom suite and even softly kissed his slumbering wife good night before going off to set up the Christmas presents he had in store for his new young family.

Now, in her haste to find a clean cloth and peroxide to dab his profusely bleeding head along with some smelling salts to awaken her still out cold lover, Rapunzel finds that cherished Advent wreath.

It was sitting on their connected suite's fireplace mantle with the white Christ candle still lit from church service where Eugene had performed the joyful duty for her.

The wreath was also decorated with the surprise detail of a small trio of angels, two cute cherubs – one sepia brown, one blonde – and one lovely cocoa brown adult seraph. The wily thief had no doubt filched the angelic host from St. Catrina's Christmas Advent multitude of angels display.

 _It's for a good cause! My angels need some Christmas inspiration, too!_

To Eugene, the winged figures symbolized his unpredictable, matchless affection for his new family.

 _No one will miss them out of the bunch!_

"I'm so sorry for doubting you as a good daddy and sweet, caring husband, Eugene! I don't want to be competitive for our daughters' affection! I'm nothing but a selfish girl, unworthy of your trust!" The distraught young woman was in tears as she guiltily whispers to herself while pittering around in her bare feet, avoiding the strewn glass, back into the adjoined bedchamber.

That's when her ringing ears notice her twins had finally ceased their endless noisy wail.

 _See? But they do like you better than me!_

"Anxelin? Ruby? Eugene, I'm so glad that you're… okay?" Seeing the silhouette of her gorgeous man back on his feet, Rapunzel, with a wobbly headed Pascal just waking up on her shoulder, follow her infant daughters' intrigued, mesmerized gazes.

They all watch in stupefied awe where the handsome hubby and funny daddy was mindlessly traipsing around the bedroom.

Eugene's eyes were closed, his hands reaching outwards as if in a trance, though he didn't bump into a single piece of furniture.

The trio of females and Pascal were struck silent as they blankly stare at the tall and limber, strapping man. He silently moves around the room, listlessly opening every drawer and cabinet to rifle through their contents robotically, as if he were in some hypnotic stupor.

Totally unaware he was being watched it seemed, Flynn Rider was mindlessly plucking out various small shiny items from Rapunzel's jewelry box on the dresser, lifting the bejeweled golden hairbrush her mother had gifted her daughter for her birthday this year, inspecting it.

The entranced man takes his talented fingers full of sparkly acquired items and squirrels them strangely into his old thieving satchel he'd kept ' _for old times sake'_ where it was hidden away in the rear of his sock drawer.

And increasing in size.

 _Is this what you've been up to every night when you disappear?_

"Eugene? Are you all right? You're acting kind of… weird? Eugene? Can you hear me? Eugene! Please answer me!" Rapunzel was beside herself with new worry as her adored husband seemed unable to even hear her words.

He wordlessly stumbles around the suite of rooms, following him amble around as if Eugene were –

"Sleepwalking? That's freaky. Even for Fitzherbert."

Rapunzel was more relieved than frightened by her best friend's droll, stable voice of reason suddenly enter her confused, hushed bedchamber.

"Cass! Varian?! Thank God you're here! I don't know what's wrong with Eugene! He won't wake up when I call him! And he won't stop this wandering around, opening and closing drawers, _stealing_ things!" A fatigued Rapunzel turns to the scene of her tough ladies' maid propelling herself through the window, after Cass stuck her gloved hand right through it to open the broken window fully. Varian on Magic Carpet squeezes his contorted skinny frame next into the couple's bedroom.

Switching right into her guardswoman mode, Cassandra had just been coming towards Corona Palace with Varian on her lap under the moonlight when the cat-like female spied the strange sight of a frying pan being expelled from the inside third story from their high flying vantage point outside.

"Did you try hitting him?" Replacing her sword into its hilt after a quick survey around the otherwise uneventful bedroom, Cassandra did not find it suspect to smack around Flynn Rider all that disturbing as she fists her other hand that was glad to flex after clingy Varian had been holding it most of their ride home on Carpet under the romantic moonlight.

 _Just so Ruddy and I don't accidentally fall off…_

"Yes! I mean, I didn't know it was him! I mean, the babies were crying and crying and I panicked that it might be Mother Gothel come back to life to kidnap them and – I didn't know I was hitting him, and the frying pan flew out the window and –" Her frantic, unstable tears stream down the cheeks of the neurotic from lack of sleep young woman. Rapunzel was almost panting from the emotion spilling from her overwrought mouth.

"A stiff whack of the old frying pan does have some scientific study to back up its application for revitalizing sleepwalkers, I've heard at least. The victim suffering total memory loss due to a hemorrhaging stroke is not as likely as acute subdural swelling that may expand into a serious ruptured hematomic intracranial aneurysm. Hee hee." The new medical student and brilliant scientist examining Eugene chuckles nervously as he tries to back up Cassandra's flippant remark.

The youth's good mood fades as he receives a blistering glare from the guardswoman and a terrified one from the Princess for his critical lack of bedside manner.

"I'll just go… entertain the babies." A nervous Varian decides to leave the women to their own devices as he sets a 'cucaracha' dancing Rudiger and wing flapping Owl upon the babies squirming around on the bed in an attempt to relieve their incessant fussy wailing that was on the brink of returning.

"Oh Cass, what should I do?! I thought I was just dreaming! But all this time I've been worried about nightmare intruders, it must've been Eugene wandering around slamming doors and drawers! He's been skulking around the hallway making all that noise waking us up in here, like a zombie nearly every night since the twins were born! I don't believe the girls and I have had a single good night's rest! I don't know how many more sleepless nights we can take!" The thoroughly drained, tearful Rapunzel, with deep, dark bags under her eyes, was almost pulling out her hair. The young mother grabs hold of her insomniac babies and squeezes both in a tight smothering snuggle to her own restless breast.

And for once, her tall and in charge warrior woman friend had no clue as to what to do about it, as Cassandra looks to Varian, whose automatons and alchemy offered no sure cure, and shrugs.

"Whew. This sounds serious. Probably a clinical case of somnambulism or night terrors caused in disturbed individuals by bouts of intense anxiety, high levels of stress, or deathly dread of losing something precious which is most dear to them. This kind of sleep-parasomnia usually follows a past life threatening fever or sleep terror episode experienced during an unhappy adolescence, brought back to the surface by excessive sleep deprivation and anxiety, combined with the hereditary gene passed down from the patient's paternal parent, who most likely suffered from the same autosomnal dominant disorder." Rapunzel's world-traveled Aunt Willow had just been staying in the next room and had peeked in when she heard the glass crash and the twin babies howling.

The curious older woman witnessed and overheard what intrigue had been going on in her niece and nephew's bedroom, and felt she should speak up with her gleaned knowledge.

"I didn't mean to spy, Rapunzel, but I travel all over the world in search of answering the important questions of life that God in His Heaven teases us with humankind's inner mysteries. Such as the case of ' _the dreamer acting out the dream'_. I've followed great men who studied all about the negative and positive heat that radiates from even low substances that we don't realize are channeling dreams, by way of the electromagnetic system in each human being. The Baron says the auto-involuntary realm of the REM sleep cycle is activated when that part of our metabolic rate stimulates the brain. When the mind is accessed to run freely through subconscious more than plain perception, it is from there that we may unlock our true hidden potential." The dark brown ponytailed, adventurer woman shows her profound interest in the subject that she recently been introduced to by German parapsychologist Professor Baron von Reichenbach and the self-proclaimed 'Odic force' that he hypothesized as pertaining some _'vital energy lifeforce of the ulterior_ _mind'_ which he was the leading authority in studying.

"Para-what? Don't tell me you seriously believe all that New Age claptrap spouted by some loony rich guy with a title looking for a hobby, Willow." Crossing her skeptical arms, level-headed Cassandra scoffs at the Swedish royal female's outlandish theories.

Then Rapunzel's hands-on handmaiden places a growingly rambunctious Anxelin nearly crawling off the bed down to her side of the cradle as delicately as she could muster. Varian helpfully handles the other twin's slippery haired gurgling as he maladroitly scoops up the baby named Ruby he helped deliver like she was a fragile test tube.

Cass and Varian's heads bent together over the cradle full of infant babes, pause to blink at one another, in an awkwardly red-in-the-face moment.

 _Not happening._

"I'll have you well know that this is an actual, time-honed subject the professor has undertaken. It has been also researched by Himalayan masters for hundreds of years, as well as sages in the Far East for centuries, where they involve ancient Chinese wisdom with the art of acupuncture to alleviate the condition." Willow seemed insulted, her mouth puckering at the effrontery to her latest and greatest hobby, not to mention criticism of her idolized Baron.

"You make a valid hypothesis there, Miss Willow." The dark-haired boy gazes at the forever young Princess with the aquamarine eyeshadow and independent clothing style of wild and free pants and adventurer's shirt with colorful native armbands that screamed _'I'm independent, liberated, and gutsy!'_

 _She reminds me a little of your bold free spirit, Cassie._

The catty-eyed young woman raises a twitchy brow at Varian, who swallows.

"There _is_ some scientific authority proven of late that gives credence to that early therapeutic field. You showed me how you learned acupuncture yourself, Cassandra, from those old Chinese sages when you visited the Great Wall. It worked wonders on my Dad's lumbago, and thusly his interrupted sleep patterns." Varian adds his two cents, keen on his new girlfriend's exciting foreign travels.

He wouldn't mind globetrotting alongside her, now that they were officially a couple.

"The wise spiritual yogi masters of the Himalayans teach understanding of our consciences is listening to our hearts and celebrating life wholeheartedly, with spiritual transformation of mind, body and soul. Meditation has been researched to inspire curative growth to gain meaning and completeness, elevating human potential to surpass mental obstacles."

"You seem pretty knowledgeable in this innovative study, ma'am." Varian was impressed by Rapunzel's aunt's information bank about the sleeping disorder she was alleging of the glassy-eyed Flynn Rider, who just walks past, unaware of any of them, as he makes an unhampered grab for Aunt Willow's shiny necklace pendant.

"Healing the past by the wisdom of the ancient sages is the Himalayan philosophy of _Jnanga marga_. To cast light upon the path of knowledge, my yogi master Baba taught, is part of the Himalayan pilgrimage that I became familiar with when I visited that continent. I have seen cases like this treated before, usually for battle traumatized men." Willow merely ducks out of the thief's way like it was second nature to roll with it as she keeps talking.

"Maybe the acupuncture technique will snap Eugene out of his unconscious state now. He's getting a little out of hand." The usually clinically detached scientist enthusiastically suggests with a sharp pin or two produced from the table where Rapunzel had been working on delicate needlepoint to wile away the hours as an apprehensive new mother.

"It might at that." An aficionado of sharp weapons, gleaming smirk Cassandra lights up at her like-minded companion who didn't find fault in using Eugene as a guinea pig. To Rapunzel's horror, Cassandra accepts the particularly thin pointed needles that the self-taught medical student Varian had sterilized on a candle's flame tip as she targets an unsuspecting Eugene.

With a nod to Carpet, Cassandra directs the ancient Arabian rug to wordlessly corner the sleepwalking roaming robber whose hands had been grasping at some hallucinated crown upon his traumatized weepy wife's upset head, even as Rapunzel was shaking his shoulders to no avail.

Carpet sweeps the concussed-like man into its whirling colorful folds and back out again until the tall dark and handsome man was left quite disoriented and unable to regain any unconscious bearings.

With the somnambulic subjected by Varian's grasp for a few dizzied seconds, Cassandra carefully makes a precision quick stab with the extremely thin pair of sharp needles, directly into Eugene's dazed forehead, right on the curve where the bridge of his nose met his forehead exactly.

" ** _Oww_**! Oww, Oww, Ouchy! Not the face! Not the face! Why the HELL are you sticking needles into my perfect Roman nose, you venomous viper woman?! Do I look like a pincushion to you?!" Almost instantly the entranced sleepwalker shoots awake, his mouth going a mile a minute in spitting anger already at his favorite arch nemesis who had returned to torment him, obviously, in time for Christmas.

"Eugene! He's back to normal! Oh, Cass! You are amazing!" Having more sensibility than sense, Princess Rapunzel cries out in smiling relief to her adept best friend who could solve a rainy day, usually by force.

The short haired Princess throws her arms around her husband, banging his poor injured noggin in her enthusiasm.

"Sorry." She then tenderly massages the no longer bleeding, but rising rear bump to his head with a guilty expression. Rapunzel then smothers Eugene's acupunctured forehead, cheeks and now blessedly chattering mouth with kisses of relief.

"I know." Cassandra smirks unapologetically, placing hands on her hips and twirling her acupuncture needles around between her nimble fingers like a professional.

"Rapunzel? What's going on?! Are you and the grandchildren all right in there?!" Just then, King Friedrich bellows down the hallway where he and Queen Arianna had just recently returned upstairs.

The tired royals had just finished hosting early Christmas morning Dallmayr coffee and Stollen current cakes to thank the Royal Chapel's reverend and deacons before settling in to quiet Corona Palace.

The older couple was starting to come bounding towards their daughter's anxious voice filled, open-door bedroom.

"Oh yes, Father, Mother! Everything is just fine now! Just a little bitty accident I had with the frying pan and the window while I was… umm… saying my early Christmas morning prayers. But it's all good now with Aunt Willow here and look! Cass is back in time for Christmas to clean it up right away. You two go to sleep now, so we can all be up early and chipper for our Christmas 'present opening' morning, right? Merry Christmas! I love two you most!" Popping her head out the door, Rapunzel spills over with an explanation all in one expelled breath to her anxious parents who stop still midway down the long upstairs hall of Corona Palace.

Queen Arianna and King Friedrich stop in their tracks to quirk a look at one another and shrug as concealing co-cospirator Aunt Willow shoves closed the drawer full of valuable goodies Eugene had stolen from the Royal coiffures.

"All right, my girl. If you are sure everything is fine. Your father and I wish a Merry Christmas to you and Eugene and the twins. And…Willow and Cassandra...as well? Please inform Lady Cassandra her father will be so pleased she is home in time for Christmas. That stoic good man doesn't say it much, but I know he was heartbroken she was not going to be present on Christmas day. We'll say ' _gute nacht'_ (goodnight) to you now, if you're sure everything is under control?" At the menagerie Rapunzel was keeping in her room by the sound of it, Queen Arianna prods her husband to let their daughter manage her own affairs with a pleasant smiling wave.

She pushes her anxious King back into their bedroom door, not wanting to disturb her married with children daughter like the proverbial clucking old mother hen.

Rapunzel was crossing her fingers and toes as well as she bites her lip with the not so little, little white lie she was relieved her good and trusting parents bought hook, line, and sinker.

"I'm not about to tell them that I thought Eugene was being a fly-by-night and I'm just a little bit uptight from not getting much sleep this week because I mistook my husband for a nightmare monster while he was really rifling through the Palace, pilfering valuable, shiny things again." Mumbling under her breath in an elongated, structure-less sentence to Pascal, who nods sympathetically on her slumped shoulder, Rapunzel puts on a fake smile and closes her bedroom door she slumps against it with a sigh.

"Nightmare Monster? Ouch, Brownie girl. I thought I was a fairly normal, run-of-the-mill mundane, born with being devilishly handsome, decent husband and respectable father." Rubbing both back and front of his still groggy, aching head, a woozy Eugene just about overheard the last bit about him as Varian and Rudiger drag him bodily to lean against the bedframe.

He gives Cassandra a dirty look where she and Carpet were sweeping up bits of broken glass shards from the floor all around him with the magic rug's tassels and a discarded painting canvas, before Eugene passes out again.

 _Normal_ _?_

But there was nothing 'normal', 'decent' nor 'respectable' that the state of Rapunzel's room – _which mirrored her heart_ \- was in.

The girl with the 'once upon a time' magic hair takes a deep breath and crosses the room to her bed and starts to sing the haunting medieval Christmas hymn translated from the Latin to her beloved Eugene to fix the multiple boo-boos she caused.

 _"'_ _O komm, o komm, Emanuel,_ _  
mach frei Dein armes_ _Israel_ _!_ _  
In_ _Israel_ _! In hartem Elend liegt es hier,_ _  
in Tränen seufzt es auf zu Dir.  
Bald kommt dein Heil: Emanuel.  
Frohlock und jauchze __Israel_ _!_ _'"_

 _('O come, O come, Emmanuel,_ _  
And ransom captive Israel,  
That mourns in lonely exile here,  
Until the Son of God appear;  
Rejoice! rejoice! Emmanuel  
Shall be born for thee, O __Israel_ _!')_

Tears stream down Rapunzel's cheeks as she scans around the room with her song.

There was an owl, a raccoon and a chameleon all chasing each other around the Princess' chaotic suite; noisy Aunt Willow and Cassandra vigorously discussing the benefits and drawbacks of acupuncture and New Age psychology in combination with ancient Eastern mind spiritualism in the other corner; and then there was a clumsy Varian, haphazardly juggling some inventive ideas to replace the glass of the busted window, while keeping amused on the bed the two precious infantile promises of Corona with his formerly criminal mastermind stained blacksmith gloves.

And sniffling uncontrollably amid her healing song to the half-conscious man on her lap, Rapunzel was sitting in the middle of it all, a bundle of worry and pain and fear and relief and confusion standing in the midst of the overpopulated room.

"What am I going to do?" Rapunzel asks no one in particular as she sinks to the center of the messy king-sized bed Cassandra hefts Eugene onto, after her Aunt Willow scooped up the twins.

Rapunzel weeps, rocking her hubby on her lap as she hums, angry at herself that her healing song was not working at all.

"Don't cry, Sweetie! I have a brilliant idea that's no problem at all for me! I'll take Eugene back with me to Rio de Janeiro to seek treatment from the two most renowned parapsychologists and leading mental psychosomatic experts of our day! The Baron's there, on my advice, meeting with the yogi master I met in Tibet, Baba Patanjali. He's currently cultivating his herbal curatives for his yogic focus from the rainforests to recover mental peace by some ancient wisdom or another. I told von Reichenbach about their comparable research, and I was sure there would be a breakthrough between the two of them." Aunt Willow explains her far-flung friendships and even farther-flung schemes to cure Eugene of his thieving insomnia with emphatic gestures.

And maybe mixed up in it all were some thoughts for necessary restful, unadulterated downtime for Rapunzel, so she and her babies could get to know each other better without being under stress.

Princess Wilhelmina lays down her fixit solution for Eugene's strange sleepwalking kleptomania disorder which was the main cause of her niece and grand-nieces' lack of rest and relaxation during these first important weeks of bonding growth together.

"Hmph! Rio de Janeiro, _Brazil_? Oh, that's screwy you should mention that particular South American country." Cassandra interrupts the struck quiet group to mutter under her breath a 'hmph-ed' chuckle.

"And why's that so odd, Cass?" Rapunzel murmurs, feeling so terribly tired and drained she could use hearing something amusing.

"Well… just before we left Arendelle's Royal family – who by the way, send all their love, hugs and Christmas greetings – there was a particular invitation, addressed to you, Raps, arrived from the Crown Princess of Brazil to attend her wedding there on Valentines' Day." Cassandra instantly regretted saying that amid all the other sticky stuff, knowing her spunky friend would probably want to go, and not be permitted due to her new mothering circumstances.

Back with Sven, Princess Valentina had sent the imperative invitations via Alonso's friend Esteban to dole out, just before Cass and Varian said farewell to Elsa and Hans up in the mountains.

 _'Crown Princess Valentina of Paraiso cordially invites Corona's entire Royal family to her Grand Wedding to Crown Prince Alonso of Córdoba, in Paraiso, Brazil on Valentine's Day. I personally request Crown Princess Rapunzel and her husband Prince Consort Eugene to attend specifically for this most significant event of the year. Queen Elsa and her fiancé, Prince Hans of the Southern Isles, who have become good friends with both the bride and groom during our recent visit to Arendelle, would surely be in attendance as our Maid of Honor and Best Man at the grand Wedding of the Century! RSVP.'_

 _An exciting, romantic journey to_ _Brazil_ _?! Eugene and I would have to leave immediately! But we can't take the babies on such a long trip so far from home! But…I want to go! Should I? No._

A torn Rapunzel mulls over the voyage, having become familiar with the seafaring time and perils of ocean travel after spending days in a small boat asking curious questions of brilliant naval sailor Prince Hans.

Just then, impatient and testy baby Anxelin lets out an earsplitting squall when Willow gives Varian a scalding look to remove the animal sideshow from the bedroom of her niece. But Anxelin's more serene twin starts giggling as she was playfully squeezing poor Pascal like a dog chew toy so his tongue stuck out repeatedly into her passed-out papa's ear.

Like a gleaming glowing flower, baby Ruby's musically toned giggle had just enough healing magic to it – or was it Pascal's wet reptilian forked tongue? – to bring her comatose Daddy awake again.

"Stop that!" Eugene gives an icksome shiver at that odd sensation of the cold-blooded chameleon's long, projected cylindrical tongue pad in his ear. "Brr, it's cold in here! Someone leave a window open? Hey, you okay, Brownie? Sleepy?" A finally awakened and confused at remembering nothing of his sleepwalking incidents, Eugene shakes off his lethargy and gently lifts his speechlessly weepy wife and infants crawling all over him to his favorite lounge chair beside the bed.

Soon they are joined by gregarious Lance Armstrong – who had trotted over in slippered feet, a very striking pair of red and white checkered pajama trousers and eye-mask from his guest room at Willow's pushy call – to relocate the four-poster bed into the adjoined nursery room due to the cold air rushing in through the broken glass window.

"C'mon bro! Santa will mark us as bad asses if we don't get back in our beds! I don't know about you, but I would like some other kind of rock than a lump of coal in my stocking this year. So let's move this bed ASAP, Eugene!" Lance urges his somewhat sluggish childhood best friend in doubletime to get a fire under his buns.

"With Rapunzel still in recovery, and the new babies needing their Mama here, I seriously doubt the King would want _any_ of the family to leave Corona to go to some wedding on the other side of the globe—" Down to earth Cassandra was confiding in low tones to Willow of what the letter from Valentina said, as the raven haired young woman and the Queen's sister were moving Anxelin and Ruby's empty cradle over into the attached suite's sitting room.

"What in Heaven's name is going on in here in this room? Rapunzel? Are the babies all right?" Just then, an overanxious King Friedrich – who had been too curious to remain in bed after pondering all the continuing clamor from his precious child's bedroom – enters the fray as he throws open the door of the connected sitting room/nursery with his parental concern, startling Cass and Willow mid-conversation.

"Oh, hi, Fred! We're all fine here! Just a little broken window glass we're cleaning up after Cassandra and Varian on Carpet innocently surprised Rapunzel from outside. The startled girl accidentally conked Eugene on the head with that trusty frying pan you put by her bedside that somehow…then flew out the window." Willow pauses here to take a breath as she ingeniously makes up the story as she goes to neither incriminate Eugene or Rapunzel too badly to the dour older man.

"Lance kindly came in to help us relocate the beds and such to the next room, while Varian is patching up the broken window in there." The savvy woman reports the situation as if there were no weird sleepwalking or thieving extenuating circumstances involved in the chaos at all.

"Then what's this I heard about ' _leaving_ _Corona_ _to attend_ _a wedding on the other side of the globe'_? _"_ The suspicious King of Corona asks about the interrupted conversation he overheard between the women.

"Oh, yes, that was why Cassandra wanted to speak to Rapunzel tonight. She brought an invitation from the Princess of Paraiso they met in Arendelle for Rapunzel and Eugene to attend her wedding on Valentine's Day in Brazil." Without missing a beat, Willow takes the lead in speaking to the flustered older King.

"Brazil?! Let me see that, Wilhemina!" The astounded King sticks out his large hand to his sister-in-law for the royal missive which Chancellor Esteban had passed on to Cassandra and Varian before they left Arendelle Castle on Carpet.

"You don't have to grab, Fred." Willow was the kind of lady who pushed her luck.

And had the quick mind and will enough to make some of her own, too. 'By chance, I myself was scheduling an expedition there to that beautiful country _– where it's deliciously warm by the way_ — to meet with some Himalayan friends of mine who are researching in the rainforest there."

Zoning Willow's silly notions out, a deep look of consternation crosses Friedrich's kingly face upon reading the invitation to himself silently in the dimmed light of the busy, overpopulated bedroom where various people were flitting in and out.

"February the 14th? It would take a swift steamship indeed to reach that South American nation across the Atlantic—over a month to arrive! Rapunzel is not up for such an excursion! And I absolutely forbid these newborn infants or my precious child to leave my care in Corona, Mr. Fitzherbert!" King Friedrich glowers at Eugene, his wild imagination already envisioning the charming scoundrel his daughter married as agreeing to such an outlandish journey.

"What? Whoa, there, Pops. Don't blow a headgasket! You just got that ole ticker under wraps. I never said I was—" A calming gesture making Eugene gives Friedrich an incredulous look as he had slipped back into the nursery from hefting some revolutionary muntin casements for Varian in his alchemy of glass fusing to repair the shattered window in their original bedroom.

"The twins, my love! Don't upset the babies." A reprimanding Queen Arianna enters the room to quiet her raging husband's ill temper. The King takes a deep, soothing breath and calms himself best he could as per his devoted wife's instruction.

With a smirk to his mother-in-law, Eugene causes the little girls on the verge of wailing again to giggle by their funny daddy just pulling some smoldering faces at them.

This was more cooperation than his poor wife could hope for her children thus far, despite her best efforts to coax them to behave. But her ex-thief of a husband undoubtedly had a fatherly knack with Anxelin and Ruby that Rapunzel had yet to master.

"Good thing then that Eugene has kindly offered to escort me to Rio to see my _friends_ there. Then he and I can represent Corona at that big wedding in nearby Paraiso in Rapunzel's place. The Princess is obviously needed to stay here with her newborns, so Eugene responsibly agreed he would be the one to take on the royal duty for his wife whom he loves and wishes to stay home getting to know their baby girls, safe and secure." Wilhelmina lays it on thick as her sister Arianna had followed her husband into their daughter's room.

"Willow?" The Queen of Corona gives her youngest sibling, who had the wildest streak of all the Drottningholm sisters, a cocked head look which knew Willow was crafting something up her short sleeve.

"I said _that_? Dummkopf! (dummy) My memory must be really shot!" A dumbfounded Eugene murmurs as he carries his two babies, one held in each large, talented hand back to their relocated shared cradle. Eugene tucks them in effortlessly doting, despite his brows being knit with all this recent memory loss the twins found quite funny.

The older man watches how easily the charismatic thief tickles his babies' tummies and naturally rocks the two crying babies to sleep as Rapunzel looks helplessly on.

A miserable, overtired Rapunzel, giving in to the strong clashing wills of her Father and Aunt, plops her worthless self on their transferred bed in dull despair of her own parenting skill deficit. Her mother goes over to massage the tense shoulders of the young woman mildly suffering from some post-partum depression Arianna herself remembered all too well.

King Friedrich's worried eyebrows furrow in concern, judging this to be a perfect solution that had presented itself as he follows into the connected nursery/sitting room where the master bed and royal twin cradle had been squeezed in.

"Then it is decided. Princess Wilhelmina requires a royal escort to travel with her to Brazil. It is most Providential that you, Prince Consort Eugene, will have the honor to represent our Kingdom at that important royal nuptial in Paraiso concerning the joining of two of our nation's most beneficial South American allies of Brazil and Argentina. I will be counting on you, Sir, to uphold our Royal family of Corona's good name alongside Princess Wilhelmina in our absence , for which you will make our apologies." King Friedrich makes the profound sounding decision as he places a heavy, fatherly hand on Eugene's shoulder.

The King gives a pleased, lordly glance over his beautiful bouncing, healthy grandchildren and future heirs finally settled back down to a peaceful sleep on this early Christmas morn.

His beloved daughter Rapunzel had made him so proud in procreating these lovely twins with Eugene Fitzherbert to maintain the royal line's assurance all men and kings particularly strive for so he couldn't be too irritated with the perplexing ex-thief.

"Sure. All in the name." Eugene says with a smirked sigh, not quite understanding his sudden ostracization from the cushy palace he only recently returned to. At the same time the itchy thief, who had masterfully disguised having no idea of how to be a great daddy by spoiling his new babies rotten, could feel a small trickle of that old thrill and urge to hit the wide open road again.

"This will give you some quiet, calming instances to re-find your focus and get to know your little ones better in your own time, my darling girl." Friedrich reassures his sniffly daughter, who bravely smiles up at him.

Everything wild and free in Rapunzel was screaming that she wanted to go with her wonderful partner Eugene, to see the other side of the globe, too. She wanted to explore and feel the wind in her hair again! But then that dull nagging pain in the pit of her stomach reminded the young woman that she had responsibilities as a new mother here.

 _Maybe Father is right, and I need some 'me' time with Ruby and Anxelin, Eugene, so I can be try to be a good mother, like you're a first-class father already._

"The window has been fused! Ha Ha HA! The science of alchemy has triumphed yet again! Hah!" Wearing his cooky goggles like a true mad alchemist, Varian proudly chooses this moment to throw open the connected door to announce his modern science miracle of agitating just the right ingredient molecules with chemicals of varied soda ash and silicates and alkalines to reform the sealed glass of the window.

"Shh!" Arianna and Willow both hiss at the noisy boy from where they were monitoring the thankfully still snoozing twins in their cradle.

"Oops, sorry." The messy haired young man sheepishly apologizes as Cassandra smirks and shrugs at them all before hooking her boy wonder back into the bedroom with one of his ingenious metal tools she helped stir the alchemist's magic brew with.

"It's not magic, Cassie! It's ALCHEMY!"

"Right. Alchemy. Tell that to the multicolored, speckled glass 'slumping' hodgepodge you created there. I suppose it does have a certain stained glass, objet d'arte look to it Raps may like. Probably drive Fitzherbert crazy in the mornings, so it can't be all that bad. Let's get back in there to clean your traveling alchemy lab and chemical muffle kiln kit mess, my Blankschnitt-ing genius."

Varian and Cassandra's muffled voices could be lightly heard sparring in the next room in a sort of playful flirting as they got the room back together after emergency window repair called for some swift science skills.

"Now that you're all wide awake and Christmas has already begun, I believe I spotted Herr Claus had already left his presents under the tree for some good girls and boys here in the Palace. Let us all go down to start our Christmas celebration like a proper family should. You'll have a chance to see the… _highly_ _inventive_ …decorations your mother personally put up in your absence, my artistic child." King Friedrich, pleased at the thought of having his baby girl to himself again, if just for a few weeks, looses a belly laugh at the not so trifling word when applied to his, at times over the top, wife who tended to subscribe to the 'more is better' theory.

"Eugene may carry you down to the special seat beside the fireplace I have kept warm and vacant just for you all season long, my _mädchen_ (little girl), in wait of when you would be feeling well enough to come down and share the festive holiday with us again. You are feeling better, aren't you, Rapunzel?" The overbearing King compromises for once in his life as he instructs his son-in-law to bring the emotionally distraught young woman down to the warmth of the blazing yule log hearth, the home peaceful and sentimentally vibrant of Christmastime's sweet backdrop.

"I feel a lot better now that our babies are here and safe at last." Rapunzel finishes her tearful fit with a determined squeeze to her father's hands and a deep, loving look into Eugene's amber eyes.

"Then we'll see you downstairs over an enjoyable Christmas cocoa and present opening ceremony in a few minutes, _meine tapferes_ _mädchen_ (my brave girl), after you've changed." Queen Arianna gives her child a gentle look along with some motherly advice. "Your Aunt Willow will watch the twins here in the nursery while you and Eugene talk and change in your bedroom. Varian has patched the window up good enough for now to keep out the chill."

In her orchid robes, Arianna warmly brushes back Rapunzel's tousled hair with a maternal smile. "I think you two also need some private time, to speak earnestly with one another. Parenthood brings a big change to a couple's life that can take a little bit of growing accustomed to together."

Pascal gives her a thumbs-up and scampers off with Queen Arianna who ushers the King and Willow, Cassandra, Lance, and Varian all out behind the closed door of the attached nursery to allow that important 'private' talk with Eugene.

"Okay, Mom." Rapunzel's smile lingers on her lips in gratitude for her supportive parents as she closes her eyes.

The brown-haired princess breathes in deeply before turning to where the only other person left in the room was nervously standing.

* * *

"Soooo…What you want to wear, Liebling? This one, I daresay, probably matches that stunning corded velvet ensemble you selected for me to sport in this devilishly eye-catching outfit, Mrs. Fitzherbert." Eugene's mouth runs off as usual, his talented fingers dutifully returning from their shared closet with a long white dress with emerald lace trim at the bottom, as he holds up a dark green velvet bodice that was blessedly stretchy.

"I'll be terribly lonely without you, Eugene." A tearing up Rapunzel emotionally bounces from one heart trouble to the next. Her tired exhaustion and overanxious birthing hormones were wreaking havoc on the new mother who was suffering from some postnatal melancholy.

She stares listlessly out the modern art Picasso-type window the resident alchemist fused all the bits of glass with something he conjured in his chemically fired kiln at short notice.

"I don't even remember saying I'd go, but…they say the brain's the first to deteriorate for geniuses. But, don't worry. I'll be back and bothering you again before you can say: ' _Smolder'_. You won't have time to miss lil' ole, good-lookin' me that much with our needy babes to keep you preoccupied here, Darlin'. Those bouncing bundles of joy need their Mama more than their Da-da anyway in the first few weeks, I've heard it said, for obvious reasons. Come to think of it, I wouldn't mind a nip of mother's breast milk myself. Best promise to save some for me when I get back, _Liebste_." Knocking his head, Eugene tries to play on the bright, romantic, teasing side of the situation to make Rapunzel feel better, though he was experiencing pangs of missing his bright-eyed gal already himself.

"Eugene, please just kiss me! It's Christmas Day and I don't want to think about any Twelfth Night when the candles on our Christmas wreaths will be unlit and taken down without you near! I love you so much! I want to be the best mother to your children." Rapunzel abruptly cries out her even her small hopes and petty fears as her nimble fingered husband easily removes her loose nightie and helps the weepy woman into the white and darkest green velvety frock like a good husband.

Rapunzel had selected to wear it for Christmas Eve ages ago, before the trauma of birth and learning how to be a mother to this pair of needy, demanding, weepy, wonderful infants who were volubly daring like their funny Daddy, and every bit as amazingly lovely as their insecure Mommy.

"C'mon, Blondie. No more tears, okay? It's bad for my complexion. We're all good, you and me. Just a little bump or two on our road of forever happiness, right? But the old folks might be right, a little. Some down time for us apart to step back and regain our bearings on this crazy ride into parenting might even be healthy! Just remember, after this wedding shindig in Rio and a session or two with those shrinks Willow's got slated for me, I'll be holding tight onto my ticket home to come back to you. You're the best thing that ever happened to me, Rapunzel." Gathering his wife in his arms, Eugene caresses the ticklish nape of Rapunzel's neck, causing her to give him that most beautiful sound to his ears, her sweet giggle.

"Now, you just let down your hair – _so to speak_ \- and stay my strong Brownie girl, more than that sensitive flower to fall apart at the first rain, from now on. You show our two spoiled brats who's in charge here! I'll bring Carpet with me, so I can be back in two shakes of a tassel, as soon as I'm deemed ready, I swear! By the time I get back from my psychoanalysis miracle Himalayan cure of this creepy late-night sleepwalking that you guys _claim_ I've been up to – _though I have absolutely no memory of_ – we'll both be right as rain to face a brand-new 1842 together as a perfect, happy, non-dysfunctional family. I promise you it will be so, _Liebste_ (my dearest). Because I love you, **and** our new dream that our love gave birth to." At the close of his moralizing speech, Eugene Fitzherbert delivers a most passionate and edifying kiss to his wife's waiting and wanting, oh-so-willing lips.

The virile young man in Flynn Rider almost took over here for the first time in ages, as he was longing to yank off the rest of her clothes rather than secure them back on over his Rapunzel's more ample curves.

But the hungry thief also knew he had to be a good and patient partner in his abstinence for a little while more, while the mother of his children was yet recovering in both physical and emotional stages.

It would most likely be for the best that he was going away so as not to be tempted anyway in the interim.

 _No wonder I've been a sleepwalking thief in the night! My subconscious is probably yearning to taste your sweet mystery after all those long lonely, empty hard months, when all I could do is sit back and watch, with no hands in your oh-so-right places…_

"I better get you downstairs before this bad boy is marked 'naughty' rather than 'nice' by ol' St. Nick like Lance said, and I get a big lump of coal in my stocking hanging over the fireplace." Eugene breathes in Rapunzel's hair, her cheeks going a deep shade of pretty pink.

The girl who mildly worried about the fact that her slender waist size had definitely gone up due to double pregnancy now glows with pleasure in the knowledge the man she loved still desired her, even after her size had definitely enlarged a bit since motherhood struck.

"Your dad would be itching to throw me behind bars for filching all those sparkling goodies they found in my drawer. No one would believe me, Blondie, but I swear to you I have absolutely no memory of stealing any of those things! Although, now that I think about it, some **would** fetch a good price on the open market –" His mind wanders, counting on his fingers the added price of the glorious sight of all those valuable shiny objects he had glimpsed in his confiscated drawer's possession that Flynn Rider, for once, truly had no culpable guilt for stealing.

At least not when he was conscious.

" ** _I_** do believe you, Eugene! But I've been so busy thinking about myself and wallowing in my own insecurities and pain that I never once considered that you were having some mental issues of your own. I mean, you've been so perfect – the twins love you so much that I was feeling left out. But now your sleepwalking makes me feel better about being a terrible, jealous wife and inadequate mother already." Rapunzel confesses her heart's troubles as Eugene quirks a brow at the former blonde's logic.

She smiles dizzily up at her handsome man adjusting his stylish embroidered sash/belt in the mirror behind her as she puts on her own outfit's final touches of the burgundy cape her husband wraps around her pale shoulders.

"You up to this, _Liebling_?"

Eugene then lifts an affirmatively smiling and nodding Rapunzel _(putting on the pounds, my chewy Brownie-cake!)_ and carries his wife downstairs to the living room of Corona Palace.

There the tradition of decorating the overloaded palace Christmas trees had been conglomerated into a trio of silver firs at ostentatious Queen Arianna's direction.

One for Rapunzel, one for Anxelin, and one for Ruby, too.

There were candles and popcorn strings; small toys and paper chains and colorful ribbons. Even candies and fancy little cakes had been hung on the low hanging boughs and branches on the trio of Christmas trees that were color coordinated with the fandango fuchsia tree in the center, with a smaller, lavender purple garland festooned fir to its left, and a demure pinkish magenta decorated in streamers tree to its right.

"Wow. Mom did an amazing job. I'm so happy to be able to come down, so we can spend this Christmas Eve together, Eugene. But…with the long delivery and difficult birthing these past few weeks, I didn't have much time to get you anything this year." Rapunzel apologizes, on the verge of tears again – happy ones this time - as she gazes about the festive home that been denied the young woman for her eighteen, long and lonesome, childhood years.

In her sleep these weeks alone, with plentiful mental meanderings galore, Rapunzel had reflected on each of the Christmases of her past. In the beginning, selfish Mother Gothel told her nothing of the true meaning of the blessed season when Christendom celebrated God's gift to the world.

Nor the ample gift-giving by grateful children at the end of the year's winter solstice towards their mothers for being so good to them all throughout the rest the year.

"But what if I can't handle Anxelin and Ruby alone here without you?" That lingering sentiment creeps up into Rapunzel's psyche again as she recalled Gothel's poor maternal skills that made Rapunzel question her own now. "They love their daddy best."

"Hey. They'll love their Mama even more, once she's stopped worrying so much. You'll be just fine, Rapunzel. Remember, I believe in you, too. I know you'll be better than peachy when you have some time alone to build those all-important, mother-daughter relationships with your new gals, without everyone's favorite thief of hearts in the way. I want my girls to love their Mama as much as I do. But that's such a high bar, they're gonna have to work really hard to come even close. You've given me all the Christmas gifts I will ever need in the gems of those two little angels I never imagined a lonely outcast rogue like me would ever have. I've absolutely no doubt that you'll be the best mom ever when I get back." Eugene surprises himself with the altruistic, tender words of a moderate selfless man who opens up his heart to the woman he loved more than life itself while he carries her easily across the room.

"Thank you for always supporting me, Eugene." She whispers as he gently seats Rapunzel near the fireplace in the special chair her Kingly father had specified.

Eugene smirks as Cassandra wordlessly delivers a steaming mug of the dark chocolate cocoa Rapunzel adored before the rolling-eyed guardswoman returns to break up the tense discussion rising on the other side of the room.

Captain Schmidt and Varian were vehemently comparing the wisdom of ancient wax candles on flammable fir trees versus the danger of questionable, fizzling incandescent light glass tubes with nitrogen filled carbon rods as the boy's blacksmith Dad, Quirin, looked on with a chuckle.

Between her red-faced Captain of the Guard father and audacious young boyfriend inventor, Cassandra was sure scientific arguments should not belong at Christmas parties. But at least they were conversing civilly, even after Varian made the mistake of referring to Cassandra as _'my girl'_ in front of tattletale soldier Stan, making his rounds at the punch bowl.

Luckily for Cass, King Friedrich and Queen Arianna commence the ' _Becherung'_ (gift from God) Christkind gift-giving of the little presents that had been hung on the tree, which promptly ceases the growingly tense conversation.

"Merry Christmas, Eugene." Rapunzel leans her head back to her lover's large fingered hand which rested on her shoulder. She indulges to caress his appendage as she feels Eugene's strong arm and warm heart pressed to her with the complete love that assured her of the bright future pledged for them to be together.

Eugene reveals in his other hand the trio of angels upon the Advent wreath that Rapunzel had been diligently fulfilling with each week's significant candle all during Christmas season, leading up to this blessed celebration day at last.

"Merry Christmas, Darlin'." Kissing her hair that had tied them together from the start in destiny, Eugene was pleased to watch his gorgeous wife's eyes light up at his heartfelt present.

The Princess of Corona becomes delightfully enthralled with the fully lit candles completed on her Advent wreath, blessed by the priest in church each week of this special Advent-tide that Rapunzel had gathered, representing so much this year for her.

Hope, love, joy, peace, and purity that the Lord Jesus Christ had promised to bless them with as new father and mother, was beaming bright there.

Eugene and Rapunzel longed to share together those gifts as parents with their baby girls on this special first Christmas together.

Wily Aunt Willow gives the loving pair a wink as she passes by their cozy fireplace nook. She had been explaining to her big sister and brother-in-law her stockings charade type game idea that she had learned in the Island of Motonui which the adventurer princess visited some years back. In the fun pastime where ' _old things were all you need'_ , the clues were treasured personal items that she had gathered from the participants' rooms for the game. It was an ingenious way to return the pilfered goodies from Eugene's drawer to innocently explain how they had gone astray.

The Secret Stocking Game exchange turned out to be a lark for the Royal family. Although, Cassandra's law enforcing dad, stuffy Captain Schmidt, who had come up from guarding the holding cells when he heard Cassandra had arrived earlier, was not that enthused to be an accessory to stolen goods.

Not until his cunning daughter slipped into his stocking, being included in the Corona family tradition, a sculpted badge that read 'World's Greatest Dad', with his Roman nose silhouette etched in the metal that her resident blacksmith/alchemist had painstakingly embossed for his adored Cassie.

With the Snuggly Duckling boys up early to attend the Christmas morning party, Bruiser and Killer had knit the stockings and let the pub thugs embroider each – albeit with names spelled incorrectly and scribed crookedly here and there by the illiterate ruffians— for the royal family.

After the stocking game and Merry Christmas present giving romp, where contrite Eugene presented Rapunzel with a seashell ivory cameo of himself he had hung on her tree for his pretty wife. Inside its setting rear was a lock of his own luxuriantly voluminous, dark brown hair he had donated to the craftsman. _He may have been an artist, but hairdresser the craftsman was not! I'm still growing my bangs back in!_

The thief may have stolen the romantic present idea from his Lillebror while they were traveling the Mediterranean together up the Italian coast, but it was a memento of devotion that meant the world to dreamy Rapunzel. It came with a note that said : _'Love, your Favorite Handsome Barber, Blondie'._

Then the new father knelt down to the floor to hold up each newborn babe to the Christmas tree to see their Maneki-neko wooden carved statues to his riveted daughters.

Baby Anxelin and Baby Ruby – whom the tearful, emotional heart-troubled older King, who always with melancholy, thought each may be his last Christmas – had specifically asked the infants to be brought down to the first celebratory Christmas family scene.

The twin girls were instantly fixated by the purr-fectly matching pair of small feline wooden carved statues that the old whittler woman Eugene encountered down in the spooky forests of Mala Strauma, Hungary, had given him.

In fact, the twin Asian lucky charms succeeded beyond either young parent's wildest dreams in keeping their fussy, noisy, twin princesses preoccupied and quiet enough to even attend Christmas morning church service in the Corona Palace Chapel with their grandparents and Mom and Dad.

Cassandra and her Dad Captain Schmidt, with a meek Varian sandwiched in the middle were seated in the pew behind them; Aunt Willow and pleasantly surprised conspirer Lance Armstrong were becoming acquainted with one another in the front row, alongside all of the Snuggly Duckling thugs wanting their first glimpse of the wee little dream angels of their favorite dreamy Princess.

Former pirate first mate Job was also in attendance, all done up in his emblem Caribbean sash of his Muma's. The tall, tall, black man's long dreadlocks were stylishly styled by his roommate Gunther into a suave side braid, and heroic reformed pirate Job was seated in a place of honor in the front rows on the other side of Aunt Willow.

She was quickly full of admiration for the quiet, gentlemanly, muscleman hulk to her left, rather than noisy Lance to her right. The vivacious woman stands intimately close to Job as they share a hymnal in the pew, Wilhelmina's strident voice encouraging Job's low bass to harmonize the beautiful Christmas music together, though big sister Arianna was raising eyebrows at her flirtatious younger sibling as the Corona Royal family welcomes in the holy day.

"I'll see the light soon, Liebling, and definitely come back to my perfect little family—a healthy and whole man again." Eugene whispers to his mate as the offering plate is passed around and Eugene generously empties his pockets of all their coins.

It was only after he deposited the vast amount of shiny coinage did the savvy thief realize the ancient gold once resided in the Corona palace vaults.

With a guilty simper that imagined the reaction of King, or even worse – Eugene's archenemy Captain Schmidt, who was to be passed the offering plate in the next aisle – should they notice the priceless royal coinage being bandied about, the caught red-handed thief fervently prayed in the Church to God for mercy.

"Those shiners will be back in the vault quicker than you can say _'I've got a dream',_ Rider." Hookhand and his brother Hookfoot lean their heads close to Rapunzel and Eugene's panicking ones from the pew behind. The lead pub thugs give their pilfering compatriots Big Nose and Attila the heads up to honestly swipe the precious coins from the offering basket before the parson clapped eyes on them.

"Merry Christmas, Princess." The Snuggly Duckling boys didn't mind lending their growing rusty thieving skills for such a worthy cause as keeping their old pal Flynn Rider in the pink with his in-laws.

"Consider it a great big present with a bow on top to return these for you later tonight and keep our collective mouths shut." Scratchy-voiced Hookhand murmurs under his breath as the offering song of 'Hark the Herald' is boisterously sung.

"Gee, thanks, everyone. You'd do this for me, guys? I'm touched, really." Eugene places an overdramatic hand over his heart as he looks to each of the pub thugs' conspiring, smarmy faces behind him.

"Not for you, you klepto Rider. It's for those sweet little angels you'd better shape up for to be a good daddy, ASAP. Or else." Vladimir leans down from his towering height to mutter low, threatening in Eugene's ear.

Body weak but heart strong Princess Rapunzel smiles at being silent witness to all this friendship forged and love surrounding her, grateful to God for them and the two healthy miracles in her and Eugene's arms this Christmas day.

 _"'Peace on Earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconcile!'"_

Having the real family she only dreamt of before, Rapunzel leans on Eugene's shoulder as she and he hold their wispy brown haired and thick golden curled babies on their laps. Each behaving child clings to their wooden kitty toys with the opposite paw up, almost magically signaling peace and quiet at last for their distressed, sleepy mother.

Princess Rapunzel, though her heart was still full, could smile up at the stained glass window's depiction of the Nativity scene, with the blessed assurance Jesus was born as a tiny baby to a Mother named Mary, who suffered a long, hard pregnancy, too, just as she had with her sweet twins.

And Mary, though still an ordinary young woman, would be the perfect mother God selected to tenderly and full of grace teach that precious Baby to grow up someday to be the Savior of the world for all men.

Imagining that first Christmas day miracle, and the insecurity and pain Mary must've felt too on her long road to get to that midnight clear's appointed hour, made Rapunzel feel peace within her heart.

She gives a contented sigh, trusting in the Lord for this new year He had granted she and her new family as Rapunzel plants a kiss on both of her children's peacefully slumbering cheeks.

She proudly watches her cherished Advent wreath, among many, be carried up to be blessed by the pastor on Christmas Day, with all candles lit and placed on the altar by her tall, comely, guilty-faced husband, liberated angels and all.

The glowing Advent wreath traveled along with her prayers and hopes for the future in every supplication her yearning heart wept upon that wreath these protracted, difficult months.

Rapunzel sings praise to God beside her family, her friends, her people, in this holy place on this holy day when the only true Peace was freely given to the world, through pure Love that brought her through the pain to now hold joy.

And most of all, Princess Rapunzel feels strong again when her wonderful husband Eugene's arm returns to the pew to embrace around not only her shoulders, but also securely around her heart that would never be far from his.

With a supportive squeeze of her arms filled with his two slumbering little ones who rested for their Mama at last, the thief gives the once unsure, remarkable young girl with the amazing magic hair a smile. It conveyed enough peace for them both to make it through this silent night that promised to lead to a glorious new day, in the new year when they could be together forever…

 _"'Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht,  
Alles schläft; einsam wacht  
Nur das traute hochheilige Paar.  
Holder Knabe im lockigen Haar,  
Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh!  
Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh!'" _

* * *

'Silent night, holy night  
All is calm all is bright  
'Round yon virgin Mother and Child  
Holy infant so tender and mild  
Sleep in heavenly peace  
Sleep in heavenly peace!'

* * *

 ** _Meanwhile in sunshiny Arendelle's own joyful Christmas morn…_**

 _"'Come, thou long expected Jesus,  
born to set thy people free;  
from our fears and sins release us,  
let us find our rest in thee.  
Israel's strength and consolation,  
hope of all the earth thou art;  
dear desire of every nation,  
joy of every longing heart._

 _Born thy people to deliver,  
born a child and yet a King,  
born to reign in us forever,  
now thy gracious kingdom bring.  
By thine own eternal spirit  
rule in all our hearts alone;  
by thine all sufficient merit,_  
 _raise us to thy glorious throne!'"_

* * *

In the decidedly cooler crisp air of the northernmost nation of the European continent, bedazzling in her array of Christmas snowflakes adorning her hair she had done up especially fine today, Queen Elsa gazes lovingly at her little sister Anna, who was anxiously waiting for her to return in the courtyard.

The younger Arendelle Royal sibling was never a morning person, now in her pregnancy even more so. But Princess Anna had enough pluck to arouse herself and Kristoff from their bed to race like little kids themselves again out into the snowy white Christmas.

It was a picturesque scene with fresh fallen snowflakes gently sprinkling down, Winter Queen Elsa had made sure of, to greet her beloved Anna's eyes that were as excited as a child of eight all over again to welcome her outdoors for Christmas.

But the minute she gets out there, a beaming Anna stops still and looks around with a small sigh. Elsa had done it up all so perfect and pretty, from pristine snowy hills to frosted tree boughs, right down to the tinkling icicle bells hanging over the stable eavesdrips.

Yet Anna couldn't help but feel that something, somehow was still missing from this flawless winter scene that she couldn't quite lay a finger upon.

In the Christmas-y weather, bundled up Amber and James and Cleo join the early Christmas morning's sledding fun that Anna had proposed last night. Sounds of blissful enjoyment emanate from the rear of the castle on the tall snowy hill the Ice Queen masterfully cryo-enhanced with a fresh dusting of snow for their sport benefit.

But still, Anna felt something was missing, like there was a great a hole in her heart she couldn't explain.

And Elsa felt the same way. She had awakened early to go outside to create the Christmas wonderland for her little sister, and also to find her also early-rising Prince Hans, exactly where she believed he would be.

After a few hours of sleep after the night of Christmas caroling with the family and friends, playing with Elsa at the piano into the wee hours, Hans was almost as excited as Anna to start his Christmas tradition.

As soon as he heard the clock toll 6 AM, the dapper young man quickly dressed and dashed out into the brisk Christmas morn as he had since was a small boy. Every past Christmas when he was a child at home from the school convent or a teen on ship's shore leave for the holidays, young Hans had run out to the stable and directly into his best friend Sitron's stall.

Hans would be sure to procure a handful of freshly sugared, cold and colorful Hawthorn and lingonberries picked and strung between molasses and oat covered popcorn especially for the sweet toothed equine.

The redheaded Prince may not have been missed in the big house by his brothers or his miserly father, but Sitron was always glad to greet his favorite boy and the handmade Christmas present Hans never forgot each year, growing up in lonely Egeskov for his best friend.

But that was only part of Hans' secret yearly Christmas morning mission.

 _"'På den tid befalede den romerske kejser Augustus, at der skulle foretages en folketælling i hele kejserriget. Denne folketælling foregik før den, som fandt sted, mens Kvirinius var guvernør i Syrien._

 _Alle tog af sted for at lade sig indskrive på listerne i den by, de stammede fra, og da Josef var af Kong Davids slægt, måtte han rejse fra Nazaret i Galilæa til Betlehem i Judæa, Davids fødeby. Han var nødt til at tage sin forlovede, Maria, med sig, selv om hun var højgravid._

 _Mens de opholdt sig i Betlehem, kom det tidspunkt, hvor hun skulle føde. Maria fødte sin søn, den førstefødte. Hun svøbte ham i et tæppe og lagde ham i en krybbe i staldrummet, for gæsteværelset var optaget._

 _Samme nat lå nogle hyrder under åben himmel og vogtede får på marken uden for byen. Pludselig stod der en engel foran dem, og hele landskabet lå badet i et strålende lys fra Guds herlighed. Hyrderne blev forskrækkede,_ _men englen beroligede dem. „Vær ikke bange!" sagde han. „Jeg er kommet for at fortælle jer en stor og glædelig nyhed, som angår hele folket: I nat er jeres Frelser født i Davids by. Det er Messias, og han er jeres herre. Det her skal være et tegn for jer: I vil finde et_ _lille_ _barn, som ligger i en krybbe, indsvøbt i et tæppe."_

 _I det samme brød himlen ud i jubel. En hær af engle lovpriste Gud med følgende sang:_

 _„Al ære til Gud i Himlen  
og fred på jorden  
til dem, der gør Guds vilje!"_

 _Da englene igen var vendt tilbage til Himlen, sagde hyrderne til hinanden: „Lad os gå_ _ind_ _til Betlehem og se, hvad der er sket, det, som Gud har fortalt os om."_

 _{'And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed._ _(This taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of_ _Syria_ _.)_ _And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city._

 _And Joseph also went up from_ _Galilee_ _, out of the city of_ _Nazareth_ _, into_ _Judaea_ _, unto the city of_ _David_ _, which is called_ _Bethlehem_ _; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:_ _To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child._ _And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered._

 _And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn._ _There were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night._

 _And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid._ _And the angel said unto them, "Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people._ _For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord._ _And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger."_

 _And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,_

 _"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."_

 _And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us._ _(_ Luke 2:1-15)}

Elsa pauses to eavesdrop on the beautifully spoken Danish language Biblical reading with a pleased smile upon her face. The Norwegian Queen, who understood Danish well enough as part of her regal learning, was glad to find her wonderful Hans had quietly, yet full of such eloquence and perfect pitch projection, come to read the full Nativity story to Sitron.

As she carefully peeks around the stall door, Elsa could see where Hans was relaying the first Christmas story from the gospel of Luke in Danish from the antique Bible Elsa's parents had gifted Hans from Arendelle's age-old holy relic and crown jewel reliquary.

The blonde Ice Queen watches in wonder how Hans' regal delivery was not wasted on his audience of Sitron, Iriserende and Kjekk, as well as the entire stable's audience of visiting horses and other livestock and husky sled dogs as well.

Sitron and all the other animals in their own stalls were raptly listening to his master's well spoken delivery of the precious word of God that even the animals respectfully recognized and quietly revered in their patiently listening stalls on this Christmas morning.

"Hallelujah, _Kristus er født i dag_. (Christ is born today)." In fitting Danske tone and pitch to accentuate her Danish fiancé's holy verse about the angels' glorification, Elsa's soprano sings her entrance to her young lover whose lofty words illustrated the once holy host of angels that day nearly two thousand years ago.

An adoring smile that was only for her creeps across Hans' pretty boy face. With besmitten eyes, the young man turns from where he had been nimbly perched up high above their stable stalls as his pulpit, so all the creatures housed here – from equines to bovines to canines – could hear the good news of Christ's miraculous love for they too to bow down and rejoice.

"Elsa, _min elske_! Good morning! I did not realize I had a Royal Queen among my humble audience this early Christmas morn." With an athletic leap down from his high perch to the ground below, the red-faced redhead dusts off first his newly treasured Bible, which he places safely upon a nearby bench.

Then Hans rubs his hands lightly across his backside to whisk off any hay strewn, and finally dusts his gloved hands to each other again, before presenting himself neatly straightened before his impressed lady with a debonair bow.

"May I offer you my heartfelt solicitudes and Merry Christmas tidings, your Majesty?" The prim and proper young man teases with an extremely dipped respectful bow that evened his eyes to the same level as Elsa's velvet blue swaying hips.

He keeps that position for several dramatic seconds before the red fox in the henhouse comes up to wrap less formal, more intimate arms around her delicate form.

"You may offer whatever Christmas greeting you see fit, Prince Hans. Suffice it has been well received by all your audience." Elsa rejoinders Hans' lighthearted tease, trying to shake off that inexplicable emptiness she had awakened with, to be more in the giddy mood expected on this happy Christmas morning.

She was grateful to have her stunning man embrace her in his ever-so-warm arms and lips and body all around her cool form.

Although Prince Hans was greatly enjoying this Christmas morning surprise assignation which his fiancée generously gave him free reign thereof, the sensitive soul within him sensed his lady was not entirely merry this fine winter morning.

"Elsa? Is everything all right? You don't quite seem yourself today." His green eyes inquire thoughtfully as Hans pulls up the deep crimson red collar of the silk shirt Anna – at Kristoff's insistence to be rid of the too tight, not his fashion at all, fancy man shirt his extravagant little wife had splurged on for him in the marketplace this season _(Oaken was having a big Christmas blowout!)_ – had regifted the colorful garment to the more slender coxcomb Prince Hans.

If she _had_ to give _him_ something.

"Oh, yes. This is going to be a wonderful Christmas in Arendelle with my family reunited by God's good grace. The kingdom is at peace, Anna and Kristoff are going to have a baby. And you are safely here with me, Hans, with Papa contented. Everything is just as we dreamed it would be." Elsa smiles evenly as she explains the Creator's many blessings upon her life that she should be most thankful for this Christmas.

"Then, what's missing?" The Danish Prince prods his serene beauty gently as he finishes combing Iriserende's long tail and mane to her new mistress' smiling satisfaction after Sitron had messily shared his Christmas string of caramelized popcorn and berries with his new girlfriend.

"I had almost forgotten how quiet and desolate my morning walks outside to clear my head could be without…" Elsa trails off, that affected smile affixed upon her pretty face showing a tinge of sadness for that first, special Christmas tradition she and Anna, through all the tumult of birthdays and romance, competition and baby announcements, had been neglecting.

"…Olaf?" Having a hand in the snowman's secret departure some days ago, it all at once dawns upon Hans at what – or rather _who_ – was missing from this kingdom's picture, as an unaware Elsa instinctively kept glancing forlornly down at her side.

"Rest assured, my Queen, your friend Olaf pledged he would be back here in Arendelle in time to celebrate Christmas with you." Empathic Hans realized how important, though often times overlooked as annoying or bothersome in his garrulous naiveté and loud frolicking, the happy little snowman was to the Arendelle Royal sisters.

"The little guy's probably having the time of his life with his brother snowgies up in my North mountain Ice Palace. I daresay he would not want to leave the amusing merriment to be with us down here after we've treated him so badly. I feel terrible to not have realized until now, with all our events and entertaining guests and own affairs, how we have ignored poor Olaf recently. All he desperately wants is to be with the people he loves, and be part of our family's joy at Christmas – his favorite time of year." Elsa laments, twiddling her elegant fingers at her holly and ivy hair adornment as she calmly admits her own and Anna's unintentional mistake.

They had all but forgotten Olaf amid the ballroom dancing, skating frolics, and royal slumber parties that the eager snowfriend had been excluded from.

"Come now, _min skat_ (my darling). Olaf loves you and Anna far too much to ever be upset with either of you. Especially not at Christmastime he loves so very well. Your amazing innocent hearted little snowman has been born of your pure love and sisterly friendship which could never forsake one another." Hans explains his keenly learned deep knowledge of how their unfailing snow friend Olaf had come to this world through Elsa and Anna's magical affection and sisterly love that no time or separation could take away.

"Thus, I have never once seen or heard or had the thought in my head that your Olaf could ever harbor any ill will feelings of spite or anger, much less jealousy, nor ever take offense that is all too common a human frailty. He knows both of you love him and he is the most pure-hearted creature I have ever seen, and who lives by example the Corinthians passage of love which you and I appreciate all too well." Hans kindly complains with a tender touch and deft fingered tuck back of his platinum beauty's loose hair strands which had come undone with her self-regretful head hanging.

Hans retrieves his thick, early 17th century Resen-Svaningske Bible and adroit fingers flip easily to the New Testament.

 _"'Kærlighed er tålmodig, kærlighed er mørt. Kærlighed ikke misundelse, er det ikke prale. Kærlighed er ikke stolt. Kærlighed ikke nedværdige andre, det er ikke Self søger, kærlighed er ikke let at vrede. Det holder ikke styr på tidligere forbrydelser. Kærligheden fryder sig ikke i det onde, men fryder sig i sandhed. Kærlighed altid beskytter, altid tillid, altid håber, altid udholde. Kærlighed aldrig ender.'"_

("Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of past wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never ends.'" 1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

The Scripture in his native tongue was music to Elsa's gratified ears to hear her fiancé wisely read the very fitting passage when her heart was feeling low. Their heads bent together in studying the Prince's gift of the ancient holy text, Hans and Elsa share a sweet kiss at these precious verses that meant so much to their soulful romance as the perfect illustration of the reason Christ Jesus was born to this fallen world—to show the extent of God's real unconditional love for even sinners.

"So…whatcha to up to this early Christmas morning? A Bible study group with the horsies and puppies? That antique Bible of our kingdom is a pretty cool present from Mama and Papa. Don't get it dirty in the barn, Red. It's valuable." Princess Anna pointedly chooses this tender moment of Elsa and Hans kissing in the hay-strewn stable barn with the official Church Bible of Norway dating back to 1607 on the bench between their smooching heads.

"Speaking of red on Red… That shirt that didn't fit Kristly looks pretty decent enough on Hans, doesn't it, Elsa?" Sour-faced Anna succeeds in pulling her sister's attention away from her fiancé's osculation.

Anna couldn't help but give a verbal swipe and physical smack of some hay off Hans' navy blue posterior to cover up her obvious visual praise of her ex in that deep red shirt that paired well with the corduroy blue vest of his normal princely attire.

"Absolutely." With sparkling eyes for her man who cheered her up in every way possible, Elsa fills in the definitive word with an approving smile upon her blushing beau who was self-consciously back to dusting off his hips and rear again as we was wont to do when embarrassed.

"Oh… ahem… Yes, thank you, your Majesty, Princess." Hans uncomfortably shifts his collar under the Bernadotte sisters' double approving stairs.

"Hmph. Absolutely." High voice mimic Kristoff scoffs at Hans as well from where the big blond Ice Harvester had just caught up with his enthusiastic-for-Christmas-Day wife despite her morning sickies lurched on the front step path he and Sven were left to clean up in Anna's unstoppable wake.

Hans and Kristoff exchange a nod with one another as the mountainman points over Anna's head to the right direction of the stable.

"So, in view of this fortuitous opportunity of your arrival, may I have the express honor of presenting you with **your** Christmas gift, dear Anna." Hans comes out of his embarrassment with a charming smile at Kristoff, who grimaces when audacious Prince Hans audaciously takes hold of Anna's hand to lead her deeper into the stables.

"If I could ask you to close your eyes and take my hand, please, Princess?" Hans entices Anna playfully.

"What!? Hey watch it! We've danced this round before, Buster, haven't we?" At Hans' smooth yet firm touch that Kristoff finally gave consent to, Anna reminisces of love opening doors and slamming them shut again in the face of this turncoat twinkle toed Romeo.

"Ooh. I noticed that you forgot me when everyone else exchanged presents last night when we got back from caroling." The saucy ginger sticks her tongue out at her favorite target.

"How could _I_ ever forget _you_ , dear little sister? I did consider employing the traditional Danish custom of wrapping and re-wrapping this particular present. But it wouldn't stay put for long. Nonetheless, I think you will prefer this new dance partner, to me, any day. You may open your eyes now, Princess." Smooth Hans had been murmuring meaningless drivel to a pursed lipped Anna as he maneuvered her quite lucidly into the stable area.

Kristoff signals to the right-hand stall where a certain honey brown Gudbrandsal colt was patiently chewing on his caramel popcorn and berry string that had somehow become entangled in his long-hairy mane.

 ** _SNIFF SNIFF. NUZZLE NUZZLE._**

"GUDDY!" At first disgusted at the idea that Hans had nuzzled and licked her cheek, Anna was plenty surprised instead to find a short and stocky Dolehest draft horse on the receiving end of her handslap. But a fearless Guddy remembered his feisty girl well, affectionately cuddling her close with his sweet and sticky muzzle despite her sign of first aggression.

The lively brown equine had been brushed and combed by Hans last night to perfection and Kristoff had mentally monitored the friendly steed into this choice spot for the secret Christmas surprise to be revealed.

But neither of them accounted for the sticky muzzled colt after Hans had brought them early morning Christmas treats and left Guddy there to his own devices at eating it.

 _Suits Anna well, I daresay. Ha ha hah!_ Hans begins to chuckle, but soon curbs his mirth with a cleared throat at a glaring Kristoff's miffed mental read of the Dane talking down his spunky little wife's messy eating habits.

"Elsa! Did you know?!" The cued-up husky dogs let loose in barking all around her merriment giving an uproarious din to the stable's charged atmosphere.

Anna was so beside herself with joy she goes from hugging Guddy's pleased as punch neck to practically strangling Hans with a grateful hug.

 _Ewgh!_ Anna quickly checks her friendly hug with her archenemy to pivot to her big sister's more pleasant embrace instead, with an icked-out push to Hans away, as Kristoff and the barking dogs laugh at him.

"Only yesterday, when Hans brought me Iriserende for _my_ special Christmas present. You remember her, don't you, Anna?" Elsa elegantly gestures her hand over to where Kristoff and Hans had gone to bring the Fresian white mare along with Sitron to the center of the stable scene of reunited equine friends.

"Wow! Red did something right for a change?!" Anna gives her future brother-in-law a saucy look of friendly competition they would always share.

"You're so cute and cuddly, Guddy! I missed you so much! I've never ridden a pony so in tune with my freestyle! I'd love to ride him right now… We still have time before breakfast!" The impulsive ginger cries excitedly. Without a second thought, Princess Anna propels herself onto Guddy's short and rather muscular stocky back.

Anna and Guddy were off to the races before anyone could warn the young mother to be off such wild horse riding in her condition. The Gudbrandsal steed had a less than thirteen hands high form and was known for his pulling power and agility.

As usual, Anna doesn't give even a cursory thought to the strange rumbling cloud of thick white smoke – no, it was _snow_ and more like a flash blizzard – that was just starting to roll down the mountain towards Arendelle.

"Anna! Be careful!" Elsa warns as Anna races madly towards the massive blizzard/avalanche streaming down the North Mountain at record speed. With an enigmatic smile at Hans that told him she had this under control, Elsa was chuckling through her admonition to her reckless younger sibling.

Prince Hans gives his Queen a boost onto a compliant Iriserende for her to join her excitable baby sister in this early morning Christmas race.

 ** _WHEWW-wheww!_**

"Let's make sure those girls don't get themselves in trouble, Sven!" Kristoff was also broadly smiling with Anna's contagious joy as he gives a whistle and a call to where his reindeer pal had returned early this Christmas morning from Portugal where Sven and Svala had dropped off Prince Alonso and Princess Valentina.

The pushy Paraiso Princess had sent multiple invitations already to her big day.

But her letter that Kristoff read after Sven accidentally dropped it in his favorite Flemmy stew and his best friend had to dry it out over the hearth, insisted upon Elsa and Hans both attending the big wedding on Valentine's Day.

It seems the Paraiso Princess wanted Elsa to stand as Valentina's maid of honor and thusly Hans as Alonso's best man.

Problem was, neither of them even knew it yet.

Kristoff was still kicking around exactly when and how he would reveal the pushy Brazilian Crown Princess' invite, not wanting to spoil King Agdar's agreeable frame of mind just yet.

 _Then again…It may be best to strike while the iron is hot and Christmas has my father-in-law in a good holiday mood. Still… Maybe I'll ask Hans his opinion, since it concerns him too. But we'll deal with that later. First things first._

"Hop on board Svala, Hans! The mountain man offers a high flying ride to Elsa's chosen fiancé who had weathered many a storm worse than this in order to secure the love of his Ice Queen.

"Thought you'd never ask." With a wry smile, Hans was already mounting onto the reindeer doe's obliging back. The two young heroes on their reindeer fly to the crispy blue sky to where Elsa and Anna were on horseback, bravely facing whatever sudden, monstrous, mysterious swirling snowstorm lay ahead.

Off through the fresh snowy field, up towards this flash blizzard towards the North mountain side, Elsa and Iriserende catch up close behind where Anna and Guddy were flying like the wind on this frosty Norwegian Christmas morn.

The sisters were laughing and enjoying the season together even more after Elsa calls out something only Anna could hear.

* * *

Those in the courtyard, and those still just awakening inside Arendelle Castle look up at the rumbling, frightening sight catapulting down the mountain at terrifying speed as several of the royal guests start to panic.

King Agdar, who had just this moment stepped out to get a breath of the fresh morning air from his bedroom window, creases his brow to see those below running away in a panic at the sudden avalanche racing towards the kingdom from the North side.

 ** _R-RUUMMBBLE! R-RR-OOARR!_**

At all the chaos and clamor in town down below and crashing noise a-roaring up in the North mountain, the recently awakened, still sleepy eyed King begins to panic as well.

Agdar hears the startled visitors with the leadership of Chancellor Esteban and King Roland rallying the guests away and out the front Arendelle exit over the bridge in his absence.

That is what he would have ordered as a good and conscientious ruler who cared for his people. Until Agdar sees, through his incisive Ice King eyes at the plummeting snow and ice avalanche, that his daughter Queen Elsa had the threatening landslide in hand.

"Agdar?! What is it?" Queen Idun awakens with a start to hear all the rumbling noise and commotion of screaming people racing straight through Arendelle Castle downstairs and out the other side of the large doors in a panic.

She quickly wraps a robe around her scantily dressed form and moves towards where her unruffled King was silently staring out the back view of Arendelle Castle through their master bedroom window.

"Nothing Elsa can't handle, my Queen." With a content smile of cryokinetic knowing that expelled all her fears, King Agdar shrugs off his innate unease with arms that wrap luxuriantly around his enticingly warm little wife.

"It appears Anna's Christmas wish last night for her reindeer friends to make it back in time for Christmas has been fulfilled." The unperturbed for once Ice King makes small talk as he leans back to taste the nape of Idun's bare neck in morning greeting.

"Oh, really? That's nice. Is that Prince Hans I see riding Svala overhead, beside Kristoff on Sven? The prince really appreciated that thoughtful Christmas present you chose at last minute from your precious archives of the original Christian III Bible from Arendelle's antiquity coffers." Idun tries to respond lucidly, her awakening senses flustered by her romantic husband's insistent caresses and nibbling that seemed wholly unconcerned with the vast amount of snow and white out powders undulating down the mountain towards their kingdom's defenseless rear.

"I remember you telling me once that it's rarer than hen's teeth. I know you always admired its meticulous translation from the original Hebrew and Greek. From the thrilled look on his face, I believe Prince Hans was pleased with your gift." Idun praises her man, who seemed to be learning to accept Elsa's leadership – as well as her choice of suitor.

"Well…that 16th century Reformation Bible is in full Danish. So who could understand it but a Dane?" Agdar shrugs nonchalantly as he picks up his wife and carries her back to bed, not wanting to appear too partial to the Prince of Southern Isles.

At least this Westergaard was thankfully a good **_Christian_** Dane, who knew his Bible well enough to esteem the 1550 theologian compiled, Martin Luther German translation that was even illustrated with cross-references to original text.

"And Swedish translator. Don't forget the Swedes." The former Norberg Princess of Drottningholm murmurs as her husband envelopes his Queen into his tender embrace warmly on this cool Christmas morn.

"How could I _ever_ forget the Swedes?" King Agdar says huskily, tracing the sleek lines of his particular Swedish beauty who was, this Christmas and always, cherished by her king.

Agdar and Idun were grateful for the warmth that blessed the reconciled royal pair as they return to the still mussed bed to enjoy the start of this first festive holiday together, back in the peace and harmony of their tranquil home, even as deafening confusion ruled outdoors…

* * *

 ** _Meanwhile, back outside in the bitter cold behind the castle…_**

The inexplicable avalanche perilously hangs over Elsa and Anna and their new gifted horses, with Hans and Kristoff closing in, on Sven and Svala, flying at full speed towards their endangered women.

 ** _THUNDER! RUMBLE! CRASH! SPLATTT!_**

"Guess who's coming to Christmas dinner?!" Sofia and Hugo propel skiing over the snowblinding mound rise that had plunged from the mountain mere meters in front of a buoyant Elsa and bedazzled Anna and their brave new horses.

"MERRY CHRISTMAS!" As the frosty smoke and snow dust that had catapulted down the North Mountain side at mindnumbing speed, a high pitched voice is added to the deep bellowing thunder that was echoing down into the Valley.

 **"SANTA OLAF IS HERE!"**

Olaf and Hugo and Sofia had the time of their lives storming down from the steep North Mountain riding Marshmallow with more than a few Snowgie tag alongs.

With mouths dropped, everyone watches the Ice Queen's giant Snow Beast with a wild, Santa hat wearing Olaf upon his head rise up from the mound that had come thundering down the North mountain, with gutsy Princess Sofia and crazy man Prince Hugo riding roughshod on his shoulders.

" _Ohh! Happy Holly Jolly glad tidings at a_ _noon_ _time clear! Santa's snowgie elves will put on a show for you to cheer!"_ Self-described Santa Olaf was standing atop the precipice of his favorite living, breathing avalanche snow beast buddy, the gargantuan big brother he so-named 'Marshmallow.'

The near thirty foot tall softie ice monster, wearing a pointed pair of fir trees tied together with some red rope to be a huge bow tie, had agreed to be Santa Olaf's riproaring winter express vessel this chilly Christmas morning.

Marshmallow had opened up his interior compartments the Ice King had modified him for an earlier mission with Elsa to not only transport Olaf – who had been longing to be home with his loved ones for Christmas – but also serve as the troop transport for the massive number of candy cane smile and red holly berry bow tie fashioned snowgies wearing miniature red and green Santa hats the kitten granny had knitted for them at Olaf's preorder request.

 _"Meet my cavalcade of Christmas elves I taught nothing too austere!"_ Singing in rhyming lyric Olaf revels in his bright red Santa suit and fluffed out snow beard, complete with snow fluff stuffed belly as he introduces his fellow snowgie music hall performers to the stunned audience of Arendelle below.

 _"Harmonized line-step dancing's what we do at that time of year!"_

Indeed premiering in perfect sync and rhythm the joyful tune with a heart full of unconditional love, Olaf the snowman leads the hundreds of tiny snowgies in a candy cane twirling, snowshoe sloshing, step-in-time show-stopping dance.

Even big, clunky Marshmallow gets into the act with two left feet that try to bust some moves in the background of Santa Olaf's tap dancing floor show. The action of which causes the entire mountainside's fir trees dotted along the hill to rise and fall with the gargantuan snow creature as an enthusiastic, if not sleek, backup dancer.

Really getting into the spirit of the moment, normally stoic and mute Marshmallow hums as he dances with the harmony to Olaf's lute playing, lead jig while the snowgies pepper the frozen stage.

"Merry Christmas Arendelle! Who-oa-hhh!" Olaf gaily pronounces with a scream as Marshmallow, slipping and sliding off his bumbling feet, hits the ice stage and the clumsy snowman and his brethren snowgies causing them to go flying like bowling pins high up in the air before they splutter down to the snowy ground, squeaking as they sink like plinking musical notes.

As expected, Olaf explodes all of his body parts in every which way direction as they launch across the North mountain vista to the other side of the fjord.

"And a Happy New Year!" Olaf's mouth was still able to cry out even as a shaking head Elsa had to ice magically swirl the totally out of shape snowman back to original specs.

But she didn't mind doing that little service for their beloved creation of Olaf the snowman, as together, a joyful Elsa and Anna embrace their first, favorite Christmas tradition who had come home for Christmas, just as he promised.

"MERRY CHRISTMAS TO MY ARENDELLE FAMILY!"

Marshmallow lifts a reconstituted Olaf to the top of the huge sparkling ice tree the Ice Queen herself had built for her dear snowman's big number on his outdoor stage.

Queen of the Winter Elsa elegantly expresses her new aurora borealis power to light and lift each of the terpsichorean hoofer snowgies to decoratively adorn each 'branch' of her massive ice fir tree.

To Anna's clapping delight, soon there were hundreds of animated red and green colorful snowballs trimming the outdoor ice Christmas tree magnificently.

"And God bless us all, everyone!" Eternal optimist with a bright sunshiny vision of the future, Princess Anna, prompts her sister Elsa and Kristoff and even Hans, to sing her favorite Christmas morning hymn.

 _"'Christians, awake! Salute the happy morn!  
whereon the Savior of the world was born;  
Rise to adore the mystery of love,  
which hosts of angels chanted from above;  
with them the joyful tidings first begun,  
of God incarnate and the virgin's Son!'"_

They were soon joined in their joyful worship music by her parents, and many of the guests who had returned after Kai and Gerda, Esteban and his new wife Johanne, alerted those panicking that it was just a false alarm and to rejoin in the royal family's Christmas greeting hymn.

 _"'Then to the watchful shepherds it was told,  
who heard th'angelic herald's voice, "Behold,  
I bring good tidings of a Savior's birth  
to you and all the nations of the earth;  
this day hath God fulfilled His promised Word;  
this day is born a Savior, Christ the Lord.'"_

Returned to Arendelle Castle, King Roland and Queen Miranda hug one another close as Princess Sofia and Prince Hugo, Prince James and Princess Cleo and Princess Hildey sway back and forth in time with the music.

Now in his 'nicely dressed' crystal bow tie, Olaf conducts Marshmallow and the Snowgies to hum along as all the servants and clergy and townspeople lift their voices too with the fitting hymn.

They give praise to God who graced this beautiful Christmas morn to at last be full of the family and love and friendships' devotion the Lord had amply blessed the land of Arendelle with.

 _"'This may we hope, th'angelic hosts among,  
to sing, redeemed a glad triumphal song.  
He that was born upon this joyful day  
around us all His glory shall display.  
Saved by His love, incessantly we sing  
eternal praise to Heav'n's almighty King!'_"

"This is going to be the most unforgettable and happy Christmas I've ever had, with all dear people I've come to love, _min kæreste_ (my dearest). And it's all thanks to you…only because of you…Thank you, my own darling…thank you for loving me, for wanting me." Hans with full eyes, whispers in Elsa's ear as he gently lifts her hand, giving her palm and wrist a reverent kiss to her utter delight.

Gazing around and up to Heaven in wonder, the beaming young man snuggles his shining star tenderly close to him, as the once lonely child was finally truly enjoying the marvelous togetherness of a blessed new family his own Elsa had welcomed him into.

* * *

 _Mädchen_ \- little girl in German

 _Min elsker_ – my lover in Danish

 _Liebling_ – my precious in German Prussian

 _Liebste_ \- Dearest in German Prussian

* * *

 _"_ _Silent Night"_ – Father Joseph Mohr  & Franz Gruber 1816

 _"Veni, veni Emanuel"_ \- late medieval hymn German translation is by C.B. Verspoell from 1810 and the English translation by J.M. Neale from 1851, known as "O, Come O Come Emmanuel"

 _'Christians, Awake! Salute the Happy Morn'_ – John Byron  & J. Wainwright 1749

* * *

 _Twelfth Night_ – celebration of the twelve days between Christmas and the Epiphany on January 6th for German Lutherans

* * *

Wintertime greetings, Frozen friends!

Wow! Peace on earth and happiness reigns supreme in Arendelle now that the whole family is reunited for Christmas:) Wasn't Hans sweet reading the Nativity passage from his gift Bible to the horses and barnyard creatures? : And Olaf with Marshmallow and Snowgie cavalcade dancers was a riot!

But a sleigh-load of high melodrama is playing out down in Corona! Looks like our handsome rogue Flynn-er Eugene is being shipped off to get some therapy for his stressed-out sleepwalking kleptomania in sunshiny South America!

Scenic and warm (75-80 degree Farenheit temperature is a big change from the cold northern hemisphere we usually reside!) Paraiso on Valentine's Day seems like the next destination for Elsa & Hans, too, even if they're not yet aware of demanding Princess Valentina's request for them to be maid of honor and best man at her amazing grand so-called 'wedding of the century' to Prince Alonso! It's sure to be a romance-filled adventure for our affianced Frozen couple who will be next up at the altar soon!

I hope and pray God has been blessing you and yours this New Year thus far, my friends!

Jesus loves you!

HarukaKou


	48. Chapter 47-1st Step of 1000 Mile Journey

_We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

 **"Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act IX**

 **Chapter 47**

 **"The First Step of a Thousand Mile Journey"**

The day after Christmas was a busy one.

Fun songs at the pianoforte, playing genial games with presents and enjoying extravagant feasts, filled the day after Christmas nearly everyone in Arendelle Castle was late in starting, due to making rather too merry the night before.

After a pleasant luncheon, Olaf jumped at Queen Idun's offer of Elsa and Anna to host the royal sponsoring of a local children's day's outing. It was the generous woman's brilliant idea that Anna would benefit from being with the tykes she loved playing with, to give the young mother-to-be a good frame of mind concerning little ones.

The outing would also give the townspeople and their children in the courtyard the ability to spend time with their Queen after the most recent Eternal Winter threat. Both Elsa and the kids would benefit from the unforgettable outdoor fete featuring impressive Marshmallow and the playful snowgies, as well as the magical snowpeople, Olaf and Eliana.

But the day was also full of fond farewells to King Roland and his family and friends from Enchancia, for Princess Sofia and her kinsmen already had plans to visit the warmer climate of Portugal they were invited to ages ago by their friend, Queen Maria.

So, when Chancellor Esteban informed all at lunch that too was his destination, King Agdar had no hesitation to offer the travelers a swift and safe voyage on the HmNos Gler, His Navy's prize ship which had been refitted with all new steamship upgrades to increase its ocean speed capability and secure maneuverability even through their northern hemisphere's iceberg-prone climate.

Opting out of the boisterous festivities outdoors, Agdar had taken most of the men indoors to play at his new billiards table. His wife and daughters had surprised their father with the gentleman's game as a Christmas present which was sure to keep their late-night owl entertained when he couldn't sleep.

"My Vise Admiral will personally take the command of the upgraded re-commissioned Gler to ensure your safe arrival to Portugal, King Roland. It will also serve as a fine opportunity for Kommander Westergaard's duty to the Sjoforsvaret by putting the refitted ship through its paces. _And_ give it that thorough inspection we previously discussed for the remainder of the first year of his mandatory naval tour. Is that not agreeable, Prince Hans?" Agdar announces this arrangement upon being informed of the Royal family of Enchancia's itinerary to be joined by the Chancellor of Avalor and his new wife, beloved nanny and faithful servant Johanne.

The couple would begin their romantic shipboard bridal tour on route to Iberia by invitation of the Portuguese Queen Maria and her husband Dom Miguel who had obviously sent correspondence via Sven and Svala.

Hans jerks his red head up at the mention of his name by the King, losing his billiard cue's level balance enough for it to miss his ball thrust into the left corner pocket he had been aiming at.

The Danish Prince was normally not so easily disturbed. But he had been concurrently monitoring where Elsa and Anna were outside the window in the courtyard. Olaf had dreamed up a novel idea for the snowgies to take turns climbing up and sliding down Marshmallow's mountainous slippery body so they could pull down the Julebukken and Christmas decorations that Kristoff and the others had put up on the roof.

Elsa had used her ice wonders to amaze the happy children from town, clapping along and laughing, who Anna and Queen Idun had invited to enjoy the excitable snow creatures from the Ice Queen's Palace that were bursting with fun energy.

The visiting mischief makers, once high up on the roof, had set up a competition to knock one another down and play reindeer games with Sven and Svala. All while dismantling the Christmas wreaths and berries and Yule goat ornaments as the snowgies un-decorate the Castle effortlessly, driving poor Kai's footmen crazy trying to catch the falling décor, in commotion of _their_ supposed clean-up duty.

But the industrious little snowgies got the job done in a more messy chaotic method _and_ while entertaining their young guests, thusly killing two birds with one snowball.

Much like the situation going on inside Arendelle Castle's conservatory with Prince Hans.

"Aye, aye, Admiral Bernadotte—nothing would please me more, your Majesty. It will be my honor to escort you and your family down the coast to Portugal on the HmNos Gler, King Roland." Eloquent on a dime, Prince Hans deferentially salutes his superior naval officer, then turns to graciously bow to King Roland.

"Then it is decided." After sending the white cue ball flying with some deft aim, Agdar straightens his jacket collar to glance in his vision's periphery. The Ice King offhandedly sends an errant Arctic wind gust through the small crack in the window to halt the snowgie avalanche that reckless Anna had obviously instigated.

It was threatening to bury alive the crowd of jaw dropped little boys after one naughty tyke decided to try to slingshot out some key bottom row snowgies from their formation of the frozen pyramid Anna and Olaf had constructed..

 ** _SSZZT-SZZTINGG!_**

"Brrr! Cold buns cold buns cold buns!" That little boy of nine or ten was getting his comeuppance to his bottom as he grabs his flash frosted posterior that the chuckling Ice King had caused to undo the brown haired bully's churlish antics to ruin all of the other children's carefree enjoyment.

The pleased with himself King of Arendelle preens at his moustache triumphantly before returning to his game of billiards.

"Nice shot, Agdar." Esteban similarly curls his dark moustache on his own debonair face when he enters the King's conservatory. The Avaloran Duke congratulates the ginger monarch's billiard stroke by the same token as the King's punishing frosty spank to the erstwhile bully child just outside.

"Thank you, Chancellor. But these young men are no slouches when it comes to this age-old gentleman's game." King Agdar says, looking over the billiard table to the scorecard which Kai had been dutifully scribing for his friend and leader.

"Yes indeed, Prince Hans is giving us a run for our money. It's a good thing we haven't wagered any monetary bets here, Agdar! Ha ha! My wife would chastise me if she ever found out I was dabbling in gambling again. Making small wagers is my one secret vise that I have sworn to her will be my New Year's resolution to kick. Of course, it's not New Year's yet… So how about we put some maravedí down before this young Dane has the chance to wipe the floor with us, eh, partner? Ha ha! " A jovial King Roland lets out a merry laugh as he too gives the wily Dane a conceding smirk that his billiards partner and fellow King was not so ready to grant.

"Not at all, Your Majesties. Both Prince Desmond and I are mere amateurs with nothing more than beginner's luck on our side. Your skill at this time honed, noble game is impeccable. Suffice it to say, it is a wife's prerogative to be preemptive of such sordid affairs as gambling to keep we men in check from our own weaknesses and foibles." Hans wisely responds to the adjunct praise coming from his two elders on either side of King Agdar.

Hans and Prince Desmond had been playing a foursome against King Agdar and King Roland in two teams at the billiards table for the better part of an hour now, each side gaining points.

But as with most competition, clever Prince Hans could not help but excel, as he chalks the end of his own cue stick to increase friction between it and the ball.

"This is true. My dearest Johanne has already corrected two of my bad habits of impatience and self vanity in her quiet womanly ways, So I have wholeheartedly pledged to _mi esposa_ (my wife) to be cautious of these vises from now on. And we have been wed for what? Two days? Two days and two glorious nights…" The past middle-aged Avaloran Duke explains his satisfied introduction into matrimony with roguish eyes to his fellow married men, his impish latter sentence not intended for Hans nor Desmond's ears.

However, Minister Kai clearly heard it and obviously did not take too kindly to the South American man saying such things as he slams down his pen and pad on the edge of the billiards table with an angry look written all over his portly features.

"We mustn't let Minister Kai hear you speak so flippantly, Chancellor. He's still a little uptight about your sudden wedding." Agdar diplomatically chastises Idun's older friend in a whisper with an apologetic grin at his right-hand man, Kai.

"I have heard good report from High Councilor Roservalen, after visiting the Arendelle naval yard this very morning, that the HmNos Gler's updates have been successfully completed, with your fine vessel comparable to few others currently sailing the high seas, Admiral." Smoothly changing the subject so a red faced and stewing Kai could cool down, Hans relies on how Elsa's father enjoyed discussing the competency of his Navy, as he chooses to break the uncomfortable silence during this challenge match at the billiard table with his father-in-law to be.

"It is good that you value the labor of our competent naval engineers and shipbuilders, Vise Admiral, as you will be sailing their handiwork soon enough when you return to your duty to oversee the maritime function of my ships, before returning to the far east and the command of the HmNos Nidaros in the spring." Agdar responds just as shrewd Hans Westergaard predicted he would, insinuating his junior officer's necessity to complete his tour of duty before returning to wed his daughter Elsa.

Coyly smiling with plans of his own on the subject, the svelte Dane then utilizes the leather tip he applied to his two piece cue stick to advantage of applying side spin to the ball. Here Hans could have easily sunk the remainder of the colored solid and stripe balls available all in a stroke that would, with one solid strike, send two object balls successfully into the diverging corner pockets, for the win.

But the perceptive young man chooses not to end the game in his favor, instead deciding to allow his future father-in-law's moves to gain points in an increase of young Westergaard's clever charm offensive to greater advantage than an easy victory.

"Yes, speaking of the impending journey… You must forgive my memory loss, but it had slipped my mind up to this point, King Agdar. Pardon me, but, with Christmas and my impromptu wedding ceremony taking place before that, my mind was a little distracted." Chancellor Esteban's creased brow seemed to suddenly recall one important tidbit of information he had neglected to pass on till now.

"In my letter of communication with Prince Alonso from Portugal and his betrothed, Princess Valentina, who are staying at the Palace of the latter's Aunt, Queen Maria of Portugal, the Princess has made a special request." Esteban smoothly says, using his own charm to work up to this sticking point.

"It is of such a high honor, showing so much respect for your country, Sir, concerning your daughter, Queen Elsa. The Princess of Paraiso has chosen Elsa to be her privileged Maid of Honor at her royal wedding in Brazil. Princess Valentina and Prince Alonso have officially requested that the Queen of Arendelle and Prince Hans meet with the wedding party in Portugal before they all leave for South America on board their luxurious cruise liner." Esteban says grandiloquently, causing a distracted King Agdar to perform an amazing bank shot where the King quite surprisingly and successfully lands the volley into a victorious billiards carom to take the game match.

"Excellent stroke, your Majesty. I believe that insured your team point victory. Congratulations are in order, King Roland. Prince Desmond and I bow to your greater billiards prowess, Majesties." Interrupting with the flattering remark as he processes the news himself, Hans had cunningly set up that cue ball shot angle fashion for his Admiral to score the multiple points to a one-shot victory.

"Yes, well, a fellow gets a knack with these things with time, son." Brushing Hans' compliment off, a preoccupied Agdar was easily taken in by young Westergaard's smooth words and winsome demeanor so much that he had forgotten himself and even called the Dane his ' _son_ '.

"Now what is this you are going on about, Chancellor? An unexpected trip to Portugal for Elsa? At such short notice? How preposterous!" Agdar puts down his cue stick testily, turning to the debonair Duke. Esteban shrugs in indifference, and hands King Agdar Princess Valentina's letter of invitation Sven had delivered to him early yesterday morning.

Just then, former ladies maid, Johanne – now _Duchess Flores_ – accompanies Queen Idun into the room as the polar night's early setting sun was already sinking into the western afternoon sky.

The happy visiting children were waving there farewells to Olaf, sniffling on Eliana's shoulder, while they all watched dutiful Marshmallow usher the snowgies in his chest 'compartments' to return to their North Mountain Ice Palace home.

Elsa and Anna follow their mother and her former ladies' maid to come bounding into the male occupied Conservatory.

The Queen of Arendelle calmly nods to the dignitaries on Anna's rambunctious arm as a blissfully chuckling from Eliana's hug Olaf, comes rolling in several knocked apart pieces not far behind his girls.

"Esteban! I do hope you haven't forgotten to mention to the King the letter from Princess Valentina inviting Queen Elsa and Prince Hans to their wedding in Brazil." Johanne says to her dashing husband with a small prodding smile.

"But of course not _, mi Bonita amor_ (my beautiful love). Do I look the fool?" Feigning mental injury, the Chancellor massages his salt-and-pepper goatee with a lackadaisical shrug before his new wife.

"A charming, attractive fool, who has made me the happiest, most fortunate woman alive, _mi_ marido (my husband)." With a familiar finger to Esteban's signature tough of hair upon his noble brow, Johanne responds in a soft voice whisper to her husband that causes her big brother to wince.

"You are ever the sweet voice of my better conscience, Bonita." Esteban lifts both of Johanne's blushing hands to kiss the open palms of each one adoringly.

"Aww! No fair! I wanted to be the one to tell Papa about the thrilling news of our trip south to Portugal, and then all the way to South America! Elsa's going to be Valentina's maid of honor at her wedding to Alonso in Brazil! Isn't that crazy good?! I've always dreamed of traveling around the world! And we're going to South America no less! This is going to be the best New Year's party ever! Imagine celebrating on board our own ship, cruising around the world!" Bright pink cheeked Anna was as excessively exuberant as her ginger braids were wildly flapping, ever since Kristoff told she and Elsa about the invitation from Valentina to go to Brazil for her wedding.

Now Anna was bursting with joy and anticipation at her lifelong fantasy to travel to parts unknown while her increasingly creased brow father reads and rereads the ostentatious Princess of Paraiso's demanding invitation several times slowly.

Anna's askew braids had flopped down from their mature-look, wrap around the back of her head bun. They had fallen out ages ago when the friendly gal donated her holly berry leaf hairpin for the little town-girls to be hairdressers for the fashionable snowwoman they had built outside with stylish Eliana's help as model for Elsa's Ice Queen perfect, sticky snow.

"Don't be silly, child. In your condition, you cannot go traipsing across the Atlantic on board some pleasure craft as if you were some free and easy adolescent. If you want to be a good mother, you will start to have to learn that you are in a fragile state, my girl. For the baby's sake, you must start to slow down now, young lady." With a chortle, King Agdar emphasizes his words of gentle reprimand as he was attempting to dissuade his feisty daughter from this non-recommended trip.

"Please, Papa. We all have known forever that visiting the sunshine drenched, lush green vibrant scenes of South America has been Anna's dream ever since you brought home those encyclopedia books that Mama wanted to educate us with. They spoke of exotic life and different climate and foreign shores across the sea that inspired so much learning and dreams for your pair of little girls. And the pictures were unforgettable, especially for Anna." Big sister Elsa pipes up on behalf of her baby sister.

Elsa could recall Anna, even as small child in her wiggling bare toes, chattering nonstop about jaguars and lemurs, alpacas and caiman and so many other creatures that inhabited the pretty green, southern continent on the other side of the world that was so diverse from their cold, icy world here that she would do almost anything to experience it.

"That's true, Agdar. You must remember how Anna cherished those pictures of the exotic animals so much that she tore out the pages from the encyclopedia – _much to her tutor Kai's distress_ \- to pin them up to her ceiling for years." Queen Idun interjects to her disturbed once again worrywart King, with past memories still vivid to those who loved Anna and knew her lust for living.

"Hmm. Now that you mention it, if I recall from those reference books, there are several deadly insects and vicious creatures out there in South America. No, it is too dangerous and too far away. Neither of you girls will be going." King Agdar digs his heels in with the rash decision, as the reactive Ice King always does.

"But Crown Princess Valentina has particularly asked, as a mark of great respect, the favor of Elsa to be her maid of honor, and Prince Hans to stand as Crown Prince Alonso's groomsman at their wedding in Paraiso, Brazil, Agdar. They, at least must attend. It would be a slap in the face of our newest trading partner allies to refuse." Giving Anna a conciliatory hug of her slumped shoulders, Idun speaks up for Elsa, using her womanly wiles to give her husband a little push in the proper compromise direction.

"Papa, I do feel some obligation of friendship to the Prince for his heroic actions during our struggles here to vanquish that evil Devil Troll. Please allow Anna to come as well, Papa. She will be on her best behavior and I explicitly promise to look after her well." Elsa states to her worried parent in far less emotional terms as a jaw dropped, pouty Anna was making faces behind her father's back at the idea that he may curb _her_ trip south of the equator.

"A long voyage on ship is no place for a young woman in Anna's delicate condition. We cannot jeopardize the unborn child's life on a whim." The King insists, feeling terrible for being the harsh voice of reason here, but Anna's health was precious to him.

"Elsa has no reason not to travel then, Agdar. She _must_ go, with Prince Hans at her side, as both were personally requested to attend the royal nuptials. It would be insulting, not to mention severely damage our ties with these vital trading countries, to not accept. It is Providential that Elsa will have her valiant protector to escort she _and_ her ship to these exciting foreign ports." Queen Idun chimes in, choosing to smoothe over on her King's imminent explosive blowup moment that she was sure this idea would cause to come.

The savvy woman comes up from behind her mate to state the undeniable fact before he had further time to ponder and refute. "I'm sure Elsa will be healthy and fine for this once-in-a-lifetime trip that will create valuable liaisons with other countries and friendships that a certain obdurate Father's overprotectiveness had made previously unfeasible and unattainable before. I'm sure that King - _who has learned his lesson -_ now hopes for his daughter to experience a brilliant, full life worth living outside the Castle walls she has been trapped behind for far too many years." Idun plays on her husband's guilt for the sheltered past that had almost doomed both of his beloved children to lead lives of loneliness and banishment from life and love outside of Arendelle's secretive protection.

"Yes… There is regret there on my behalf, to be sure. But, be that as it may, Idun, South America is on the other side of the world! And we have already made many essential arrangements not only in Arendelle, but several other Norwegian townships, to meet with many important local citizen leaders concerning the rebuilding of our nation after the blizzard's trauma. So there is no way conceivable for me to escort Elsa – "

"What luck then, Agdar! It is well that you have already wisely commissioned your second-in-command, Vise Admiral Westergaard of your proud Sjoforsvaret! And since he has more than a stake in the protection of your daughter, as her betrothed fiancé, I'm sure he will enjoy the responsibility of her travel. It is quite serendipitous for Prince Hans to take command of that beautiful steamship craft of yours and support Queen Elsa on the voyage, as he brings us down the coast to sunny, scenic Portugal. No doubt, we too will receive invitations once we arrive, to travel to Brazil with the wedding party. I was cousin to Queen Maria's husband Dom Miguel, after all, so we will once again be glad of your daughters and their friends' local company aboard the royal yacht. So please have no fear, King Agdar, as a friend and fellow King with two daughters, I will keep an eye out for your elder girl on this voyage as if she were one of my own." The tall, graying, well traveled King and father enjoyed seafaring vacations as much as the rest of his family.

The entire clan from Enchancia was always ready for a new lark across the ocean with friends and family to join in the fun.

"Extremely wise indeed, your Majesty." Queen Idun smirks that her cornered King could not detract the commission of the Gler from Prince Hans without losing face in front of his peers. Nor could he underwrite Elsa's authority as Queen before these other members of royalty he hoped would give her nothing but respect in the future.

"Truly, you need not worry about Elsa on this journey, Agdar, Idun. My daughters and I will be only too glad to accompany her as companions, so she never feels alone." Queen Miranda joins the others in the argument with a friendly smile. The older woman had been watching her adopted son James, and Sofia's young man Hugo, partake in a friendly game of darts in the far corner of the Conservatory game room in a more youthful competition than at the Billiards table where Hans and Desmond took on with the older generation.

"That is, unless you see Queen Elsa as not yet ready to represent _your_ country without _your_ explicit supervision, _Your_ Majesty? She is still _just_ a young woman, after all. Though the other rulers at the gathering in Brazil may wonder why if she, the highly honored invited, fails to attend the wedding, or indeed worse, if she arrives under your supervision." Avalor Chancellor Esteban interjects here to push the Ice King over the edge with the hard facts other rulers would see and look down upon.

To which, self-conscious to be respected as a power in the world, King Agdar, does not disappoint.

The stuffy Norwegian royal, who thought a lot about keeping up appearances, forgoes the underlying main objection, to now give thought to the more pressing subject that had been giving Agdar some apprehension.

Namely, as to how young Westergaard would be in that ultimate command position, unchaperoned with Elsa for such an extensive journey on board ship.

But the good man in Agdar shakes that fretfulness off when he focuses his fatherly eyes to see Elsa's previously pensive, calm orbs receive an encouraging nod from Anna with a surprisingly trusting look that travels between the sisters to Prince Hans.

"It is so that this letter only requires Elsa to be the one invited to join this foolish wedding party." The King's brow creases in displeasure, knowing his wife and their friends were correct about it being a blatant sign of disrespect to the Kingdoms of Brazil, Argentina and Portugal if the Queen did not grace them with her presence.

"Queen Elsa is obligated to travel with the Chancellor to Portugal and then onto Brazil, to simply attend this outlandishly quick Royal ceremony, with no intention to mix with the wildlife of those uncivilized jungles." King Agdar prejudicially pronounces, shaking the damnable missive in the air after reading its demanding contents.

The irked king gains a raised brow from the classy Chancellor who hailed from that ' _uncivilized_ area' of the world that encompassed many ancient civilizations of noteworthy mention.

"I assure you, Your Majesty, I am diverse in multiple cultures, and I will uphold your fine Navy's reputation to the utmost of my ability on this voyage at every port, to lend assistance to Queen Elsa in any function I can humbly offer her on this bold journey to the West. Rest assured, she will not ever feel alone." Here, Prince Hans asserts himself to address the King with his reassurances. But it was Queen Elsa to whom the Southern Isles Prince was providing his confidence to.

At Idun's pinched arm prompting, Agdar observes how Elsa's noble Prince Hans' directs a silent, hand-over-heart pledge to Princess Anna earnestly, then gives an inviting, gentlemanly smile and bow to Elsa with encouragement to be content.

The timid Queen of Arendelle was starting to see the bright side of the idea of traveling the high seas – _even without her security blanket of little sister Anna_ \- to summery locations on the exciting trip with her young man at this peak moment of their carefree youth together.

 ** _SIGH._**

"Fine." Nominally answering his Vise Admiral, Agdar foregoes his overprotection and understandably underlying fear of being separated from his loved ones by sending Elsa on a long ship voyage away to and from a royal wedding.

Agdar shivers at the memory of the HmNos Idun's tragic first and final sea voyage's demise, due to rough seas and underwater mermaid wars that culminated into disastrous pirates and painful captivity for torturous years.

"Elsa may go." Taking a deep breath, the Norwegian leader, trying to be a good man and better father this time, gives a prayer to the Almighty One in control of all above, to Whom the unworthy king could only turn to in supplication for Elsa's protection.

 _It would be cruel to not allow my beautiful child who has been through so much, this once in a lifetime chance to shine and have the world at her feet._

King Agdar looks around the room from eager face to face all ganging up against his anxiety, wishing for him to allow this trip and just let it go for once.

Then, Papa Agdar goes back into anxious father mode – now exponentially more as he shifts into soon-to-be-grandfather mode.

"I'm sorry, Anna. But it is time for you to sit back and relax, at home here with Mama and I, my Gingersnap, as we look to reconciling affairs here in Arendelle after the traumatic events of the past winter, together." King Agdar puts his regal foot down right on Anna's big bubble of joy that he once again unwittingly explodes.

"I will need you here at my side in Elsa's place, my brave girl, as we stand with our people in this New Year unfolding, to rebuild our country after that harsh, cold blizzard has taken its toll." Anna's father places a trusting hand on his younger daughter's shoulder with a smile trying to dispel her disappointment.

"But—!" Glancing around helplessly, Princess Anna looked like she'd just been run over by a reindeer, as all the happy fantasized excitement on her face dissolves into disenchantment at her father's dousing words.

"The Trolls in the Valley of Living Rock, whom I have heard GranPabbie himself say that you have much esteem and influence with, my girl, have invited us for a visit at the New Year. While your Mama and I have other obligations here in Arendelle for the holiday, someone must ensure the Fire Trolls we brought to them from the north are settling in well with their Rock Troll brethren, and I can think of no one better suited at spreading love and warm familial cohesion than you, Gingersnap." The King affords Kristoff a look to back him up here on this pleasant offer of a place full of friendly faces for Anna to travel to, much closer to home.

To which, the young mountainman hurriedly concurs with his father-in-law with a nod to his trembling little wife.

"Yeah, Cliff and Bulda and all the Trolls will love to see us for New Year, Anna. Especially when we explain to them about our…( _gulp_ ) baby. I'm sure they'll have **tons** of advice to give. Most likely in song. He he heh. ' _Tons'_ , get it? A little Rock Troll humor there." Kristoff ambles up and wraps an arm around his Feistypants' small, but double fisted shaking and unhappily growling frame, attempting to calm her with his corny joke.

"But I wanted to go to the New World, too…" Anna whines with a painful squeeze to her fella's muscly arm, feeling rather ill now and a bit low in spirits at the thought of being left behind from another grand adventure.

 _{"Hey, won't it be nice to wake up under the stars in the cave again, Baby? I'm sure Bulda will fix up my room for us, just like last time, with those downy soft feather pillows and fleecy blankets that made us feel all comfortable-like. Just you and me, Feistypants."}_ Kristoff, inwardly sensing his gal's _down_ mood, attempts to mentally lighten it, with a little friendly persuasion at the memories of their own honeymoon bliss spent in the Valley of the Trolls with a playful embrace to his upset wife.

 _{"Just you and me, and our little angel in here. I just know it's a boy as pretty as you."}_ With a gentle rub to her sloshy tummy, Anna responds with a sweet smile, imaging the Kristoff-clone-like child within, to replace the frown that was previously adorning her cute gingery face.

"Okay. I know Elsa can handle this without me." Anna concedes, squeezing her sister's cool hand with a bright smile and mature hold of her full with child stomach that was already rumbling for her complete attention.

"There is no doubt that Elsa **_is_** our competent, confident big girl now who can represent our nation on her own as Norway's esteemed Queen, worthy of respect around the world. I have no choice but allow you, my Snow Angel, to go on this vacuous, harebrained Atlantic crossing scheme that capricious Princess of Paraiso has arranged for her precious Valentine's Day ceremony in Brazil…with my blessing." After giving a deep sigh of resignation, King Agdar relents to the crowd of expectant faces surrounding him.

All in the Conservatory switch their pensive looks at him to smile at ease to one another with the contented happiness and eager excitement to come.

"You're going to have so much fun in Brazil, Elsie! That means you can go too, Olaf! I bet you can finally hit a real beach with Eliana!" The utterly good at heart girl races around the room to embrace each trekker, switching right back to that youthful spark of light, in true delight for Elsa's good fortune.

"And I'm gonna celebrate New Years with our Troll family! Thank you, Papa!" In honest joy for Elsa and Olaf and Eliana, without a trace of envy of the seafaring party, a not-withholding-her-exuberance Anna squeals out shrilly in her father's deafened ear as she descends upon him with a sloppy hug.

Anna then drags Kristoff off his feet with her before dashing out and up the stairs to start packing for her beloved sister right away.

She orders her big bear lover to lug some heavy trunks down to the cottage with Sven and Svala's help to fill up with every choice of clothing the imaginative young woman could envision Elsa would need in the south of the equator new world.

"I promise to represent Arendelle before our allies and the leaders of nations attending to the utmost of my ability, Papa, with the decorum and dignity you taught me." In stark contrast with her feisty little sister, Elsa, who had never attended such a lavish affair, so far away from home, and in the presence of scores of numerous strangers, clenches her fist behind her back.

But her determined face serenely composes into a smile up to her perplexed Papa, saying all the proper words to becalm his upset anxiety, though her own were swirling with ice butterflies in her stomach fluttering around.

"You will be brilliant, _min hviddue (my dove)_. Have no fear, I will be right beside you all the while." Hans softly murmurs as he takes his place beside his queen.

The rest of Elsa's inner fears start to melt away in her Hans' ever-present warm smile, her pondering countenance decidedly altering to be more determined.

"I have no doubt you will embody our nation splendidly, Elsa. You have far and above earned my respect and admiration as a fine leader who will unquestionably make us proud in Brazil." With a genuine smile into her pleased eyes, Agdar puts his hands proudly on his lovely successor's tall shoulders.

"You all have my blessing to travel with my daughter on the Gler to Portugal, where I have been informed it will meet with Queen Maria's Royal liner before its launch next week. But I must insist Vise Admiral Westergaard's command of the HmNos Gler continue to sail our top of the line steamship to accompany that craft across the Atlantic, to safeguard secure passage from icebergs, marauders or engine malfunction." Agdar was taking no chances that a single ship – even that massive Portuguese ocean liner - moving across the wide expanse of the transatlantic, would be left vulnerable to disaster, accident or attack traveling the high seas alone.

So the cautious older man had no recourse but to send his finest steamship and its entire crew in her Majesty's service, along with their Queen.

"I vow to endeavor to captain your Navy's magnificent ship, the HmNos Gler, as befitting your unparalleled fleet, Admiral Bernadotte on this imperative passage to the West. I will act upon it as commanding officer, as you would, Sir, holding the responsibility of the safe and swift passage for Queen Elsa and her auspicious guests to the Portuguese kingdom's shores as my highest honor. I take on the weighty task, thereafter, to be the Queen's steadfast escort in your place, showing responsible alacrity to Arendelle's monarch during her time in Brazil. I swear to accomplish this task with all due solemnity and dependability of one gentleman to another to ensure your daughter's safe return to you, Your Majesty." Eloquent Prince Hans puts on his finest speechifying skills for King Agdar, with a dramatic hand over heart and salute ahead to the visitors and Queen Idun all around who were smiling at the dutiful young officer's coherent articulacy.

At Hans' overdramatic bow, Prince Hugo sniggers to the other restless young men in the room. Whereas, Sofia, Cleo, Amber and Hildegard nearly swoon at Elsa's impressive, svelte fiancé's smooth words of reassurance as to their long journey ahead.

"Perhaps, Kommander Westergaard, our ship and the Portuguese craft we are to escort can have a race to see which is fastest across the Atlantic!" The now jazzed up Russian Prince Hugo eternally found sport at every turn he could.

"Yeah! That would be a riot to break up that the long voyage!" Prince James – who never cared for ship travel much, preferring to go on land by steed - raises his voice in assent to reckless Hugo's racing idea.

"I assure you, Prince Hugo, I will captain the Gler with the utmost precaution to guarantee this journey to be a safe crossing, with absolutely no intention to break any records on this run as to speed or mobility that would endanger my passengers or crew, as is my sworn duty as their ship's Kommander." Saying all the right things, Hans gives a wide-eyed, petrified at the idea Agdar a competent simper over his shoulder.

Then Hans deftly veers the younger, more into the world of speed, Prince of Kiev and his echo lackey the Prince of Enchancia away to the other connected room to discuss the trip further, without disturbing his future father-in-law's beleaguered protective senses further.

Princesses Sofia, Amber, Cleo and Hildy soon take hold of Elsa, and already start tittering about the sea voyage together onboard ship with her dashing fiancé at the helm. They barrage extol the blonde queen all at once on her good fortune to be chosen as Royal Maid of Honor at Valentina's thrilling Valentine's day wedding; the stunning clothes they would all have to pack to wear; the places they'd see in beautiful Paraiso; and, of course, the handsome princes from around the globe sure to attend the wedding in Brazil that everyone who is anyone would have to attend, until Elsa's head was literally spinning.

"Kids these days." King Agdar murmurs under his breath at the raucous scene full of vigor and excitement for the journey ahead that only youth could embrace so wholeheartedly.

"Don't try to sound like such an old man yet, min älskare." Attaching herself to his slumping shoulder and giving its stiffness a grateful massage, Idun coyly smiles with loving eyes that sparkled for her stringent man to have compromised so thoroughly and with such grace.

"Not when we'll have an anniversary where there'll be an entire empty Castle, with Elsa on her way to Portugal and Anna planning to spend some time with the Trolls in the Valley on the 1st of January. There'll be _just the two of us, alone_ together _,_ for the first time in forever. Imagine the possibilities" Idun smiles seductively at her mate, running a pressed finger up and down her lover's spine that was so rigidly stiff with all he had to endure this morning.

"I suppose there may be some snap left in these old frozen bones that are looking forward to spending that New Year diversion you suggest, my Queen, so pleasantly." After a quarter-century of marriage, the Ice King still could feel that fire of love for his queen, who had that womanly power to divert her man's attention from any subject.

The Norwegian leader gives a courteously bowing Chancellor Esteban – early to retire to bed with his new wife Johanne, an eyebrow twitch that Councilor Kai shared as he was tidying up the emptying Conservatory for his King and Queen.

The King offers his best friend and trusted advisor a nod as the large-set retainer was yet trying to look industrious, even after his attention had already left with that dashing Chancellor and the Councilor's just married sister.

Agdar still recalled, after all his own hardships and emotional strain over the years, what it is like to be freshly married to the love of his life. And that emotion still burned hot with embers of love even after twenty-five years to melt away the ice chill inside him.

"Thank you for trusting our Elsa to go out into the world and make her mark on her own, my King." Idun whispers adoringly to the stubborn man who had indeed learned his lesson – though it took him nearly all those twenty-five years to do so.

Queen Idun leans her head on King Agdar's chest as he leads her upstairs to their once again shared bedroom to change for the early evening meal. They pass by King Roland and Queen Miranda, and a few others of the guests in Arendelle Castle halls who were busy packing their traveling bags in the various other occupied rooms.

They all must get ready for their morning launch of the HmNos Gler under Vise Admiral Kommander Hans Westergaard's command and Queen Elsa's authority.

Both Agdar and Idun were glad to be the proud parents of two extraordinary young ladies they could be proud to send out into the world to represent this kingdom.

 _"I do trust my Elsa to purport herself in my place with other world leaders in all politesse and decorum with grace. I only hope my trust is not misplaced in **another** whom I am not entirely certain of…"_

The King inaudibly mutters as he and Idun pass by where the redheaded Danish Prince was standing so tall and proud and eloquently ready to command in the King's drawing room which Queen Elsa had opened up to hold court with the various young men and women who had not yet retired for packing.

As if he owned the place, Prince Hans appeared to be standing near the fireplace, showing the men the ship plans and schematics on the King's desk to the newly upgraded steamship Gler, as well as the route and port stops he had judiciously chosen on the maps to Portugal and beyond.

But as he was speaking, from time to time, long-legged pacing Prince Hans would simultaneously loom over the delicate, regal platinum blonde who was seated nearby on a settee with the other young female Royals.

They had insisted on seeing Elsa's royal jewelry regalia that she _must_ wear at the wedding - including that stunning platinum engagement ring that adorned her delicate finger— as the Royal maid of honor on the romantic Valentine day wedding in Paraiso.

King Agdar's protective fatherly eyes glimpse that unmistakably possessive, keen awareness on the Danish Prince's face that never strayed far from his young Queen, even while he was addressing the others.

And Prince Hans of the Southern Isles looked like the proverbial cat who ate the canary, all the while.

The King of Arendelle wonders if he made the right choice, after all, as his wife had to drag him the rest of the way up the long, winding stairs to change into their proper dinner clothes.

* * *

But it was already decided.

In a whirlwind of packing the luggage trunks with numerous servants' help, the Royal family of Enchancia, along with Prince Hugo, Princess Cleo, and Princess Hildegard, set off for the Arendelle docks not long after the 9 AM sunrise.

Hugo had not forgotten his husky dog sled team, requesting for King Agdar and his groomsmen to keep watch and feed them well until the Russian Prince passed by, after the return voyage, on his way back to Kiev.

Instead of bidding his sister ' _Farvel' (_ goodbye _)_ , Chancellor Esteban and his new wife Johanne were surprised at last minute to be joined on board the deck of the Gler by a breathlessly heaving with exertion Minister Kai.

The portly servant had bounded up the gangway plank under his heavy weight, added to by luggage of special foodstuffs that his wife Gerda insisted they carry on board for the Queen.

"Ah, yes, I am sending Arendelle's chief Councilor out with you, Elsa, to serve as your right-hand man, as Councilor Kai has always been invaluable to myself on many past crossings to visit other members of royalty. You will find faithful, well-studied Kai to be versed in the diverse cultures that you and your party may encounter on your journey to southern Europe and beyond that, to the American continent across the ocean." Agdar explains to his daughter as Kai, officiously dressed in many high-collared coats, is accompanied by his plump little wife Gerda, bouncing up the ship's plank with a big, bright smile just as it was about to be raised.

"Consider this a long-deserved vacation for our dearest old servants. Seeing Johanne settled into her new home is important for Kai, and Gerda's brand of doting care on board ship will no doubt do you a world of good to surely make you feel a bit like home." The Queen mother saw no real consequence in the older couple tagging along, but it placated her anxious husband to some degree.

"Watch over yourself in that great wide New World, my Snow Angel." Agdar says to Elsa in his low voice bass, pulling her aside as protective confidante.

"Yes, Papa, I promise I will." Elsa reassures them, looking prim and proper with good posture and pristine coiffed hair in her low chignon bun. Elsa looked so regal, wearing her purple embroidered velveteen suit jacket as she nods to her parents shyly.

"You are such a beautiful, in-charge of your life, grown-up lady now, Elsa. Just enjoy yourself on this exciting journey with your young man. I'm so proud of you." Queen Idun whispers with a kiss goodbye to her pale child.

"Yes. Be my good, brave girl, Elsa. God be with you." With a deep breath intake, Agdar collects his checked emotion with a cool fatherly kiss to Elsa's similarly chilled cheek in fond farewell before Elsa pauses at the ramp the led to the Gler's top deck to speak to Anna.

"You be careful up north with the Trolls, Anna. They're well-meaning, but not always the gentlest of folk." Elsa gives her baby sibling a tender hug, eyes motioning down to where a tiny little stranger, vulnerable to Rock Troll musically raucous tomfoolery, was entirely in her sister's care within.

"Don't worry so much about me and my little bun in the oven, Elsa! We were born ready to travel!" Straggler Anna vigorously states, hugging her emotional Papa close. "It's in his tough seafaring Viking ancestors plus Snow Queen/Saami nomad/ice harvesting blood!" The perky princess pronounces her baby's lineage exuberantly to her sister, with a backwards gaze up to where Kristoff was shaking his head, incredulously chuckling at her from the ship deck above where he was loading Elsa and Eliana's multiple trunks.

Overhearing, King Agdar could not help but laugh aloud with a roll-eyed smile and encouraged grin down at his baby girl.

There were waves of farewells and hugs and kisses as a weeping Marshmallow and his bouncing snowgie kinsman all wished their big brother Olaf and snow girlfriend Eliana wordless _'good lucks'_ and _'goodbyes'_ for their exciting journey across the sea.

But as to why Olaf would want to travel to a sweltering, warmer clime, none of the other frozen snow creature clan fully comprehended their snowman brother's desire to visit.

"Fair winds and following seas, Vise Admiral. I give you my leave to serve and protect your Queen, your passengers, your crew to your utmost capacity." At the Arendelle dock, Admiral Agdar gives the age-old naval salutation as he and Queen Idun had personally come to the port to accompany their precious daughter in one of the many carriages set out from Arendelle Castle to the Gler awaiting them at the docks.

The remodeled steamship had been ordered to be shipshape and prepared for departure this bitterly cold late December early morning.

"Aye-aye, Admiral. I take my leave of you with the vow to return your fine vessel in first-rate condition to this port, well before the Spring equinox. I hold my duty of command at sea of your Sjoforsvaret vessel to be sacrosanct, as I swear upon my Bible before the magnanimous Creator of all, I will ensure the welfare of Queen Elsa, as you would, Admiral Bernadotte, at all costs, onboard ship, even to whatsoever foreign port we travel. On my honor." Prince Hans – no _Kommander_ Westergaard, in charge at sea of the Norwegian fleet from this moment until the King relieved him of duty upon return, salutes his Admiral before formally asking, as per naval protocol:

"Permission to deploy your Navy's premier vessel, the HmNos Gler, Sir?"

"Permission granted, Vise Admiral. I delegate her and all who sail the sea to your authority, and place their welfare in your diligent, watchful hands." The Admiral and his second-in-command officer exchange ceremonious words in transfer of authority, to which Agdar adds:

"I'm entrusting the future of all I most treasure to your care, Sir. Do not disappoint me. Godspeed, Prince Hans." The King speaks that latter part in a low voice so that only Hans could hear his expectant/intimidating sentiment.

He nods in comprehension of the responsibility he was taking on from this honorable man, the respected King of Arendelle, whom Hans esteemed more than any other.

And not just because King Agdar was his beloved Elsa's father.

Then the Prince of the Southern Isles takes a breath of the bracing cold air of the sea calling to him and offers his Queen his arm as he escorts her purposefully up the ramp. Prince Hans stands side by side with Elsa, proudly at the foredeck of his new ship.

At the last second, an emotionally bereft of words Anna runs over the plank ramp just before it went up, with a hop and jump to Sven's stabilizing back as he carries her up the rest of the way.

The intuitive reindeer was 'homn-ing' his farewell beside Kristoff up to Elsa and a waving Olaf when both jaw-dropped man and beast saw Anna's crazy leap of faith, to run up and hug her best friend one more time, and the quick cloven-toed Rangifer responded immediately.

"Hold tight, Idun." Then, the girls' trying-to-be-stoic Papa unleashes his Ice King slide up to the top deck to follow her rash ginger lead, with an unwitting Idun being transported along under his one retaining warmth arm.

As soon as her Papa arrives, an inexplicably weeping Anna wraps her arms around his Naval uniform neck, almost knocking the King's official black and gold Arendelle Admiral's cloak off as she pulls him tight and lovingly strong into her shared embrace with Elsa.

Agdar had tried to refrain from showing much emotion until the caring father could not help but hug his more resolute daughter to his chest as well, kissing her blonde forehead tenderly.

The King recalls when Elsa was just a tiny girl who looked up to her first hero and all he wanted was to shield and protect her from the world that wouldn't understand her gifts.

 _But look at her now, all grown up and ready to face the new world._

"Now, Papa. Elsa will be fine." Queen Idun says in a motherly way, looking quite lovely on her King's arm in her violet long coat. She smiles into her husband's eyes that were sprinkled with emotion as Anna's stretched wide arms pull in her smiling mother into their embrace.

"Please don't worry. We will all be together when the snows melt in the Spring and the good Lord paints the world green anew." Were those tears of love behind Queen Elsa's cool blue eyes? Her parents appreciated how much the Lord of all forgiveness had given back to them this beautiful young woman who had hidden herself away in loneliness and fear they wrongly imposed upon her, once upon a time.

Both Agdar and Idun look in pleasant surprise to see their once withdrawn, reticent elder daughter wholeheartedly join the once undreamt of family hug under their Creator's sunny blue sky with a kiss of her own to each of them in return.

"Until then, God be with you 'til we meet again, Mama, Papa. I love you both very much." Elsa expresses the words with such open devotion she could never before utter since the cold set in over a decade ago.

She kisses Agdar and Idun's pleased cheeks with control and regal nobility before Elsa collects herself and leans on Hans' arm. Ever present at her side Hans looks over the Arendelle family, as the King and Queen are picked up by Svala, whom Kristoff had sent up for them.

"Have fun! And write me every day! Er, well, almost every day! Eek! How 'bout—at least once a week! Yeah, that shouldn't be too much! Now don't forget! And remember, I love you!" Clambering onto Sven with a wave to Olaf and Eliana, Anna hugs and kisses Elsa emotionally tight, giving Hans one last saucy, warning glance that plainly said: _'But not too much fun for you, Sailor.'_

Elsa smiles as sure-footed Kommander Westergaard escorts his most precious cargo - _her_ \- on his arm up to the forecastle of the Gler.

Once there, before the entire crew and audience - particularly her gleaming-eyed Papa below, Elsa speaks proudly and loud, assuming her mantle as ruler of the Sjoforsvaret Admiralty, only under the ultimate authority of the ship's Kommander.

Which Hans found a rather titillating mental picture.

"Then let us set sail, Kommander Westergaard. Towards the sunset on the western horizon." Queen Elsa lifts her head high and proudly to give the Admiralty's personal order for the man who commanded her heart as well as her Naval vessel, to now take full command of the exciting voyage ahead for them all.

* * *

 _min hviddue -_ 'my dove' in Danish

* * *

Hello, Frozen Again friends!

This chapter title is derived from the proverb of Chinese philosopher Laozi in the 'Tao Te Ching'. 千里之行，始於足下; which literally means: _"A journey of a thousand starts beneath one's feet"_

Well, Elsa & Hans and their friends from Avalor and Enchancia have certainly begun that long mileage trek! But not with their feet as much as on a fast-paced steamship across the sea! :)

Vise Admiral Kommander Westergaard is in quite a position of trust from his superior/ future father-in-law! He'd better watch his step on this sea voyage! (Looks like the King sent a spy in the obese form of his right-hand man on the Gler! Be on your best behavior, Hans! At least when Kai's looking! 0 )

They're on the way to Portugal to meet with Princess Valentina's impressive, 'better than anything' on the ocean, cruise ship yacht, before the party all head together to Paraiso, Brazil, where wedding bells will be ringing _'just a little bit more'_ magnificently than anywhere else in the world!

Are you starting to pity poor Alonso yet? ^-*

I've got the next episode already typed out and done for next weekend as the Arendelle group and friends make their way down the coast, then off to South America for Valentine's Day! There'll be a special guest star in the next episode as the Gler makes a pit stop at port in merry ole England!

God bless you and the loves of your lives as we celebrate the day of sweets and flowers and romance to come!

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

Love and hugs,

Haruka

And if you don't have that someone special to cozy up to yet, remember that Jesus loves you with the greatest love of all!

* * *

P.S..Again, doumo arigatou (thanks) for putting up with me and the chapter revisions this Valentine's Day, my friends! :) I'd love to hear your reviews of this revised product.

P.P.S. Next chapter chock-full of Helsa romance to go up this Valentine's Day weekend!


	49. Chapter 48 - In Her Majesty's Service

_We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

 **"Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act IX**

 **Chapter 48**

 **"In Her Majesty's Service"**

The HmNos Gler's streamlined speed did not disappoint its determined Captain, as he sets the ship's course for the passage between Arendelle and the Portuguese Port of Lisbon, its capital city, where lay Queen Maria II's Imperial Palace in Mafra.

Adroit Kommander Hans Westergaard directs his ship carefully across the treacherous Skaggerrak Straits, and down into the cold North sea towards the rough English channel's more calm bay of Biscay.

The dutiful seaman had made extra careful selection of the sea route which King Agdar had impressed upon his junior officer all the way to the dock.

 _'It must be crossed with all due diligence and safety first and foremost, for your shipload is far beyond irreplaceable.'_

But Prince Hans needn't have been reminded of that obvious fact when his inspired eyes scan to where his singular fiancée stood out like a breathtaking beacon of beauty as Queen Elsa came up to the foredeck of the Gler to grace his view.

The windswept blonde would emerge from her state room cabin to fetch some stomach powder or soothing syrup medicine for her bilious ladies maid Johanne early each morning from the Gler's Sick Bay.

The rarely traveled beyond Arendelle courtyard ladies maid was courageously trying to shake off the initial waves of seasickness, and not wanting her dapper new husband Chancellor Esteban to know. So, proud Johanne waited until her newlywed hubby would go out for his bracing cold morning constitutional around the deck before she came crawling to her Queen Elsa just a few cabins down.

Elsa would sweetly shoulder her older friend's secret woes, and quietly go to fetch poor Johanne some stomach calming ginger from the galley below when the stomach powders did not do the trick.

To Kommander Westergaard's delight, Queen Elsa would purposely make a quick stop between the Galley and the wheelhouse to get updates on the first leg of their voyage to Southwestern Europe from her handsome ship's captain personally.

After all, the domain of the Captain was defined by his authority on this oceanic vessel of he was sole leader. However, Kmdr. Westergaard was, all too observant of the chain of command, where a very gifted passenger – namely the monarch Queen he had pledged to serve at the pleasure thereof— could choose to march onto the bridge and intrude on some of that authority.

In his role as the Prince Consort of the ruling monarch, the Danish Prince would have to become accustomed in bowing to his Queen's ultimate last word, husband or no.

The Queen of the North Winter would send some cool winds in whatever direction her Vise Admiral specified, until the sagacious ship's Kommander felt it safe to utilize the Ice Queen's wind chill speed.

The increase in the Gler's average eight knots to something more akin to ten, augmented to make up time after the slow going start across the frozen cold, more dangerous Scandinavian waters.

Gentlemanly Kommander Westergaard hosted the first dinner in the Captain's cabin with Queen Elsa, King Roland, Queen Miranda, Chancellor Esteban and Lady Flores, not forgetting to add an extra seat at the table for her suspicious brother, Councilor Kai and his cheerful wife, Gerda.

Gregarious Olaf, in the mess hall with the other crewmen, had volunteered to sing for the dinner entertainment, after the pleasant snowman had made fast friends with the Norwegian sailors. The noisy crowd of sailors had heard of their beautiful Queen's wintry magic wonder in an enchanted snowman, and had clambered to see him perform for their meal's entertainment.

Especially after the naïve snowman offered each of his new eager friends a personal meeting with their elegantly long-legged, scrumptious-looking royal ruler.

But not too close.

Keen Kommander Westergaard soon deciphered what the uproar in the ship's mess was about, after spying several of the roaming eyed seamen pacing the deck for the remainder of their meal time off. They were in hope to be first in line for a deck stroll with the lovely pale Queen as lil' Olaf promised, but the rules were soon laid in silent reprimand from their superior officer's critical glare.

The usually mild mannered, amiable Vise Admiral 's viridescent orbs appeared sea storm-worthy to any brazen crewmembers, threatening kitchen duty, between deck duty, or worse— resulting in even the burly sailors crawling away, for even attempting to give Queen Elsa a sideways glance.

* * *

"56.101° North. 9.555° East." From where he was standing on the deck some deep nighttime hours later, Prince Hans' chilled lips murmur up to the sky to no one in particular.

Sensing he was not alone, the sly Dane smiles in the near pitch darkness, save for the pale moonlight that made the perfect condition for his purpose, as Hans studies one trained eye over his nautical telescope, gazing upward.

"Where do those coordinates point to exactly, my handsome Prince?" As the well studied daughter of a Naval officer herself, Elsa Bernadotte recognized the nautical latitude and longitude demarcation, placing them somewhere in the vicinity of the Scandinavian North Sea.

Soft as a snowflake and sleek as ice, Elsa slinks across the open deck of the HmNos Gler in her more liberated Ice Queen garb over to where the tall and dashing figure was standing on the otherwise empty deck alone.

"Kværndrup Township, Odense County, Egeskov Castle, _Adelige Jomfruklosterets Kloster_ (Convent of Noble Maidens). There, one lonely boy spent endless empty hours dreaming of a beautiful little girl he was sure could change his horrid life and take him away from those stiflingly stagnant, damnable coordinates someday. Pardon my shipboard language." Hans obviously was in a dreamy mood this midnight as he keeps his eyes forward on the sea to the extreme left of them.

The Danish man brazenly bears the frosty, cold winds whipping across the ship's foredeck to gaze over the dark sea towards the place of his unhappy birth, as the waves crash around both their deafened ears.

Hans still could not believe his good fortune was coming true, so much so that he dare not speak it more than in a whisper in the spellbound darkness.

"Well, did that lonely boy ever find that just as lonely and lost little girl?" Joining his quiet mood, Elsa whispers back, feeling deliciously wrapped inside her lover's fantasy reverie. Her cool, yet stabilizing warm arms embrace Hans' grey cloaked torso from behind.

She masterfully weaves a verglas barrier around his front side to shield his face from the yet bitter, biting cold winds he was disregarding to his physical self.

"Yes. And she still takes my breath away." His entranced eyes finally break away from being fixated on the land of the Southern Isles to turn his head with a passionate vigor to capture Elsa's pleasantly surprised open mouth.

With a playfully gentle kiss, Hans' long and longing arms, fingers, lips and tongue all draw the platinum Queen towards his own body.

"Oh, Hans…you're the one who takes…my breath away now." Completing her breathless sentence with a liberated laugh, Elsa leans her head back to regain some small modicum of air to her lungs. The cool air rushes past in a quick speed whirl through her somehow tousled bun as the Gler surges forward, amply powered by the Winter Queen's ice wind of pure exhilaration.

"We aim to please." The Danish Prince brushes back his similarly mussed titian hair as he pulls Elsa ever closer to his chest for warmth. After enjoying the starstruck moment, Hans offers his arm to the pale skinned Queen for that moonlit stroll to show her his equipment as they walk the deck side-by-side.

"See that twinkling star sparkle up there, min kæreste?" Hans suddenly says out of nowhere in a different mood and tone. "It's often called the North Star for many a sailor, due to its position relevant to the earth's North Pole. It's sometimes called Polaris, for the North Star does not rise or set during the night, it remains constantly pulsating. Either way, it's the brightest star in the nautical sky, and is easiest for sailors to spot practically from anywhere on the ocean. So we can find due north and chart the rest of the map from there." Hans points his instructive long fingers up to indeed the most luminous light in the especially dark night sky.

"There's the Monoceros (the unicorn). And over there the Pleiades (the seven sisters) star cluster. To the north of it is Taurus (the bull) and Aries (the ram) just above Orion (the Hunter) and the Crab nebula just there, and there." Hans' velvety voice was entrancing Elsa in an awestruck wonder of the vastness of the sky above that the God of the universe wove so intrinsically beautiful for them to view each night since the first day of Creation.

"But if you look to the declination -35° not so far away from Polaris, you can just make out a constellation in this shape." Experienced seamen and stargazer Prince Hans traces his gloved finger in several points, connecting the stars in gestures before Elsa's fascinated eyes.

"I have been stargazing since I was a child at the convent. And when I became a young man and went to sea at the age of twelve, I began to seriously study the stars—their names and origins, their ecliptic glowing patterns, their cyclical courses through the heavens. On board ship, you can see the stars especially clearly, moreso than any place else on earth, perhaps because there are no ambient lights from street lamp nor building dome for miles and miles on end." Hans explains the vastness of the sea and the lonely solitude of the sailor's life that inexorably sculpted their quixotic frame of mind.

 _"'…What if that light_ _  
 _Sent to her through the wide transpicuous air,_  
 _To the terrestrial Moon be as a star,_  
 _Enlightening her by day, as she by night.'"__

"But there is one luminescence up there in particular that always reminded me so much of you, min elsking." Hans diverts from his professorial astronomist tutelage to wax more the romantic poet as he quotes a passage from Milton's 17th century 'Paradise Lost'.

"What? Me?" Modest maiden Elsa blushes at her fiancé's complimentary turn of phrase.

"Her name is Columba – the dove. The sixteenth century Dutch astronomer Petrus Plancius based his discovery of this small little constelllation on the observations of navigators of yore so much that he included it on his celestial globe in 1592. See the bright visible stars that construct her avian silhouette just south of the 'Greater dog' Canis større (Canis Major)? Plancius originally named it ' _Columba Noachi'_ which translates from the Latin to ' _Noah's Dove'_. It refers to the legendary white dove who brought the olive branch back to Noah on the Ark to show God's promise of the great flood receding. As a boy, I always looked up at this time of year to see the extraordinary constellation visible at Denmark's latitude. I naively believed it was blinking up there just for me."

"Before I found out her official name, I called her 'Elsa,' envisioning it to be you, Elsa of Arendelle, my winter dove, who gave this lost, all at sea young boy the promise and hope of freedom someday." Hans' eyes lock with Elsa's for several meaningful seconds before he, suddenly self-conscious and feeling silly of his youthful fetishes, returns to his more scientific explanations.

"The distance of the constellation Columba had remained incalculable for centuries, mainly because the dove holding her olive branch is composed of so many various stars at disparate locations in the heavens. She features blue-white stars ranging from 260 light years away from her to orange hued ones as close as 87 light years hence. And the brightest star which serves as the tip of Columba's little beak holding that blessed olive branch, I named 'Elise', just for you. You, my Columba, my dove, who felt as far away and unattainable as the stars at that time, _min hviddue_ {pronounce- "min viduen"} (my dove). So you must forgive me if I call you that every now and then, my dove." Hans whispers breathily in Elsa's ear, his arms wrapped around her back as they both were staring upwards at the blinking stars.

 _"Min hviddue_? 'My dove'? You are so very romantic, Prince Hans. Shall I add stargazing astronomy to your vast list of abilities? You do never cease to amaze me with your knowledge of so many varied fields of study." Elsa compliments the blushing young man, so touched was he that she appreciated all of the studying he undertook in his adolescence, all to impress his real shining star someday.

"You flatter me, _min hviddue_. Show me how beautifully your wings can fly." A blushing red cheeked Hans, still unaccustomed to open flattery after so many years of being talked down to, suddenly twirls his ballerina Elsa in his deft arms.

Her iridescent pale ice blue cape flutters like the proverbial wings of his white dove as Hans proficiently spins Elsa upon her ever ready-to-dance ice heels to the winsome melody she brought to his Golden throated lips.

 _"'I have found my angel, with the dust of the stars in her eyes! We are dancing, we are flying. And she's taking me back to the skies…'"_

Around and around the deck, the exquisitely in love dancers pirouette elegantly in rhythm with one another in the exciting dance to the song of the sea. The on deck dance aerobics left the pretty pair breathlessly laughing and enjoying each other's agreeable company out in the open, all alone.

Or so they thought.

"I still can't believe that Papa allowed me to travel to not only Portugal, but to the New World as well. I haven't pinched yet myself today to be sure it's true, and that I'm really here, with you." The lovely, exotic Queen giggles with a dreamy smile. She glances around the ship's deck, deliriously happy, as she comfortably fits on her young man's winning arm, while Hans escorts her around the top deck at a more languid pace.

The Gler looked so very different from when Elsa recalled that pitted battle with that evil pirate transformed into a sea monster beast who had captured Anna and hidden her suffering parents away for five, long terrorized years.

But her heroic Hans could make anything possible it seemed.

The newly fitted steamship required a total re-design after its mainmast had been driven straight into the skewered cold heart of the sea monster Draugen by this same daring, gallant young Kommander.

"Eek!" Lost in her own thoughts, Elsa squeals at a high pitch when her noble Prince takes the young woman at her word.

Cocky Prince Hans had lightly pinched the soft skin of the lady's tender rump with a flagrant hand at the side back of her formfitting Ice Queen dress.

"Hans Westergaard! I think stargazing has done something to your manners!" Shocked Elsa reprimands her fiancé for his wandering fingers, though she secretly didn't mind it as much as she thought she would.

"Well, you're the one who asked for it." With a pursed lip shrug and smirk, Hans huskily rejoinders his Queen, his enticed eyes going all frisky upon his stunning lady whom he had just danced with in the pale moonlight, bringing endless euphoria to his spilling over heart.

Feigning coy injury, Elsa gives Hans a snobbish little nose up in the air that Hans simply adored and perhaps saw as a challenge. Not about to take 'no' for an answer, he rather commandingly grasps her shoulders abruptly, pulling Elsa's supple form to his sinewy one that was hungry for more than just provisional sustenance on this glorious night of heady freedom…

Kommander Westergaard embraces his lovely lady who outshone the stars themselves so that no celestial body could compare to the real live female, speaking of which…

"A-ahem!"

Hans was just about to say something to further flirtatious effect to be followed up by fulfilling kiss good night that the redheaded Dane was smoothly moving in to grace Elsa with, when a deep cough interrupts the playful scene.

Out of nowhere in the steamship's deafening darkness, as the Gler cuts through the rushing waters of the North Sea, a large shadow's rotund form emerges upon the deck from the stairway down below.

"Pardon me, Kommander Westergaard. But it is well past time for the Queen to retire." Councilor Kai pronounces rather snobbishly from beneath the mountain of cloaks and scarves the big man beneath the fur-lined ear flap hat was clad in, to ward off the bracing cold of the sea he rather disliked.

 _But I cannot allow my sister Johanne to just leave our homeland without seeing that she is properly settled in this unsettled new land with her…ergh…husband._

"Oh, yes, it has grown rather late, Minister Kai. I'm so sorry for worrying you." Elsa guiltily withdraws from her Prince Hans' pervasive scent as her disappointed fiancé was mere seconds from tasting her cool lips again.

"Allow me to escort you safely back to your state room now, Your Majesty. I've given Gerda notice to await your presence there." With a haughty, smug look at Hans, the Arendelle Chief Minister of Affairs extends his gloved hand down the steps to escort Elsa to her lower berth where this proper chaperone believed she should remain for the rest of the night.

 _If that wolfish look on that young Dane's face is any judge on the dangerous matter._

"Then it appears I must bid you good night, my Queen. I hope you sleep well, _min hviddue_ (my white dove)." With one eye on how vigilant Kai was tapping his foot impatiently at the top of the flight of steps leading down, Hans awards Elsa with a neat, gentlemanly bow and brushed kiss to the palm of her cool hand wearing his sparkling snowflake engagement ring.

"Good night, min rævstørre (my great fox). I will sleep well, knowing you have mapped my ship to your celestial command." Teasing her foxy red prince with the inside joke only they two would understand, Elsa responds in secret constellation Latin nicknaming kind.

She laughs to her winsome fiancé in the frosty atmosphere he made her feel rather hot in, nevertheless.

"Good night, min hviddue (my dove). We shall have another night to stargaze together, when we are left not so well guarded, my beauty." The Prince of the Southern Isles whispers in a conspiring tone with a deep rumbling chuckle, which sizzles in the platinum blonde's titillated ear.

As Councilor Kai bows frigidly to the Vise Admiral of the Sjoforsvaret and leads Queen Elsa down below rather officiously, Prince Hans lets out a pent-up sigh.

He could sense the open antagonism written all over the older man's face staring down at the 13th in line Danish Prince that no doubt reflected the attitude of his King back home.

 _No. Admiral Bernadotte would never have permitted my command of his ship to escort his daughter halfway around the world, and without his presence, if he did not trust me._

 _Or would he? Perhaps to send spies upon the ship to lay one last trap of temptation before me? If only to ascertain my true worth as a gentleman…Maybe it's after I pass this final test will I be deemed fit to wed the Queen of Arendelle._

 _Or am I overthinking everything?_

 _Take heed, Westergaard, of the pitfalls ahead of the perfect prize. Don't forget your ambitions always did reach up too high for your station. That's how you plunged into trouble in the first place._

Expelling a deep breath in the bitterly cold air he intakes into his lungs, Prince Hans paces the deck of the ship he had been named Kommander of, but with an irresolute stride now.

Condemning himself, the dutiful young man abruptly stops and looks up to the twinkling constellation star he had once named 'Elsa' before stepping into the wheelhouse.

There the ship's Kommander unexpectedly relieves the current drowsy coxswain of his duty to instead personally steer the ship himself alone. At full throttle high speed of almost 13 knots, the thirteenth in-line Danish seaman seemed in the mood to dare to conquer the elements himself tonight.

* * *

"I hope I didn't keep you up, Gerda. I'm sorry for taking so long." Elsa speaks softly and lovingly as a smiling, quiet Gerda quickly begins preparing the young queen's hair for bedtime, loosening it from its braids and chignon into long flowing tresses.

"Oooh, not at all, Your Majesty! Eliana here has been telling Johanne and I fairy stories all the while! We've been quite comfortable and pleasant all around."

The little snowgirl, Eliana had been reading her bedtime stories until she fell asleep herself in the sweet lacy, pillow lined little bed that Gerda and Johanne had nestled for the snowgirl in the drawers at Elsa's bedside.

Johanne had volunteered to serve as the younger Queen's ladies' maid one last time on this journey that would take her to her new life with Chancellor Esteban in Avalor, as his Duchess.

As Gerda brushed Elsa's thick locks, she struck up a conversation with her charge.

"I wonder if we will see lions and elephants or hippopotamus in Brazil, Your Majesty? I never thought I'd see the day I'd travel so far as to South America! Hee hee…and yet, maybe I'm not that surprised after all. As a little girl, I traveled far far north to meet the Snow Queen and rescue Kai…" She trails off, apparently lost in thought of days of her youth when she notices Elsa's dreamy, untired eyes.

 _Eyes in love_ , as Gerda recognized, and smiled knowingly. "But enough about me, Your Majesty! I imagine Prince Hans has seen all these creatures and more on his travels about the globe!"

"Well, Gerda, lions and elephants aren't native to the South American continent. But there may be coatimundi, peccaries, capuchin monkeys and tapirs in Brazil. Perhaps Princess Valentina will know where we can take you to see some. And as for Hans, I don't know about hippopotamus or elephants, but I had gleaned from every conversation with Prince Ferdinand that vicious crocodiles, venomous snakes and bloodthirsty tigers _were_ encountered during their passage from India. Hans was said to be most heroic in warding off those dangerous beasts, though he is too modest to admit it to me, even in his letters." As she says that, Elsa smiles a lovestruck gaze upon the ivory cameo of her handsome man's profile, affixed with a lock of his unmistakably mahogany red hair.

She fingers it around her neck to be placed properly over her heart after Johanne aids her lady change in her purple nightwear.

"I'll be perfectly fine now—thanks to you both. Thank you for staying up so late, Gerda, I'll be penning my letter to Anna as I promised her I would for a few minutes and then go right to sleep. You may go on now, Johanne, too, while you're still feeling well. This is _your_ honeymoon journey, after all, and you should be spending time with your new husband, not doting over me. Please don't worry so much about me. I ran the kitchen galley of a ship once upon a time, so I'm quite at home aboard ship. Do tell the Chancellor good night for me." With humored explanation, Elsa softly prompts with a nod to her ladies maid who blushes that the younger female could sympathize with her marital concerns.

"Thank you, my lady." Johanne curtsies to her kind ruler, and heads to leave quietly by way of the connecting door. "You will make that young man a good wife someday soon." Johanne remarks at her charge's tender gaze up at the moonlight streaming through the porthole window that Johanne also recognized as true love.

"Will I?" Elsa mutters to herself as she sits at the quaint little desk at the other side of the room. With a smile, the lovely lady in the lilac lingerie uses her cryokinetics to open the desk's drawer to ice magically lift a single page from the numerous papers supplied by Anna herself in that drawer full with all sorts of pencils and pens, ink pads and coloring art materials.

With a lilting soft giggle at her insistent and plucky younger sibling, Elsa opts to write with the Romanian invented fountain pen her ice magic chose from the desktop.

Her resourceful Prince Hans had gifted Elsa with the fountain pen at the start of this voyage. It used the latest, and quite remarkable, Parker ink self-filler with a screw-operated piston ink reservoir for this long sea journey where ink bottles might tip over at the rocking back and forth waves at any moment.

Elsa begins to write her letter in the free flowing ink's elegant script that she instantly cryo-cools to freeze dry.

 _'My dearest Anna, I hope this letter finds you not feeling too ill and as contented and well back home in Arendelle with Papa and Mama as I am feeling right now._

 _This journey down the coast of the European continent has taken the Gler many nautical miles already. It feels so incredibly wide open and free to be traveling on the calm blue waters and having no pressing dangers or problems to face. Just the beautiful, endless blue waves where there seems to be no limits._

 _I don't know quite how to say it accurately, but as I can tell you anything in my heart, little sister, I feel quite at home and safe and secure here aboard ship with Prince Hans as her Kommander._

 _I suppose that's because I too possess the blood in my veins of our great seafaring race of people. Or perhaps, it's because Papa instilled in me since I was a little girl his love of the sea in ships and all who sail upon her._

 _But possibly…it's the memory of that time spent on board ship when I really met the man Hans Westergaard, and not only the façade of the dashing figure he groomed for me to see._

 _It was upon the sea where I truly saw my Prince's soul to be so kind and repentant and selfless as we sailed the marvelous ocean blue the good Lord put on this earth._

 _With Hans and I thrown together like that, it was as if I was meant to discover my destiny, to forgive Prince Hans so he could be instrumental in rescuing our kingdom and restoring our family._

 _God's plan for my life was already unfolding, I think, if I just embraced the courage to reopen that book and turn the pages to a chapter anew with receptive eyes of mercy…_

 _And thus find the meaning of true love. That sweet reminiscence makes this so unforgettable a voyage for me now._

 _Forgive me for waxing a little poetic tonight, Anna, but I am enjoying this romantic, free and easy shipboard life immensely on this first part of our journey as I am picking up some hands-on steamship workings in the wheelhouse with its Captain and crew. (As you have probably noted from my previous night's missives, which I trust you will not be skipping around to read in order first, Anna.)'_

With a smirk, Elsa glances up to the stars above the ship's starboard facing window glass, pausing with the vague chastisement of her impatient sibling's tendencies to read the last pages of a book first.

Over the crashing waves of the ship at full steam crossing, an arresting glimmer of light seemed to be shining back at her especially bright tonight.

 _'And one more thing, Anna. Did you know I've had a star named in my honor? Tonight, my Prince Hans introduced me to 'Columba Noachi' – 'Noah's Dove' in the Latin. It is a constellation of stars where the youngest Prince of the Southern Isles - who apparently was a boy astronomer, like Papa as well in his past - had plotted the course of one of the points of light of this stellar 'dove' for years._

 _Hans had dubbed the very tip of her beak – the brightest shining point of light on this constellation – 'Elsa', in hope to one day meet such named modest princess you may be familiar with, Anna._

 _And here we are now on the deck of the Gler in the_ _North Sea_ _near_ _Great Britain_ _, gazing up at that singular star whose name represents God's olive branch of peace, hope and fresh beginnings for mankind, together._

 _You must think me a silly, starstruck traveler of a penpal tonight, little sister! But this journey so far has been incredibly peaceful and calming for my spirit, too._

 _So, if you get the chance to be outside under the night sky before 'Noah's Dove' flies past our celestial quadrant in the next few weeks, look up to the northern polar night sky. There just below Canis Major, show Papa on a clear night how you can see Hans' celestial 'Hviddue' (white dove) coming your way into view over Arendelle, with 'Elsa' being the bright lead point star of the constellation Columba Noachi._

 _I send with her all my love to you and Mama and Papa, Anna. I pray for the Lord to watch over you and our kingdom while I'm away. God bless and keep you, my dearests._

 _Love, your encouraged, hopeful 'star' named Elsa.'_

Giggling at herself, the Queen of Arendelle then climbs into the bed which had a full view of the stars over the sea they were quickly crossing, through a dainty curtained window where a tasteful portrait of her Papa, the stately Admiral of the fleet, hung above.

"Good night, Papa. See that twinkling beak of the constellation of the dove Columba Noachi up there? My Hans has named that star in my honor." Elsa smiles proudly that Hans, as a little boy even, cared for her that much to think of her as his stellar muse.

Thinking of the two men in her life, and how similar they were really with love of the sea _and_ its guiding stars, Elsa blows out the candle on the lamp affixed to the wall over where an eye-mask snoozing Eliana the snowwoman had set up a dainty little bed of her own in its open drawer.

 _And thank you, Lord, for today, and the promise of the olive branch You created then. Thank you…for giving to me now a new hope for tomorrow…_

"Sleep well, my Rævstørre." Donning her icy lavender négligée, Elsa whispers up to the Canis Major constellation of stars lying beneath her 'Noah's Dove' through her ship window.

Settling in her bed, Elsa gives a trusting squeeze to the ivory cameo around her neck, craning to glimpse the pair of star-crossed constellations doing a celestial dance together through the night sky.

Much like the unforgettable dance that she and her handsome Prince waltzed across the deck of this ship taking them on this romantic voyage beneath the moonlit stars…

* * *

As if sensing some irresistible force of sisterly love call to her from across the miles, a young woman wrestles her pair of blue-green eyes open to gaze upward to the deep dark blue sky over her sleepyhead lying on a bevy of soft pillows.

Right on cue, several shades of the Northern Lights, which had been somewhat muted up to this point, illuminate in the sky above the cozy, open-air sleigh bed Princess Anna was rocking back-and-forth upon.

The light bursts caused her groggy eyes to travel to the formation of stars exuding above her head in the shape of a winged bird in flight.

That constellation did seem to be burning especially bright this evening, Anna thought as she wipes away the drool escaping her mouth when one star particularly sparkles back down at her.

Its luminosity causes a soft smile to cross her pretty face as she was snuggling herself into the mass of blankets and pillows that her doting mother had piled in the sleigh to line the reclining bench Kristoff had fashioned into a makeshift travel bed for his pregnant wife.

"I like to see you wake up smiling, Feistypants." A mellow voice murmurs contentedly from across the front of the bench seat of the in-motion sleigh.

The industrious mountainman/ carpenter/ jack of all hard-working trades had installed the lever-activated recliner to the passenger half of his Ice Harvester's sleigh's wooden bench.

Kristoff intuitively knew how his pregnant wife's characteristically little body was undergoing major physical changes. So they would require a respite every now and then on this stipulated to be slow and steady excursion up to see his Troll family for the New Year.

The blond was beyond glad that his usually stiff and stuffy father-in-law had finally permitted a trying-not-to-look-too-disappointed Anna to set forth, just with Kristoff, right away on this road trip to visit her good friends, the Trolls, who had raised the boy.

 _I guess your dad would do anything to stop you from moping around the castle, wishing you were able to go to_ _South America_ _and waiting for Elsa's letters that aren't even posted yet._

 _But maybe we could use this trip as that second honeymoon I promised you when our first one was interrupted._

The musclebound mountain man muses to himself as he glances over to his sleepy bride while leading Sven and Svala down the path between the mountains and down into the Valley that led to Trollheiman.

When the wintry roads were clogged from either piles of huge snow drifts, Saami traders leading their wagons and reindeer herds through to the northern hills, or seasonal Ice Harvesters come down from the mountains to sell their potable goods, the flying reindeer team would make their sled soar above it all.

Yet even that was not quick enough for impatient Princess Anna, who was constantly pestering her safety-first husband to get a move on in this journey. But Kristoff had thoroughly promised his worrywart father-in-law that he would not take any risks and avoid every bump and protruding rock that may have been in their pathway by going well under the 15 miles per hour speed limit.

Pushing her mass of frizzy ginger hair back from her face with uncoordinated fingers attempting to put up a pair of side braids to tie back her flowing coif, Princess Anna groans in frustration before giving up totally with an expended sigh.

The several weeks pregnant and feeling restless young woman peeks one eye up through the pitch black darkness of the deep night sky. Anna had been tossing and turning in her discomfited sleep, lying beneath the stars in the midsection of her husband's Royal Ice Harvester and Deliverer's larger delivery sleigh.

"Are we there yet?" Anna's sleepy voice murmurs over to her young husband who had kept gentle watch over her all through the night while he tirelessly directed Sven and his doe Svala down to the Valley of Living Rock.

"Yep, Baby. We'll be just about there in a few more minutes. It's good you took that long daytime nap because the Trolls will be sure awake when we get there." With an exhausted stretch to his overtaxed, flexing shoulder muscles that had been hunched over the reins driving all night, Kristoff explains.

His stiff with cold, gloved fingers reach out with a loving stroke of Anna's loose ginger locks as she sits up, pulling the reclined seat up to its regular passenger position in a yawning daze to speak to the driver.

"Hehehe. Maybe we should stop for a minute or two for you to get your hair in order first." Kristoff chuckles at the lopsided braid Anna had attempted to install in her naturally sticky-uppy bedhair.

"Does it look bad?" Anna asks, running a hand through the wild expanse of orangey frizz she was peering up to Kristoff through.

"No! You look great!" The more experienced in the ways of married life blond young man quickly covers up his near gaffe repeat. Kristoff had learned by now to give no hesitation in making remarks about his feisty lady's odd hairstyle. Not like he awkwardly did that first time they were in this geyser filled part of this country the man of nature was so at home in since his youth.

"I was just thinking it might be a good idea to run a brush through your hair before my folks all wind up volunteering to fix it up for you. You know how they break into song and dance when they go at it." As delicately put as possible, Kristoff tries to smooth over his close blunder with a quickly produced comb from his pocket to start to gently brush Anna's peculiar hair.

Kristoff's big hands, adept at handling his bride, easily undo her unkempt side braid as he maneuvers her petite body soothingly around in the stopped sleigh bench for her back to face him. He instinctively then gives her tense spine a firm, yet tender rub, rolling his practiced knuckles down her tickle bumps of vertebrae, much to Anna's sighing delight.

"Ooh, that's nice, Kristly. How did you know I needed a good, thorough massage?" Anna coos over her shoulder to her mate as she lets Kristoff's tender stroking lull she and her wild hair into a more tranquil state of ecstasy in the steamy hot geyser springs area they had just entered.

"Whoa-oh! Anna! Be careful! What are you doing?!" Kristoff gasps as he suddenly is pitched backward in the paused sleigh.

Somehow the feisty ginger, leaning over, had mischievously tempted Kristoff to move more towards her side of the bench seat. Then she cunningly pulled the lever to set it back down to full reclined position, with an unbalanced Kristoff unwittingly launched back alongside her laughing form.

"I just wanted you to see how comfortable my reclining bed has been for me, my gorgeous studmuffin. After all, you were the one just thinking this should be our chance to make up for that first bungled honeymoon, weren't you, Kristly?" Anna fingers her man's heaving broad chest invitingly. "And since this is the very spot you proposed to me, I thought we could commemorate that here…" Despite her tender chest, Anna inveigles her husband to cease his defensive struggling to get upright and just roll with lying beside her still burning desire to hold him close.

Kristoff did not seem to have a problem with his every individual mental deliberation being perused by his pretty little wife now as she coaxes him to touch her intimately with soft giggling sighs in his ear.

"Yeah, that's right. This is where it happened…" The distracted twenty-three year old glances around to see the steaming hot spring where he had mustered enough courage to pop the big question to Princess Anna of Arendelle after they had gone for a fun swim together.

"I love you, Baby." Kristoff's powerful fingers involuntarily reach out to run through his wife's unbraided hair just as he did then, pulling her yearning body close for a soft nuzzled kiss to her neck.

His hands then trace along her slender back and shoulder blades, down her heaving ribcage and as yet still little stomach to grasp her shapely hipbones, none too hidden under those tan leggings where she was lying side by side with him, both prone on the sleigh bed.

"There are still a few minutes before we get there, right, Kristly?" Slipping out of her dark burgundy cloak fully, Anna flips over. She gazes up to her husband's wanting eyes with that familiar glint of inviting passion that Kristoff recognized immediately.

"A few…" As he was already removing some of his more cumbersome attire, Kristoff repeats her words huskily. With one deft hand over the edge of the sled, he nimbly unhitches the trying-not-to-be-curious reindeer pair to wander off to their own hot springs rendezvous.

{"If you're sure you're still okay with everything, Anna? I swear to be gentle as possible. But I want you to know that I don't need this…"} Kristoff psychically asks with caution in his tone while his hands were automatically freeing the rest of Anna's clothes from her rustling skin in the warm hot springs' steamy seclusion in the darkness.

"But _I_ do. I asked Mama already, and she said that our perfect little guy is safely tucked away and wouldn't mind sharing with his big, strong daddy on our special, second honeymoon that you promised me. You don't have to worry, Kristly. Mama says we're supposed to bond still. It's good for the baby." Anna whispers, pulling her good-looking man and his strong, magic fingers into her on the soft pillowed sleigh bed.

Anna's beseeching eyes beneath the stars with every mental and physical reassurance she could give him that she was robust, healthy and required this wake-up call more than he knew.

Kristoff blushes at the notion that his honest and open girl had discussed such a private matter with his queenly mother-in-law. But then again, he was glad for the veteran mother to impart to his wife such knowledge on feminine subjects he had absolutely no idea about.

"Afterwards, you may fix my hair however you please." Over the three years they had known each other, Anna had grown mature in some ways that Kristoff appreciated.

But she still wanted them to enjoy the world as young and free spirits, madly in love with their lives together. The laughing young couple lets themselves take pleasure in these precious moments together, hugging and kissing and cuddling like the young lovers they were.

All while treasuring the new miracle of life growing strong within because of that abiding love Anna and Kristoff shared, with unbreakable bonds of interdependent joy, too.

And yes, Princess Anna was sparkling bright in this area that was growing decidedly warmer due to the multiple geyser springs, steamy hot even at this time of the winter.

* * *

 ** _Sometime more than a few minutes later…_**

"Hmm… I wonder how Elsa is doing…" Tying her laces back up her undone jacket sleeves, a dreamy Anna murmurs from where she was still comfortably lying on her husband's ingenious seat recliner in their slow-moving sleigh.

With a cat-who-ate-the-canary smirk on his no longer achy, decidedly manly features, safe driver Kristoff was back operating the reins in his driver's seat. He carefully avoids any potholes or too many dips or ruts in the geyser strewn road that may jostle his not-so-delicate young bride.

Wistfully content and feeling _much_ better, a humming Anna's pleased eyes were trained upward as she stares up to the pulsating grouping of stars above the stony landscape of Troll Valley.

{"She's fine and in bed now."} Through their psychic link, the Wind Whisperer responds to his mate after closing his eyes for a quick check of the mental imprint of Anna's beloved sister.

Elsa had agreed, before she left, to allow her gifted brother-in-law some small access to her mental signature's monitor, to keep an anxious Anna satisfied that her sister was safe whenever she was feeling lonely and wondering about her traveling best friend.

Perhaps it was through that open line in her subconscious that she sensed their sisterly bond to stare up at that particular star in that particular celestial location, where 'Noah's Dove' was pulsating down at her.

"I'm glad. What was she up to tonight?" Anna smiles with the idle query as she closes her eyes again. She imagined her big sister cozily lying in her nice big bed in the ship's stateroom that Anna had personally supplied with much ink and writing papers for Elsa to inscribe letters back home to her as often as she could.

{"She was just with Hans."} Kristoff made the mistake of adding that honest little factoid to his easily set-off wife who was still warily resentful of young Mr. Westergaard, and all his good fortune to be the one chosen to accompany Elsa on this long voyage to South America, without her.

I suppose I brought this all upon myself, dragging that jerky Red all the way back from India to be here with Els—

 **"What?!"** Suddenly realizing what Kristoff just mentally stated to her, Anna freaks out at the unsavory thought, her eyes going wide as she sits straight up.

{"Not ' _ **with**_ **'** like we just were, silly. Just 'with', as in simply _**stargazing**_ together."} Her spontaneous reaction causes Kristoff to chuckle a tickle to Anna's wobbling with anger chin.

"Well. that Red just better behave himself on this trip, and not press his luck or, so help me, when he gets his skinny behind back here, I'll—"

 ** _YAWN!_**

Mid-empty-threat to her future brother-in-law _(icksome!)_ , a mumbling Anna begins to drift back to sleep on her inviting sleigh bed as Kristoff drives ever so slow and rhythmically, lulling her back to sleep with his sweetly calming, hummed tune as he drives into the still, quiet Troll village down in the Valley of the Trolls.

But just as Anna was closing her eyes, falling asleep again under the glimmering starlight, a cavalcade of other coruscating lights suddenly overtakes the bright stars above.

"Surprise! Surprise!" As colorful lights to match the aurora borealis begin to glow, Trolls from every corner of the Valley suddenly spring to life after they and their dormant rock forms shake the ground to roll up to greet their visitors, as one.

"Happy birthday!" One pudgy, sleepy-eyed Fire Troll boy had stayed up past his bedtime to greet some of the heroes of the Fire Troll liberation rebellion from that evil Djvælen King.

Little Gabbro had only learned so many non-latin words from his Rock Troll cousins in these past weeks of freedom from the underground labyrinth he had been raised as a slave, but he wanted to try them out nonetheless.

Several of the formerly enslaved Fire Troll cousins who had remained awake even after sunset for this special occasion had joined the Rock Troll crystal training novices to devise a welcoming party for Anna and Kristoff.

Once the Wind Whisperer had mentally accepted the elder Troll shaman's invitation to spend the new year celebration up here with his expanded Troll family, the entire amalgamated village had been abuzz with anticipation.

The soft glow of each of the Fire Troll children's fiery tails were no longer possessed by the Devil's black lava crystals, instead they had been newly inducted to the Troll Crystal Club with their own troll crystal breads of orange and yellow hues around their necks.

The prismatic colors complement the rainbow of the Rock Troll girls' and boys' proudly earned AB crystals. Multicolored lighted hues of greens and purples and fuchsia pinks and blues GranPabbie had been teaching the young novices how to project artistic illuminations of their own creation into the dark sky take shape.

In dazzling rainbow lights overhead, the letters the Troll children learned spelled their returning heroes' names in colorful gratitude.

 **'THANK YOU, KRISTANNA!'**

Side by side with their new friends of Rock Trolls, the Fire Troll children join the entire group in hummed chorus to encircle around the sleigh, holding up their newly earned friendship crystals to Anna and Kristoff proudly.

"How pretty! You kids are all so amazing!" Brightly smiling and applauding beside Kristoff, kid friendly Anna sits up in her sleigh to fully glimpse the spectrum of lights all shooting up into the deep of night sky like vacillating beacons of strobe spotlights at a _rock_ concert.

"CUPCAKE!" The multitude of the blankly blinking older Rock Trolls in the audience call out in eager excitement as 'Kristoff's girl' hops down to the ground from the sled to get a better view of the awe-inspiring lightshow in her honor.

They, as one, lift Anna's surprised form and begin to pass her happily from troll to troll like the tossed jelly bean they always did to the healthy young human girl who always enjoyed herself here.

The rowdy rough Trolls were all quite unaware the princess' new, more delicate condition.

"No! Guys! Stop it! Don't be roughhousing Anna! You have to quit it! Leave her be!" Kristoff's normally mellow voice, even raised, still goes unnoticed in the Trolls' singing and dancing jubilation to see their favorite Princess.

 _ **"ENOUGH!"**_ In a mighty bellow that cuts across the wind itself, Snow Prince Kristoff uses his Wind Whisperer prowess' urgent call to command all to stop still in their tracks.

The deep throated voice and mental forewarning that sliced through each and every head, instantly halts the raucous crowd that his poor pregnant wife had been unwittingly pulled into a crowd surfing fiasco.

All the wide-eyed Trolls' jaws drop in utter silence, with absolutely no movement as they were frozen in place to hear this new, protectively masculine side of their soft and mellow, beloved son, Kristoff.

The children's lightshow and hummed singing abruptly stops in their practiced places. Their lighted letters scatter in a mess overhead, with frightened looks of shock written all over the kids' blinking, upset faces that were just on the verge of scared tears.

"But, why, Kristoff? Anna always loves being passed around in a good Troll crowd surf." The mountainman's best friend growing up, Little Rock, was bold enough to ask as he moves through the stunned troll crowd. With a quizzical worried look, Little Rock rolls up to where his human brother had rushed to gather up his woozy Princess into his more careful, tender embrace.

"That is precisely because Princess Anna is with child and must be treated very gently from now on, my Trolls, so as not to disturb the fragile infant growing within her body." Just then, wise old GranPabbie rolls up from his cave structure shrine in his moss green cape alongside the female Fire Troll leader that Anna recognized as Elsa's dear friend whom Olaf named 'Bonnie'.

"The wee miracle of new human life must be allowed to develop safely and be nurtured properly as every living creature has the right to flourish unharmed and un-enslaved into this bright new world. Just as we ourselves have been fortunate enough and blessed by the Creator above to be welcomed back to find a place in this world as like newborn babes ourselves. And together, as kin to not only our cousin Trolls, but our fellow human race as well, we must tenderly welcome he–or she—into our extensive family, next year." In a grand speech, the mahogany skinned, small troll-like, angular being moves close to touch her pointed clawed hand to Anna's tightening stomach under Kristoff's nodding watch.

"Well said." GranPabbie looks in grateful assent to his associate Troll leader's sentiment.

Boninite may have been a secluded, thrown away slave Nibelung for her entire lifetime up until now, but she possessed a bright mind full of goodness. Plus a curiosity now to well learn this country's new language in place of the ancient Latin tongue of old as Queen Elsa had generously begun to instruct her on their road adventure together in the North.

And through her heart's tenerity of friendship, Elsa had taught Boni the wondrous ability to read. Through its unlocked knowledge, the intelligent Fire Troll girl had gleaned as much of the ways of this bright world under the sun as she could possibly soak up from significant books under GranPabbie's wise direction to become a wise leader herself now.

 _ **BLINK. BLINK.**_

"A BABY! OUR KRISTOFF IS GOING TO BE A DADDY! PRINCESS ANNA FIXED OUR FIXER-UPPER UP GOOD! WE'RE GOING TO BE GRANDTROLLS, CLIFF!"

Broadly smiling and nodding enthusiastically through her tears, Bulda breaks the rest of the Trolls' collected silence.

One after another, the grey rocky faces eerily transform from distraught upset into simultaneously humongous grins up at the human couple rather than merely staring at a ferociously defensive Kristoff and the little woman wrapped in his protective arms in confusion.

A toothy smiling Anna tries to peek out from the folds of her hubby's furry coat security to glimpse the other troll's reaction to her impending birth's news.

"YEAH! ANNA'S GOING TO LAY A BABY ROCK FOR OUR KRISTOFF TO CRACK OPEN!" Unaware he was inappropriately scaring Anna with the bizarre mystery of Rock Troll childbirth, Kristoff's adopted Dad Cliff wasn't the only troll father who rushes up to Kristoff with handshakes and hammers that bespoke the strange Troll birthing ritual.

And the celebration from that moment on increased tenfold with lights and sound and songs anew ringing through the Valley as never before.

The noisy, loud at times, non-politically correct always, but absolutely well-meaning and kindly Trolls start dancing and singing all around with lyrical joik songs in homage to their boy Kristoff and the sparkling girl he brought home named 'Anna.'

Why shouldn't there be festivity? Their precious 'Princess Cupcake' was going to give to them all the joy of rearing and raising and sharing the newest and most unique member of their family with one another since Kristoff came to them.

And they may not understand how it would be born, that hidden package of God's blessing, but for certain the baby would be included in their great love.

Kristoff and Anna's child, yet to come, would join their happy troll clan with humankind in the New Year in which their races would now spend together in freedom and peace at last, as family.

* * *

 _ **Back out on the sea...**_

With the North wind's direction favorable thanks to a certain Queen of the Winter, plus the daring Captain's increase of knot speed in the still waters all through the night, it took only a few days of ship's travel to reach the English Channel.

At the Port of Weselton, the Gler would make a short port stop near the city of Dover on the southeast coast of the British island.

Vise Admiral Westergaard had deftly plotted the Gler's best course with a good working knowledge of the late December undercurrents and tides.

Chancellor Esteban and Councilor Kai found in common at last, to their mutual surprise, that they both approved of the young Kommander's good sense of nautical judgment.

All experienced seafarers on board agreed that the savvy Danish sailor at the helm of the ship was completely competent in his assessment of how to traverse the Channel.

The youthful man ably directed the Gler to proper knot speed and sail length in accommodation with the ever-changing seas as he takes the Gler into the English Channel to pass smoothly through its rough waters in this section of their coastal journey.

As Eliana quietly fixed her hair, Queen Elsa was well beyond impressed to watch her commanding man in action, through her state room's porthole window. With the wet English weather slicking back his red hair to make it decidedly darker, Prince Hans was making arrangements with the local, thick Cockney accented port master at the Dover port to purchase some extra barrels of coal to be loaded to the Gler's boiler room coal bunkers.

The Danish Prince was diplomatic as he made a request for the delivery of the fresh coal he wished to obtain to top off the ship's already brimming supply. Hans wanted to insure that the rest of the trip to Lisbon, about eight hundred and fifty nautical miles south from London, would have adequate steam pressure without having to make another stop for the fuel needed to keep up a swifter moving 10 to 12 knot voyage, when only 6-8 was calculated back home.

But Prince Hans was one to always push the envelope.

Leading the group of port coal stokers to help shovel the metric tons of new coal into the Gler's bunker, hands-on Hans was down there to review the capacity of the multiple boilers which kept the Gler running at top speed.

As he praised his men at the boilers for producing proper PSI of the hand fired furnaces thus far, Kommander Westergaard had gained his loyal crew's trust already through the sleepless hours they witnessed from him standing at the helm steering, plotting proper course and inspecting the craft.

And the Vise Admiral more than earned their respect for now pitching in with the hard work of shoveling coal by their side. Rather than simply sitting back luxuriously in his Captain's chair at the bridge like most other Royal Kommanders would, and relax to leave the hands-on ship's duty for their capable first mate and junior officers to fulfill, Hans wanted to join in the work and genuinely earn the respect of his crewmates.

Prince Hans had learned through hard knocks in life that to gain anything worthwhile – including respect – one must to work very hard at it and put oneself into the shoes of another.

Or even the work boots of those thought to be 'lessers' under him.

Add a fair share of indecent charm that spoke a language to all around, Hans certainly would win almost any sailor over.

"Doesn't JustHans handle the coaling for the boiler neatly? Kinda makes my coal buttons want to pitch in too! I've had three of them all my life, so I know everything about coal."

Elsa, with warm cheeks, comes out of her early morning reverie of peeking down into the engine room deck to watch her jacketless, rolled up sleeves, open shirted young and vital Vise Admiral.

The Kommander of the Gler was getting right into the spirit of taking turns with the crew and shoveling coal into his steamship's coaling bunkers, feeding the hungry, red-hot furnace when the ship left dock.

"Olaf! You can't go help down there!" Panicking for her frosty friend, the Ice Queen herself as feeling just a wee tad woozy from the steamy heat emanating from where her equally steaming hot fiancé had been assisting his men below deck.

The shipmen had been tirelessly working overtime for hours since last night's stop in Wesleton Port, shoveling the fresh coal supplies into their boiler and ship's coal bin hoppers that would keep the Gler on a nonstop early schedule to Portugal, then all the way to South America in less than the one and a half month time proposed.

"Olaf shouldn't be in that hot dirty place with those rough men. They may unintentionally harm him in their activity of shoveling all that coal they've been bringing in from the dock. And I'm not sure if Olaf's little personal snow flurry can keep up with that sweltering heat and steam rising from down there. He may start to melt." Elsa clutches her own constricted throat in distress for her snowfriend, catching wind of him as she had been strolling on the cool deck wearing her tall collared, purple velvet dress.

"I should go down there to collect him myself, but…" Elsa trails off talking to herself, her shy eyes diverging to where more than a few of the sailors and local English coalmen under Hans' command had gone shirtless with the rising heat of the coal they were stoking and storing in the steam engine room of the Gler while filling its deep well coal bunkers to full capacity.

"Allow me, Your Majesty. Just leave it in my hands." Chancellor Esteban, who seemed to appear out of nowhere, smiles encouragingly to the blushing queen. "But maybe I'd advise that you and your _delicate_ _sensibilities_ better leave for your cabin's safety. Before the men finish their job and tear off in all states of filth and undress en masse to head to that bathhouse at the port dock they've all been eyeing." Esteban may not have been in the company of sailors much, but it didn't take much for him to pick up the overwhelming desire coming from the sweaty, hard-working men down below once Kommander Westergaard informed them their job was almost completed.

"Oh, my! ahem… Yes. Thank you, Chancellor. Please see that Olaf is… all right. I leave it completely in your hands." Elsa was whispering by the end, disturbed by the mental picture so vividly described to her mind's indeed delicate sensibilities.

Yet Elsa could not help but steal an inquisitive look back as she was leaving, furtively searching for a mane of red.

That tall, thin framed, utterly gorgeous Captain was wiping the manly sweat from his own noble brow, as Hans had just given the command for their collective hours of dirty work to come to a successful close.

That is, until an especially slushy snow man bounds up to Hans and succeeds in lifting one meager shovelful of three or four missed chunks of coal which Olaf had spied down on the ground.

"I'm an expert at coaling!" Olaf announces merrily in front of the roaring furnace with a wobbling away grin as his branchy hands hold up the coals to his Captain.

"Well done, midshipman." A chuckling Hans congratulates this most misshapen crewmen as his keen green eyes shoot up to catch a glimpse of a cool platinum mirage hovering over the gangway entrance high above the boiler furnace sending Olaf, and thusly Hans, an edifying cool breeze.

Kommander Westergaard stiffens, raising his hand for a quick salute until he glances down at himself, sweaty and barely dressed, uncombed hair filthy and askew, his hands caked under folds of so much dirt. The gentleman in him knew he was unacceptable to even share a salute wave with such a regal Queen.

Glancing in the new boiler's shiny metal plate, Hans' hands and face were soiled and streaked with black coal dust as Hans gives himself a self-effacing grimace at his unsightly visage.

The dapper gentleman in him hardly would have ever invited his finicky fiancée to see him in such a state. But what else could Hans do now beyond gaze at Elsa unpretentiously with a lilting laugh and bid 'good morning' to his love.

Though she was flustered, as Elsa rushes past a bewildered Prince James and Prince Hugo on the upper deck doing some morning sit up calisthenics with their trio of giggling females pretending not to be ridiculing their efforts, the Norwegian Queen could not be more pleased with her own man.

Elsa had always admired her father in his dashing role as svelte and fit naval officer. And the young Prince she had become betrothed to lived up to his Admiral's meritorious service in comparison. Hans seemed more than willing to step right into the thick of the action beside his men as Elsa had heard and remembered tales of her valiant Papa always cited as doing the same, therefore gaining the respect and admiration of his fleet.

 _How could she not fall in love with such a man who had the same convictions as her father? How could she not want to spend the rest of her life with such a noble man?_

"Queen Elsa? Is anything the matter?" Considerate Princess Sofia pauses in her stroll under her sun parasol with the other girls to ask.

"Umm… The coaling is almost complete." Elsa breathlessly informs the quartet of young women. They were to be joined by their Queen for the morning stroll in which she persuaded them to get some early morning sun vitamin filled rays, rather than be cooped up below deck, mooning like silly schoolgirls.

"Then why are you blushing so violently? Hmm?" A smiling Princess Amber observes her Royal counterpart in an elbowed tease.

 ** _GULP_**

"Many of the naval shipmen who had so diligently loaded the new coal just delivered to us from the dock, had become so dirty and exhausted in this overnight coaling. So the Vise Admiral decided to allow them a well-deserved luxury to join the local coal port stokers at a local bathing house just across the way." The Queen of Arendelle spills out all in one breath to the group of young women with a nod down towards the building on the edge of the British cobblestone street just a block or two beyond the pier where the Gler was docked.

"A bathhouse?!"

"Where?!"

"How thrilling!"

"More like scandalous!"

The four princesses' reactions were as varied as they were, although their curiosity in peeking over the ship's railing was all the same.

Sofia, Amber, Cleo and Hildegard's eyes all pop out to glimpse the indeed black coal dirt stained, shirtless – even in the chilled foggy English weather – strapping workmen of all shapes and ages and sizes that come streaming from the lower bilge deck of the damnation hot ship's furnace they had been coaling into for hours.

The princesses' early morning spying of the teams of filthy, colorful language speaking males, was discovered when Princess Hildey is jostled by Sofia and Amber trying to get a more advantageous view.

She drops her lacy blue parasol which the fair skinned royal young woman from Germany was using to shield much of the sun's rays from ruining her delicate complexion.

"Woo hoo, Boyos! Looks like we had a dishy audience!"

"Let's make it worth their price of admission! Hee hee hee hee!"

"Yeah! Hiya, girlys! Are you sights for these poor sailors' eyes!"

"Care to come down to get a better view of the merchandise?! We can teach you a lot more than those stuck up Royal toffs you're forced to keep company with, luscious ladies! Ha ha ha ha!"

Some even more sensational language emanates from the rowdy local British coal stokers, with more than a few of the emboldened younger Norwegian shipman of the Gler joining in the cackling taunts.

All were downright rude as they caught sight of the quintet of young, pretty faces staring down from over the railing at the exhausted men on their way to the bathhouse.

Despite the cool winter temperatures while making catcalls and whistles up to the five royal women, the hot, sweaty sailors begin a crude striptease in the most indecent way before the flustered Princesses, causing shy Cleo to shriek away with aghast Hildey not far behind, and proper Amber to unleash a stern reprimand down at the cackling 'common, low class demons' making such a ruckus in crude display before royal ladies.

"GENTLEMEN! Gentlemen, please! Please show these lovely ship passengers the courtesy and decorum expected of you that your honorable, respected Queen Victoria has made England renowned for, to all visitors throughout the world!" From the carriage watching in the street nearby, a foreign accented voice breaks through the boisterous gang of raucous men with its soft, commanding tone.

"You heard the man! I am appalled at such ill-manned behavior! I expect my ship's crewmen to give proper apology or face dire punishment in the brig!" In his most stern voice, Kommander Westergaard shows his fierce authority in a formidable reprimand to his sailors. His shirt collar already buttoned up and jacket on, Vise Admiral Westergaard, at the rear of the crowd of noisy seamen, too raises his mild voice to intercede on behalf of the women's honor.

"You are a little harsh with your men, Sir. If I may say, are you not very young to be captain of such a fine vessel? Though I must admire you for pitching in the workload with your crew." The tall, thin, dark haired, Germanic accented young man of royal deportment, steps out from his royal insignia carriage door to speak with the dirt-streak faced Hans, who was obviously in charge of at least some of these shame-faced sailors.

"I am no younger than the ruling Queen of my country. Nor you yours. Your Serene Highness? Am I not correct that it is you I am addressing under that cloak, Sir?" Self-consciously wiping the coal smut from his face with his handkerchief, Prince Hans airs his suspicion.

He had a feeling that the young man, thereabouts his age, sporting a svelte moustache and a thick wave fringe of hair tossed over one eye was none other than Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

"Ah, my wife's fame precedes me. Do I have the privilege to be speaking to the youngest Vice Admiral in the history of any Navy on the high seas, Vice Admiral Westergaard. You see? I have heard of you as well, Prince Hans of the Southern Isles. Please, simply call me Albert." The breathy, soft-spoken young man awards Hans with a winning smile and courteous bow, along with an extended hand in friendship from beneath his vaguely concealed identity.

"Hans." The Danish Prince convivially accepts the like handshake and nods his familiar address to this disguised German husband of the recently crowned, young Queen Victoria of England.

"Fair cop, gov'nors. We didn't mean no wrong to the ladies. We'd like to convey our sincerest apologies, most terribly." The apparent designated spokesman of the group of seamen and cockney coalers humbly comes, hat in hand, up to Hans and Albert.

"Your words of contrition should be directed to these honorable ladies, who are wholly deserving of your respect and decency. Are they not?" Prince Hans insinuates with his reproofing eyes upward to where Princesses Sofia, Amber and Hildegaard were still on deck listening in curiosity, and now joined by Queen Elsa and Queen Miranda with an arm around a skittish Princess Cleo as well.

"Pardon us, Ma'ams."

"Sorry for that."

"No hard feelings, luvs."

Many of the made ashamed sailors and coalmen hang their heads, with hats in hands to give their best attempts at contrite apology up to where Sofia, Amber, Hildegaard nod in acceptance. Elsa gazes in amazed pride down upon her righteous Kommander who had informed those crude men how to treat a lady.

"Yeah! That's more like it, men! And after your bath, there'll be the lemonade and drinks for everyone as reward! Right, Captain?" Olaf offers from where he was right behind the Vise Admiral, after Hans had fished the clumsy snowman out of the coal bin, searching for his 3 coal buttons that had gone missing in the process.

Naïve Olaf had no idea that his innocent offer of lemonade and drinks to the worldly crowd of sailors and workmen was to be little more than a fruity soft drink, cocoa or tea which he was accustomed to.

But Prince Hans, exchanging a smirk of chagrin with Prince Albert _\- who was more than intrigued by the walking, talking snowman beneath a personal snow flurry_ \- was hardly that naively innocent to not recognize what temptation his loudmouthed, frozen friend had just offered the working-class men.

"Absolutely. In gratitude for your timely service, gentlemen, the Admiralty will gladly treat you to your refreshment _after_ we all go to cleanse ourselves and cool off before returning to your duties." The Vise Admiral receives a rousing cheer from the satiated crowd of dockworkers who now wholeheartedly stream into the bathhouse, with the promise of free liquor to follow from the pub next door.

"But only watered down glasses for my ship's crew, Mr. Polen, or docked pay awaits their reward." The savvy Kommander mutters on the side to his trusted ship's purser, who quietly and dutifully held the ship's monetary doling out routine in his mature older hands.

"Aye-aye, Captain." The seasoned seamen Lieutenant Polen obeys his sagacious leader as he makes a beeline for the open twenty-four hours public tavern house just beside the Turkish bath to settle the hard drink watered down arrangements by way of the ship's cash stores that would be withheld from the local barman if he did not comply.

The Dane was worldly enough to know that a well run ship did not employ inebriated men in its hasty workings. Or anywhere near the vicinity of his precious passengers either.

"I don't suppose you care to join us, Your Highness?" Hans chuckles at the embarrassing situation he found himself in.

"No. I was just on my way to a small church down the street, to attend a meeting of the 'Society for the Extinction of Slavery' held by the American slave abolitionists, in an hour or so. That's when I saw this, _how do you say_? – ruckus. I am a great proponent of the social causes of our day, and the just equality of all people for the betterment of mankind is one dear to my heart." Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the 22-year-old Prince consort of his beloved wife of just over a year, Queen Victoria, was renowned already for his admiration and advocacy support to such just public causes, such as slave abolition, education reform, child labor and safety, and women's rights in the workplace.

Prince Albert firmly believed _'it was the duty of those who, under the blessings of Divine_ _Providence_ _, enjoy station, wealth, and education to assist those less fortunate than themselves.'_

"Then, Albert, may my men who wish to, and I, join _you_ at that most commendable chapel meeting once we are cleaned up? I, too, am interested in such important issues in other countries to learn further about, as we expand our horizons in the world beyond our small northern corner, on behalf of my betrothed, Queen Elsa. There's much I must pray for of the Good Lord's blessings to shine upon the rest of our journey of which I hold much responsibility." Hans candidly confers with his fellow handsome young prince, feeling some large degree of camaraderie with the royal young man who was experiencing much the same situation as he.

As Princes, one already married to, one pledged to wed a Queen, they were both placed in a difficult arrangement with the question of male pride and dignity. Both Albert and Hans, upon being wed to their respective monarch Queens, would forever be 'husband', but never 'master' of the house of their wives, as the hierarch typical position males held in most other societies.

These charming Prince Consorts were still subjects under their rulers, and would be looked upon as such by all others, until the day they died.

"I am still learning that I must be not only my Queen's rock, but also her voice of conscience, in subtle unspoken ways when she is unsure. Or rather, when she is too sure. Never let her forget God created her with a compassionate heart, before He made her to be monarch Queen." As they walk side by side to the church, Albert gives some of his experienced advice to the young prince about to be in the same position.

So with a smiling salute up to Elsa, whom he instinctively knew was watching, a coal smudged Prince Hans follows the bare chested dockworkers and several of his noisy crewmen into the Turkish bathhouse to cleanse their bodies and maybe afterwards, a few of their souls as well.

* * *

A short time after attending the rousing, anti-slavery meeting with Prince Albert and a handful of his willing, good Christian and social warrior shipmates, the Prince of Southern Isles found himself ushered into a public house for that full glass of lemony water which he instructed only could be offered to any members of his crew.

"Hiya, JustHansie-boy. Here, Have one on me." The wobbling on his pins, overzealous snowman had been ordering nonstop drinks for the coalers and crew and himself as well as he waited for Hans to return in the interim.

"He thinks he's drunk, Sir, but it's just sugar water." Whispering in Hans' ear, Mr. Polen the ship's purser stayed on in the pub as his captain directed, babysitting Olaf and the rest of the crew.

"Right. So, let us fill our final glasses, gentlemen, to liberty, to freedom, and to Her Majesty the Queen!" Prince Hans knew his local audience believed his toast to be an homage to their prominently imposing, royal young Queen of this wide spread British Empire where the sun never set.

But on whatever soil, whichever waters he was sailing, in his heart, those words would always and forever be only for one name that his lips would drink to.

"To the Queen!" Heavily accented British citizens' voices mingle in respect with the foreign sounding crowd of Norwegians who also raise their glasses and stand in honor tribute to the two female ruling monarchs to whom, by God's design, they were all in the service thereof.

"To the Queen." With a smile from his new royal friend, Prince Albert, Hans lifts his own glass with keen eyes that were sure saw the glint of sparkling ice dazzling in the sunlight in the view of his ship's foredeck overlooking the English Channel.

 _'She may be the Queen of the entire Empire, and I will never be its King, but she is still my wife, as God intended for me to watch over her. We may argue at times, but_ _Victoria_ _still looks to me for strength, for stability, for clarity to see subjects as an outsider would, now and then._

 _And at the end of every chaotic day she secretly waits for that affectionate embrace to know she is loved, and not alone to face the nation's struggles. Your Queen Elsa will need you, as much as you need her in the quiet and in the storm, to protect and cherish as every other normal couple would, more than either of you will ever know.'_

Hans recalls his afternoon's poignant conversations with the deep thinking young Prince who preceded him to wed his Queen, and was kind enough to share guidance in what it took to being a Prince Consort in Her Majesty's service.

As together the gentlemen leave the public establishment, young Prince Albert brushes his infamous curled ebony lock of hair from his eyes and directs a flourishing bow up to Queen Elsa still waiting and watching them from on deck of the Gler.

With a bewildered glance to an encouraging Hans' smile, Elsa then modestly nods and blushes at the flattering attention from the dapper German Prince, as the other royal Princesses titter around her their approval of the pair of beautiful young men.

* * *

 _Min hviddue – My Dove_

 _Min raevstorre – My Great Fox_

* * *

Hello again my dear Frozen Again friends!

Do you like the starry-eyed pet names Hans and Elsa are using these last chapters? I thought it a cute change to their normal monikers for each other.

Now, did you see we had a historical cameo from the most famous Prince of the Victorian era? I could not pass England by without giving a nod to a man I admired for years of his forward-thinking kindness and generosity, who really made a difference to the British monarchy in he real-life incredible love story between Victoria and Albert.

Have you seen the new PBS drama series of their young lives and romance together? As a 'Dr. Who' fan, I followed to watch adorable Jenna Coleman (Clara) in anything – she's a great actress in period pieces as well as sci-fi! And her height of only 4' 11' made the popular actress the perfect fit for diminutive Queen Victoria. And as for the actor they chose for Prince Albert…Wow! Good-looking Tom Hughes blows me away with his believable skill at a German accent, while still retaining that breathy vulnerability that I think a true gentle man like Prince Albert deserves.

And the debonair moustache with chic sideburns is working for me on a man nowadays.

I recommend you catch an episode to see who I envision and hear as this week's guest star of the Prince Consort of the most powerful woman in the world at that time for over 60 years of reign in this greatest real-life love story. Check it out if you're into classical period piece romance only the Brits can do proper.

Now, as for my Frozen Again, Victorian era love story…

Kristoff and Anna on a free and easy road trip to see the Rock Troll family was fun, eh? Especially that spur of the moment second honeymoon touch where the young lovers got a little frisky in that ingenious reclining sleigh bed. :) Just a sweet moment of marital bliss and reaffirmed romance showing Kristoff's unwavering support to keep Anna grounded with his love.

And wasn't Hans dreamy, first stargazing with her by night, then coaling with the men in the morning?

Elsa certainly is being swept off her feet in this amazing journey down the coast to Portugal with her gorgeous Kommander Westergaard before heading out to Brazil for Valentina's wedding to Alonso!

Portugal, first, eh…I think that be an important shore... Wonder what guest star(s) we'll encounter there?

 _Maybe someone more in the Disney Princess lineup…_

We'll find out who, and some other riveting encounters for our romantic travelers next time in Frozen Again, my friends!

God bless!

HarukaKou


	50. Chapter 49 - Here on the Land and Sea

_We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

 **"Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act IX**

 **Chapter 49**

 **"Here on the Land and Sea"**

 _Approximately thirteen hundred nautical miles south, to the_ _kingdom_ _of_ _Sintra_ _'s vacation Palace on the sea…_

Here the cold breakers of the North Sea merge into the warmer waves of the Atlantic as the HmNos Gler sails peacefully into the coastal port of Estorilo, Portugal, almost one full day ahead of time.

On the sun drenched beach regions of Algarve, along the Portuguese Riviera, was the fairytale land of Sintra. Its beachfront town of Azenhas do Mar could brag of being the most picturesque port vista in all of Portugal, just a few miles north of its capitol, Lisbon.

There was an otherworldly aura about the portside village where sailors and seamen rested betwixt the Mediterranean, Africa, and this strategic location of the Portuguese coast amid the mild and moderate South Atlantic Ocean.

Palm trees dotted the landscape beneath the Sintra Palace that was at sea level with the vibrant township.

The breathtaking Romanticism palace's incredible curved glass window architecture was melded into the decorative tapestries, mythological statues, and vivid colored terraces all housed eclectically under rounded dome roofs.

Fireworks spark the skies of the oceanic summer Portuguese Palace on the shoreline where legend alleged a crowd of mermaids were said to play years ago.

From fathoms below, every now and then, some residents of the sea would still skulk in coves nearby with forbidden curiosity at the strange creatures with two legs who upright strolled on the beaches nearby, baking in the hot sun.

Nautical experience in encountering the underwater inhabitants had solicitous Kommander Westergaard ordering his steamship to all but switch off its noisy and dangerous steam-motivated propellers as the ship entered these merfolk laden legendary waters.

Every good sailor worth his sea salt knew of chagrined King Triton's Atlantica kingdom below the waves, somewhere deep below the seaside town. Prince Hans, for one, was not going to endanger any of the Sea King's citizens whose curiosity may have them bobbing to the surface.

Particularly not during this New Year's Eve celebration of the human kingdom at the edge of the seacoast, incurring Triton's wrath, as the irate Mer-king had prohibited his people to intermingle with these 'dangerous upworlders'.

No, the steamship Gler had, under its savvy Vise Admiral's direction, successfully bided the travel time well on the trip thus far, and had made good swift route down the wide-open North Sea. So now the ship could cut its engines and slowly traverse these perhaps mermaid filled waters by the pull of the tide alone.

The quiet, engine ceased Gler was serenely and ever so slowly being pulled in by the tow of the moon's tide coming into southern Portugal's scenic warm shores.

"How lovely a view this must be for the Royal family to be so close to the glimmering seashore! What could be more enchanting than watching together this magnificent display of fireworks and lightshow that they have put on, Hans?" Queen Elsa remarks as she mutely glides into the wheelhouse where her stoic Prince was responsibly at the helm steering.

Conscientious Kommander Westergaard had relieved his faithful coxswain to allow young Helmsman Jan to go up to the top deck with the other sailors and passengers to watch the fireworks show at this incoming Portuguese shoreline.

Hans had personally requested Jan to be not only on this ship's roster, but raise the teenage boy to the rank of First Lieutenant as well, for his above and beyond heroism to stand by his Captain and ship during the sea monster pirate's rampage on the deadly Moskenstraumen, just these six months ago.

Responsible Hans felt it his duty and privilege to personally plot the course of his vessel as captains of old crossing the sea would, before steamship innovation came along. By sail and tide alone the lifelong seamen would guide their ships safely into the Iberian Peninsula shore through the dark night.

"Not as luminously lovely a view as I am partaking right now from my station at the wheel." The Danish Prince smoothly flirts his answer, finding it much more difficult to tear his eyes away from her, than lift them to the exciting bursts of light and colorful display of the pleasant kingdom boisterously celebrating the New Year.

After all, what better vision than the platinum Ice Queen's eyes sparkling back at him in the dimly moonlit wheelhouse to greet his eyes, with just the two of them alone at last in this late pre-midnight hour.

"Flatterer." Elsa blushes placidly as her dainty ice heels click up to her fiancé at the helm of the ship, resting her head to his strong chest.

"Thanks for permitting me to see the fireworks out there, Kommander. It's really a ballyhoo of a show close-up! Her Majesty and yourself, Vise Admiral, must see them at the top deck! Shall I take over your set due course, Sir?" The First Lieutenant's youthful voice reenters the wheelhouse, with eager eyes proud of his Vise Admiral's relationship with the Queen. Even enough to sacrifice some off-time for his respected leader.

"Thank you, Lieutenant. Perhaps a stroll to the ship's forecastle to check on things is advisable. Would you care for a bird's eye view of the fireworks show, my lady?" Commander Westergaard gives Lieutenant Jan a grateful nod as the young man had intuitively followed his Queen into the wheelhouse. He had such respect for Hans he would gladly take his place at the helm again and free his generous superior officer for some midnight romance with his betrothed.

After giving his matchmaking helmsman a quick smile and salute, Prince Hans gentlemanly offers Queen Elsa his arm with the invitation.

Into the radiant darkness, Hans leads his lady out onto the Gler's top deck. There, more than a few of the passengers and a healthy amount of the crew as well, even the steamship coalers who were no longer needed as the engines had been quietly switched off, were watching the fireworks as the ship pulls slowly into the port with the tides.

 ** _BA-BOOM! BA-BOOMM!_**

"Oh, Hans! Lieutenant Jan was right! This is a 'ballyhoo' of a greeting from the Portuguese royal family!" Elsa lets her normally timid, rigid self go as she promised Anna and her Mama back home she would and enjoy the sights and sounds of the foreign ports she visited.

 ** _BOOM! BA-BOOM!_**

"I don't wish to burst your adorably cute bubble, particularly when using crass colloquialisms, min kæreste, but I believe it is a customary New Year's celebration here in Sintra to display fireworks of this magnitude, whether or not your exalted and honored Majesty was in attendance on this most serendipitous night."

"Whee! Wow! Oh my! So bright!" As squeals of delight and clapping from princesses Sofia Amber, Cleo and Hildegard ring across the deck that Hans and Elsa were deftly crossing, the Danish Prince smirks at his struck silent mate.

Elsa was gazing up at this New Year's Eve lightshow with such childlike innocence and fascination in her eyes that he felt thoroughly charmed.

The globetrotting sailor had seen many fireworks displays in foreign places in his time at sea, but this one was the most special of all, because his Elsa was here with him now.

Hans had effortlessly led Elsa up the circular forecastle that looked so much more regal with Arendelle's gold crocus emblems ornately decorating the ship as per its Vise Admiral's personal design for the regal Queen to travel upon.

 ** _B-BOOM!_**

"—Which doesn't diminish my enjoyment of them, welcoming in this New Year on the arm of my impertinent Vise Admiral." Right on cue comes a large, red fireworks burst, as Elsa playfully pops a chilled finger to Hans's pointy nose. She was in a good mood tonight, set even lighter when her Vise Admiral had so easily and gently lifted his slender ice angel up to the highest perch of the Gler's restored forecastle.

"Touché, my dove." Hans shares her amiable chuckle with a wiggle to his chilled celestial nose as Elsa fondly touches her gorgeous fox's red sideburns.

 ** _BA-BOOM!_**

In the hushed, excited environment of viewing those thrilling fireworks up close under the dark night sky, Elsa stands up on her tippy-toes and sweetly lands an apologetic peck upon Hans' nose to melt away her punishing ice touch from before.

 ** _BA-BA-BOOM!_**

In the noisily illuminated, colorful light conflagration, Elsa licks her lips. She never felt more free and open to express her joy and affection for her young man than in this enticing new year which was opening for them, side by side together.

Her enticed Dane, whose eyes were glued to Elsa the whole time, couldn't help but notice her licking her lips, as he rewards her with some spicy fireworks of his own, when Hans abruptly grasps Elsa and pulls her in for a deep kiss on the forecastle.

As the midnight chimes, everyone else was looking at the amazing fireworks finale's innumerable sparkles that were ringing in the New Year to notice the heat rising above on the ship's forecastle.

 ** _BOOM! BA-BA-BOOM! BOOM!BA-BOOM! BA- BA-BA-BOOM!_**

"Ahoy, Captain! They sent a lead boat to bring us to shore! Coming up yonder! We require your official bearings!" As the last church bell dongs, the amused older first mate of the Gler yells up through the din of the smoky air and gunpowder scent of the final fireworks at Councilor Kai's apparent prodding.

"Of course you do… Councilor." Hans sourly murmurs under his breath as Elsa smiles to try to regain hers. The lovers glance down to see the overweight Arendelle Royal advisor had been the culpable party to prematurely interrupt the passionate New Year's kiss between the Prince of the Southern Isles and his Queen of Arendelle.

"Happy New Year's, min hviddue (my dove). May your reign be as blessed and prosperous as your life be happy and complete in this most promising new year. Take care up here, my Queen, while I see to my duties down below." Gathering his frayed nerves in a heartfelt gentle salutation to Elsa, whilst trying to not show his riled anger to Kai, Hans gentlemanly takes a graceful step back from the forecastle with a flourished, formal bow and sigh.

"Happy New Year's, min älskare." Elsa whispers back at her attractive man's departing wink as Hans' attention is stolen away from his beauteous lady to attend to his ship's dock navigation which Helmsman Jan and First Mate Hoffsen could have easily accomplished without their brilliant Kommander's supervision at _this_ very moment.

"The Councilor certainly knows how to break up revelry. Believe me, I know this firsthand, Prince Hans." Chancellor Esteban almost snidely mentions to Hans on the side of the deck where his demure wife had been collected by her older brother to join the Queen, should Her Majesty tumble down the forecastle stairs.

The Avaloran had more than his fair share of Kai's snobbish 'suggestions' to last him a lifetime.

But Chancellor Esteban was resigned at the intrusions on romantic moments on this journey, for the tall dark man pledged to be patient with his bride's brethren's stuffy antics. After all, it would be just for a little while before he and his Johanne were home free—and Esteban had learned a bit about patience.

While her capable commanding fiancé attends to the logistics of their visit to this lovely kingdom overlooking the sea, as the din of fireworks and carousing wears down, celebrating the New Year's arrival, Elsa was sure she heard another sound.

The plaintive strains of a sad flute whispering tenderly across the sea from the moonlit balcony above is what first catches Elsa's squinted eye attention. But there was a different sweet music in vocalizing echoes of those melancholy notes that left the Ice Queen curious.

It was faint and oh-so-soft and rather melodic. As she focused upon it in place of the booms of gunpowder and mirth onboard ship, Elsa's thirteen years of piano lessons told her she was hearing the musical scales of someone's voice singing from down in the ocean below.

And it was apparently responding in harmony to the sweet melody of the timorous flute yet playing an etude from the palace balcony above, like two souls reaching out to be one.

 _Could it be?_ A smiling Elsa peers over the sparkling waves of water beneath the thankfully turned off engines of the Gler with inquisitive eyes. She was almost certain she could make out the fate gleam of a tiny little mermaid singing a song of yearning emanating from just below.

The child soprano longed to be part of this world beyond the rocky skags protruding from the midst of the vast sea whose tides were pulling them into the Portuguese shore.

The Arendelle Queen's keen ears prick up and eyes clear to see that the source of that same innocent melody the sea seemed to be mimicking came from a tender heartfelt flute being played by a small boy perched on the high balcony above.

* * *

"Mamãe! Have you ever seen fireworks brighter before!? Let me go to the gunboat down there! Maybe there's enough left on the ship to set off one more big one, like Papai did for me…" His flute music coming to a crescendo, the small, dark-haired lad now boldly stands with excitement on the balcony edge of the royal family vacation Palace as he chokes up at the fond memory.

Prince Eric of Mafra had been perched to play his music all night on the beloved flute his late father had given and trained him to play in celebration of a happier New Year's Eve.

In his exuberance over the reminiscent lightshow, the child, who had not found much to smile about of late, was dangerously traipsing as he performed on his flute – exceptionally, too, for a small boy of five years of age – across the stone balcony railing before the terrified eyes of Queen Maria, his mother.

"Eric, my baby! You come down from there, right now! Oh, why did I let those gentlemen put you up there to get a better view of the fireworks?! Oh, Grimsby! Please get him down from there immediately! Someone! _Por favor_ (please)!" The soft-spoken, corpulent, parapalegic since her illness Queen of Mafra looks up from her portable throne, startled to see her one and only son so precariously balanced.

The handicapped Queen, immobile in her specially made Farffler wheelchair, complete with elaborate arm-rests and leg-rests, had been mingling with her many guests gathered on the stories high open-air veranda overlooking the sea from her scenic SintraCastle.

The queenly mother, even though she was poorly, loved her boy and wanted to do this fireworks show for her forlorn child to urge him to come out of his cheerless, sad shell.

But she did not notice her cherished son, who had been quietly playing his solemn flute all evening, as always preoccupied these two years since his father's passing, until this moment he started doing childish stunts.

Good mother Queen Maria had tried long and hard to raise the boy who would someday inherit her kingdom.

Perhaps someday soon, from the way the Queen of Mafra was feeling of late. The weak woman feared she would leave the child parentless after barely surviving the recent yellow fever epidemic that struck down a great number in this section of southern Europe.

Eric's father had been killed at the sea battle during the recent wars just prior to that epidemic, and the worried Queen of Portugal was not about to lose her son to the unforgiving ocean as well.

"But Mamãe! I can see Papai's special fireworks gunboat from here! He loved it so much! I want to sail on it and be a real seaman too, like Papai—ohh! Ohh!" Little Prince Eric was a handful for his growingly weaker mother to juggle her royal duties and raising him as a single parent now as well.

As much as possible, the Queen had tried to leave her sprawling, twelve hundred room, palatial Mafra Palace back near Lisbon city to spend time here at the seaside that there one and only precious little boy adored. But it was harder now that her husband was no longer present and able to watch the precocious child.

The bright five-year-old secretly wanted to be part of the vast sea that his beloved father was so much a part of. Prince Eric played of his longing with his beloved flute just like his Papai would from this very balcony on blissful nights gone by.

Problem was, Eric had not yet mastered swimming yet.

Since his heroic father's tragic drowning death, his weak, anxious mother would not allow her son to go anywhere near the beach without an escort, and kept him away from going to the sea much anymore at all.

That's where her husband's cherished friend, Sir Grimsby of Devonshire, had kindly stepped in to help her overfilled hands.

"Wahhh!" With a heart-stopping scream, the plucky young Prince plummets from the balcony of the Palace as his petrified mother gasps in immovable horror to watch her child fall from the high balcony towards the damning rocky shoal below.

Everyone on the opposing balcony rushes over to watch in shock the inevitable doom of the small child who was next in line to rule this kingdom, lest that promising future be smashed to the unforgiving craggly rocks midst the crashing waves below them…

 ** _SZZSSZZTT!_**

Prince Hans doesn't have to say a word, nor give a signal to know that his extremely talented Ice Queen would have his back as their hearts and minds were so linked as one with each another, they worked in sync.

With her mid-air ice slide, quick thinking Elsa had the accident's interception covered. Her masterful ice catches the small child's descent at just the correct, harmless angle that Prince Eric slides safely downward and away from the jagged rocks below.

 _Now as for my part._

In a flash, Kommander Westergaard had yanked off his Navy blue jacket and thrown it at Elsa's feet on the circular forecastle crow's nest that he and she were once more sharing the spectacular view of fireworks from.

Down to his bare arms and tight inner shirt that showed off his tight pecs as he raise his arms high, the Gler's fearless captain launches himself physically over the side of the highest point of his ship's forecastle, in a breathtaking, expert dive into the cool night waters.

"Eric!" Exhausted Queen Maria's motherly cries for her only son could be heard ringing across the skyline.

The entire audience gathered on the Palace balcony break out in relieved applause and cheers, still in quantitative shock to witness the amazing Ice Queen's magical slide preempt the boy from cracking his head open on the rocky shoals beneath.

"Oh no! _Peringo_ (danger)!" Only for their hopes to be dashed when the small child attempts to show off by standing on the slippery ice slide upon his unsure feet.

"Look, Mamãe! I'm flying over the sea to Papai's boat! Whee! Ohh-ohh!" The little five-year-old slips and sputters from the ice platform until the off-balanced child tumbles over into the steps of the dark churning waters.

"My baby ! My baby can't swim!" Stately Queen Maria loses all her composure as the plump mother with trembling eyes turns to her husband's dearest friend, Sir Grimsby of Devonshire.

"Please! Help him!" Feeling trapped in her paralyzed state, Queen Maria lets out the frantic plea to save her child's life as she clutches the older gentleman's skinny arm.

But she need not have worried long, for the Ice Queen and her valiant Knight who had seen far worse scrapes than this, were on the job.

"ERIC!"

Wee Eric's dark head bobs up and down beneath the surf in a heart stopping second. Until Prince Hans' strong arms emerge from diving below, holding the small child up on his broad shoulders.

Hans glances around, sure he was being observed by inquisitive eyes somewhere, after his wild underwater swim search brought the boy safely up to the swirling ocean surface in true lifeguard rescue style.

Young Eric, more in shock than fear, sputters up what little water he took in by the time Hans lifts the child up to the lifeboat. Faithful guardian Grimsby had raced out to swiftly order down the lifeboat from a nearby barge in order to intercept the little prince and his brave rescuer.

"Your little prince is quite all right, your Majesty! Just a little salty sea water never hurt any good mariner. Right, Sailor?" Though drenched wet from head to toe himself, Prince Hans had the forbearance to call up to the alarmed, stout Queen and emphasize the well-being of her son.

The shivering young boy stands up in the lifeboat on his wobbly little legs to salute up bravely to his worried mother.

"If it isn't my favorite Prince of Southern Isles come to the rescue! This is the young lad from Denmark I have told you about, Eric. You can count on him in a pinch, boy. Prince Hans is a fearless good lad who will see things right." Peering down from the balcony, Grimsby rubs his aching eyes which were gratified to recognize the one and only of his beloved Queen Louise's brood of sons who didn't look down upon their mother's devoted former suitor.

Queen Louise's youngest child in fact, was quite different from all of the spoiled rotten other haughty older brothers who took after their cold-hearted father, King Herbert's snobbery. They each in turn had snubbed the visiting British Viceroy whenever he came to pay his respects to his lost love's family in an ambassadorial capacity.

But little Hans definitely took after his lovely Scottish mother, though the pitiable, ill treated outcast child never met her.

"The little boy just about my age who could scale a high tower sixty foot tall in the dark of night and not be scared at all?" Previously sullen Prince Eric pipes up with hushed eagerness and now keen eyes drinking in heroic Prince Hans.

Though weak and tired, Eric was thrilled to meet the real live grown up version of the young Prince old Grimsby proudly spoke of in bedtime stories when trying to break the Portuguese Crown Prince's fear of heights and the dark combined.

"The very same. I always knew you would make a fine seaman, Prince Hans. I have been following your recent exploits on the ocean and back home in Egeskov with great interest, my boy. It is good to see you again looking so fine, standing on your own ship proudly with your betrothed lady at your side." Grimsby smoothes back his graying brown hair and his signature ponytail with a genuine smile and nod to Hans as the British servant meets the lifeboat at the Palace docks.

"It is good to see you again as well, Viscount. I have never forgotten your words, nor kindness in giving me this silver pen you gifted all those years ago. It has since elevated me from many a scrape, proving to be more 'mighty than the sword' indeed at times, just as you said." Never one to disregard a kindness, particularly when so few were awarded him in his outcast youth, after a hearty handshake, Hans produces that special nib pen ever present in his chest pocket with a flowing riposte fencing maneuver like a true storybook adventurer hero that impressed young Prince Eric to no end.

"Oh, yes, Eric. You may take well to learn as much as you can from this gallant young gentleman about royal duty and the finer arts of fencing, horse riding and swordsmanship. I have heard he is quite renowned for all these achievements in upper class circles." If Grimsby had a son, he would have wanted him to turn out like Hans had, whom the older man had watched the development of from afar, for Louise's sake for many years. But Grimsby couldn't be any more glad to see young Hans Westergaard both settled and about to be married by all accounts, after many political ups and downs, to this powerful beauty of an exotic-eyed Norwegian Queen.

"You have distressed your poor mother greatly, Eric, not to mention upset your distinguished visitors with your recklessness, boy. As future King of this great nation, you must take more care. You seem to delight in taxing my aging heart so." Grimsby berates the child with a look to the visiting dignitaries who had followed him down to rubberneck the rescue.

Many hands had accompanied to assist the female monarch of Portugal's panicked insistence to be carried down her Palace steps and outdoors to the waterfront pier to be with her problematic child.

Following her with her wheelchair were several young royal visitors from around the continent who had been gathered here in Portugal at Princess Valentina's invitation to join her Royal yacht to attend her grand wedding in Paraiso.

"Oh, Eric! Praise God you are safe! You will be the death of your poor Mamae! ' _Glória ao Pai, ao Filho e ao Espírito Santo, assim como era no princípio, agora e sempre, e pelos séculos dos séculos, Amém.'_ (Glory to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, just as it was in the beginning, now and forever and throughout the centuries, Amen.')." The Queen's voluminous eyes were on the verge of tears for her clumsy little child as she collects her naughty little boy into a tearful hug onto her wheelchair lap. With pure joy and a reverential prayer on her lips, she ignores the salty wetness that was seeping right through her fancy evening wear so glad she was to have her child safe.

"I thank you from the bottom my heart for that selfless rescue, Queen Elsa. You and your gallant young officer. We are forever in both your debts. I have heard of your impressive magic, your Majesty, and how you use it for good. My entire kingdom stands in amazed awe of you and bless your gifted talents." Queen Maria lifts her worn eyes to bow her head to the younger Queen in homage respect.

Councillor Kai and Chancellor Esteban had escorted the pale blonde young ruler between them on the Gler's royal away craft. When they arrived on shore, Queen Maria recognized the Queen of Norway immediately. The older, decidedly more womanly endowed monarch grants slender sylphlike Elsa a deferential nod and hand offered to squeeze over her miraculously saved little boy's head.

"Vise Admiral Westergaard and I were only too glad to help guide him safely to the shore of your beautiful country, your Royal Majesty. I bring you the friendship of the kingdom of Arendelle I am representing on our behalf of my people." Elsa says in her regal queenly manner the practiced speech to all leaders of countries she was to visit.

"So young. So pretty. May you never know what it is to be a monarch and a mother alone." Queen Maria remarks to her transparent-eyed counterpart, holding out a trembling hand to trace the lones of Elsa's flawless face, unblemished by age and worry.

"I don't have any children of my own, but I realize how frightening such an accident would be for any caring mother. I felt it my duty, as your nation's ally and friend, to do all in my power to avert such a ghastly occurrence." Elsa compassionately extends herself to place a hand of understanding on the shaking Portuguese mother's plump shoulder.

The woman's stressed out, worn eyes showed the care and distress of sorrowful years beyond her time, for Queen Maria was still a moderately young woman, only a few years older than Elsa.

The dark-haired Portuguese ruler looks into the clear blue orbs of her Norwegian counterpart with a grateful smile as they walked and wheeled together, side by side.

"Then I pray God will grant you to know that joyful pain for yourself someday, Queen Elsa, with your valiant, and may I say exceedingly handsome, Danish Prince at your side. In this life full of hardships – and, I am assured by my faith of a next one in store for all we believers— having the right man ever constant to your heart makes all the difference, you will see." With tears in her eyes, Queen Maria whispers in Elsa's ear in a nostalgic tone that spoke of her precious faith and love for her deceased mate's dedicated constancy. That alone has kept her going somehow to raise their only child in his formative years even through her great grief that had worn down her once robust physical form.

"I thank you for your kind words of advice, Queen Maria." Elsa's pale cheeks blush a lovely shade of magenta as the insightful, thoughtful Queen of Portugal gives Elsa and her pretty boy Kommander a conjunctive look that did not have to converse with them to sense the bond glowing between the pair.

"Mamãe? Where's my flute? Oh, no! I lost Papai's flute!" The smiling little Prince turns to a panic when he suddenly remembers his beloved musical wind instrument. Eric had been playing his flute through his distress for its sentimental value and was devastated for it to be again lost and washed away by the sea.

He was about to jump down and turn back to find it, when Elsa kneels down in the path and speaks up with a kindly smile.

"Your flute is safe, right here, little Prince. You must've dropped it when you slipped and fell, and it bobbed back up to the surface of the water to be found on those sea boulders adjacent to the Gler. It was as if some guardian nymph beneath the waves caught it for you before it sank too deep, so I could use my ice to fetch it for you, dear." Passing the silvery flute to alarmed little Eric, Elsa was certainly glad now that her keen cryokinetic senses had procured the small cylindrical object on the way here in the boat.

She had seen Eric's flute had clattered from her rescuing ice slide earlier, along with the little boy who slipped off it for Hans to save, and Elsa, keeping an eye out for it, was almost certain there was an ethereal hand who returned it from the depths of the sea.

"Thank you, beautiful lady." Blushing at Elsa, Prince Eric gratefully accepts the coolly preserved wind instrument that belonged to Eric's late, departed father.

With a rare grin to his mother in joy, Eric hugs the beloved flute to his cheek before giving a contented blow of its scale keys to make some well timbral-balanced flute music in the Queen of Arendelle's honor as the group enters SintraPalace's seaside entrance.

"That's wonderful, my baby boy. Now you go right up and let Carlotta get you changed and dried off, Eric, before you catch a cold on this balmy New Year!" With a motherly kiss to his forehead, Queen Maria claps her commanding hands together for her clumsy child, swaddled in towels and blankets by a mass of servants and well-wishers, to march upstairs and leave the party with the their dark-haired young housekeeper.

"Now don't you worry, Dona Maria. I'll have our Eric all dry and warm and cozy in his jammies in a winky! Come along, Eric!" Carlotta, the plump-cheeked young woman with a kerchief tied around her bun of black hair happily scoops up the waterlogged little five-year-old Prince in her wide apron for her Queen.

"Goodnight, Queen Elsa. Goodnight Vise Admiral." Eric politely says with an impolite yawn all assembled could forgive.

"Perhaps you had better do the same for your chivalrous young man, Queen Elsa. I would not want him to catch pneumonia for the New Year on our account." Queen Maria says to Elsa, with a regarding eye on Prince Hans, who was trying not to shiver as he followed the ladies' lead up the backshore to the coach that would take them back to the palace.

"There is a perfectly spacious suite of rooms that we've set aside for your visit, with a romantic view of the seaside. I remember how my King enjoyed it quite well whenever we came here for the summers..." The Portuguese Queen's smile goes all dreamy nostalgic, with sentimentality crossing her worn brow.

"Feel free for your entire party to retire to the rooms we've designated for tonight to relax and dry off in warmer clothes, in your own time. We will arrange for a more formal, introductory meeting in the morning, Your Majesty. You all must please excuse me, but it has been an extremely tiring, long evening."

As the Queen slowly passes by, Hans bows respectfully to the large bosomed Portuguese female. That's when he notices that many of her female guests were sniggering at him with dark eyes that were dancing upon him now in the full candled chandelier light within the palace.

The Danish Prince then suddenly realizes that for propriety and appearance's sake, he should not look ridiculous before such a regal monarch nor the mixed company of her peerage. Hans perceives that his drenched clothing was dripping wet and clinging scandalously to his jacketless lean form as they had led he, Elsa, Kai and Esteban into the Palace entrance behind towel wrapped Eric.

The self-conscious young man was just about to excuse himself from dripping further water upon the crowded SintraPalace's palatial front foyer, when a familiar voice interrupts.

 ** _CLAP. CLAP. CLAP._**

"My, my, my. Look with the fishes dragged in. That was quite a heroic display we saw outside the palace window on this New Year's Eve. Far better than the fireworks, I daresay. Well, a little bit more showy, anyway. Wouldn't you say, Alonsy?" Princess Valentina of Paraiso saunters down the lavish staircase and into the entrance foyer, waltzing around the PortugueseSummerPalace like she owned the place.

"You can say that again, Val." Prince Alonso answers irreverently where he was mildly tipsy from many midnight toasts. With his loose brown hair framed around his smirking face, Alonso was stylishly wearing his black and gold trimmed Argentine get-up, one unsteady step behind Valentina's treacherously big pink frock's flounce.

"You know I hate it when you call me _that_ , Alonso. It sounds so vulgar. So crass." Turning her pert nose up, Valentina complains of the pet nickname her fiancé had dreamed up on the trip here.

"I know." Alonso breathes in Valentina's hair with a spicy kiss, in fitting vulgar manner, to the nape of the dark skinned Brazilian beauty's bare neck. Then he dances by, giving a competitive leer to Hans that spoke volumes of a dare between the two virile young men.

"What has come over you, my handsome Prince? Too much New Year's wine and champagne? See, how incorrigible Alonso can become when we're alone? It is a good thing that we're soon to be wed. I doubt the poor boy could stand much more than a month of lonely nights absent from me now that he has something to look forward to." Verbally saying one thing, physically doing anoher, Valentina detaches herself from Alonso's advances.

And that inconsequential action spoke volumes of trouble in paradise to keen Prince Hans and Chancellor Esteban, who exchange a raised brow look.

"Hello, Elsa. My dear aunt has the right idea about getting your pretty boy Prince dry before he irrevocably stains SintraPalace's polished teak wood floors with all that nasty seawater." The Paraiso Princess looks down her nose at the mess Hans inadvertently was causing.

"Pitiable creature simply can't wait for our incomparable Valentine wedding in Paraiso! It'll be just a little more time, my sweet, I promise!" Valentina throws back her massive ebony curls piled into a long ponytail sprouting from a diamante tiara atop her ostentatious head with a flippant laugh at her soon-to-be mate.

"Does yours have that same puppy dog look of yearning written all over his face as mine does every night before we bid each other adieu?" Princess Valentina confides in a giggle to Elsa's ear as she attaches herself to the Arendelle Queen's arm as a bosom friend would.

"Heh he heh." Elegant Elsa nervously chuckles back at her piquant South American friends in their outlandish display of public affection and satirical conflict that was almost like watching a challenging rumba instead of the steady waltz of true lovers she believed in.

Rather than this cat and mouse dance, love should be more trusting and tender, in true understanding, which the northern Queen preferred with her young Prince.

"By the way, nice hardware on your fella." Valentina gives Elsa a pinched arm as her catty eyes watch how embarrassed Hans, with Esteban's help, covers up in a towel which Kai had procured.

The red-eared prince had dried off enough to no longer drip water across the steps of the lovely ocean view Palace.

But Valentina and Alonso were certainly an entertaining pair.

"How's the old ball and chain treating you, ol' man? Suppose that's something to look forward to in elderly years." Flippant Prince Alonso tosses the casual remark over his shoulder, trying to make pleasant conversation with Chancellor Esteban.

He waves a hand for Hans to follow him up the wide steps of this avant-garde architecturally Romantic/Gothic/Eastern style Palace of his Brazilian bride-to-be's relatives in the Portuguese Motherland.

"You will find out those joys yourself soon enough, Alonso. That is, if you keep your cards close to the vest better." The tanned Chancellor retorts, sensing a touch of division between the newly affianced South American Crown Royal descendents.

"Ha! I don't play cards." Alonso rejoinders saucily, rebelliously rejecting the advice of this salt and pepper grey haired older friend of his father.

"Obviously not." Esteban shrugs with a roll of his eyes. The Duke of Avalor was hoping for the best for his friend's disrespectful son, but expecting the worst by the end of this journey with the explosive pair.

They were already practically at one another's throats in the two short weeks' time since their engagement.

He wouldn't believe that the careless, self absorbed, ne'er-do-well young Prince of Córdoba, nor the explosively vain and egocentric Princess of Paraiso could make it down the aisle in a viable go at the tough haul called 'marriage'.

Not until sensible Esteban saw it with his own now experienced eyes.

"You have a ' _Bueno noches',_ too, you sourpuss old man. Come with me, Westergaard. You can borrow my night robe until your trunk of clothes arrives from the ship. We're about the same measurements from that outfits switch waltz we did in your frozen north, as I recall. I did look dashing as the Black Knight, if I do say so myself. Of course, Elsa only consented to you after she had that thrilling dance with me." Alonso shrugs and dances with an invisible partner before giving a beckoned hand to the redheaded Prince that the Argentinean had been co-opted into duping the King of Arendelle for during that costume Masquerade Ball a few weeks back for his friend Queen Elsa's sake.

"Counselor Kai and I will oversee the logistics end for the Gler and its sailors, Vise Admiral, with Viscount Grimsby later. Please see that you dry yourself and settle into this lovely castle for the night, so we may be ready to set sail the next day's afternoon." With a wink to his wife, who follows the accosted Arendelle Queen up the steps, Esteban was accustomed to running interference and overseeing such types of visits for his dear cousin Elena whenever she traveled.

The wily older gentleman waylays his brother-in-law from following Prince Hans up the steps to instead join in those auspicious duties he was offered to settle, in the drenched hero's absence.

"Yes, ahem. Rest assured that you may leave the arrangements to us, Prince Hans. Have a good night, your Majesty." Kai's mouth suppresses a yawn and gives a warning glare to address the Danish Prince by name.

Hans – who was looking rather dashing, already stripped jacketless, wet and tight toned muscles on display evocatively in the thankfully warm 70° weather of this seaside Portuguese location – felt quite vulnerable and foolish as he nods to the gentleman.

"Good night." Stately Elsa, after finishing shaking hands with several noteworthy dignitaries at the palace Valentina insisted she meet, bids her stuffy regent guardian 'good night' for the evening.

Her blue eyes sparkle as the platinum blonde then follows the sleek backside of her own wet, slicked back hair, fiancé being ushered by Alonso up the stairs from the sprawling SintraPalace entrance Hall to the window filled guest bedroom suites upstairs.

"Ah-choo!" Hans suddenly sneezes, causing Elsa and Valentina to giggle when the towel wrapped around his thin, six pack abs waist drops on the steps at their feet.

"Are you ladies enjoying the inspection tour thus far?" Alonso rudely adjoins to the pair of beauties at his rear, sensing two pairs of feminine eyes only a few steps behind, glued upon Hans' tight, wet backside.

Although unsettled by the brash Argentinean's accusing question, the Ice Queen quickly comes to her handsome man's aid with a frosty wind replacing the towel returned to be cryokinetically tied again around his slim waist.

Although, her ice magic caused tiny ice crystals to be embedded in the towel's fibers, causing it to be much chillier than it was before, Hans was still appreciative.

"Much obliged, min skat!" The slicked back redheaded man squeaks out in a high pitch voice at the cold seeping in.

"You're welcome, my dearest one." Elsa sparkles at Hans' playful way of calling her his 'darling' as they stop and stare longingly at one another at the landing at the top steps. "Happy New Year, Vise Admiral." Elsa wishes she could say more, but the gawking, present company disturbed her.

"Happy New Year, _min hviddue_ (my dove)." Hans whispers sentimentally, trying not to let his drenched body's teeth-chattering spoil the romantic moment. Hans was about to move in for a good night kiss, when the towel affixed around his waist begins to slip again from his rising body heat melting the frozen knot to loosen.

"Come on, Romeo! You can see each other tomorrow, for Heaven's sake! If you don't die of pneumonia first. See you in your dreams, Val." The bombastic, self assured Prince winks and points a trigger finger at his own disgruntled fiancée before literally dragging Hans down the Hall to his room.

"Elsa dear! You simply must see the portion of my trousseau that I've gathered so far on my continental tour! Tia ( _Aunt_ ) Maria has been a gem, bequeathing me most of her more colorful articles of clothing, considering that she'll stubbornly only wear black now. Imagine that? Such a shame. Poor dear still is grieving after two years at the loss of her husband. But black is such a dirty looking, depressing color I will NEVER wear for _anyone_." Vain Princess Valentina comments to Elsa as the two walk side-by-side down the Sintra Palace hall towards her room in the opposite direction.

"Are husbands really so precious a commodity to grow that sentimental about, to wear horrible black every day for two solid years?" Selfish Valentina shows her petty youthful naïveté in the deeper relationship a good marriage commanded.

Elsa almost says something but decides not to, not wishing to spoil her relationship with the impetuous Brazilian Princess when they had a long journey ahead of them on board ship together to cohabitate.

 ** _A good hour later…_**

By the time Elsa could tear herself away from an overtalkative, excitable Valentina's constant chattering, the Norwegian Queen felt quite exhausted. The Princess of Paraiso had volubly shown off in her songful boasts the plentiful new wardrobe that she had picked up on her vacation through the European continent, with more than a few wedding ceremony plans tossed in.

Dutiful Johanne had been patiently waiting outside the Brazilian Princess' door for her own lady to emerge. The tall thin servant, who had dozed off herself, jumps to her feet to help stabilize a thoroughly tired Elsa on her shoulder and escort her to a good night's sleep in her rounded room full of scenic glass windows.

* * *

Up with the crowing cock, a well rested Prince Hans' purpose-driven sea legs were itching to go for an early-morning stretch on this breathtaking spread of beach. They take him to the base of the many breakwater rock formations sheltering hidden dune coves at seaside SintraPalace.

Breathing deeply the good salty air, Hans strolls back from making a quick stop to check on his ship. He had come to clear his head that was still spinning after being unable to avoid being bombarded by fellow early riser Princess Valentina's long-winded, inexhaustible list of boasting of her family's top-of-the-line transatlantic yacht, not to mention all the 'last minute necessities' required to be loaded onto it to her manservant Manuel.

Apparently, Valentina was fond of her 'finest ship of the fleet', incomparable and extraordinary in modern advance top-of-the-line Royal Portuguese built ocean liner.

 _I suppose it started with Eve. But I never imagined any of the more tender of God's creations called 'woman' could speak so long and strident and domineering, without taking a breath._

 _As for me, I still prefer the quiet, demure type—with ravishing beauty—to augment my life rather than the pushy, flamboyant variety to dictate it._

 _Better you than me, Alonso._

Hans lets out an inward chuckle at his mental joke at the expense of his former rival's inevitable fate envisioned.

As his long legs traverse the beachfront, purposeful Prince Hans moves towards the beachfront stairway that led back up to the Portuguese Summer Palace.

He had an interesting small parcel safely tucked under his arm that he had picked up especially early this morning in the local village.

 ** _SNIFFLE SNIFFLE SNIFFLE._**

That's when his keen ears pick up the almost muted sound of weeping.

Tears of a small child were disturbingly emanating from around the beach berms close by, obscured in the rock formation dunes.

 _Just who I was going to see…_

"Hey, what's this? Did you accidentally get sand in your eyes, Sailor?" Hans prods the sniveling young boy gently, remembering what it was like to be a tender little fellow who felt so downcast that there was nothing in his power he could do but cry every now and then.

No one else was yet aware that little Prince Eric was missing from the Palace. The wily five-year-old carefully timed to sneak out early every morning at daybreak so he can gaze out to the ocean that his father loved.

That's why he begged his mother to come here, so he would be in and out of his room under his tutor/ guardian Grimsby's snobbish nose before the older man knew it.

"No."

At least the child was honest, not even trying to make excuses as Hans probably would have at that certain age rather than look weak or foolish before an adult.

"That's good. Nothing worse than a bit of sand in your eye." Hans says evenly, not wanting to distress the young boy further with shame as Eric scoots further back against the obscuring boulder he had been crying against.

"You know what? I was just on my way back from inspecting my ship to make sure that it's shipshape and ready to leave tomorrow afternoon, when I found myself in a sudden conundrum." The Danish Prince plies his tact to his best advantage.

"Co…non...huh?" The big word slipped over the young man's head, but the rest of Hans' speech had him instantly intrigued.

"I faced the difficult problem of needing to ask a favor of someone responsible and trustworthy, who is still going to be on land here a mite longer, as I am dutybound to leave on my ship on the morrow." Gazing across the sea to where the Gler was docked, Hans conjectures to the dark-haired young boy who had been hugging his knees, hiding his face from Hans where he was squatting.

"Me? _sniffle_ Responsible? _snuffle_ Trustworthy? _"_ The child whispers up incredulously to the older man with the kind green eyes suddenly engaging him, trying to wipe off and swallow his tears.

"Yes. When I was a boy about your age, I often imagined what it would be like to join the Navy and be a great soldier and sailor like all the ancestors in paintings hanging on the walls of my Castle home in Denmark. My father and grandfather and all twelve of my older brothers were already rear admirals, captains, lieutenants, ensigns and midshipmen — sailors of all name and rank – before I was even born. So, of course I wanted to be just like them and proudly serve on board ship with the wind in my face in the salty sea air in my nostrils every morning like a proper sailor should." As Prince Hans begins softly weaving his tale of the past, Prince Eric sits up and moves from the craggly rock's shadows to hear him better.

 _Sniffle_.

"You… _sniffle sniffle_ …you had twelve _big_ brothers… _snuffle_ …when you were little?" Once again, the charmer's winsome attitude and entreated choice of words brings the distressed child out of his secret hiding place and draws Eric to meet Hans' eyes with curiosity.

"Yes. I'm the baby. And growing up the unwanted baby, they all treated me terribly. But I suppose I can owe to their collective cruelty that I learned to be tough and self-sufficient at an early age. Mind you, that didn't mean I didn't feel sad inside for myself and cried sometimes – which no man should be ridiculed for the genuine emotion to be so moved — even when he's older. But my love of the sea was so great that none of their mockery or cruel teasing or trying to dissuade me from a life at sea could take it away. Problem was, all my youthful plans of becoming a sailor and running away the to join the Navy to prove them all wrong would never have worked." Hans had settled down to the sand of the backshpre to an ingratiating Indian style cross-legged seat beside little Eric to be more at the boy's level.

"Why not?" By now, Eric was engrossed in this eloquent speaker's evocative storytelling enough to ask.

"Because I could not swim." Comes the succinct punch line that left the dark haired child speechless.

"I was so ashamed and embarrassed to be called 'stupid' or 'backward', coming from a proud naval family, to not be able to swim by the age of five, that I never dared to ask any of my older brothers to teach me. Long story short, not a one of them ever offered to teach me to swim. But they made me learn pretty quickly on my own when a few of my more malevolent, teenaged brethren found out that I was to afraid to go in the water. So, they ganged up to throw me in the moat at Egeskov Castle. And boy, did I find out how deep and cold and murky it was." It almost pained Hans to recall this part of his childhood, but he felt it would serve as a suitable life lesson to this troubled young man now.

"Because of that terrible event, but for the grace of God, and a devoted little foal named Sitron, who dragged me out after I had, just a few days before, begged for him to be spared from the glue factory knackerman, I learned to swim. After that, I was determined to never be so bullied or humiliated again. It was through much self practice over a year's time, combined with determination, as a small boy I went out every morning to swim with my faithful horse Sitron – my only childhood friend – close by my side to encourage, and yes, sometimes pull me out when I got in too deep. Because he was fearless, I felt I could be, too. And I was never afraid again." The Danish Prince who knew a thing or two about growing up lonely, compassionately shares his painful past with this young boy who loved the sea as much as he did, and had lost a beloved parent at an early age, too.

"But you **_couldn't_** have been _scared_ to swim! You're such a great swimmer now, Vise Admiral! Maybe the best that I ever seen, next to my Papai." Eric's tears were all but washed away in his youthful acquiescence to openly speak to this disarming stranger as he jumps to his feet at the honest, stunning revelation.

Five-year-old Prince Eric's big blue eyes go sad when he spoke of his father. It had touched Hans last night when the small child had been reaching out for memories of his dear daddy on the ship that he loved and lost just before he fell.

Hans could sense that in the precious short time Eric and his 'Papai' spent together in this world, Eric was proud of his seafaring father more than life itself.

And it was shame to him now that he couldn't live up to his father's naval legacy, starting with his inability to even swim. Chiefly because his number one hero didn't get the chance to come home two summers ago and teach his dear little boy to be the best swimmer and sailor of all, like King Fernando promised he would upon his return.

There were tears in Eric's blue eyes now, his little fists shaking, his whole small body trembling as he becomes lost in this thought of his dear father who never came home again, and would never be able to teach him to swim.

So perhaps that was precisely why nobody could, despite kindhearted old Grimsby employing many instructors who were unsuccessful in coaxing the frightened young Prince to even come near to stepping into the water.

"Why?! Why can't I swim, Prince Hans?! How am I ever going to watch over my mother and take my father's place as a fearless naval officer and leader of this big kingdom if I'm too chicken to even swim?!" How can I be as brave a sailor as you?! Why did Papai leave me behind?" Eric's pent-up words overflow with the tears as he felt he could open up to this young navy man who had a story similar to the Portuguese Prince's in his youth.

"Well, Sailor, I don't have all the answers. Only God does. But maybe I know of another little orphan the Lord put here at this moment in time, on this earth, just for you. Someone who needs you desperately to take him into your home and into your heart, so he can be there for you always, like my Sitron has been my strength in hard, frightening times for me." With those inexplicable words the heartbroken little boy could not comprehend, Hans opens up the rope tied cloth bag that was loosely wrapped full of poked out holes the Danish Prince had inexplicably carried onto the beach.

It's strange, canvas obscured form begins to wiggle on the Navy man's lap before Eric's guarded eyes, as he peers apprehensively in.

Within a few seconds, out of the unsealed bag pops in and out a funny little gray and white hairy blob that sends the terrified child leaping back behind the rocks, having no idea what that weird animated mass of fur could be.

Not until something big and pink and wet slurps straight across the little boy's great shocked face from inside the half-opened satchel.

The stunned boy opens his eyes to be looking at some unknown shivering creature's big, soft and warm, black leathery nose and big, wet, pink tongue that was protruding from its open mouth.

That's when the small little furry puppy dog vigorously leaps out from the cloth bag Hans now fully unties to reveal his flurrious happy tail a-waggling.

"A puppy!" Eric squeals as he drops to his knees and the boisterous little ball of energy English sheepdog puppy was all over him, knocking him down and licking his face over and over in the most forthcoming, friendly manner of dog bonding with human that Hans had ever seen.

"In your lovely little township, on the way to meet my sailors' lodging, I was passing by a music shop. I heard some exquisite music being played that I, a music aficionado, could not help myself from stopping to listen. That's when I encountered this little fellow, sitting on top of the piano forte, raptly listening to a young girl playing the flute. I inquired, and the little girl said that he did not belong to her, nor the owners of the music store. He was only taken in for the winter months after both of the pup's parents were killed in a house fire of a relation of the local music shop owner." The Prince of the Southern Isles stoops down to scratch behind the ears of the grateful puppy.

"But his lady wife thought the furry creature was too disruptive and distracting for the paying students of their music school lessons. Especially since the friendly little thing would slobber all over the sheet music and ruin the ink so it was indistinguishable to the players, not to mention not yet being house-broken trained. Poor whelp was about to be left out into the streets all by himself, with no one wanting to claim this wee newborn pup, when I foolishly interceded and said I'd take him. I didn't realize until I was halfway back to the palace, that my occupation as ship's Kommander of the Gler on this long voyage would limit my consideration to responsibly raising a pet on board." Hans was a natural thespian, knowing how to play the heartstrings of his audience.

But what child wouldn't fall for such a sweet-faced, affable, fluffy pooch?

"This cute little sheepdog loves to be petted and listen to music like you can play, Eric. So I thought to myself, perhaps this orphaned pup would be welcomed here. Do you think you can give him a good home in your palace? I warn you, this happy type of puppy doesn't require only a minimal amount of space, nor love and attention…" Hans baits the child with the pet raising challenge.

"Yes! Oh, yes yes yes! I will give him the _maximum_ of attention deserves! That's it! ' **Max'**! I think I'll name him Max! Because he shares his love to the Max!" His sorrow all but forgotten, Eric names his newly acquired pet – _no, friend_ – as Prince Hans had described, who would be there through it all for him.

Up and down the beachfront, an exuberant Eric forgets his fear of the ocean and runs knee deep into the early morning roaring tide shoals to keep up with boundless energy Max. Eric was laughing and playing his trusty flute to the joy of his playful new puppy who thrived from this young boy's love and attention.

"Along with my best buddy Sitron, after all that practice, I was able to achieve the skill of swimming because I kept focus on the one special dream that the kept me going, until I thoroughly conquered that natural fear of drowning with an indomitable spirit." The Danish Prince sits longlegs stretched out beside the young boy on the beachfront, as Eric and his new puppy were taking a breather from rolling in the sand and splashing at the beachfront wrestling together.

"What was your special dream to make you have a _domino_ spirit, Hans?" No longer shy as he addressed the older man by first name while dropping to the sand after a long romp of playing with Max, inquisitive Eric's curiosity was piqued even if he totally mangled the big word to fit more into a boy's gaming world.

Either way worked for Hans in this next tutorial which was more of a dreamy soliloquy for the lovestruck man reveling in this quiet hour of life's contemplation on this warm beach's rolling in high tides.

"My special dream which drew me to grow up to be the best man I could be - _better than good_ – was this inner yearning to excel in every subject I could get my hands on, with my hope that someday I would meet someone who would believe in me. A beautiful blonde girl who would be so sweet, and care for me and all that I accomplished to make her proud. So much so, that I would never be lonely or sad again. Yes, for her I taught myself to unwaveringly surpass at many things – fencing, horsemanship, firearms, becoming an _expert_ swimmer, all with the prospective desire to someday impress that girl of my dreams. No matter how sad I was, I knew I would become a fulfilled man when her eyes, as vast and beautiful as the ocean waves, would dazzle back at me for a lifetime with affectionate encouragement and genuine fondness, which I had never felt from anyone before. And as you can see, I have found my special lady, because I never gave up." After drawing Elsa's silhouette in the sand, the Prince of Southern Isles directs Eric's gaze upwards to that sparkle from the palace above.

There, the Queen of Arendelle, as if right on cue, had just emerged from her great room balcony of the Palace's scenic, balmy Portuguese morning.

Hearing some lovely flute playing that had awoken her at this early pre-7AM morn, it wasn't long before the Ice Queen's groggy eyes alight upon her handsome fiancé conversing with the more diminutive prince of this kingdom.

A yawning Elsa didn't need to wipe the sleep from her eyes for long, for what her Hans was up to next would do that job for her.

* * *

Noticing his shy lover was keenly watching in his peripheral vision at a glance upwards in the palace's general direction Prince Hans turns to his little friends. With a cocky smile at the pair of boy and dog, Hans provocatively, brilliant strategist he was, begins to strip down from his outside jacket to a stunning open-neck inner shirt physique.

Elsa blushes when she sees this and was just about to retreat inside her guest bedroom's glass door patio when she was sure she heard a sound more discordant than Eric's pleasant flute melody.

"Squawk! Squawk- squawk- squawky squawk!"A noisy throated, googly eyed and gangly winged large bird with grungy big white and grey feather wings haphazardly glides across the early morning skyline right past Elsa's otherwise preoccupied face.

"Da, da, dee, da, dee, da, ooh, dee, dee, whoa-ohh! What'd'ya looky at what a bright, shiny morsel we've got here this fine morning!" The big seagull lands on the windowsill and cocks his head, startling Elsa to yank her wrap on over her nightgown and pull her head back in the room when the bird seemed to look into her eyes and address her particularly.

Elsa strains her senses to focus at the persistent orangy beaked creature who seemed strangely, vaguely familiar to her. And all at once the Queen of the Northern Winter – perhaps with a little nudge of her brother-in-law's Wind Whisperer residual abilities through the link Elsa left open in her mind for Anna – could translate bird-ese to her language, recognizing Scuttle the seagull as a friend.

"Scuttle? Is that you?" Elsa asks tentatively, taking a step forward as her eyes were opened for the first time to the amazing world of Nature that Anna, through Kristoff, had been introduced to.

"Yep, m'lady! It is I, Scuttle, your friendly scavenger seagull, at your service! How's Anna? How's Kristly? How's tricks, Esla? No, that's not it! Hmm…Asle? Eva? Well, are there more pegleg pirate baddies up northern ways for good ole Scuttle here to conquer for you, Sallé? Anyhoos, what brings such a pretty lassie to our neighborhood neck of the ocean today?" The birdbrain gull's lisp-y mouth fires off so much prattle that Elsa – who was a newbie to this mental translation business – was overwhelmed.

"Ohh, my head. I think I must sit down." Elsa draws a deep breath as her ice magic automatically conjures up a frozen crystalline stool beneath her near the window for her to seat herself.

"By all means, Lacey! I mean Bella? Idina? I'm getting close, aren't I?" Poor bad memory Scuttle's feathers were ruffled as the beautiful Ice Queen in her frosty lavender negligee had the dippy bird quite perplexed as to her proper name recall.

"Her name is _Queen Elsa_ , Sir, and you will kindly address her title as such befitting her Majesty's royal status. 'Queen Elsa of Arendelle and the Northern Winter'. Then, we would appreciate it if you moved on from annoying us in our window immediately, voyeur bird. The Queen must have time to wash and be dressed for breakfast in peace without feathered intrusion." Officious Eliana the snowwoman wakes up on the bossy side of the drawer, having been trained in how to deal with meddling male interlopers who bothered the Queen on this trip by Councillor Kai, under her Father King Agdar's order.

And that included Avian male gatecrashers, too, as a charging across the room, waving branch armed with hairbrush Eliana shoos a flabbergasted Scuttle out the open palace bedroom window.

"Voyeur? I have been called many a name by beachcombers, little snowperson, but that is the fanciest sounding one ever. No idea what it means, but I like it. _Voyeur_. It has a nice French ring to it, don't you agree, Elsa? I thank you kindly, little Snowlady. I s'pose I may be thinking of moseying on to the continent myself. So, I'll wish you _tchau_ (bye) for now, Queen Elsa of Arendelle and the Northern Winter." Scuttle was too daft to realize Eliana had besmirched him with the name, as he happily waves to Elsa goodbye, thinking he had been complimented.

"Wait! Eliana, no! Please wait, Scuttle!" Elsa, getting a handle on this strange morning visitation as Scuttle hovers around the windowpane, rushes to her nightstand. After a quick scribble with her fountain pen added, she seals in a readied envelope the past few of her nightly letters to her little sister.

"Dear friend Scuttle. As I am on a westward voyage by ship to South America with several friends to attend their royal wedding there, and you are traveling north, may I entreat you to fly a little bit more to deliver this letter to my sister, Anna? The regular mail may take weeks to arrive, and I want to relieve her anxiety as quickly as I can. I believe, at your incredibly swift rate of wing speed, you may make that hope possible for me? If it's not too much trouble, or out of your way, sir?" Elsa bats her long lashes at the young seagull, whose jaw drops at the pretty request.

"Why, say no more about trouble, your Majesty. 'Troubleshooter' is my middle name! You may entrust your vital correspondence to your precious baby sibling to me. I'll get it there ASAP – which means 'Altitude Swift Air Packet'- by the way- with my reconnaissance team of loyal seagulls, in no time! Or my name isn't 'Sir Scuttle Troubleshooter Voyeur!'" And with that proud mantra, a squawking loudly Scuttle takes off at his top speed of over 95 kilometers per hour to tagteam the delivery north of the letters.

"Thank you, Sir Scuttle! And goodbye!" Elsa calls out the window to the departing seagull with a wave, though she felt rather foolish as Prince Hans crooks his neck to look up to see who his fiancée was speaking to.

"Never 'Goodbye', Sweetie! It's always: 'Til we meet again!'" Scuttle salutes the young Queen with his grey-tipped wings. "Once I pass this packet to my men, I'll catch up to your ship periodically for more of your missives to be sent via ASAP! Not to mention get a glance of those luscious gams again! Whew-whee! Well worth the extra wing flaps!" The dizzy seagull yells back, causing Elsa to modestly smile down to her curious prince, who wondered of her quirky, yet breathtaking smile out the window down at him.

 _I'll have to ask my Queen what her peculiar tête-à-tête with that bumbling seagull was about later._

* * *

"So, Sailor. With your new loyal pal's strength that will never leave your side, you think you're ready for me to train you in that lesson of swimming?" A breath-regulated Hans asks, massaging his sideburns as he had been encouragingly invigorated by Elsa's elegant sight.

Muscle flexed Hans had partaken of a stimulating morning jog along the sun warmed beachfront spent trying to keep up with the young Prince and his new puppy kicking up sand.

"Ye…esss…Vise Admiral." After the healthy pre-swim calisthenics, the ebony haired child with his energetic puppy Max stops near the shoreline by Hans to catch his breath, not to mention his nerve.

"We're good friends now and fellow princes, aren't we? You may call me just 'Hans', Eric. Believe me when I tell you, I was frightened as any boy at first to be daring and brave enough to face the ocean water – which is much warmer than that of a still water moat in Denmark. I'm sure you will get the hang of it, Eric, and keep coming back for more." Hans says, still feeling that insatiable call in his blood exquisitely as he watches Eric tentatively approach the marine waters.

"Looks like fearless Max is already raring to go." Hans' long chin gestures to where the furry little puppy was happily sloshing in the waters, eager to do his first doggie paddle, for God made animals too smart to limit themselves with needless fear.

"You think I can ever I do the doggie paddle like Max can? Wow! Look at him go!" Eric excitedly watches his small puppy – who had never been in any body of water, never mind the vast ocean before — bravely dive right in and start paddling his wee little furry legs like second nature.

"Of course you can! Considering the fine whether and favorable morning tide, there would not be a better opportunity for this 'great swimmer' to convey what humble experience he has of the enjoyable sport. When you taste the salty sea air and feel the bracing wind in your face while you're swimming, Eric, it will never be that same for you again. The song of the seas is in your veins, and you'll fall in love with its beauty over and over, if you keep that dream in your heart, I promise you." Hans says, doing his best to entice the small child to be his best.

Eric gulps, sticking his one toe in the warm sea waters.

"Just let go of the fear. Like Max here. If you never fail to love him, he'll never fail to stand – _or swim_ – beside you." Hans gently asks, seeing glimmers of that light of hope and curiosity in Eric's clear blue eyes looking at Max which was imperative to learning anything worthwhile.

"Let's get started, Sailor! Before we delve into the doggie paddle that Max wants to teach you, I think we should start with the basics of 'sculling' and then the 'mermaid kick' and elementary backstroke's simple synchronous movement of propulsion after that. I can easily teach such a smart boy those three-step simple maneuvers in one morning that will make you as good as swimmer as I in no time. All you have to do is always breathe evenly – which should be easy for you already as an accomplished flutist – and just remember to stay calm. You never need to panic knowing that with your arms stretched out, your body is designed to float upon water. Those simple basics will keep you buoyant, just like Max there. See how he's doing such a good job, without me even to bother him with lessons!" Hans informatively, yet encouragingly, conveys to the child.

With the invitation for both to peel out shirtless and down to their underclothes at the sand dunes before moving back to the water, Hans slips off his already unbuttoned and loosed shirt, gracefully stripping down to his bare chest. He was scandalously not wearing the knit undershirt the trendsetting Dane had already discarded in this warmer weather, nor the caleçons cotton long drawers of most men's Victorian winter wear.

Instead, the modern Prince opted to reveal his swimming _kacchera_ (short trunks, tied at the waist with drawstring) that the long-legged seaman had gained from his time in India. That was all free spirited Hans sported beneath his pants in the winter months, to be ever ready for just such an unexpected swimming occasion.

"I don't know if I'll ever learn to swim as well as you, Hans. I'm not even sure if that special little girl in my dreams with the flowing long hair is real…" Down to his long john underclothes as he reveals his secret dream that he never told anyone to this receptive stranger, Eric pauses before entering the water with a timorous dip of his little big toe in the refreshingly waters' shoreline edge.

"She will be, Eric, as long as you dare to dream of her without fear. Anything wonderful is possible under God's heaven in this beautiful land and sea of yours."

Diving in like a sleek fish, Hans displays several different strokes to Eric. Along with controlled breathing techniques and reading of the directional currents every good sailor should know, over the next hour, Prince Hans gives pertinent, yet kindly and patient instructions on how to swim to the child.

"Right, Max?"

The excitable little puppy Max dives right in and floats next to Hans, wanting so desperately to be part of the fun.

"Do you think you can accomplish this basic swimming technique, too, Eric? Just spread your arms out and let yourself go to feel the inner peace and calmness of the slow clouds rolling overhead. Imagine you're one of them. It is perfectly safe, as you can see, and fun too, especially with Max right here to help keep you buoyant. Like a furry life preserver." Hans was an extremely engaging teacher as well as an eloquent public speaker. The redhead was serenely floating on his back on the low tide mark to disarm the frightened child just beyond the beach scarp.

"Floating on your back is fun? I just have to imagine that I'm a slow-moving cloud up there? Okay… I'll try it." Eric rubs his eyes with a look of renewed commitment to attempt the skill that had been so difficult and eluding him between Grimsby's frustrated tutoring, his queenly single Mama's illness, and his sadness at losing his father to the sea.

But still, he desperately wanted to do this.

The younger Prince felt such respect and friendship for the amiable visitor who did not talk down to him and his silly questions. Nor did Prince Hans show any sign of impatience or frustration with the self-conscious five-year-old's attempts at the water sport he longed to learn in the sea's early morning tides.

"I'm doing it, aren't I? I'm sculling!" Eric proudly announces after several minutes of practice sculling and floating where the little boy had to hold on tight to confident little Max only a few times.

"Excellent. Now we're ready for the mermaid kick. Just turn slowly onto your stomach and hold tight to my arms here while we practice this essential swimming technique. Yes, Max, you keep watch of your boy behind me." Hans patiently instructs the happy doggie who slobbers first on Eric's sputtering face that was trying to keep above the water surface and then Hans', who chuckles at the comedically splashing up and down creature who took Eric's mind away from his natural fright.

The child, becoming accustomed on how to hold his head above water, grips Hans' strong, sinewy arms for support, was ready to try the double leg 'mermaid' kick the Danish Prince offered next teaching.

"This is called the mermaid kick?" Eric says with a quirky smile as he clamps his legs together as Hans instructed and flaps them both synchronized in the water like one great big fin. "Are mermaids real, Prince Hans?" The child recalls in a whisper his Papai's earliest bedtime stories of the legendary 'merfolk' in this part of the world and their enchanted kingdom below the waves that his staid tutor Sir Grimsby assured Eric were just fictional figments of his imagination.

"As real as my fairytale Ice Queen, I daresay, Eric." Two pairs of hopeful eyes travel from across the water in search of the fabled merfolk and back up to the balcony ledge of SintraPalace high above them. There, Hans was sure he saw that special sparkle of iridescence still twinkling in the early morning sunlight that could only belong to his magical Queen of the Ice.

"And now, you're doing so well, Sailor, I think you are ready for the doggie paddle! Do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, do!" Inspired to sing in his gorgeous tenor, Hans relates the swimming action rhythm to the musical scales Eric already was adept at playing. Soon, spirited Max inspires Eric to bravely take on the doggie paddle.

The little boy holds onto the good-natured little dog who did not leave his side even when it seemed a wobbly Eric was a handful for the smaller puppy to handle.

But little Max put the word 'dog' in 'dogged' when it came to pure determination. So after a waterlogged hour of his fearless furry motivation and Hans' gentle instruction, before long, Prince Eric was a natural to be soon swimming on his own.

The boy, looking up to Heaven's endless blue with joy as he was expertly sculling the waves with no assistance, just needed some healthy inspiration to let go of the fear.

And not just of swimming.

"That's right, Eric. Just close your eyes and let it go. Trust those who have gone on before are watching over you." Hans' gentle tenor narrates the little boy's actions as Eric excels at several different strokes after some deep breath exercises the Danish Prince had taught him.

The dark-haired Portuguese heir to the throne does as instructive Prince Hans trained him to, referring to memories of Eric's beloved deceased naval father in the bright sunshine in the light of day's caring and inseparable warmth, kissing his face.

And that last push gives Eric all the strength of purpose to fearlessly succeed from henceforth.

This three-part lesson would buoy the good prince the rest of the days his life, rather than sinking in the wallowing sadness of the hidden dark of fear with his intuition that he soon would lose his dear mother, too.

Being a child born in sorrow raised without the love of a mother, ignored by his father who wanted nothing to do with him, and bullied by his siblings, Hans Westergaard himself understood the boy's deep loneliness and loss that stemmed from his fear of the sea.

So the intelligent prince also recognized how vital it was to harness that fear to bring Prince Eric meaning to his young life which was so important to his future happiness. He watches with great male pride how Eric and his dog were playing fetch and racing out in the sun like a little boy his age should, carefree and sure.

"I'd like to meet Sitron sometime, Prince Hans." Eric, growing more and more secure of himself in the water, strikes up the notion to meet the horse who gave his mentor Prince Hans confidence when he was a little boy as well.

"He'd like that. We'll visit again soon, I promise. Perhaps Queen Elsa and I can stop by on our honeymoon tour, soon." Performing some concluding expert backstrokes as he gazes up, Hans muses with the little dreamy hope himself for his happy future with the gorgeous Ice Queen who was currently within Sintra Palace.

* * *

"My Hans is good with children. Far better than I…" Basking in the sun as Anna daily prescribed, Elsa dreamily murmurs to herself as she leans her elbows on the windowsill of her royal high tower guest bedroom.

She had been watching her gorgeous Prince of the Southern Isles for the past half hour or so playing with the little boy and a fluffy puppy taking swimming lessons in the growingly hot morning sun.

"There you are, Elsa! But you're not even dressed yet?! I thought we had an early breakfast planned before our outing, _Majesty_ , to discuss my last minute shopping day here on the continent for a few more old world knickknacks my replete trousseau demands. You absolutely promised last night to accompany me with your exquisite taste in this quaint little village where Tia Maria assures me I will find that special little old world item for the wedding." Princess Valentina's loud sing-songy voice boisterously interrupts Elsa's quiet introspective interlude.

"Let's see, I'm still stuck on that silly ' _something borrowed, something blue'_ line! Now, you swore to let me borrow one of your oh so chic ice magic snowflake brooches that will keep me cool at the wedding ceremony for the ' _borrowed'_ bit. Of course, the weather forecast in Paraiso for our middle of February date says it will be excessively **hot** this year! All my friends have donated piles of blue sapphires and gemstones for that prejudiced against pink ' _something blue'_ line; Alonso has bought me so many new trinkets between here and there that I feel quite spoiled – silly doting boy. So that takes care of the ' _new'_ item." Here the ostentatious Princess takes a breather to fluff her bangs with a brand-new pair of spotless white gloves she shows off to an impressed Eliana, embedded with pearls all over their fancy venise lace wrists.

"But I do so _terribly_ at owning a ' _something old'_! You see, I personally change my entire wardrobe motif every season, don't you? What a useless phrase of poetry! I find it a very gauche faux pas to hang onto any old, tattered, worn down accessory requiring polishing after more than a few outings of constant visits." Valentina pauses for the first time in her long tirade to notice that her solo audience's attention was rather distracted by the singular vista far down on the beachfront.

"Now **that's** something more than a little bit worth hanging onto. Shame on you, Miss Elsa. Here you make us all think you are a sweet, innocent, modest Queen. I can't blame you though, for being late now for our early outing, you peeping little vixen. _R-rrr_! That's enough bare skin to get both our engines started this morning for our last minute jaunt. But I'm sure we'll be seeing a bit more of that when we get to Brazil, where the beaches are bigger, the weather is finer and sun is brighter in Paraiso!" Princess Valentina pronounces musically in a song and swaying skirt dance.

Her signature showtime tune in perfect time and rhythm echoes from the SintraPalace balcony as she spins Elsa around and around until the Arendelle Queen was dizzily exploding a few harmless shards of ice from her magical hands.

* * *

Prince Hans, just stepping out from the ocean onto the beach shore, was all wet and dripping in the dazzling sun. The Dane shakes his head like soggy retriever and looks up with a shielded hand to see what all the excitement was about.

Hans flushes as beet red as his hair when he sees Elsa was no longer alone peering over the edge at his bare skin immodesty.

"Race you to get dressed, Sailor!" The easily embarrassed Prince of the Southern Isles awkwardly covers his lightly hirsute chest and dashes across the beach scarp to grab up his clothes without showing too much of his skin before the other curious Princess.

Unnerved Hans swiftly wrings out his and little Prince Eric's wet swimming clothes the happy, laughing boy flings off as he changes into his shirt jacket and trousers that they had hung dry and folded neatly behind the sheltered dunes.

No longer ashamed of himself, Prince Eric had learned important lessons about swimming and life as well that sympathetic Prince Hans had imparted to him.

 _Just let go of the fear and the ocean will be your friend._

"Eric!? Could it be, child?! Have finally you finally learned to swim?! We've been at it for years, boy! This is extraordinary!" Faithful friend of the family, Viceroy Grimsby had been frantically searching for his young charge all morning and had just now been informed by Queen Elsa and Queen Maria's Princess niece, Valentina, that Eric had been out here all morning under Vise Admiral Westergaard's instructive care.

"How can I ever thank you, Prince Hans? I should have figured that if anyone could bring this boy out of his shell, it would be you." Grimsby places a proud hand on Hans' shoulder, now thankfully again dressed in his proud Sjoforsvaret uniform, wishing the Danish young man was his son once again.

"You already have, with a little kindness from long ago that went a long way for a struggling young boy's mind in a beleaguered state of fear and uncertainty, Sir Grimsby." As he finishes dusting himself off to be presentable on the beachfront dunes, Hans produces that silver nib pen from his pocket that the older gentleman had gifted him. A reminded Grimsby shares a chuckle as the silvery pen sparkles in the sunlight that the once forlorn youngest Danish Prince never forgot the kindness thereof.

"I could not be more pleased that your unpleasant predicament from then as a child, which should have warped many a weaker mind to be bitter and turn to cruelty as an adult, has altered to a happy ending for yourself, my fine boy." Grimsby warmly pats Hans' chest. "And may I personally say, that I know your mother would have been so happy of the good man you have become, Prince Hans."

"I only wish she could have attended my wedding to God's most beautiful pure creature who has granted me both her unimaginable forgiveness and her incredible love. Plus the chance for that happy ending you speak of, my friend." Hans had often imagined how fond his mother would have been of his demure Elsa as he gazes over the sea that seemed to be particularly gleaming with a special sparkle.

"Well, if the Queen can spare me, I wouldn't mind being there for you to stand in your dear Mama's place, Hans." Grimsby lays a sentimental hand over his heart, smiling with a stiff upper British lip at the tall and mature, winsome young man who so much resembled and reminded Grimsby of the Scottish beauty he loved and lost once upon a time long ago.

"I couldn't think of anyone I'd want to be there more, old friend. After all, you were the first person to ever give me hope and show tenderness that made me believe there was something other than coldness and cruelty in this world. Thank you, Grimsby, from the bottom of my heart." Prince Hans unexpectedly embraces curt Grimsby, who first stiffens then uncharacteristically finds himself hugging the Danish Prince back. The older man who could never love another after Louise, imagines once more that this lovely child could have been his. And now, in these later years, in some way he felt he was.

"Oh, yes, certainly, my boy." Grimsby's British accent chokes up as Hans holds him tightly, knowing how much this meant to his mother's former suitor.

Little Eric races past the pair with the small little gray and white fluff ball of a puppy named Max, waving and laughing happily as he had not done for the past two years since his dear Papai passed.

Eric's vibrancy had now returned to him, finally feeling triumphant that he learned to swim, with the knowledge that his Dad was looking down and proud that his son would be a great seaman someday, too.

"And please, I will sleep better knowing you're keeping watch over Eric and little Max and that he will be safe now, no matter what, because you are at his side, Grimsby. Just as you watched for me from afar, Sir. It took me a while to realize it—that I was not alone." Hans says, quietly sharing a nod of understanding in concern to this young Prince who impressed both of

them with his tenderness of heart for all creatures of the land and sea.

Just then, unnoticed by all, a small flash of aquamarine tail fins splashes up to the surface in the distance, as if the owner thereof had been here all the while watching them learn and play all morning.

Hans and Grimsby share a smile to watch Eric and his new puppy, Max, scamper across the beach with no fear of the sea that they splashed into every now and then to play with a little red crab they had found washed up to the shore.

The smiling Danish Prince seemed to have thoroughly enjoyed teaching this young boy the joy and freedom of swimming which would liberate from his held inside grief.

Elsa, in quiet reflection, was marveling at how benevolent and kind her future husband could be, to spend his precious off time hours on land between shipboard duties, solving the problems of a child whom he had only met last night.

"Wow! That's a deep sea crab, Max! Don't scare him! Just look, okay? Isn't he wonderful? My Papai told me that this type of red sea crab can be very, very smart and very, very old." Eric informs his new best friend Max. The ecstatic pup was excitedly hopping up and down and all around the small frightened little crustacean, blocking it from escaping back to sea.

"What on earth are you doing so near the water with that sandy doggie, Eric?" Queen Maria, even in her weak health, had somehow managed to rush out of her Palace and down the winding steps to the beach front where the grieving Captain's widow had not stepped foot on the sand for two years.

But once the servants had assured her that Grimsby had found her missing son, she could not refrain.

The red Caribbean crab puts away his claws and uses the opportunity of the boy and furry monster dog's distraction to make a racing beeline for the ocean.

"Ohh, he got away." Eric's cute mouth puckers a frown before totally reversing into a big grin up at his pleased as punch mother. "Prince Hans found me this homeless puppy to take care of, Mamae. We named him 'Max.' Please can I keep him?" Prince Eric picks up the small sand covered sheepdog – whose forehead fur was already long enough to cover his two dots for eyes.

Max characteristically slurps the shocked mother's face as Eric holds him high to her leaning down face.

 ** _SLLUURRPPP!_**

"Oh dear!" The older Queen cries out in taken aback distress.

"Ewgh! Disgusting!" Princess Valentina shrieks out, imagining that terrible fate befalling herself at the tongue of that filthy little canine. She make such a fuss that enthusiastic Max could not help but dash up and put his dirty doggie paws on Valentina's spotless golden sandals.

"May we never have a filthy, dirty creature like that in our Palace home, Alonso. Clean my shoes for me, if you please." The bossy Princess of Paraiso looks down disdainfully at her doggy drool and sand covered stylish sandal footwear with the order to her fiancé when Prince Alonso arrives on the beach soon thereafter with Valentina's personal manservant.

As Alonso looks at his bride-to-be incredulously, Manuel was instantly kneeling at his mistress' feet with a disdainful look up at the fly-by-night Argentinian Crown Prince whom Manuel well considered not good enough to wipe her feet.

"Fine. I obviously prefer **_birds_**." Alonso rolls his eyes at his finicky birdbrain fiancée's unreasonable demand.

"Friendly, isn't he?" Elsa tries to diffuse the tense aura. More a cat person herself, she still found the little pooch adorable as she comments positively. She meets Hans' eyes, for she had a feeling he had been the purveyor of the joyful pet for the lonely boy to return his delight in living.

"Well, if Max, as you call him, makes you smile again, Eric, I'm a happy mother." Queen Maria, at first shocked by the verve of the over friendly puppy, relents to her son's request.

For his cheerful smile warmed her weak heart no end.

"Did you just compare my intelligence to that of a bird, Alonso of Cordoba?" Valentina takes a purposeful step back from her fiancé in a quarrelsome mood, obviously being flustered and overdressed in the hot sun.

"Would I _ever_ do that to you, Val?" Prince Alonso saucily simpers, much to his detriment. He may have been reformed by kindness in certain malleable ways, but a vain leopard doesn't automatically change _all_ his spots. Alonso was not always the most congenial, nor obliging betrothed partner.

"How many times have I told you not call me that!? Ooh! Why are men so-so-so—!?" Valentina was so steamed and high-strung at the scene she was at a loss for words.

Hans and Elsa together were trying to stifle chuckles at the comedically explosive argument between the Brazilian Princess and her Argentinian Prince.

Until Valentina drags Elsa into it for some feminine rallying.

"'What' is it that I'm thinking of, Elsa?! I'm so angry I can't think of the proper term!" The dark tanned young woman tears off her pure white lace gloves in irritation.

"Frustrating?" Elsa bites her lower lip right after supplying the negative turn to the entire male race that she didn't believe herself from where she was adoringly hanging on her young man's steady arm.

"Agreed! We are going to town, NOW! Elsa!" Slamming her foot down hard she splashes more sand on Manuel in an attempt to soil an evasive Alonso. Princess Valentina screams out an earsplitting shrill shriek directed at her fiancé before storming off the beach in an uproar to the Palace with faithful Manuel right on her heels.

"That went well." Grimsby comments with a shrug as he sets out a beach chair and umbrella the servants provide for Queen Maria to sit and watch her boy play and show off his proud new swimming skills.

"So, Eric! Let's see how fast your new puppy can run!" Trying to look unaffected, Alonso blows off some steam of his own in his need for speed.

The Prince of Cordoba decidedly was not looking forward to being a henpecked husband to his quarrelsome fiancée.

"This looks like the beginning of a very _interesting_ voyage, min kaereste." Hans whispers into Elsa's ear in amusement at the argumentative couple they were traveling to the other side of the world to see be wed.

It did not bode well for the start of their long journey across the sea to distant South America, but Hans was sure he would find a way to cherish every minute of his precious alone time with his darling Ice Queen while they were yet in courtship.

He kisses Elsa's cool cheek 'good morning' before the nervously chuckling young woman follows her irate, frilly pink dressed companion to Sintra town. The Princesses of Enchancia and friends were waiting at the palace entrance to join Valentina's shopping excursion while Queen Miranda and King Roland with Kai and Esteban were to meet with the Queen of Mafra later in the afternoon.

Though her day here in Sintra was full of girlish whimsy and shopping, all the while Elsa's mind could still envision her gorgeous bare-chested Prince striding on the beach and swimming in this beautiful land and its magical sea

* * *

Happy St. Patrick's Day, Frozen friends!

Top'o the morning to you, my dear ones! I hope your day is as lucky as it is blessed to be sharing this wonderment of reading together!

The Gler's made a stop in scenic, sunny Portugal to meet up with our soon-to-be-wed, explosive South American couple of royals! (Wheesh! I hope Valentina and Alonso can keep their betrothal intact by the end of this long journey west! ; Maybe our sagacious Prince of the Southern Isles will have to work some reconciliation magic on the argumentative two at sea!)

Speaking of the fellow..wasn't our kind and dashing Vice Admiral a stunning swimming instructor and advice mentor for sad, young Prince Eric? Elsa certainly thought so! SIGH, Hans is dreamy shirtless) Yes, Prince Eric, Grimsby, Carlotta, Max, Scuttle, and even Sebastian made appearances in this visit to the breathtaking shores of Sintra, where the kingdom of Atlantica is somewhere below the waves!

Little Mermaid Ariel (age 4), whom we encountered in previous chapters, had a mild cameo spying on the human boy and his new fuzzy sheepdoggie! Hans sure knows how to play a vital role in future fairytale friends' lives!

I hope you enjoyed this last stop visit to the European continent, before we set sail for Brazil and a wedding hopefully still on schedule there!

God bless you and the pot of gold of our cherished imagination times together!

Love, ^-^ Haruka with smiling eyes ;


	51. Chapter 50 - Go Find a New Dream

_We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

 **"Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act IX**

 **Chapter 50**

 **"You Get to Go Find a New Dream"**

The New Year's first morning had dawned particularly bright in Arendelle after the winter solstice's polar night finally relinquished to sunlight at the late hour of 9 AM.

"Mmmm…" As a young girl, Idun of Drottningham could only have imagined her life on this earth would've turned out to be as thrilling as this.

The small woman awakens to her palatial surroundings with a final yawn and stretch of her arms up to the ceiling of her master bedroom suite.

"Thank you for these twenty-five years, dear Lord. Twenty-five glorious years with my King who gave me my two precious, precious girls." Idun murmurs with a wistful smile at the previous night of passion spent in her husband's arms as they welcomed in their silver wedding anniversary in the wee hours.

"Min älskare?" The woman's sleepy eyes had been too languid to even try to wrench themselves open until she turns over in their massive king-sized bed awaiting her husband's comment, only to find him gone.

Their intimate, mutually dependent circumstances had her first in a panic to find her Agdar missing, Idun's little body had long ago adjusted to the cool ambiance he emanated, so the Queen was surprised that she had not noticed when her Ice King had quietly left their bed.

 _You must have tired me out excessively last night, my love, for me not to feel the temperature change!_

Queen Idun's eyes strain themselves through the drawn curtain of dimness set upon their bedroom. Her eyes snap open when she spies the familiar silhouette, as dashing a handsome profile as she recalled opening her eyes to twenty-five years ago on that fateful Corona cliffside where her Prince saved his young wildflower from a deadly rockslide.

"Agdar?" Bare shouldered, Idun was wearing nothing but the diamond heart necklace anniversary present her husband had gifted her when she discovered it early some months before.

She emerges from her silky sheets in the muted light just rising over Arendelle's white countryside.

"What are you up to out there on this fine morning, Mr. Bernadotte? It's too early to get up." She lazily reaches a hand out for her man to rejoin her on their shared bed from where the ginger King seemed preoccupied with some inexplicable materials and strangely clattering items on his writing desk across the room.

"Ahh! A good morning to you, Mrs. Bernadotte! You're awake at last! I suppose it _is_ past nine in the morning, my sweet Swedish _elsking_ (darling)." From not too far across the expansive master bedroom where he was seated, King Agdar looked quite dapper in the wine velvet robe his Queen had given him for Christmas as he swiftly crosses the room to his lover with a culpable smile.

"Well, I'm not that young vibrant Princess who first came to Arendelle, who could stay awake all night to match your indomitable stamina, your Majesty. I'm simply a little old mother, of two grown up and independent young ladies, and who obviously needs her beauty sleep." Idun chuckles at herself with an achy neck stretch.

Then she warmly snuggles her above aged forty frame over her man's chilled lap and under his velvety robe as soon as he arrives to perch on the mattress.

Both revel for a few seconds how they still fit so well together after all these years, like hand in glove. But, to Idun's wonder, her husband's usually generous hands do not touch her.

"Nonsense, my pet. To me, you will always be that little Princess I was beyond fortunate, by God's grace, to take into my heart and home that quarter century ago. You will forever be the warmth of my heart, my dearest Idun." And with that sentimental statement which was engraved on not just his Queen's wedding ring, but also her heart, Agdar places a grateful, quick kiss on Idun's forehead rather than her upturned waiting lips.

Then he hops right back up to return his busy hands to that involved something secreted within them.

"Oof! There's a fine how-do-you-do good morning, Sir!" Idun complains with a rub to her dumped rump. "By now I know from that sneaky look in your eye that you are up to something…" The mature woman's long waved cascade of brown tresses were in quite a convoluted mess as she leans back to her soft pillow, assessing her mate's cute, guilty features from wriggling out from beneath her.

"Pardon my reserved recalcitrance, dearest, and for being so abrupt, but this is an invigorating morning. What could I possibly be conspiring, on such a glorious day with my beautiful Queen looking all fresh as a flower up at me?" Smiling, the engrossed ginger haired King sounded to be stalling as his busy hands and deft cryokinetics behind his back were finishing up some clandestine project.

"Fresh as a flower, indeed." The man's wife scoffs with a Cheshire cat smile as she collects herself and runs a hand through her messy hair with a blush.

"But in view of the fact that you completely spoiled my planned present surprise – _one, two, two and a half_ – I have had to improvise some last-minute – a _little of that and that, that, that…yes, coming together_ … ideas for another surprise. Though hardly an expensive undertaking, and definitely not as valuable as the diamond necklace around your sumptuous neck I originally purchased, I do hope the result is not too substandard, my dearest. But this present was created with love, if not expertise." His confused words were as twitching as his debonair moustache when Agdar spins around from his work desk to face his now thoroughly curious wife.

Idun was sitting up in her bed, with wide open indigo eyes excitedly questioning her King as he returns to her bedside.

"Happy Anniversary, Madame Bernadotte, my eternal Swedish delight." With sparkling eyes filled with love and devotion, King Agdar reveals what had been obscured within his large frosty cupped hand extended to her.

"Oh! Handmade Swedish _chokladbollars_ and _pepparkaksbollars_ (Swedish chocolate and gingerbread balls)! I haven't eaten these in years! They're just like the ones we found our first morning together that Arianna and Willow had tucked in the pocket of my dressing gown for a first breakfast after our blissful wedding night, Agdar." Idun instantly recognized the coconut and pearl sugar covered balls in parchment paper wrappers that the Ice King _– who never cooked anything before in his life –_ had patiently mixed and rolled and frost chilled from her sisters' passed on recipe book.

Agdar knew his wife would cherish these reminiscent sweet confection treats as much as he, with a wink full of fond memories of being freshly wed and consummated twenty-five years ago in this very room a quarter-century ago.

There they were, sitting cross legged on their wedding bed together, just a pair of young teenagers eating the sticky, gooey treats made of rolled oats, butter, almond paste, and coconut flakes in chocolate or ginger flavors, laughing and savoring the shared moment, and one another.

"Oh how this brings back such memories, min älskare! As precious to me as all the jewels and silver and gold treasures you have spoiled me with over these wonderful two and a half decades, my love! Thank you for being so thoughtful a husband." The Queen had tears in her eyes as she takes a small nibble of the super chilled chocolate ball in his left hand, and then follows suit with a dainty bite to the ginger ball in his right.

"It is the least I can do for the woman who gave a lonely young man a lifetime of happiness and sustained his introverted heart to open up to her warmth. That same beautiful lady blessed me with a family of good and dear children, who, like their wonderful mother, have mercifully tolerated and found ways to surmount my stubborn nature with unconditional love. And that love makes me strive each day to be a commendable husband, deserving father, and worthy King as God intended me to be, despite my intractable temperament. It has taken me a long time to learn it, but _you_ are my good conscience, the angel on my shoulder, who makes me want to be that better man, Idun. I should be the one thanking you." King Agdar fully confesses his heart to his partner in life, realizing that his mulish inflexibility and, at times extremist apprehension, has been the cause of so much of her uncomplaining grief in the past.

"I married an _excellent_ man, Agdar Bernadotte, and I have enjoyed every moment of our timeless fairytale. But like every seaworthy craft, even in enchanted fables, its captain occasionally needs to be steered in the right direction. That's why God enlisted me to be your navigator, I suppose." Idun gathers her contrite husband's chin in her cupped hands, drawing his gaze to her intent one.

"If you knew all that would become of our lives, my Swedish delight, all the trouble and danger and heartache I put you through, whether intentional or not, would you still agree to marry me, for all my faults and blunders over these twenty-five years?" The deep down sensitive man who thought way too much, too excessively sometimes, required some reassurance from his mate on this, their silver wedding anniversary.

Idun pulls her Agdar's strong fingers to lace into hers as the buttery sugar treats in their hands start to melt and re-solidify at the hot and cold fingertips between them.

"I could not imagine a moment being alive without you, my dearest one. God brought us together so young then, because He knew we would see each other through to continue to be the other half of each other even now, Agdar. I love you." Idun says, pledging to herself to be slow to anger towards her tender, good man who truly meant well, but often became lost trying to accomplish it.

"And I love you, my Queen. I promise this New Year to listen more to my ship's co-pilot and be less obstinate a Kommander on the high seas of our life together. Because I love you even more today than ever before." Feeling her womanly tears on his cheek as they share the sweet moment, Agdar nuzzles his cool nose to Idun's warm one, just as he and she did when they woke up that first morning as husband and wife.

"With this ring, I pledge to be the better man you deserve this year, and all the years, by the Lord's will, we have left together to be filled with joy, Idun of Arendelle." Agdar whispers as he significantly removes then re-slips on the wedding band ring on her finger after giving the golden band's diamond heart an icy blow polish of its coconut dusted sheen.

"And with this ring, I pledge to cherish every calm day, and every stormy one too, on this ship called 'love' we are sailing together which the Lord miraculously bestowed us a second chance to voyage upon, Agdar of Arendelle." Taking her husband's romantic lead, Idun slides the golden wedding band on his frozen finger off and back on again, after giving it a meaningful kiss.

"May I _now_ properly kiss the bride?" Agdar teases their impromptu second wedding ceremony that only God and His sun's breaking dawn were witness to.

"Yes, you may. But only after we each take a bite of these special Anniversary sweet bollas you prepared especially." Queen of Arendelle playfully pops a handmade _chokladbolla_ fully into her mouth and chews it lusciously, inviting her King to follow her example.

"I do hope I followed your sister Willow's scrawled recipe for this ginger confectionary right. It's a bit more complex." The King of Norway – who had never cooked a recipe in his entire life – places the sweet pearl sugared gingerbread ball whole in his mouth and begins chewing the more spicy flavored sweet thoughtfully.

"So true. The best gingers always are that, your Majesty. But entirely worthwhile." Idun murmurs with a touch of sultry seduction between munching of the sticky chocolate treat, her mouth quite rudely too full to speak in any other company but her other half.

"I do wonder how our Anna is out on the open road, and Elsa so far away at sea, for that matter… " The naturally anxious father contemplates his paternal worries aloud, pondering their itinerant childrens' whereabouts as his mind finally gets the chance to gaze out the window while he was eating.

"Now, Agdar. I thought we made a deal last night that neither of us worry over the children. They are a pair of grown-up young ladies now with conscientious, worthy protectors, each of their own choosing. You're not the kind of man to go back on a promise, are you?" Queen Idun baits her husband with challenging eyes as she licks her fingertips clean.

"No, my flower. You are correct. Our girls are as strong-willed and brave of heart – not to mention as delightfully lovely – as their wise mother. Who, by the way, looks phenomenal still." King Agdar sets aside his anxiety in exchange for enjoyment of the present with his Queen.

"Why, thank you, kind sir. I am glad to find after all these years that I can still keep my man of his word enthralled." That's when Idun, not showing her age at all, was about to give her proper, rigid husband an anniversary shock.

Her cheeks full like that of a mischievous chipmunk, lissome Idun crawls quite intimately onto Agdar's lap on the bed he was perched at the side of and kisses him squarely on his mouth.

The delicious ginger and chocolate flavors melt within the sweetness of their tongues, doing a tasty tango on this first day of the promising year of renewed devotion together.

And the sun rises, full of hope and love in Arendelle on this first day of the New Year, 1842.

* * *

 ** _Down on the European continent, the_** ** _Kingdom_** ** _of_** ** _Corona_** ** _…_**

The second day of the New Year in Corona, Prussia, dawned to the sound of first one, then two, babies wailing for their absent father throughout the Palace of their birth.

And though she was feeling that lonely yearning as well, Princess Rapunzel was trying to be a good mother and becalm her squalling twin girls alone in her bedroom with a tender lullaby song.

 _"Guten Abend, gut' Nacht,  
mit Rosen bedacht,  
mit Näglein besteckt,  
schlupf unter die Deck':  
Morgen früh, wenn Gott will,  
wirst du wieder geweckt._

 _Guten Abend, gut' Nacht  
_ _Von Englein bewacht  
_ _Die zeigen im Traum  
_ _Dir Christkindleins Baum  
_ _Schlaf nun selig und süß  
_ _Schau im Traum's Paradies  
_ _  
Schlaf nun selig und süß  
_ _Schau im Traum's Paradies…"_

 _(Good evening, good night,  
With roses covered,  
With cloves adorned,  
Slip under the covers.  
Tomorrow morning, if God wills,  
you will wake once again._

 _Good evening, goodnight,  
_ _Watched over by angels  
_ _In a dream they point  
_ _The Christ-child's tree for you  
_ _Sleep blessed and sweetly  
_ _Look for Heaven in your dream_

 _Sleep blessed and sweetly  
_ _Look for Heaven in your dream…)_

In the early morn, Rapunzel had reached a hand across to her babies' shared cradle, wanting to feel their soft little heartbeats close as she sang them to sleep.

Local inventor friend Varian, at Cass' direction, had customized a movable double bassinet to be stationed on Eugene's now vacant side of the bed. The twins would be near their Mama at arm's level reach at all times where she lay on her pillow resting.

The trio had been this way for the past few hours or so before daybreak, Rapunzel not sure if her restlessness had kept the two-week-old infants up, or vice versa.

Either way, she could not sleep at all this night for all her fitful tossing and turning.

The Princess of Corona sighs, ceaselessly recollecting how she had to bid farewell to her children's dashing father just yesterday, here from her now lonely bed…

* * *

After the New Year's traditions were observed by the Corona royal family, and the clock struck twelve, Rapunzel had cried herself to sleep on Eugene's muscle toned chest.

Eugene had scooped up and gently balanced his tired Rapunzel to be held up in his strong arms as he carried the exhausted young woman to bed.

As he held his princess tight all night, the thief was unable – or unwilling – to let slumber claim him this final night at home, lest he turned sleepwalking filcher again, to embarrass his loving partner and disrupt her family.

Deep down, Eugene knew he had to go seek treatment, no matter how hard it was. His woman's health and state of mind – as well as that of their babies - depended on a good night's rest.

"Oh, Eugene. I love you so much! Please get better and come back to me soon. I mean come back to 'us'." Rapunzel recalls her last conversation here at yesterday's daybreak with her husband in their repaired window bedroom as peripatetic Pascal too was hugging his little body to her cheek with a farewell squeeze.

She had waived farewell to her Aunt Willow, who was loading up with supplies and explorer gear binoculars and the like, with traveling bags and non-spoilable foodstuffs for the journey across the Atlantic upon their new friend, Carpet.

Her royal parents King Friedrich and Queen Arianna were present with younger sibling Princess Wilhemina, to see off the travelers at the open-air balcony.

The worried King had been giving incessant calls for his son-in-law's departure to South America for his sleep problem's thieving treatment that well traveled Willow had offered. And now that the New Year celebration was complete, it was time.

"I'll be back and right as rain again in two shakes of your fat, overfed Lamby's tail. All right, Sunshine? We'll see those witch doctor pals of Wilhelmina's; maybe get an even darker tan to go with my already stunning complexion at that Brazilian wedding we have to attend; then it's right back home to my little woman and her brood! None of that deadbeat dad stuff for me!" Eugene had tickled each of his cooing little girls' tummies in their cradle with his talented left hand at the same time he was caressing an emotional Rapunzel's cheek with his deft right.

"Look, like your folks said, this little interlude time out for us will give you some quality mother-daughter moments with our wee babes. I'm sure by the time I return, you'll be so great a natural mom with them that Anxelin and Ruby won't even know their silly, _yet devastatingly handsome_ , father was even missing from the scene!" Eugene had planted a fatherly kiss on each of his babes' foreheads where Cassandra and maid Ingeborg had each lifted one of the tiny little girls up say goodbye to their dad.

The former thief in need of sleepwalking therapy had been as encouraging as possible while he imparted his resignation to this journey with a happy face to his sad eyed wife, to pep her up as he rubbed her trembling, miserable shoulders caringly.

"Right, _Cassandra_?" With the pointed words to the catty woman who would remain behind this time with his still recovering from childbirth wife, Eugene gives Cassandra an eyebrow raised high sign to keep his best girl safe and in good spirits while he was gone.

"Nope, no one will even know that you're gone, Fitzherbert. Except the Palace guards who will be looking forward to spending some peace and quiet night shifts without having to protect the crown jewels at all hours from an inside job." The droll monotone voice of the Lieutenant Captain of the Corona Guard had taunted her usual verbal combat opponent with a smirk.

"Gee, thanks for that vote of confidence, Dragon lady. May I say that diaper duty is at the top of the list of things I'll miss here at home. That, and burping the babies. But, oh darn shucks drat, I'll just have to leave those fun jobs to you, Lieutenant Captain. Maybe your lil' boyfriend Varian can invent some nifty device for that, too. And one to dull your nasty sarcasm at the same time. " Eugene had thrown his hands dramatically up in the air with a smarmy sneer at the charcoal haired young woman as she was already ordering her puppy-dog alchemist/architect to fill Eugene's empty side of the bed with an open bassinet.

That caused Maximus to let out a horsey snigger at Eugene's biting humor to the raven haired guardswoman from the Palace Hall which the nosy horse had come up to be prancing about at the door.

"Ouch." From where he and quiet Job were conversing in a corner of the room, Lance Strongbow had given his sharp tongued buddy a thumbs-up.

He and best buddy Eugene had included their Caribbean pal Job in a chat last night about them staying behind to watch out for and cheer their favorite Princess up like good godfathers in these months Eugene would be missing.

"Seriously, what I really will be missing is waking up and holding you close, Brownie." Eugene had murmured these words in Rapunzel's ear with a kiss to her forehead as she was sniffling onto his chest, turning his demeanor on a dime back into his Princess' dashing romancer.

"Come on, Liebling! You're going to be just peachy here with your folks and your friends, raising our little girls to be freedom loving, independent-minded princesses with magical smiles – _beware the hair_. Then you'll all look forward to greeting your favorite fella when he gets back all cured and healed from his nighttime thieving tendencies, if not his devastating ladies' man smolder." Eugene sizzled his winning smolder in her direction to at least make Rapunzel laugh herself out of her tears.

 _"'Here comes the smolder.'_ " Overly sentimental Rapunzel, in her emotional state, had recalled every word from their first meeting in the tower that was now long gone - _her fault, too_ – and had burst out into even further weeping, to Eugene's panicked distress.

"Hey! Remember the fun of last night's unforgettable Saint Silvester New Year's Eve party, with all those church bells ringing and wishing each other 'Gutes Nue Jahr!?' There was singing and dancing as we joined your folks in taking part in that exciting New Year'sBleigießen **. I've gotta admit that** reciting that _great_ poem all together was momentous. Let's see if I can remember some of its snazzy rhyme…" The audiographic memory thief tried to throw in something humorous to gain that elusive smile from his wife.

 _"'In der Silvester-Nacht_ , _wird das Blei zum Schmelzen gebracht._  
 _Es wird gekippt in Wasser, kalt und klar;_ _rate, was stellen die Figuren dar?_  
 _Schau sie an, so wie sie sind;_ _rätst die Gestalt du nicht geschwind._  
 _Halt sie hinters Licht,_ _das Schattenbild dir mehr verspricht._  
 _Kommt es dir nicht in den Sinn,_ _schau auf dieses Büchlein hin._  
 _Es sagt dir frank und frei,_ _so allerlei…'_ _"_

( _"'On the night of New Year's Eve, the lead is melted here. Dropped by a spoon, 'tis dipped in water, cold and clear; Guess what each of the leaden figures represent, look at them truly as they have been meant; If thou canst guess the figure swiftly, hold behind the candlelight; The silhouette promises more of the future, what may be and what might; If the answer does not come to your mind, look to the booklet's writings; it tells you frankly and freely, all sorts of things of what this New Year brings...')_

 _"_ Of course, Lance's bit of lead turned out in the shape of a vase that he claimed meant ' _popularity with the opposite sex'_ , Job's a pretzel that symbolized _'prayers going up to Heaven'_. Cassandra's lead melted into a ring that – _easy one_ –meant _'near engagement'_ , and Varian drew a hat that showed ' _positive news was coming your way'_."

All that mumbo-jumbo made pragmatic Eugene think that this Bleigießen business was definitely rigged, as alchemist Varian had supplied the lead and spoon and all its trappings.

But it was worth enduring all the silliness to see the normally staunch guardswoman go quite red in the face before her stoic Captain of the Guard father at her lead melt reading.

"After my chunk of melted lead on that spoon over a candle turned up in the water a kinda smooshy shaped anchor that, according to Lance - _who is expert in all things superstitious_ – means ' _good luck help will come my way when I need it most' –_ Whatever the hell that means! And you poured a pretty artsy butterfly – ' _boundless luck'_ – in a palm tree that signified _'all your dreams will come true'._ So, in lieu that you **are** _my_ dream come true already, I have to reward you with a lip smacker that will knock your socks off, to keep you good for the next few weeks without me around. Not that you, my barefoot contessa, ever wear those disdainful foot coverings. So, each time you're aching for me, give that butterfly in her palm tree a smile and envision my handsome face getting a tan in your vivid imagination for the time being, Darlin'." Eugene struck a ripped bodybuilder pose that succeeded in making his little wife giggle at the mental image.

"Now as for that unforgettable kiss I promised, take notes, Kid. A little interference, Buddy?" The charming thief directs an instructive look over his shoulder to Varian, then at Lance to physically use his big body to block the intense kiss display from Rapunzel's more conservative parents.

Then Eugene cracked his knuckles together with a suave grin plastered across his handsome mug before he delivered a blistering scorching hot kiss to his breathless bride's ravished, satisfied lips.

Eugene and Rapunzel's farewell kiss lasted forever it seemed, while Pascal's chameleon colored temperature rose to a feverish hot pink pitch where he was perched on Eugene's shoulder.

An unaffected Job had to literally drag an eye popped, jaw-dropped Lance to the balcony to intercept the King and Queen from scrutinizing the passionate osculation.

"Whew whee, little Mama! Still got it! Look out New World! Flynn Rider is ready to fly!" Eugene carefully transferred his bride into his big friend Lance's strong arms.

Then he hopped in one svelte move onto Carpet's back that would take he and Rapunzel's Aunt Willow south of the equator to pay a visit to her friends of medical experts on sleeping disorders currently studying in the rainforest there.

"Now, I'm trusting you to watch out for the kingdom in my absence, Max! Lance, old buddy! I'm relying on you to have my back here with Job here to take good care of my three girls and her Aged Ps while I'm away! And Cass?" He looks down from the Magic Carpet that was floating above their heads.

"Enjoy diaper duty with Varian!" Eugene smirked as he had given the catty eyed woman a salute along after his final instructions to all the others.

" _Du bist mein herz_ (You are my heart), Rapunzel! We'll both be better than ever when next we meet!" From where he was standing tall astride Carpet, Eugene's amber eyes and gregarious voice softened to whisper in his last farewell to his wife.

He understood his lover would hear him, no matter how low or breathy he spoke, through their eyes and ears of love, despite the distance between them.

" _Du bist mein alles_ (You are my everything), Eugene." Rapunzel had whispered back to the daybreaking sky then, just as she repeats it again now silently to the thief who had freed her from that tower she was locked behind, both physically and mentally.

Rapunzel desperately missed having around the amazing man who changed her life for the better in so many ways, once he taught her to believe that all dreams were possible.

And once you achieved one, the best part was that you get to go find a new dream.

 _What am I going to do with myself for almost two months without you here with me, Eugene? I have the babies, but they can't speak… I know Cass and Varian and Lance and Job try to fill in the gaps as good friends, and are always here if I need them._

 _But they're not you!_

 ** _Knock. Knock. Knock._**

"May come in, darling? Cassandra passed by and gave me a heads up that you and the girls were unable to sleep, Rapunzel. I realized this is a rough time for you, healing up, worrying about the babies, sleeping alone without your husband's strong arms around you. So, Mother has come to stay with you and your little ones tonight." A calm, caring, muffled voice comes through the closed bedroom door.

"Mother? What are you still doing up? I hope we didn't wake you! You had a pretty late night, too! The twins and I just have little insomnia, that's all. We're doing fine." Wiping away her tears, the abruptly smiling, drawn eyed, cocoa brown, bob haired Princess sniffles back her weeping that she could not omit from falling this lonely night.

"You don't have to put on a brave show for me, Rapunzel dear. Mother knows how lonely this time away from such a devilishly dashing and dynamic mate like your husband Eugene will be for you. But I think I've figured out a way you can cope in his absence, if you want to hear me out. I mean, besides what Eugene told about you throwing yourself wholeheartedly into learning how to be a great new mom. I hope to help you with that as best I can, with what little experience I could offer in the field." A winningly chuckling, self-deprecating and humble Queen Arianna had wisely peeked into her daughter and granddaughter's sleepless bedroom after the keen ladies' maid had alerted the Royal grandmother of this sleepless first night of the year in Corona Palace.

"A way I can cope?" With bags under her eyes, Rapunzel puts down her baby Anxelin. The wispy brown haired baby had finally drifted off to sleep in the specially made cradle beside her drooling blonde twin in the open side cradle situated on her large king-sized bed when her mother takes over the rocking thereof.

The exhausted Princess plops down on her multiple pillow lined side and rubs at her tired eyes to yank at her rag-tangled shorthair with the golden brush her mother had brought for her.

"Willow and I were talking about her girlish dream that she and Idun shared as youngsters growing up. My little sisters, whom I tried to raise as best I could in Mother's place, had taken turns writing short stories to entertain each other about their days as well as their nightly dreams. They would vividly re-create contemporary stories about the servants or people they encountered in town, or avant-garde tales of Father's daring past in the army. I encouraged them to write with a sprinkle of imagination to liven our quiet, mundane world up as they put their daily accounts into words to recite to me as part of their lessons. Idun and Wilhemina really enjoyed it as a game when children, seeing who could write the longest, most creative 'diary report'. And, later on, it gave them something to reread and reflect on with laughter in our days of mourning for Father, King Carl John, when they were just teens." The older woman fondly fingers the pearl necklace at her throat. It belonged to her departed mother and her dear, kindly father had gifted the pearls to her, saying she was the pearl of the house on her eighteenth birthday, not long before he too would be taken from the trio of Swedish princesses and their older brother Prince Oscar who would succeed him as King.

"You see, nothing could warm the heart more in times of sadness and separation and fill in the void than cherished remembrances of happy, exciting times spent with the one you miss most. And you have at your fingertips, not just any novel or memoir. You have _lived_ real-life fairy-tale yarns that could be told in the vivid language and colorful pictures of the remarkable adventures by your creative hand, Rapunzel. You have, in your short life, a storehouse of amazing experiences featuring you and your swashbuckling thief/hero that you, as a first-hand witness and imaginative authoress, could excel in chronicling." Arianna starts by speaking softly, presenting her idea to her child that she and her sister had hatched during this Christmas season after discussing memories of their own youth.

The queenly mother was concerned on how to keep her emotional girl – especially in this fragile recovery stage after the harrowing childbirth just two weeks ago – occupied since her beloved husband and father of her children would be detained so far away.

"What? Me?! An author of books?! I'm an artist, Mom! I mean, I did write some stuff in the notebook you gave me, but they were just short snippets of what I was thinking at the time, or what my friends said during the day to go with the pictures. I wouldn't even know where to begin writing a novel!" Artistic temperament Rapunzel spazzes out at the challenge as she turns over her first rejection the thought of taking on this new creative venture to stretch her imagination.

"Just hear me out, sweetie." The graying, long brown haired older woman pets her upset daughter's tousled head after she opens her bedside nightstand drawer and removes a thick purple booklet with the Corona sun crest embossed on its cover. "You've already brightly filled the pages of this first journal I gave you all those years ago with drawings, sketches and artwork during your incredible journey to unlock the secret of the Rapunculus flower that is so much a part of your story. The journal was creative and imaginative and very interesting, showing its readers your point of view through vivid pictures and descriptive captions. I always thought it quite gifted, and not just because I'm your mother." Smiling proudly at her child's untapped genius, Queen Arianna leafs through the well-worn pages of the colorful diary from her daughter's adventure over eight years ago.

"But your story didn't end there, did it, my girl? Even if you came home to your happily ever after and your journal ran out pages. Remember our motto _: 'Plus est en vous'_ – There's more within you." To Queen Arianna's compassionate delight, at those key words which reminded her daughter about fulfilling inspiration, there was a light bulb going off over Rapunzel's head at the thought of transcribing her life story since then that followed.

"About Eugene? Like the _'Tales of Flynnigan Rider'_ he loved as a boy…" Then she recalls her lover's early confession to her when they first met, of his fondness for reading as a child himself.

Books would liberate him from reality's bonds of poverty and rejection and hopelessness in the abandoned life of a disappointed orphan left to emptiness and solitude that was all too often brought upon such an unwanted young kid with nothing.

"You have in your beautiful imagination not only your story's incredible fairytale meeting that started in a tower prison and ended up in a palace, but also you have your latest adventures spent with your cousins Elsa and Anna and their friends in the beautiful North country. You came back with so many tales of life-threatening pirates, heroes with ice magic, harrowing ship voyages, sea monsters, kidnapped rulers' miraculous healing and recovery, friendly trolls, flying reindeer and the legendary Snow Queen. All contributed to the redemption of a princely man's soul that led to not only his re-acceptance into his Royal family which he had been an outcast from his entire life, but the forbidden love of a forgiving, beautiful young monarch that defied all convention. I myself had witnessed some small part of this tale, filled with the all-important emotion that Almighty God blessed this life with, called 'love.' This adventure has goodness and purity and romance woven throughout. Willow and I both believe it can be a wonderful saga, Rapunzel. And you are the perfect one to script it, my darling girl, because you hold dear every character as friends, and you **lived** each situation or personally know someone who did. Through those stories, your imagination will make your loneliness evaporate for these months spent apart from the one you love, my dearest little girl. Believe me, writing will fill the empty hours and never leave you lonely." Queen Arianna speaks with experienced knowledge of how the gift of storytelling could change young lives.

"Wow, Mom. Did all that happen? When you say it like that, it does sound pretty exciting. You think I can really inscribe such an epic tale as that? I mean, I paint and sculpt, mother! I only added a few descriptive scribblings of the places and people I saw and met. Nothing that big and important."

"But you _have_ been there and done that, my girl! I know you can accomplish this new endeavor because you are so talented and able to paint with your hands. So why not paint with your words, Rapunzel? I believe in you, my bright and sweet, intelligent child, and so does Eugene. We know by now that you can do anything you set your mind to."

"When you open up your imagination to this magical world of writing and reading, anything's possible. You can relive those stories anywhere, even here, laid up in bed. Just try it out a while and see if you like writing, in between bonding with your babies."

 _Capturing those stories will keep my girl so preoccupied that she won't have time to miss Eugene so much as her attention will be kept busy learning how to care for his babies by day and her mind absorbed in recalling their adventures at night._ As she knits, Queen Arianna smiles to herself to have successfully introduced this positive outcome for her indecisive, easily distressed child in these difficult days ahead.

The wise mother had come prepared with a new thick notebook full of blank pages that she places squarely on Rapunzel's lap as the convalescing young mother was lying on her empty bed.

Rapunzel fingers the fancy gold binding and pretty flowery decorated cover as her mother places the book on her lap in place of the half-knitted baby clothes the older woman claims.

The mystified young woman reads aloud the bold words etched in the binding of her new journal in her mother's fine ribboned calligraphy: 'Rapunzel's Tangled Adventures'.

"Now all you have to do is fill in the title of your first story." Queen Arianna says above the pair of clicking knitting needles that she had taken command of from her daughter.

'The New Adventures of Flynnigan Rider, Hero Extraordinaire.' The first hint of an animated smile crosses Rapunzel's eager face, replacing her previously forlorn features. The now enthusiastic Princess of Corona's sad thoughts rummage through her recollections and ideas on where to begin this intriguing new dream.

Picking up the pastel pencil set Eugene gifted her as their first anniversary present, Rapunzel's imagination begins to soars alongside her inspiring leading man.

Eugene Fitzherbert, AKA Flynn Rider, would always be the star of her show. Even if he was far away high on a Magic Carpet across in the dazzling ocean blue, he was right beside her now, still encouraging her to reach for the stars in her dreams.

 _'That's the good part I guess. You get to go find a new dream.'_

* * *

 _ **Speaking about that roguish, handsome dreamer…**_

"Blondie would've loved to see this view. She'd say 'ooh' and 'ahh' and whip out her trusty pastels to sketch every mountain peak and cloud and each little birdie that flies by." Eugene says suddenly out of nowhere, lazily laid out and staring out over the ocean they were crossing high atop Carpet at record speeds.

"You think Rapunzel will be missing her favorite hero too badly tonight? I wouldn't blame her if she did, handsome devil as I am, but the gal needs some shut-eye." As he stares in a mirror to give a five o'clock shadow trim to his well-kept goatee, Eugene Fitzherbert gazes at the sun setting orangey and red hues that magnificently replace the blue sky.

Rapunzel's husband, his in-law Aunt Willow, and Pascal the chameleon were soaring upon Eugene's Magic Flying Carpet for the past day and a half.

"I'm sure she'll find something else to amuse her. Like getting properly in tuned with her less self-absorbed other babies while I'm taking this one to get fixed." The Queen's younger sister had a blunt way of speaking, perhaps learning to cut to the chase long ago. And that was due to her globetrotting linguistic translations and fast-paced lifestyle that didn't wait for any man to catch up to her.

"Ouch. Fixed? That sounds way worse than you meant it to, I'm sure, Wills. Ahem." Clearing his ticklish throat, Flynn Rider gives his infamous feigned _'I'm hurt'_ line to the fast talking woman just a few years his senior and shares a smug look with the silent chameleon on his shoulder before stifling a big yawn.

"Yeesh. After staying up all night at that super fun St. Sylvester New Year's Eve spent melting lead pellets – _Yeah!_ – after generally not sleeping very well at all for the past few weeks – _or so I have heard tales of_ – I am one pretty tuckered out fella. And since there's absolutely nothing to do at this high-altitude on board my trusty Magic flying Carpet friend here – minus my sylphlike gal – I will be turning in early tonight, Wilhelmina. Then I can be bright eyed and bushy tailed when we arrive south of the equator." As he drawls out, Eugene was already laying out his bedding of a pillow fashioned from their clothing change bag. He stretches his long lean and limber body out across Carpet's colorful pile close his eyes slumber.

"Ungh-ungh-ungh, sleepyhead! There is **no way** I am going to allow you to go beddy-bye way up here when you have the proven tendency to unconsciously wake up at all hours and walk around in your sleep. Just think of what one wrong move at this altitude would do to you if you sleepwalk off this supersonic flight!" Sitting up on her haunches, Princess Wilhelmina of Drottningham exclaims of the dire consequences. The ponytailed woman leers over her nephew as she kneels on an equally anxious for his new master Magic Carpet zooming westward in the limited space beside him.

 ** _Ker-splatt!_**

Little fist smacking Pascal silently fills in with pantomimed falling in fear, followed by a slashing claw action then prayerful mime scene of pushing up daisies to dramaticize Willow's words.

"Oh, come on, you two! How's a guy supposed to catch any beauty rest before he's examined like a test tube guinea pig by some crazy looney doctors?!" His eyes fly wide open as fearless of heights Eugene stands straight up on Carpet in exhausted exasperation.

"Well, I guess we can try the acupuncture technique my Himalayan yoga master instructed me in that's said to stop somnambulism, temporarily at least. I promise to try to be as gentle as Master Patanjali taught me to wield the sharp needles to achieve proper _chitta vritt nirod han_ \- controlled mystic mind fluctuations. But we had better get started before it totally gets dark and I can't see my needles to the target area clearly –" Aunt Willow, in her nonchalant way, begins exposing Eugene's pulled up shirt abdomen from where she was kneeling at eye level.

Eugene flinches as she eerily extracts from her endless supply survival kit of a knapsack a pouch full of demonically sharp pointed pins and needles of all shapes and sizes, along with a ghastly chart of the in-depth male anatomy used for acupuncture's predominant aim points.

"Ooookay! No thanks! Suddenly not tired, whatsoever! It passed. Would you believe? Okay, I'm on night watch with the frog, while you get some shut eye, Wilhelmina. My buddy Carpet will have us lightning fast dancing in the rainforest by morning with your therapeutic and parapsychology experts. I feel wide awake already with all this fresh night air!" Eugene proclaims, pulling his sleepy eyes open and slapping his cheeks vigorously as he settles back down to sit on the relieved rug.

"Well, if you're sure…" Willow considers, feeling more than a little exhausted herself from staying up reading some research on the peoples of Brazil since they left Corona last morning.

"No problemo! Being a night owl comes with a thief's territory. How about an invigorating round of three man stud poker, Pascal, Rugman? I must warn you, I'm such a killer at it, you'll be sure to lose your shirts, if either of you were wearing any, that is! Hah!" Eugene pulls out a dog-eared deck of playing cards and starts dealing out face down and face up cards for himself, Pascal and Carpet where he was sitting Indian style beside Wilhelmina.

"All right, Eugene. I'll leave you alone. But make sure you keep awake. I promised my niece I'd bring you home in one piece to her. And it wouldn't do for the sharks down there to tear you to pieces in a feast first." Willow concedes with a chuckle at his wide-eyed gulp as she puts away her Ayurveda homeopathtic acupuncture set and places her sleeping eye-cover over her face.

Then the Queen of Prussia's sister leans back in a trained Kundalini chakras yoga balance left side for regulated breathing. Wilhemina keeps balanced vital meditation high aloft Carpet, with her head towards the south and legs facing north for the magnetic field not to affect the function of brain cells, according to Ayurveda logic.

"And if he does start to doze off Pascal, Rapunzel told me that you know what to do." Willow was shrewd enough to issue the warning with a subtle rub to her ear as she braids back her long brown ponytail to prepare for sleep.

 ** _GULP_** **.**

"Yuck! Keep your lizardy tongue to yourself tonight, frog! I'll stay awake! And I'm gonna wipe your little reptilian bottom with my card sharp skills, if we have to play here all night! So have a pleasant sleep, Woman. We've got an intense, high stakes game on, right, Carpet?" Shamed to be wide awake and aggressively confrontational, Eugene slaps the card deck he was angrily shuffling to Carpet's back so vehemently that Wilhelmina's peaceful yoga position is ruffled.

She gives him a dirty look as Carpet turns his 'head' back to apologize to her, then gives Eugene a tassel signaling he was betting high for the first round of the three man card game – actually one man, one chameleon and one magical being.

The card game progresses all through the night, when Aladdin's Magic Carpet proved to be an even more streetwise gambler than Flynn Rider, betting him under the rug, so to speak.

But the challenge of irrationally laying bets keeps the exasperated human awake as the unlucky gambler tries to regain his losses to no avail as the smug champion rug cruises the sky over the twilight sea with his best poker face on.

* * *

 ** _Halfway across the same_** ** _Atlantic Ocean_** ** _, somewhere down below on the rippling waves…_**

The flagship caravel of the Portuguese fleet, Marinha de Guerra Portuguesa Armada Santa Teresa was every bit as regaled and splendid as Princess Valentina described it to be.

From its well-designed quadruple sails that harnessed the powerful Atlantic winds as the maritime explorers of Portuguese captains of old used to their utmost advantage, to its festooned in pinks and decorated multi-decks, the Santa Teresa made excellent time, even without steamship capabilities.

It's Norwegian steamship counterpart the HmNos Gler, under its Admiral's order, was sailing at a close, but safe, sea distance in front of the large _navi caravel_. The Gler had easily set the knot speed with its upgraded double turbine and multiple boiler steam engine as to keep sail side-by-side with the Santa Teresa.

At Vise Admiral Westergaard's deft command, the Gler proceeded just as Admiral Bernadotte ordered as escort to the Portuguese cruise ship, just in case some treacherous waters, weather, or marauders threatened.

Kommander Westergaard followed his superior's order to a 't', and cautiously kept to the deck as he directed the Gler as lead scout ship, as it were. As for his royal passengers – including Queen Elsa, much to Hans' chagrin, and Counselor Kai's prodded encouragement– had been forced by etiquette to accept the Princess of Paraiso's insistent demands.

Queen Elsa and the Enchancia royals, their friends, and Chancellor Flores were to take passage aboard her grand vessel instead to travel in the Santa Teresa's opulence in the excitable bride-to-be Princess Valentina's pink frilly honor.

All but the bridegroom, that is.

Prince Alonso had opted at the port of Sintra at the last minute – after feeling excessively bossed around and bullied by his particularly high-strung betrothed — to come aboard the Gler and spend the final few weeks of his precious bachelorhood in Prince Hans' virtual solitary company, beyond his ship's crew.

"Let me enjoy this one last voyage in peace where I may still have freedom of my own choice." The cynical young man had muttered under his breath as he requested his luggage and horses Rápido and Fuerte (Fast and Strong) to be loaded onto the Gler at the port.

"Fine. If you and your silly little horses prefer the dull solitude on board that ordinary naval ship when my family's top of the Armada has just a little bit more class to it – _pardon me for saying, Elsa_ – who am I to stop you, _Your Royal_ _Highness_?" Princess Valentino turned up her nose and simply said with flashing eyes at the dock as she strode up the gangway steps to her tall and proud, Portuguese royal sailing caravel.

"Hmph. All the important people are traveling in comfort and style onboard _my_ ship with so many enjoyable events, planned entertainment, shipboard games and compelling competitions scheduled to keep our spirits contented together on this promising pleasure cruise for the next few weeks! I do hope you don't regret your decision to travel over there on that dreary craft, when you could look around and see how much more fun my honored guests and I will be enjoying over here, Alonsy!" As the ships had launched from the port simultaneously to begin the four thousand nautical mile journey, Valentina's increasingly scratchy voice had screamed out to taunt her fiancé over the railing where the Prince of Córdoba was standing unruffled on the deck of the Gler beside its perplexed Captain.

In demonstration, Valentina had sauntered up and grabbed Elsa, giving the elegant-framed young Queen a fanciful _sardana_ dance spin with her from where Elsa had been forlornly waving a silent farewell and blowing several snow butterfly kisses to her adored fiancée, Prince Hans, on deck of the opposite craft.

"Oh, I'm regretting it already." The Argentine Prince had let out a sigh, with a gaze of discontented consternation back at his saucy dark skinned betrothed standing beside the alarmed, more demure and very regal Norwegian Ice Queen's blue eyes Alonso felt more drawn to at this moment.

Prince Hans' fingers were automatically tapping on his ever ready sword hilt when he notices the objectionable gaze.

 _Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! I must be on my best watch now. It appears that this shaky South American royal engagement is one I may need to personally rise to on this voyage, if I'm ever to be rid of this Córdoban menace once and for all._

Prince Hans had winced, his keen mind already presuming the unsavory prospect's consequences of his formal rival for his own Elsa's desirable hand being set loose a swinging bachelor in need of a proper royal match yet again.

 _But an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure…_

Little did the jealous Danish Prince know, but Alonso was not Hans' only source of unexpected trouble on this trip. There was another he was more acquainted with on the royal entourage invitation list gathered onboard the Santa Teresa Prince Hans had not yet glimpsed.

An intriguing individual had arrived at the last minute at the Portuguese port where the royal crown envoys of Europe had gathered for the grandiose wedding in Brazil.

The certain undeniably charming and indisputably handsome representative of the Southern Isles was the natural choice to attend this important South American event, as Egeskov's diplomatic delegate.

The sixth-in-line royal son of Denmark was highly entertained by the show - with a particular roving eye upon the entrancingly lovely, dancing Queen of Norway – and smirks as he twirls his handlebar moustache with enticement.

With a whistle, the dark-haired, tall, svelte man skulks below the deck of the ornate Portuguese yacht with a haughty chortle out loud, his presence yet unbeknownst to his naïve younger brother on the other ship on its way to sunny Paraiso…

* * *

 _Bleigiessen_ \- A fun New Year's Eve Tradition in Germanyfor families try to divine their fortune for the New Year in an ancient form of lead pouring divination, also known as Molybdomancy.

 _"Guten Abend"_ – lyrics from 1809 German folk poems, 'Des Knaben Wunderhorn' set to Brahms Wiegenlied Lullaby

* * *

Hello, Frozen friends!

Here was our 2 teams setting out on the first leg of the Atlantic crossing to Brazil sneak peek into what intrigue awaits in the next chapters to come!

On speedy Carpet, Eugene and Willow are on their way to meet with her medical somnambulism experts in the rainforests nearby in southern Brazil.

Meanwhile, Rapunzel is taking up the challenge of (drumroll, please) **Writing a novel!** of her adventures and exploits with her Frozen cousins, starring her gorgeous Flynnigan Rider! Raps becoming an aspiring authoress in her spare time in lonely hours without Eugene?!

As the writer here of a story being written within a story (kinda cool idea, eh?:), I didn't see that one coming! ;) But, speaking from experience, it will engross our Princess of Corona from a moment of being bored or missing her love so terribly, for her Eugene will ever be dear to her imaginative heart in between learning to care for her twins, I suppose! Mother knows best! ^-^

Explosive, hot tempered Valentina and Alonso's marriage that hasn't even happened yet is already on the rocks! And guess which _favored_ brother of Hans' Southern Isles clan has been chosen to act as delegate to Paraiso for the wedding!?

So stay tuned for all the ups and downs and fun times amid romance for the relationships of our beloved couples on their long and winding paths down the altar!

I'd love to hear your reviews!

God Bless!

HarukaKou


	52. Chapter 51 - Consider the Lilies

_We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

 **"Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act IX**

 **Chapter 51**

 **"Consider the Lilies"**

The following days on board the top of the fleet Portuguese ship, Santa Teresa, were indeed as full and exciting as their hostess, Princess Valentina promised.

Between card games, shuffleboard and skeet shooting competitions that kept the various dignitaries and royal family of Enchancia quite entertained, Elsa felt like she was in a gaming whirlwind.

But, as this was Princess Valentina of Paraiso's all-important wedding cruise ship entourage, her captive audience of traveling guests could only indulge her every whim.

No one could say 'no' to her. And the worst part of that was that the vain, bossy, noisy Princess Valentina knew it.

"PULL!"

Before the growing spectators on this early, sundrenched, ocean breeze morning, Prince Hugo, much to his demanding team leader Valentina's clapping delight, shoots a direct hit to his clay pigeon discus. It adds points to the rising number of the demanding young woman's own team high score that had already beat Chancellor Esteban, Princess Amber and Princess Cleo's mediocre score.

Their third teammate, Princess Hildegard, chosen by draws, however, misses her shot entirely, due to the wind kicking up her flowing hair in her eyes just at the wrong moment.

"So sorry, Valentina. But my beautiful hair has a mind of its own sometimes." The vain Princess of Freezenburg brushes back her long purple waves from her face with a dismissive expression that showed she cared more for her looks and little for the silly game that put a single hair out of place.

"Proper styling of my own naturally wavy tresses is tantamount and mandatory to participating in a good game, Hildegard, if you are to ensure no chance of being a complete failure on beauty's account." The dark-haired, healthy russet skinned young woman, in contrast to Hilde's pale complexion, was trying not to display the irritation she felt for her inept, unapologetic teammate.

Obviously getting up on the wrong side of her cabin bed, domineering Valentina snaps her fingers for her servant Manuel to produce her vanity kit as she roughly braids up Princess Hildegard's mass of purple curls for the next round.

"You'll do better next time, now that your hair's out of your eyes." Valentina says with a shrug of her own ponytailed ringlets. As she spoke though, her eyes flash across the bow of the ship it seemed at someone on the opposite craft whom the Brazilian Princess was sure was laughing at her failure to not achieve a perfect team score.

Alonso of Córdoba does not refrain from giving a chuckle from where he was languidly watching the competition on the other ship beneath his straw hat. Giving a bored yawn, Alonso was trying not to look as though he was observing his spicy fiancée's antics from where he was lazily laying out on a deck chair on the Gler's top deck.

But across the crashing ocean waves, the young man could feel Valentina's angry glare almost as hot as the sun burning down on him.

Noticing this animosity which seemed to be growing between the affiancéd pair on the way to their wedding, Elsa was puzzled. In Arendelle, Alonso and Valentina seemed so romantic, so intensely hot and heavy. But by the time they got to Portugal, something had happened to the madly enamored Hispanic couple.

 _Is the course of love so quick and capricious? Or is it simply wedding day countdown nerves? I don't believe the former, for God created love to be patient and abiding. However, as to the latter, I can sympathize with Valentina sometimes myself…_

But Elsa didn't have much time to ponder these things, for she soon found herself unpredictably presented by draw with an unexpected skeet shooting teammate.

"How lovely it is to be thrown together so on this otherwise boring voyage, Elsie – or rather I should say – _Captain Elsa_. Of course, the Princess would choose only her counterparts to be the team leaders." A tall, dark-haired, well-dressed man of obvious royal breeding and lineage was first to speak to a surprised Elsa above the chattering din of competitors assembled on the top deck of the Santa Teresa, until they were suddenly standing face-to-face.

Elsa almost gasped to be part of a trio with this new familiar face, after Prince Desmond shyly held up his corresponding card to show his affiliation with her 'Team D.' At this early morning skeet shooting competition the Queen of Arendelle finds herself in the presence of an unmistakable personality from her past.

"Prince Didrik! I didn't know you were here on board the Santa Teresa!" The platinum blonde sputters at this startling fellow traveler whom she had no knowledge beforehand of being invited by the bride, Princess Valentina.

"We have been shipmates for several days now, Elsa. And though I have noticed you, your Majesty, you have been so in demand by your good friend – the bossy bride – you apparently have overlooked my acquaintance. It is quite amazing being on the high seas for, what, almost a week now, and I have never been able to catch your exquisite eye? I should be slighted. Or am I losing my touch with the ladies? It seems we have been as two ships passing in the night, as they say." Feigning hurt feelings, the debonair Casanova Prince with the cunning eyes curls a wheedling smile down at the defenseless young woman.

"Oh! Please forgive me for not greeting you properly, Your Highness. But I honestly was unaware you were even on this voyage to South America. Hans – that is, Vise Admiral Westergaard – only informed me that your brother Prince Peiter and his wife would be representing the Danish Crown, as the bride-to-be is dear Princess Lujza's niece. They relayed nothing to me of your attendance when we spoke earlier." Elsa apologizes to the sixth-in-line Prince of Denmark with a demure curtsy up to the devilishly handsome coxcomb staring down at her.

"So, my brothers wish to ignore the black sheep of the clan? I can see blowhard Peiter holding a grudge against some of my less than exemplarily candid affairs, I suppose. But I am surprised our youngest, now again recognized princeling is too enamored of his impressive ship's commission, amongst other tantalizing features of command, to be so disinterested in being his brother's keeper. Is he not?" The suave and sleek older Danish Prince, speaking in riddles, lays his wolfish eyes upon the blonde young ruler.

Then he gives a directed gaze towards where Elsa's redheaded Captain of the escort steamship was standing at the aft taffrail of the Gler. Hans had out his trusty map and compass directly across from her, pretending to navigate though keenly watching them with more than mild surprise and yearning upon his comely features.

"I wish I could answer you of that accurately, sir. But, as I have been requested personally by the bride, in deference to my role as maid of honor at her marriage in a few short weeks, to accompany her on this ship, on her wedding voyage home, I have not the privilege to travel alongside the noble Kommander to confirm his valued perspective." Sighing, Elsa gives a longing glance across the crashing waves to the ship sailing parallel to hers, so close and yet so very far away.

"Valued and desired. It is all a man craves." Prince Didrik murmurs beneath his minty breath that was becoming startlingly close to Elsa's face she could have easily become intoxicated, as had many females before.

"Good morning, ladies." Nervously taking a step back from where Prince Didrik had masterfully cornered her near the Santa Teresa's railing edge, Elsa attempts to make pleasant conversation with either Princesses Amber or Hildegard on the deck with an officious Valentina.

But they were all too absorbed in learning the rules of skeet shooting from good-looking instructor Manuel, much to Princes Desmond and James' chagrin, to notice Elsa's discomfort with her aggressively over-attentive companion.

"So, as I see it, you are rather a lonely young woman on the ship, even in the crowd, in much need of some thoughtful doting and tender petting, rather than playing these trivial games?" The flirtatious rogue teases Elsa's braid with one hand while the other was expertly caressing the skeet shoot shot gun like it was a long-lost lover.

"How… how is your _wife_ , Princess Antonia?" Changing the subject, Elsa purposely mentions, as ever-caddish Didrik closes in, her hand knocking down a mop at the handrail stern of the ship that must've been left by the crewman when swabbing the weather deck clean for this morning's competition.

"Alas, my Antoinetta had taken ill on the outset of this journey at sea, and I have been virtually anchored to our state room cabin to care for her and watch over our three elder girls who insisted to come along, and do not lend themselves in trouble. My dear little girls have developed a strange fetish for their cousin Alonso, on their mother's side, since the scrawny little dandy came a-visiting." With a disdainful grimace at the other young man, lounging on the Gler, Prince Didrik answers her query.

Then, shotgun in hand, he gives a stretch of his long lean limbs upward to take aim at a wayward seagull that he refrains from pulling the trigger upon, due to the Norwegian Queen's startled features.

"Ahh, my gallant Lillebror appears to have noticed our little tête-à-tête, Elsa. Do wave to the lad before he falls off the stern of his steamship to spy on us. Poor boy does appear so lonely and forlorn without you to steer his ship's compass, my dear." In his smarmy demeanor and equally oily voice into the stiffened Arendelle Queen's ear, the older ladies' man of a prince smirks with a fluttered hand across the bow of the Santa Teresa to his perceptibly disturbed younger brother on the Gler.

"What game are you playing at now, Didrik? Have you no decency, even when your own lass is bilious and ailing, being attended to by your children below deck?" Just then, more blustery, call-it-like-it-is Prince Peiter marches up to where his cunning brother, just one year his elder, was creepily close, sniffing his pointy nose too near an uncomfortable Elsa's regal hair.

"Skeet shooting, of course, Peiter. But with all these lovely young flowers of God's creation around us, how could I not pause to smell the roses? It was your good lady who made it abundantly known that my pacing presence in our shared state room was no longer welcome, for I was _'driving her mad'_ , was I not?" Smiling Didrik says accusingly of strident, opinionated Princess Lujza, changing the subject entirely in his favor. And just in time too for their first round, as he leads Elsa to where Prince Desmond was signaling for them to start their team's turn.

"It appears, Elsa, that before you delve into marriage with my youngest brother, you may wish to discuss it with our experienced, distressed wives. They apparently prefer to dispose of their husbands' company to restore peace of mind at sea, sending us poor chaps listless and lonesome, in search of entertainment. But I am certain that you, dear lady, would not treat your intended so, if he was attempting to be companionable and caring in offering you in your ill health, his companionship." Ever playing the victim card, Didrik delivers these words as he strokes his debonair moustache with a look for sympathy down at a dispirited and annoyed Elsa as they take their places at the designated shooting area.

"Particularly not at this precious, rare _vacance_ period away from royal life's normal humdrum worries and cares, when irreplaceable memories of cherished times together can be intimately shared. I have been watching you and Hans pining away for one another, Elsa. I took you, the young Queen who would sneak by subterfuge into our fortress as a gutsy chambermaid, to be more the independent modern woman rather than the wishy-washy old-fashioned type of delicate flower that simply takes orders from pushy others." Prince Didrik also considered himself a persuasive arbiter who could tug at the heartstrings of many a vulnerable female as fidgety Desmond looks on uncomfortably.

"I can assure you, Sir, that I am no shrinking violet to be pushed around. I am the Ice Queen of Arendelle, and **I** make the rules if and when I will spend as much time as I wish with the man I love. PULL!" Elsa declares definitively as she – an expert at taking aim with any weapon at her fingertips – spins from the man she was addressing to set off a blast with the shotgun she assertively claims from Didrik's surprised hand.

The shotgun shell makes direct impact the skeet clay pigeon Manuel had released upward with the launching cannon to Elsa's 'pull' command, giving leader Elsa's team perfect mark initial score points.

"Well done, Queen Elsa! You fire that weapon like a professional markswoman! Your father taught you well," Chancellor Esteban gives his wife Johanne and sister-in-law Gerda on the judges' panel a shared proud grin of the Arendelle monarch's sporting triumph.

Many of the others gathered on the deck through the competition applaud for a blushing Elsa's perfect clay pigeon strike.

But her teammate was no slouch with a firearm, either.

"No shrinking violet indeed, your Majesty. I will strive to match that precision with one of my own. Pull." Didrik flashes a dapper, cool and calm simper, looking to Hans momentarily before he takes aim in the corner of his sneaky eye and shoots, without even looking up it seemed.

 _ **KA-BOOM!**_

The clay pigeon again explodes exquisitely, for Prince Didrik was, if nothing else, an excellent hunter.

"Don't be showing off your uncanny, reckless hunting skills to the ladies too much, dear brother-in-law! You may frighten off some of the more delicate blossoms, as you always say. But I know firsthand that the soon-to-be addition to our family, our lovely Queen Elsa, is no longer a skittish one. She is tough and hard as ice when she has to be. _Brava_ , girl." Princess Lujza comments from where she had been huddled with her early morning first up skeet shooting team of bubbly Princess Sofia and her step brother, James.

The matronly woman, wearing a vibrant orange and green noble tress, had joined her husband Prince Peiter on the deck of the Santa Teresa playing shuffleboard with King Roland, Councilor Kai and the Duke of Westleton. Tiring of the old man's shipboard recreation, when Elsa arrived, Lujza had soon volunteered for the skeet shooting competition that she knew very little about.

But the well-endowed Princess of Portugal was the kind of go-getter who was thoroughly enjoying this vacation from her home in Denmark to visit the sunny shores of Brazil with her relatives she had not seen in ages. After all, her three bouncy, lively girls were begging to be introduced to the vibrant world there in South America Lujza often spoke of for cousin Valentina's wedding where they would all play the part of bridesmaids and flower girls.

"Thank you, Lujza, for saying so. Since I am embarking on this full voyage to a brave new world, I must be just as fittingly brave and bold as I embark forward." Elsa responds to her friendly, soon-to-be sister-in-law, as both brush off their mutual brother-in-law's quirky flirtatious annoyance as just that.

"Lena, Selena and Corina would be proud to see you so daring and victorious, Elsa. You and Anna are all they talk about since you left Egeskov! Alas, they've missed all the fun, stuck below in our state rooms with their cousins attending to their poorly Aunt Antonia. But my girls will be up here shortly, to watch your victory in the competition! I will send for them!" Lujza smacks her fleshy fist in her plump palm like an encouraging sports manager, swinging her large form back-and-forth like a cheerleader.

"Well… we are not out of the woods yet." Elsa giggles as she gives the big boned and just as big hearted Portuguese woman a shaky smile when her final skeet shooting teammate, Prince Desmond, steps up to the aft section of the Santa Teresa's prepared shooting area.

With a weak glance to now official girlfriend Amber, and a wince at Didrik's inscrutable smirk as the older gentleman had been giving whispered advice in the young man's ear moments before, timid Desmond gulps.

He then nods with a frightened expression on his sweet face to unsteadily start to signal for Valentina's manservant Manuel to launch the clay pigeon cannon.

"We will surely win in the next round if the slipshod scores even just one point." Didrik whispers to Elsa, just loud enough for Desmond to hear his sharp remark that erases any trace of confidence that poor Desmond had tried so hard to muster.

"No pressure, my friend." Didrik lays on the charm as he places a helpful lowering hand on Desmond's trembling sweaty one over the trigger of the aimed too high shotgun he was attempting to hold up.

"Pull…?" Desmond seemed to be gathering all of his courage as he aims the shotgun at the proper angle while trying to breathe normally with equipment he was not at all comfortable with.

Manuel does as ordered and the clay pigeon discus from the launching cannon flies upward to the clear blue morning sky.

"A little higher to the left!" But as if to lend further assistance to the nervous lad, teammate Prince Didrik points his right-hand straight up as helpful guide to show the untrained Prince the most advantageous trajectory he should shoot towards.

So, as directed, Prince Desmond's plump hand squeezes the trigger prematurely in his pressured anxiety…

 _ **BANGG!**_

Before many pairs of witnessing eyes, the clay pigeon zings untouched across the skyline, for poor Desmond's wayward bullet had found another target –

"Argh! My hand!" Didrik sinks to his knees dramatically, suddenly falling back to Elsa's willowy arms as he sinks to her shocked lap, writhing in pain as he clenches his left hand tightly to him.

"Prince Didrik! Are you all right?!" Elsa asks in genuine concern for the obviously in pain man lounging his dizzy head against the young Queen's chest.

"Some of the damn shotgun pellets must've misfired and winged my extended hand. Fool man!" Prince Didrik complains through gritted teeth of the multiple spherical projectiles of the 28 gauge shotgun that had hit his hand as Desmond guiltily passes the smoking gun over to Manuel.

"I'm sorry!" Desmond was on the verge of tears at this terrible blunder, but Didrik surprisingly gives him a compassionate smile.

"Not you, me. _I'm_ the fool. Don't give it another thought, old chap. You played your part quite excellently. I couldn't be prouder." Didrik runs his one uninjured hand through his dark slicked back hair with apparent agony on his face as he looks sincerely into Desmond's somewhat relieved eyes.

Then the thirty-nine-year-old Dane quickly unravels the yellow cravat tie at his neck with his right-hand and binds it with his teeth around his left where red blood soon oozes through the pale ocher silk fabric.

"Should we send for Antonia? What can we do for you, Didrik?" Without a second thought, Princess Lujza was on her knees at her favorite argumentative brother-in-law's side and ready to have her hubby Peiter run to fetch Didrik's other half.

"No! It'll only make my Antoinetta feel worse. I'll… be…fine, ladies. It was my own foolish error entirely to raise my hand in the boy's way in this blasted blinding morning sun. Desmond is not to blame whatsoever. In fact, I think I'd hire him to be a crackshot on my team, someday. But, for now, from the feel of it, some infernal stray pellets must be lodged in my palm. They'll have to come out." Didrik whimpers softly near the end of his brave speech to his wide-eyed teammates and competitors, giving a faint roguish smile to a gulping Prince Desmond, whom Princess Amber places her arms supportively around.

"Manuel! Go get the ship's doctor immediately!" Bossy, panic stricken and horrified Valentina cries out loudly in her increasingly scratchy voice to her dark manservant.

Manuel dutifully races below deck to fetch the onboard physician at his mistress' demand.

"No need for that, dear Princess Val. After witnessing his medical prowess on the field firsthand before, I trust only one man to care for my bullet wound removal. From his vantage point on the Gler to the happenings here, I'm certain he is already prepared for emergency surgery, no doubt. Take me over to the Gler, Elsa dear. Please. Bring me to my brilliant, capable brother, Prince Hans." Didrik requests of the Ice Queen on whose lap he was lying so comfortably upon. With a pleaful smile beneath the dark handlebar moustache on his dashing face, Didrik gives a wistful glance over the ship railing to where the HmNos Gler's Kommander was indeed anxiously barking out orders to his crewmen to prepare their sickbay on the top deck there.

"Yes, my Hans is an expert at attending to bullet wounds." Elsa proudly reiterates Didrik's praise of the thirteenth in-line Prince of the Southern Isles acuity with a glint of a small comforting smile down at him.

Without delay, to the shock of her hostess and fellow travelers, the Ice Queen quick fashions an ambulatory ice sled beneath the injured man and climbs aboard the ice bed stretcher of sorts to kneel beside him.

"This is cozy. I knew you would succumb to my charms one day and crawl into the sack with me, beautiful lady." Prince Didrik chokes out deliriously as he cradles his arm in pain on the stylishly sleek ice bed where Elsa was kneeling next to his prone body.

Elsa rolls her blue eyes with a smirk of her own before her specialized ice platform begins to rise upward in preparation to catapult over the Santa Teresa's starboard railing.

"Elsa, wait! Poor Prince Didrik may need a willing nurse on call when he recovers from surgery, more than some rough sailor midshipmen to tend to his wound over there. It will not be said that Valentina of Paraiso shirked when I could give a little bit more when it comes to the health of one of my honored guests!" Princess Valentina rashly cries out, with an agile leap upward with momentum kicked off a rushing forward Kai's broad shoulder.

"Queen Elsa, please come back!" The Councilor had just arrived in time to be deep in consternation to see his charge Elsa so recklessly abandon ship.

On her sparkling fuchsia high heels, slender Valentina lands on the edge of the large ice bed that Elsa had crafted to transport Prince Didrik to the Gler as requested.

"Ohh-ohh!" A little dizzy, as the ice sled was already in motion, Valentina almost slides off, but Elsa throws up a fresh frost sidewall, and Didrik uses his good hand to pull the Brazilian girl's sylphlike frame down to him, As if by second nature, Didrik embraces her close, until Valentina's shapely form was practically sitting on the prone Lothario's lap.

"Oof. One dark beauty to my right, one pale lovely to my left. Two beautiful angels of mercy adorning my sickbed. It's almost worth the price of admission to Heaven." Flippant Didrik flirts through gritted teeth, his one good hand still fully functional as Elsa and Valentina's fondled and pinched rumps could attest.

"If devils are permitted through the pearly gates." Valentina coquettishly flicks her ever-present parasol closed as she settles into her perch draped across Didrik's chest.

His roguish fingers finally snake around her slender pink satin waist, to keep her securely on the ice bed as Elsa maneuvers it on the winds above the crashing waves between the two ships.

"Elsa! You forgot Anna's letter set box!" Eliana the snowwoman comes skittering along the Santa Teresa's deck a little too late. The fastidious snow creature was holding up the satchel of letters that Elsa had been writing to her sister back home in wait for when Scuttle's express mail service would catch-up to the ships and deliver the correspondence back to Arendelle, as the birdbrain promised a week ago in Portugal.

With an elegant raising of her talented hand, the Ice Queen easily adds her snow creation of Eliana's three-part small frozen frame to the caboose of her ice ambulance train.

Over the wide-open expanse of the sea, the fearsome crashing ocean waves no longer held fearful sway over the determined Queen of Arendelle as upon her magic cryokinetic, Elsa bravely crosses the distance between the ships of sail. She slides her projected ice ambulatory with her trio of passengers like an ethereal goddess of legendary fables.

The cryo-vehicle moves at the speed of ice across the two large ships running parallel with each other. Over the ship's portside railing, Elsa smoothly directs her ice ambulatory as the Gler's Kommander Westergaard had his crew prepare for the incoming patient and pair of pretty nurses who had accompanied him.

"I have been _'Lull'd in these flowers with dances and delight.'_ Are these blossoms not more divine upon this vessel rather than that obtrusive one, Hans? These delicate flowers have delivered me in my miserable state for you to mend my boo-boos personally, Lillebror."

The Gler's captain directs his shipmates to load the injured man upon the readied gurney stretcher and quickly transfer him to the medical section of the ship's foredeck, called the 'sickbay'.

Prince Didrik, cloyingly sweet, waves farewell to Elsa and Valentina as he deliriously waxes poetic from Shakespeare's _'A Midsummer Night's Dream'_ and _'Sonnet 98'_ as he is taken in:

' _Nor did I wonder at the lily's white,  
Nor praise the deep vermilion in the rose;  
They were but sweet, figures of delight,  
Drawn after you, the pattern of all those.'_

"Unarguably, she is that and so much more to me, Storbror. My delicate Lily of the Valley." Prince Hans gazes adoringly back at his beautiful Queen, now once again close enough for his five senses to see, smell, hear, touch, and perhaps, if lucky, taste, as his long legs cross the deck swiftly to escort her.

Audience or not, the attractive Dane automatically was unable to contain a tender longing stroke to his Elsa's pallid cheek as he whispers into her blue eyes: "And yet you are, as ever, my strength in tense situations, min kæreste. Thank you for bringing my brother to me."

The redheaded Kommander wordlessly signals with a nod for his first mate to oversee the ship's duty functions as he was to attend his brother. Then, Hans gentlemanly ushers Elsa on his arm into the foredeck's sickbay as a smug, smirking Didrik lies back and relaxes as he is carried into the enclosed room.

* * *

"That was even a little bit more exciting – _cough, cough, cough_ – then riding on Alonso's racing – _cough, cough_ – chariot. _Cough, cough, choke, cough_!" Playing to her audience, Valentina pointedly critiques in her loudest voice while she, still upon Elsa's ice sled, felt important to float over the Gler's port side rail.

As Elsa, depending on Hans' wiry arms and strong shoulder, was guiding Didrik with her ice to be carefully unloaded by the crew to the sick bay, in a hopeless coughing fit, Valentina nearly tumbles off the ice ambulatory backwards into the crashing and deadly waves below.

"Whoa, girl!" Prince Alonso, who had obviously been watching his fiancée's every move despite trying to seem blasé, steps in here to stabilize Valentina and sweep his own betrothed into sinewy arms, pulling her from a certain dangerous plunge into his arms.

"Do you still say it's more exciting than riding my chariot, Val? Would you still say it's more exciting than this?" With much innuendo in his raised brows down at the winded, dizzy girl, Alonso, with a macho grin over to his rival Hans, decides to show Valentina who was boss.

"A little bit more." Trying to regain her scratchy throat breath, Valentina murmurs her infamous catchphrase, trying to push her arrogant fiancé away.

But at the same time, she was thoroughly swept away by his confident gallantry. She enjoyed being held so buoyantly up in her handsome Prince Alonso's arms where the Princess of Paraiso was surprised she fit so well.

Sensing her wavering pride, Alonso full mouth kisses Valentina's parted for air, dry lips until they were quite moist, now that the young Argentinean had his stubborn Princess right where he wanted her at last.

"I see you couldn't help but come crawling back to me." The smug Córdoban Prince couldn't abstain from rubbing this in his fiancée's rather deliriously satisfied face.

 _ **SLAPP!**_

"You brute! I'll tell you when – and _**if**_ – I want you to ever kiss me like that again!" After several seconds of immutable lovely silent staring into one another's bewitched eyes with lovestruck ecstasy that neither could deny – nor wished to admit – for the sake of pride for long stretches of time, Valentina recalled her original annoyance at her on-again/off-again beau.

Namely, his intentional, cruel humiliation of her by opting to travel on this Norwegian escort vessel rather than their glorious wedding yacht which was taking her triumphantly home to Paraiso.

"Fine." Miffed, with a shrug to his petulant fiancée's bad attitude, Crown Prince Alonso of Córdoba flips his errant brown bangs back dismissively. Then the brash man practically drops the pink Princess down to her well padded big bustle behind on the Gler's deck floor before he victoriously smirks and storms off to the other end of the foredeck.

"Hey! No one treats the Crown Princess of Paraiso like this! And in public! Ooh!" A hissing Valentina's ire shoots up as she scurries to her feet and collects her fallen parasol. She holds the umbrella threateningly in hand as she angrily gives chase to her self-absorbed male equal.

"I don't think so, Val." Prince Alonso's arms reach out to obstruct her violent ardor. Then he spins her background to reel her into his sleek body for a silent rumba. He and she, in rhythmic dance moves play out their romantic cat and mouse game that first enticed the Brazilian woman and Argentinean man to one other.

"I hate it when you call me that!" Valentina spits out, just missing hitting a ducking Alonso with her clubbing parasol.

Across the deck and down below the previously peaceful, yet lonely, Gler, the two young lovers go, with vindictive barbs, self-important conceit and umbrella beatings ready to fly amid their fervent dance.

* * *

"Ah, young love. I predict that there will never be a dull moment for those two with Spanish blood in their veins. Reminds me of my fifteen years of wedded bliss to my hotheaded Antoinetta. Fiery, spicy and passionate, keeps one coming back for more, in spite of it all." Didrik comments to his brother with a wry smile on the subject of love as Hans puts on his 'physician's cap' and sets out the tweezer tools, anesthetizing numbing medicines and clean bandages required for hours of difficult scattershot removal that his able crew had prepared at his command.

"I do appreciate your seamen's aid, Hans, and do not indicate any disparagement towards them at all. But I am a popinjay enough to prefer no audience to the torture of my pain while you attend my injuries, Brother." Prince Didrik sits up and gives the sailors who had carried the stretcher into the sickbay medical area an unwelcoming scathing glance that clearly said: ' _Begone'_.

They look to their superior officer, who dismisses his crewmen from where he had been preparing the sterilized equipment and bandages for the multiple stitches that the brilliant young Vise Admiral foresaw he would be required to undertake on his erstwhile older brother's behalf.

"I'm afraid, Easter lily blossom, despite you being an inspirational sight for any injured man to yearn to have full function of both his hands in working order again — _may I say, you look quite ready to pluck, like a delicate flower adorned in that fetching pale blue ensemble which gives errant thought to a man's burning question: is there only ice beneath those filmy skirt petals? –_ you, as a female, my dear, are not to witness the gory details of my torture either." Giving this long-winded, querulous speech, half beneath his breath to Elsa's astonished blush, flirtatious Didrik stops just short of awarding Elsa with an eye pleased wolf whistle as he instructs her to leave.

That is, until an obviously irked Hans, after a thorough wash of his hands, returns to his patient and steps between Didrik and Elsa with a pair of flashing green eyes.

"' _Consider the lilies of the field, Storbror. How they grow and toil not; nor do they spin. And yet even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed as one of these.'_ " The younger Danish Prince calms his jealous nature by quoting the Good Shepherd in reference to God's blessing of Elsa's natural beauty.

"I can assure you that Queen Elsa has proven in the past to be quite a competent nurse to me." He gestures with a floral comparison of Biblical standards towards the blushing Norwegian Queen as he begins to abruptly remove Didrik's blood-drenched hand bandage.

"Ouch, Lillebror! Your bedside manner could use a little fine-tuning. And nurse or no, I would sincerely prefer that such a delicate flower, as you refer this fine lady rightly to, is not to endure the gory details of my injury. I fear my dapper form may not be as stirring and I will lose face in her eyes, should I grow faint. You do understand, don't you, Elsie, my sweet blossom?" Hans' older brother puts on quite a show of male modesty combined with macho pride and private shame as Didrik blocks Elsa from seeing his uncovered injured hand.

"Yes, of course, Your Highness." Elsa sighs. "I'll just wait outside, if you need me, Hans." With one final numbing layer of her cryo-magic to the ice pack she had affixed around Prince Didrik's bloody left palm, Elsa meets her fiancé's exasperated gaze before demurely taking her leave of the two men in the otherwise emptied sickbay.

"Now, Didrik, her ice should dull the pain as I work on your hand. However, the initial bandage removal will no doubt be excruciating even with the Asian powdered anesthesia I learned of in India and the morphine I have here at my disposal. And it will be fairly bloody, depending on the amount of scattershot involved. I did not realize you were this squeamish, Storbror. So please, I'll ask you to brace yourself." Hans speaks with compassion befitting not only a physician, but a caring brother also, as he carefully begins to uncover the tied bandage, ready to see the penetrated single slug shell hole or number of lead pellets shot into Didrik's bloody palm.

"Despite my debonair appearance, Lillebror, I am neither squeamish, nor intolerant of pain." Didrik's smile was quite enigmatic as he watches Hans gently progress to slow unwind the blood drenched yellow cravat tie around his injured bullet perforated hand.

"Didrik, there is no need to put on a brave show for me, Storbror. After all, as a Westergaard son, I too have my share of pride, as well as being master of façade…Hmm?" Full of his own bluster, Hans acknowledged his share when it came to the stage of pretense. But he was a little more than floored when he unwrapped the bloodsoaked initial bandage, just to find that the hand beneath was utterly devoid of puncture wound of any sort and unscathed of injury totally.

"That chubby young Prince Desmond did a superior acting job playing the frightened fool, if I do say so myself. He'll have fine career on the stage ahead of him, if he so chooses. I approve of him excessively already." Flexing his hand that was supposed to be inoperable, Prince Didrik smirks as he praises his own theatrics from his misspent youth while reflecting upon Prince Desmond's co-opted supporting role as his accomplice's skills as well.

Hans recalls how his brother had dabbled in the Shakespearean stage in his youth. For Prince Didrik's good looks and lazy streak preferred the dramatic arts to any other actual, viable career their kingly father had chosen.

With a catty grin, Didrik reveals the self cracked open and pierced vial of red liquid that appeared to have the qualities of blood. It had been secreted in his cravat many a time before as well to add to this slippery fellow's eminent acting prowess.

"A little drop of ' _blood'_ here and there goes a long way in the art of persuasion. And anesthesia as well." Didrik sips the remainder of the thin flask of his favorite full bodied red Bordeaux wine he always kept on him. The man of the world did not wish for his hidden supply of high alcoholic content beverage to go to waste as he knocks back the last swallow from the vial after Hans refuses the fine royal vintage's thick draft.

"Whew! I needed that! You were saying, Lillebror?" Didrik uses his defunct hand's quickly rinsed 'bloody' fingers to first do some tricks with the nearby scalpel that plays music notes on the metal pan Hans had sterilized and prepared. The irreverent man smoothes the ends of his waxed, dark black handlebar moustache while whipping out his favorite deck of playing cards, which he shuffles easily through.

"But…heh he heh…Why the farce, Didrik?" Hans chuckles in relief as much as confusion at his elder brother's inscrutable motive to falsify an injury to apparently no end but tomfoolery.

"Was it not an ingenious method to return your muse to you for a more romantic remainder of this voyage to South America, Hans? Particularly advantageous to be minus the annoying chaperones in the obese style left behind on that damnable ' _pleasure'_ cruise." Holding his head at the inference of the word 'pleasure' at Princess Valentina's inane whim, the dapper man reveals his clever ruse.

With the best of brotherly intentions, Didrik schemed to liberate the lovelorn, lonely, and longing for her love Norwegian Queen from her Paraiso captor on board the parallel ship and return her to her Danish Knight in shining armor here.

At first, Hans' eyes light up at the fantastic idea as his young heart jumps at the thought of having his ladylove back aboard his vessel. Once again they would be able to enjoy one another's company in tender companionable mornings and moonlight stroll stolen kisses.

Just the thought made Hans smile a bit giddy.

But then reality's harsh daylight sets in.

"Perhaps temporarily that will work. But my conscientious, selfless Queen will feel duty-bound by friendship to Princess Valentina to return with her to travel upon her wedding cruise ship."

"Hahaha! If I know women, and believe me, dear boy, I do. Oh yes indeed, I do, I have come to recognize their eccentricities and hidden desires inherently." Didrik confesses his penchant for female familiarity.

"Eccentricities and hidden desires?" Hans quirks an eyebrow as his elder brother's fully functional fingers flick the shades of the sickbay window open a little to let some sunshine in.

"Yes, my pure of heart little brother. It is very simple. The bride and her maid of honor are both present here on your ship. So, all you must do, is keep the bossy former happy with her sulky lover to maintain the latter to be yours and yours alone on your ship until we dock again. The lure and object of both is right here under your celestial nose, Lillebror. If you play your cards right, she can be yours." The sneaky Danish card sharp plucks the Queen of hearts and simultaneously the same suit Knave to be paired with. Then Didrik produces the Queen of diamonds from his faithful deck without looking and flutters her before Hans' beginning to be enlightened eyes as he places her in the Kommander's grasp.

The pair of brothers glances out the sickbay lookout to where Elsa appeared so very lovely basking on the other side of the deck in the morning sun at her little snow woman Eliana's instruction.

With pride he watches the tall blonde woman in question smile to see Olaf and Eliana reunite and be included in one of her first gift of the snow magic Olaf 's famous warm hugs.

"So, Lillebror? Do you want some advice on women from an old married man? Right now, I know my Antoinetta is brooding for me over there already, so our reconcilement after this yearning absence will doubtlessly be sizzling spicy for the rest of our vacation and trip home, just as I like it." Prince Didrik sits down in Hans' vacant chair and puts his spat shoed feet up luxuriantly on the table.

"How much burning with desire for that Ice Queen of yours can you withstand if you don't soon assert yourself?" The sixth Prince of the Southern Isles prompts his younger brother to make a long awaited move on his fiancée.

"The sun's fire is nothing to my passion for that most exquisite of God's creations." The redhead quietly proclaims while his viridescent eyes glow in complement to the declaration.

"Then, now I have provided you with the opportunity to prove yourself a proud Dane worthy of conquering this powerful Scandinavian bride to be your own! I would be labeled blind had I not noted how your lustrous Elsa of Arendelle has been pining away for your desirable—to her at least—company. She is hanging on your every word, Hans. Why not declare your marriage date quickly and end her feminine torment, Lillebror?" Like a wise old fox himself, Prince Didrik comfortably leans back in the physician's tall chair to notice how Hans was gazing hungrily at his beautiful Elsa.

"I have vowed to uncomplainingly wait for _her_ to set the date, Didrik. 'Love is to be patient and kind', remember? For all the crimes I have committed against the Queen of Arendelle and her family, I do not wish to add one more by rushing my angel in any way. Not after all the trials she's been through, until she feels she is ready to give herself completely to me in holy matrimony." Hans confesses his frustration, every emotion inside aching to press Elsa further, but the integrity of his reformed heart knew he did not deserve her was still holding him back from being too insistent.

"Then why don't you show your desire in the interim more to convince the woman? Rarely have I seen such single-minded piety in a male and such long-suffering devotion in one of the female sex! Obviously, she wishes only to please the man she truly loves. So the question is, how certain are you of your Elsa of Arendelle's love?" Didrik poses the question, a better analyst in matters of love and the female heart than he was even an actor.

"Indisputably certain, Storbror! Elsa and I have unequivocally proven that to one another on so many occasions that I have never been as certain of something in my heart and soul than my darling Elsa's abiding love." Goaded Hans declares assuredly with a hand over his heart that was so full of the warmth of love for this woman, he felt it may implode should he not be able to reveal all of its mysteries to her soon.

"So find the courage to demand the actual time and day, for Heaven's sake, man! Before the fickle creature who is woman has time to change her mind and get away! If I was still twentysomething, and my fiancée and I had been through as much as you and she have already…if such a breathtaking beauty as Elsa was my intended, and we were out here on the secluded journey, without the impediment of a chaperone, I can assuredly tell you that by now I would have guaranteed her of my devotion in every way possible, up to and including inviting her to my be—" On the verge of saying something crude concerning the lady, Didrik is surprised when someone unsuspectingly slams open the door, unwittingly smashing the tall man's bandaged hand that just happened to be leaning against the door jam.

"ARGH!"

"Just Hans! Just Hans! Elsa is wondering if your brother is feeling better to come and have a sweet snack with us in the mess hall! She said she'll make some homemade ice cream! Don't you love the sound of 'mess hall' plus 'ice cream'?!" Olaf comes barging into the sickbay as excited as a puppy.

"Snowman! Damn it all!"

"Oh, hoo! Swearing on a Sunday! Was that your bad hand? I'm really sorry, Hans' big-brother-with-the-curly-moustache! I know how I can make it up for you! Do you like extra whipped cream on your ice cream, too? I'll give you half of mine to make up for squishing your hand in the door! It's the busted one anyway, so it can't hurt that much more than being blasted by a shotgun! Boy! You are really brave to have endured surgery and already be up and around on your feet!" The clumsy snowman blinks up at the tall, dark and dangerous eyed man who was glowering in pain down upon Hans' strange little snow friend.

"I know a secret about what flavor ice cream Hans loves! But wild reindeer couldn't drag it out of me to say Hans loves pumpkin! Oopsy! I spilled the cream!" Olaf whispers conspiringly behind his branchy hand into Didrik's ear.

"I prefer crushed snow- _man_ , but – _argh_ – of course, we will be honored to attend the Queen of Arendelle's luscious luncheon. Right after my doctoring Lillebror redresses my bandages for the new wound I doubtlessly deserved." Prince Didrik purses his lips at his actual bloodied wound now, followed by a smarmy sneer down at the smirking cold perpetrator of his pain.

"Poetic justice?" As he now truly applies medicinal ointments to his older brother's broken skinned knuckles, Hans could not restrain his own simper. He was on the verge of berating his discourteous brother for insinuating something inappropriate about his, thus far purely platonic relationship with his Queen.

"Ha ha. You have a fine deadpan sense of humor, Lillebror, belied by those innocent wide-eyed looks. 'Tis a shame we were not better friends growing up, Hans. I think we would have hit it off splendidly and been infamous rascals, notorious throughout Denmark." Didrik honestly relinquishes some of his past misgivings and resentment as he sees his youngest brother in another light now.

And for once one brother was in need of such brotherly advice on the heady subject of women at last.

"Perhaps we can make up for lost time now, Storbror. I believe we could spend the rest of this voyage enlightening and encouraging one another, as the good Lord originally intended for brothers to do." Hans says with a sympathetic smile of compassion as he finishes bandaging Didrik's genuinely injured palm.

"Thank you for bringing my angel to me. You are a true brother after all, Didrik." Hans secretly always looked up to how his older brother Didrik had such debonair charm and natural eloquence that sent whatever lady he encountered reeling.

"Well, as long as we end up in the 'brotherly love continues' category rather than 'brothers born for adversity'." Didrik impresses Hans with his unexpected well-versed memory of Biblical proportions concerning brethren. The older ne'er-do-well had remembered the verses from his earliest years spent studying with his devout Scottish mother before she was lost to her brood of a dozen plus one last, fateful son.

"' _Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.'"_ Hans lifts his deep tenor voice in the sanctified hymn he recalled from choir days of old at the convent orphanage where he was sentenced to as a youth.

Hans had spent many an hour wondering what it would be like to be a full-fledged Westergaard brother, longing to be able to ask his big brothers the questions little brothers growing up held, back home in the Castle in Egeskov, when Didrik was one of his ridiculers.

And now, due to the forbearance of the faithful young woman Hans had fallen madly in love with, and she returned that affection, fully granting his repentant soul forgiveness.

So that forsaken young boy could now, as well, share the forgiveness Jesus Christ gave to all, to wash away every sin of kidnappers, attempted murderers, and cruel brothers as well, on a destined day two thousand years ago.

Now, Hans could, as the Lord instructed, turn the other cheek and strive for the true friendship of those who once reviled him, due to Elsa's example and love.

* * *

 _Speaking of that phenomenal young lady who never imagined herself a peacemaker…_

Elsa found herself in the awkward situation of trying to keep her oversensitive friend, growing touchier by the day, Princess Valentina appeased, while not alienating Prince Alonso too badly in the process.

Proposing a sweet snack break to ease the intense combat between the back to arguing affianced pair, Elsa had asked Olaf to fetch her Hans to help bring some sanity to the warring lovers.

In the kitchen galley lower decks of the Gler, the current naval staff bowed reverently to hop to Queen Elsa's every bidding of her sudden hankering for hand-made cookery.

Elsa felt rather a homey attachment to the small ship kitchen, knowing her guy was the commander of the vessel this time.

The blond Scandinavian woman takes a deep breath as she super chills the homemade ice cream with a simple blow from her lips.

"How to make the perfect royal ice cream wedding cake when Prince Alonso prefers chocolate flavoring while Valentina insists that strawberry is queen? The brown and pink colors do not blend well at all when they begin to melt." The two-toned ice creams that Elsa had set beautifully in side-by-side hearts and swirled flowers, as per Valentina's desire, were starting to melt into an icksome colored puddle in her two guests' neglected bowls.

"Oh Hans, you must help me! I can't by myself!" At the end of her rope, Elsa watches Alonso and Valentina quarrel in the dining area as she whispers to herself forlornly.

Her lips were folded in a tight line as the Ice Queen tries for the third time to reconstruct each of their ice melting delicacies, delicately spiraled with frozen whipped icing in the shape of the double heart motif of her friend's Valentine day ice cream wedding cake.

It was to be premiered in two weeks in Paraiso as Valentina had nonstop chattered to infinitely describe in every detail the design pattern she had in mind for Elsa to help create a splendid cake this past week on board her wedding cruise ship.

"Guess who, Mademoiselle cake mistress?" Breathing into her ear with a pair of playful hands over her eyes, the dashing Captain of the Gler had just seconds earlier, with a silent finger to his lips, signaled to his smiling crew to not alert the occupied ice cream dessert decorator.

"No one could mimic your touch, _min Raevstorre_." Elsa whispers in her man's large keen ear. "But when my eyes are covered, I'm not always perfectly sure of what exact target I may be freezing." She gently comments, unaware that the respectful galley crew had mostly cleared out from the dessert area to serve out the other entrées for her impromptu brunch.

"Now that thought could give a man nightmare chills, Lillebror. Or should I say ' _Raevstorre_ ' (Fox)? Perhaps I should be the one receiving lessons on women from you, little brother. Argh! Damn blasted hand! Pardon my rough language, your Majesty. That was not suitable for a delicate flower to hear. Ergh." Prince Didrik bows his snarky head to the Arendelle Queen as he cradles his injured left palm that had attempted to swipe a maraschino cherry from atop one of the dessert plates on the counter at lovely young 'Chef Bernadotte's' artistically frozen ice cream display.

"No offense taken, your Highness. Is your hand injury still so very painful? Shall I employ some ice upon your brother's bandage, Hans?" The Ice Queen offers her services to the pair of tall man slender men invading her busy kitchen area.

"That won't be necessary. I only ask permission to sample your delectable handmade whipped cream. A little clumsy carrot nosed, big mouth birdie told us it was delicious." The older prince, after receiving Elsa's nod, takes a spoon and dips it into the special overflowing with whipped cream bowlful of bronze orange ice cream.

The scoops had been lovingly crafted and snow-covered sugar carved into three orangey adorable pumpkin shapes.

"Let me guess. Pumpkin pie flavor, of course, Lillebror! Your absolute favorite dessert we horrible brothers always connived to thwart you from partaking growing up. I deeply apologize for depriving you of it back then. But it makes this treat all the sweeter now, eh?" Didrik laughs at the silly romantic antics of a sticky couple so madly in love with one another that it was almost at the point of compulsive obsessive disorder to witness.

Sardonically smirking, Didrik gives Hans a look that said ' _See, I was right. You've got this Queen hanging on your every whim. She only longs to please you.'_

"How did you know that pumpkin pie was my favorite sweet treat?" Clearing his 'change the subject' throat, Hans asks Elsa with a pleased grin. Then he takes a luscious bite of the creamy pumpkin pie flavored ice cream fare that Elsa proudly presents to him, too.

"I know everything about you, min älskare. I was in your attic." Elsa mumbles the last five words with a raised brow, which send the Naval man's big ears to turn to bright shade of red.

With a nervous giggle, Elsa pops a frozen cherry into her lover's parted, speechless lips.

"Oh, she is good, Hans." Didrik compliments Elsa for leaving her generally loquacious young man without any saucy repartee.

"But what are we to do about _them_ , Hans? It would be a shame to have come all this way to have no wedding to attend at all. Valentina and Alonso had become such good friends to me, I think my heart would break for them both if they let their love slip away." Hopeless romantic Elsa whispers to her man over their ice cream treat.

She motions her head towards where the Prince of Cordoba was petulantly seated at one end of the mess hall table and the Princess of Paraiso was primly perched all the way on the other, as far away from one another as they could get.

With eyes diverted and miffed noses turned up at one another, the explosive two were obviously back to being on non-speaking terms again.

Hans thoughtfully considers the predicament his compassionate girl laid out for him to solve for several seconds. Then the decisive leader takes hold of his own pleasant lover's ice cream surprise with a smile in appreciation to its maker, and escorts his satisfied fiancée to the Captain's table with his brother curiously following.

"We will do what all problems that worry us require to be properly solved." Man of action Kommander Hans answers decidedly, as he enjoys every last spoonful of the sweet pumpkin ice cream his love had devotedly created just for him.

"We pray to God about it for His Heavenly guidance." The young officer had, since his own penitent redemption, had spent many an hour in quiet soulful reflection to clear his head and place his problems before the only One who could move hearts of stone, fire or ice to 'love thy neighbor' and 'forgive trespasses seventy-times-seventy'.

"It is Sunday, after all, and you have come just in time to be welcomed to attend Chapel devotion with myself and my crew. Alonso and Valentina will be specially included for a particular sermon, most of all." Vise Admiral Hans Westergaard reassuringly reaches across the table to 'separate the sorrow and collect up all the cream' of Elsa of Arendelle's now contented, relieved smile which showed how much she firmly believed in him.

As for Elsa, she was thankful to have her beloved at her side, who had the wisdom and goodness – even towards his former rival – to address her concern for her friends.

Having her confident Prince Hans near gave his lily white Queen Elsa peace of mind that the path of true love would surely lead to the golden bonds of marriage, washed clean in the precious redeeming blood, forgiveness, and unselfish Love of Jesus Christ.

* * *

Happy Easter, dear Frozen friends!

I hope you had a wonderful Eastertide celebrating the wondrous miracle of our King of Kings, Jesus of Nazareth's undying sacrifice and love for mankind in the Greatest Story Ever Told!

This chapter, titled in Jesus' Scriptural wisdom about pure beauty and trust in the Father, has been woven on this blessed weekend with our Lord and Saviour's beautiful story of redeeming Love, patient forgiveness, and abiding hope for our two concurrent romance couples on their flowery journey down the aisle to wedded bliss!

And Hans' once bad boy brother Prince Didrik once again proved that no one is irredeemable! The wily charmer, full of advice for his Lillebror, unexpectedly brought Elsa and Hans back together in his colorful, most unexpected way, so they can spend this valuable vacation on the high seas romancing rather than pine away separated!

Now that they're teamed up, can the power couple get Alonso and Valentina down the altar when they arrive in Paraiso? Stay tuned to see the romantic fireworks, friends!

The peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all as Springtime flowers bloom with blessed joy!

Happy Easter! I'm off to plant some promisingly beautiful Easter lilies! ^-^

HarukaKou

* * *

 **'** _Consider_ _the_ _lilies_ _of the_ _field_ _, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin. And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these'._ _-_ _Matthew_ _6_ _:_ _28_ _-29_


	53. Chapter 52 - Three Simple Little Words

_We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

 **"Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act IX**

 **Chapter 52**

 **"** **Three Simple Little Words"**

Kommander Hans Westergaard could not be more satisfied as he stood tall on the bridge of the HmNos Gler's foredeck, sailing the high seas as Captain of his own mighty steamship.

Not only was he in command of this modern, imposing, remarkable naval craft – as the young naval seamen always dreamed, yet knew he would never attain as the outcast, thirteenth in-line son— but Prince Hans was traveling to the other side of the world beside the woman he loved.

And from the way her exotic eyes looked approvingly at him, Hans could tell his Elsa loved and adored him every bit as much right back.

That sentiment of passion between the young and virile Prince of the Southern Isles and his beautiful – not to mention powerful – bride-to-be was only augmented by this precious interim chance to be alone before their own wedding would take place.

In full command of the Gler, clever navigator Prince Hans had made certain his steamship had easily sped on ahead of the ship it was to escort, the Santa Teresa. The Gler effortlessly outpaced the Santa Teresa in distancing nautical miles between them, by order of gradually increasing the refitted steamship's speed knots.

So with each nautical mile, the Gler would pull further away from its partnered craft, moving just a little bit faster than its more slovenly maritime counterpart of a cruise ship and increase the traveling distance between them.

After all, what was the point of standing at the command of a more sleek and swift vessel, if one did not utilize all of its splendid features? At least, that's what Hans' elder brother, Prince Didrik, on board the Gler, had slyly insinuated to his little brother during dinner seated at the Captain's table just this evening.

This open dare between the men prompted Hans to invite Elsa out for one of their after dinner late-night strolls on the deck. The redhead had tired of putting up with their guests of honor, Princess Valentina and Prince Alonso's endless competitive arguments which put the two not on very good speaking terms with one another all through the tense dinner.

"Oh, what a marvelous night! I feel like I've been swept off my feet after that delicious dinner and then all that dancing, Hans! You are so incredible at the waltz! How exhilarating it is to be traveling the high seas with you, on a ship you command, my handsome Vise Admiral!" Elsa whispers her high spirits in her fiancé's ear, breaking the precious silence both had been enjoying out of range of Valentina's shrill constant chattering in an increasingly hoarse voice.

The Paraiso woman had been prattling on and on about wedding plan after wedding plan that only Eliana seemed to be listening to out of the seven passengers seated at the Captain's table.

"And so fast! The tingling sensation of the salty sea's wind rushing across my skin makes me feel so free and untamed!" The once constrained and controlled young woman lets herself go in this unrestricted environment, her arms outstretched like her wings were at last ready to embrace the racing breeze's stimulating excitement.

"Cutting through the Atlantic Ocean at top speed on the open air deck of my ship suits you, _min hviddue_ (my dove). I can assure you the Gler has enough reserve energy in its _potent_ , multiple steam turbines, Elsa. The surging raw power this vessel has been holding back all this trip has been itching to be put to good use and revved up to keep you satiated with ample chills – I mean thrills, my enticing Norwegian Queen." Charmer Hans gracefully sidles up behind the arms stretched out blonde and slides his arms around her slim torso, seductively breathing into her wild hair and intoxicating neck. "Much like its Captain Kommander has been withholding his… ahem… _reserve steam_. Just for you." Pressing Elsa intimately close to his tall, svelte body, with a sly smile, the Danish young man had been feeling his oats particularly this night as he had been masterfully maneuvering across the deserted darkness with his lovely lady, in pretense to be escorting her to her state room cabin below deck for the night.

With fluttering purplish shadowed eyelids that were on the verge of being lost to his dominant force, Elsa peers over the dark choppy seas as the Gler was gaining significant distance across the ocean with its escort ship.

"Revved up, Hans? Whatever do you mean? Aren't we pulling a little too far ahead of the other ship where Councilor Kai and the others are? They're just tiny little specs on their deck that I soon won't be able to see at all." The picturesquely innocent platinum blonde murmurs between breathless moonlight kisses that her ardent lover was generously supplying on her pale shoulder.

"That is the point." The amused Kommander of the naval vessel takes command of his woman now, twirling the Ice Queen around to pirouette on her dainty, but slippery, icicle heels until she falls dizzily into the crook of his embrace.

Startled, yet too euphoric to further protest, Elsa glances over one last time to where the Gler was leaving the Santa Teresa in its seafoam dust. Then she turns back, full of hungry yearning to meet the burning green eyes of her own attentive, attractive escort.

The Dane rewards her with an inviting lick and nibble to her enticed lips that causes Elsa to nervously titter at this new and exciting, tickling sensation.

Hans, feeding off the easy-to-read desire in the platinum beauty's stunning eyes, fluidly scoops the giggling Queen of Arendelle up in his strong arms.

Flowing on the beams of the romantic moonlight, the confident Prince of the Southern Isles nuzzles his pointy nose in Elsa's soft hair as he holds her like a priceless treasure in his arms. Showering her with kisses and promises of sweet everythings all the while, Prince Hans instinctively moves like a self-satisfied panther who had caught his finest prey across the empty decks and down the hall towards the Gler's stateroom cabins.

When he strides deliberately past hers, Elsa was neither surprised nor distressed to be weightlessly carried in through the kicked open door of the Captain's cabin instead.

As the ship sways gently, the amount of breathless, needy kisses that pass between the devilishly handsome Danish Prince and his iridescently disarming Norwegian Queen in his arms were countless as the stars Hans and Elsa left behind above deck.

The light of their ecstasy didn't require the celestial illumination anymore, as the lovers find their way in the dark around the room and each other in this extremely intimate, uninhibited way for the first time.

"I love you…!" Elsa suddenly affirms, cryokinetically cooling the perspiration drops from the forehead of her heavily breathing young man.

"Jeg elsker deg, my darling _min skat_." The Dane murmurs in response to her declaration with a trail of kisses along Elsa's elegant, willing throat and jawline, despite his best efforts to restrain himself.

"But…we shouldn't be doing this… Elsa, please, you've left me in agony withholding our wedding date all these weeks! I don't know how much longer I can remain a perfect gentleman, never mind my honor as an officer, with our future up in the air like this. Why have you indentured me to such sweet torture, my Queen?" All at once, Prince Hans felt forces pulling his body and soul in opposing directions. Vulnerable and guilty at the same time, his conscience knew he should not be taking advantage of such a magnificent, innocent creature before they were officially wed. His conscience tries to sift through the minutiae of his moral guilt versus the passionate actions that spoke volumes to the ready and rearing, doe-eyed woman.

However, as her long elegant fingernails dig in deliciously to his strong back, a seductively smiling Elsa draws Hans in with encouraging smiles and little yearning noises until his moral principles become hopelessly lost under the Ice Queen's desirous spell.

Prince Hans was utterly at her command now as Elsa uses her magic to coax her betrothed's handsome face to her vehemently with her ice.

"Oh Hans, my foxy _Raevstorre_. That doesn't matter! All I know is I need you now. You are the most wonderful, most gallant, most beautiful man I have ever known. No longer can I wait for you to touch me like this! After all these long, lonely months of our forced, prolonged engagement we've struggled through—when we know our love is true? How many times have I dreamt of you taking me as your own and making me a real woman—not just one created of glassy ice, at last?" Coquettish, unusually impatient Elsa huskily whispers in their deliciously transcending mixture of cold passionately hot breaths shared in the midst of the spacious cabin, unlit by any luminescence save the bright moonlight somewhere above their heads bent into one another.

"Not half as long as I have yearned hear you say those three simple little words, _min kæreste_. Never have I awaited another moment with such eager anticipation than this I hear in your voice's hungered welcome to bestir my once forsaken heart." The Prince of the Southern Isles throatily confesses his own masculine longing as he, with perfect grace and flawless rhythm, lays Elsa's lissome frame down to his bed.

"Are you as sure of this, my dove?" Hans whispers the final consent, stroking Elsa's alabaster cheek before taking her pale chin firmly between his fingers as his pulsating lean body hovers over her.

"I trust no one else to ever make me feel as warm and safe all over as I know you can, my gorgeous Prince. Only you can penetrate the ice barrier erected in me with the intensity of your love." The once inhibited, withdrawn, untouchable woman, who wielded potent, powerful magic running through her veins, right down to her enchanted fingertips, completely comes out of her cool shell, which begins to literally as well as figuratively, melt away.

"I love you, Hans Westergaard. Make me yours..." Unguarded at last and ready to let it all go, Elsa invites Hans in with her most earnest, beseeching voice, accompanied by a soft peck of her luscious lips craving for him to the side of his mouth.

As his ship sways softly around the pair enraptured in one another, his hands, his lips, his entire body responds to her, desperately wanting to please.

Hans Westergaard tenderly shows Elsa of Arendelle all the gentle warmth and deep passion he had kept alight and saved himself for all these years, just for his dream of her alone.

The suave and urbane young Vise Admiral tenderly beguiles his trembling, innocent lady into this new realm of being physical lovers with a soft love song on his lips to both becalm and entice her.

" _Do I want you because you're wonderful? Are you wonderful because I want you?"_ Hans' soaring tenor unassumingly asks as he leaves a trail of blazing hot kisses, and teasing nibbles across a sighing Elsa's cool jawline and nape of neck as he sensuously makes his way down to her heaving chest.

Her aesthetically enticing glistening blue ice gown slowly melts away, layer by tantalizing layer under his fervid touch. That gives Prince Hans, in the pale moonlight streaming through his cabin window, his first ravenous look and unfettered amorous access to exert himself over to explore his flawlessly stunning Queen Elsa of Arendelle's most secret treasures.

" _Are you the sweet invention of a lover's dream? Or are you really as wonderful as you seem…?"_

* * *

 _ **Delectable hours of delight later…**_

As if in a delirious fantasy, with each splendid moment tingling with pure gratification, Prince Hans had finally relinquished his incredible drive to join his thoroughly exhausted, yet smiling serenely Elsa, curled up like a satisfied kitten into him, in a contented rest in the wee hours of the morning.

Without opening his viridiscent eyes, his lady's sweet scent in his nostrils, the succulent taste of her kisses still in his pleased mouth, Prince Hans languidly awakens from his lazy slumber with the dawn.

As the sunlight streams through his Captain's cabin window and onto his languorous simper, Prince Hans reaches his sinewy, flexing muscle arms around where his sultry blonde muse had been languidly laying with her sylphlike slender body over his equally unclothed form.

The Danish young man was unable to contemplate much other than how very satiated his exquisitely alluring compliant Arendelle Queen appeared, lying on his bare chest with her attractive, perfectly formed, vulnerable pale one rising and falling with softly slumbering breaths.

 _How I adore you, my own love…_

Hans gazes down in awe upon Elsa's silky soft perfection his fingers were tacitly admiring, made even more glistening and flawless by the fresh sunlight. Then the ambitious, virile young man of twenty-five years of age turns over to hover over his appetizing Queen with a taste for more as she begins to stir.

But that's when the hackles on the back of this just awakening redhead's aroused neck stand up with sudden, jarring pre-recognition.

More like a cold premonition of doom.

"VISE ADMIRAL!" A bitter cold rush of wind signals a violent ice storm rumbling into his previously peacefully blissful cabin.

"I entrusted my precious child to your care, and you promised nothing would happen to besmirch her chastity! You LIAR! YOU ARE A DISGRACE TO MY NAVY!" The utterly disquieting resonance which assigns to an agitated Hans' ears was so filled with perturbation, resentment and wrath, that the normally self-possessed Danish Prince was literally shivering.

Maybe that was also due to the overwhelming surge of an accumulation of frost Hans and his entire Captain's cabin from stem to stern in the subzero castigation of his future father-in-law's raw anger was ensconced within.

"WHAT DEBAUCHMENT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY DAUGHTER, YOU BLACKGUARD PROFLIGATE?! How dare you sully her purity prior to your Royal wedding, that I now **_GUARANTEE_ ** will never take place, you Devil Boy Dane!" Appearing out of nowhere and everywhere at once, the Ice King furiously pelts the caught offguard younger man with a relentless sheath of punishing cold ice spikes.

"ELSA! Dress yourself immediately and come away from that wicked man's clutches! I should have known better than to have stood by and allowed you to become involved with such a treacherous villain!" King Agdar viciously rebukes his chattering teeth junior officer for defiling his previously pure Snow Princess.

"But, Papa! You already agreed I could marry Hans, didn't you?!" Draped in sheets, Elsa jumps from Hans' bed, weeping uncontrollably as her father cryokinetically wraps a supercooled cloak rime around his similarly ice gifted elder daughter's aforementioned vulnerable naked form found in this despicable Dane's cabin on the ship he foolishly entrusted the miscreant with.

King Agdar transforms into his fearsome, full crystallized ice form, with surging frosted light eyes aglow glaring down at the Dane, who was unable to move from where he had been pinned to the bed with ice.

"That was before he violated all decency! No more will this vile princeling ever deceive our family! He has extinguished henceforth any chance of trust or further forgiveness and forbearance from anyone in my kingdom forevermore, Elsa! I'm taking you home far away from this unworthy wretch and designing trickster! I hereby banish him from our land and summarily sentence him to be under the Snow Queen's eternal domination in the South Pole with that wicked Djvælen monster encrusted beneath the ice—where both belong! Prince Hans will never see you, my daughter, nor the light of day again!" The booming roar of the Ice King's venom echoes in Hans' ears as he watches his beloved delight, his enchanting Queen Elsa of Arendelle, be beckoned away.

Soon complying in distraught tears, she accedes to her angered parent's demanding order as the Norwegian King leads Elsa safely in her protective Papa's welcoming embrace.

With frosty white, punishing hands, the Ice King shuns Hans Westergaard from his dearest aspiration of sharing a lifetime with the woman he loved, pulling Elsa away behind his bitter ice tempest until her sparkling light disappears from Hans' view entirely…

The blue white ice King of Arendelle buries his would be son-in-law to banish him forever from being a citizen of his country. In one terrible moment Hans' dreamed of life is ripped asunder, his own true love being taken from him, as he is decommissioned in disgrace as a Sjoforsvaret officer, never to be saluted as Vise Admiral nor sail his own mighty ship again.

The Danish Prince knew he deserved the relentless piles upon deadly piles of frigid snow and ice that cover up his entire blameworthy, incriminating bed as his heart sinks into forlorn despair at all he had lost for just a fleeting sinful pleasure.

Prince Hans Westergaard was buried alive in an avalanche of snow, frozen solid in shame and sorrow to realize his temptation's indulgence ensured he would see his breathtaking Elsa of Arendelle no more.

And his once promising story of Grace and Redemption and Love ends tragically, as hypothermia sets in…

* * *

'Ungh!"

 _ **Pant. Pant. Pant.**_

In a cold sweat, literally gasping for air as he awakens from this terrifying nightmare, Prince Hans opens his eyes in his solitary bed.

Trying to regain his scattered senses, the disturbed Danish man sits straight up in bed to scan around his empty Captain's cabin of the HmNos Gler in this early morning light.

He was uncommonly grateful to find his breathtakingly beautiful, still pure and unsullied virgin Queen Elsa was not present there.

The sun was just peeking through his shipboard window as his thunderously pounding heart in his ears calms down slowly from the at first enthralling, than absolutely unsavory nighttime hallucination.

Hans gives a sigh of relief to realize it was all merely a nightmare— it was not true, and that the trust, position and honor benevolently placed in the penitent man by his Admiral leader – Elsa's father the King – was not in reality shattered by temptation's momentary weakness.

"Dear God, forgive me for entertaining such wicked, depraved thoughts. Help me keep all patient rectitude and righteousness, to maintain stalwart resolution in my soul, especially concerning my pristine angel, until our wedding vows are sanctified under the sacrament of marriage You beautifully created for man and woman. The wiser conscience you have graciously instilled within me has pricked my mind, heart and soul to strive to remain that principled hero my pure of heart Elsa deserves, until the propitious day we are properly joined in Your holy bonds of matrimony, Lord." Hans proficiently begs pardon to the God and Saviour who munificently gave the repentant man a blessed second chance at happiness in life.

And Hans Westergaard was too smart a young man to let that serendipitous opportunity at a lifetime of warmth and goodness slip between his fingers for mere mortal needs of immediate gratification.

"Are you talking to yourself in the mirror, JustHans? I like to do that, too! I always think that maybe one of these times the snowman in the glass will answer back differently! Won't that be fun?!" The talkative frozen sidekick had waddled through the door of the Captain's cabin after a single knock – which Hans apparently did not hear in his ardent morning prayer and guilt ridden confession – as the ashamed young man washed his perspiring hair and performed his morning ablutions before the mirror with the washbasin and towel.

"Is someone there?!" Uptight, deep in thought Hans, with soap and water in his eyes, makes a grab for his always close by blade and expertly wields it at whomever had unduly entered his room uninvited.

"Okay. Let's start again. Good morning, JustHans! The Navy weather report says it's going to be a beauty! Well, that's what Princess Valentina said, though Prince Alonso contradicted her and predicted rain. So either way, I brought out parasols for me and Elsa!" Olaf sings happily, nonplussed by the redhead's edgy response to his appearance.

"Hmm? Olaf? What did you say will be fun? Forgive me for not listening closely. I was just contemplating another erroneous transgression I might have done." Distracted, Hans holds his shaving razor away from his smooth chin and glances down to the small snow creature who had let himself into his Danish friend's cabin bedroom.

"Ooh, big words! What's an 'erroneous transgression', JustHans? Have I done any lately?" Olaf naively blinks up at his downhearted friend.

"Erroneous simply means 'wrong', Olaf. As for 'transgressions'…my complex life is a bitter example of those. It is a sin against God's moral code teachings that the Devil continually tempts mankind to pursue, though the sinner knows better with a sinless Jesus Christ as our guide. The Lord only wants us to experience the good in life, not indulge in the sin. We must strive to resist immoral transgressions at all times, Olaf, lest they lead to the disastrous consequences that they surely will culminate into. Believe me, I know firsthand the pitfalls." Hans explains, more talking to his own heart than to the snowman's pure one.

"Oh! We beat that old Devil Troll guy already! So you have no worries! Can you teach me to shave, too, JustHans? I've been noticing Eliana staring at my manly developing 5 o'clock frost shadow and I think I want some dapper sideburns to give her my best manful profile while we attend all the romantic parties planned in Paraiso. Princess Valentina asked Elsa to turn her palace ballroom there into an icy Summer wonderland! Can you imagine? It's Summer in Brazil already! SUMMER! I think some sideburns like yours will make me more debonair a dancing partner in my bow tie, don't you?" Olaf didn't realize how absurdly comical he appeared as he reaches up to grab a branchy fistful of snow from his personal snow flurry above his head after he studied Hans' exquisite face closely.

" _With some slick new sideburns, I'll be as handsome as I have yearned! Gliding my gal to and fro, as handsome as a waltzing gigolo, in South American Summer!"_ As he boisterously sings in rhyme of his favorite season, Olaf swiftly fashions a thin layer of the snow he had grabbed from his PSF (personal snow flurry). He affixes to each of his snowy temples the elongated pair of 'furry', pointed rectangular shapes.

"How do I look now?" Optimistic Olaf shines his brightest gleaming smile to Hans as he had mimicked the dashing young man's trademark facial hair, showing it off.

"Amazing." Inwardly distressed at his recent nightmare that left him rattled, Hans still had the wherewithal to humor Elsa's first creation. As the redhead pulls on his freshly pressed Navy blue jacket, it made him feel more proper on the outside at least.

"Hmmm…" Olaf hops up on the vacated seat at Hans' washbasin and table and stares critically at his own face. Squinting one eye, the snowman leans in as Hans continues to button up his collar in the shared mirror behind Olaf.

"Maybe sideburns look better in that nifty shade in red of yours. I wish I had red hair, too." The snowman bemoans his head's lack of top color, never mind his body devoid of any facial hair whatsoever to start out with in the first place.

"I prefer blondes myself, midshipman." Just then, Hans' green eyes light up and his face deeply reddens as he spies his fiancée with the platinum locks – the real, actual, non-fantasy woman he had, in dreams, been forbidden from ever seeing again – strolling across the Gler's top deck.

Elsa and Valentina were together arm in arm, sunning themselves languidly across the deck on this already hot, humid sunny February morn, south of the equator.

The ship had transferred from the cold Canaries current of the North Atlantic they had been sailing, to now move into the warmer North Equatorial current of the tropical South Atlantic where their target destination of Paraiso would be reached in the next day or so.

"On your best behavior, Westergaard, unless you wish to relive that frightful nightmare in real-time." With this warning to self under his breath, Hans comes above deck with Olaf at his heels. Any trace of the unfortunate male propensity to want to rush right out and enjoy the delightful view at closer range was eradicated by that sobering thought as he instead makes his way to the wheelhouse.

But it was particularly tempting, for his stunning Ice Queen was trying out that fetching lilac sarong type ensemble that perfectly tanned Princess Valentina had lavished her pale friend with earlier this morning.

Valentina wished Elsa to gain some better skintone coloring that befitted her auspicious role as the maid of honor not to so contrast with the vain, bronzed skin Paraiso bride.

"In my experience on the beach, it's best to pretend you're not paying attention to your audience of admirers. Then you can discreetly watch them try to do something racy to entice you to look their way." Valentina was giving Elsa some sisterly advice on how to attract men on the sunny shores of Brazil.

"Look at those two, traipsing 'round the ship as thick as thieves. Val's showing off her finer angles, pretending not to give me a sideways glance. She thinks I don't know what she is playing at, that vain vixen." Just then, the Prince of Córdoba smugly saunters up behind Hans just entering the Gler's pilothouse bridge.

Just about out of sight, Hans tears his final picturesque view around from the pair of dark and light, shapely ladies strolling on deck arm in arm and chattering furtively all the while. At least Valentina seemed to be talking nonstop in Elsa's ear across the top deck of the Gler this early morning.

It was as if she was purposely trying not to meet the bored eyes of one of the only non-naval protocol, male passengers on board the ship where he was sitting on a deck chair they passed nonchalantly by several times.

"Good morning, Prince Alonso. Fine weather and following seas have brought us to our destination a few days ahead of time, as I course plotted." Hans says to the dark haired prince as he doles orders out to his dutiful crew who required their Captain's signature concerning docking instructions at the port they were to approach in the next day.

Putting on his Captain's hat in more ways than one as he ducks back into the wheelhouse to check coordinates with the crew, Hans defers a nod to the Argentine Crown Prince. Despite taking some slight offense at Alonso's offensive words concerning the fairer sex and their tendencies to draw young men in with their wiles, Hans offers Alonso a pleasant morning greeting.

"I suppose you can call it that. At least the weather is tolerably warmer. It's an improvement from that transatlantic cold crossing anyway. Better you than me being stuck going back to that biting arctic environment." Donning his own more loosely fitting, breathable tan and gold trimmed shirt, Prince Alonso lazily saunters across the deck with a nominal glance at his brassy fiancée.

"So then, you attest it is preferable to be in your shoes which will soon walk down the aisle with your lovely chosen maiden, here in your beautifully tropical South America." Above Alonso's head, Hans could no longer help but give a blushing Elsa his full attention with a dapper wink, as prickly Valentina points out the pair of young men ogling them.

The Arendelle Queen was startled to be seen in such bare skin fashion in public as she modestly veils herself in a sheer translucent scarf of ice blue, with a demure giggling wave to her fiancé.

"Juvenile boys!" Unruffled Valentina sniggers right by the two young princes, flamboyantly tossing her ponytail over her bare shoulder peeking between her slinky pink beachwear while giving Alonso a dared look back.

With catty eyes, the Brazilian beauty appeared rather eager to be showing off her finer points to her intended.

But the disinterested Argentine seemed not to care, as he practically shoves Hans with him into the wheelhouse and slams closed the door behind them.

"Ha! That's a laugh! It's more likely I'll be walking _out_ rather than walking _down_ any aisle with **her**." With a crooked, bitter grimace through the door at his fiancée after this morning's latest round of snide remarks and non-addressed quips at one another during breakfast, Alonso was obviously fed up.

The selfish Córdoban Prince had been envisioning his standing up his persnickety bride at the altar as a runaway groom for a change, rather than indicting himself to a lifetime of being bossed around and hounded by the pretty-in-pink vixen.

 _ **Blink. Blink.**_

"Prince Alonso? How can you get married in three days and live happily ever after if you plan to walk out of your own wedding ceremony? I don't think Princess Valentina will find it very funny at all if you don't show up, after she's worked so hard for it to be the ' _most spectacular event of the millennia'_! It's all she's been talking about to Elsa the past week and longer!" Innocent Olaf inquires with a twittle of his branchy thumbs in his total confusion up at the Argentine Prince standing near Hans inside the wheelhouse door.

" _Tell_ me about it." The dark-haired Prince dourly rolls his eyes, his head still ringing with his prideful fiancée extolling how _fabulous_ and _better_ than any other wedding this stunning one of hers in Paraiso was set to be.

 _ **Her**_ _wedding. To Valentina, I'm just a small addendum to it, in the grand scheme of things. An accessory and nothing more!_

"Midshipman Olaf. Please call up to relieve the lookout ensign, and tell him his Kommander wishes for him to take a well-deserved break. Tell him to heft you up to the Gler's crow's nest to take his place. I remember my promise." Hans clears his throat and looks down to where absorbing Olaf was curiously staring up at the pair of young men conversing on the heady subject of love and marriage.

"Oh, boy! Have I been waiting for a chance like this! Thanks, JustHans! I mean, Aye-aye, Kommander Westergaard! Woo hoo! Up I go!" Olaf happily sings, feeling as light as a feather in utter joy at such an important, lofty assignment he had begged the Gler's captain for all during the voyage, as he skitters out the door.

As he had shooed Olaf and his big snow ears away, Hans considers his next words carefully before speaking to Alonso as they too exit the bridge.

"Though they do tend to keep their deepest emotions secret, I've heard the more a certain type of lady adores her fiancé, the more she wants to show him off to the world. To a female, her precious wedding celebration reflects her happiness and high regard for her intended." The tactful Danish Prince comments to his companion, leading the lackadaisical complainer towards the ship's starboard railing with a chin gesture to Valentina.

"Adoration? High regard for me? **Ha**! And double ' **ha**!' That girl only holds an incredible self-worth in numero uno. And I can't honestly say that I have a different lifeview. So, I'm pretty sure this whole marriage idea was totally wrong for Valentina and I. We're too much two-of-a-kind to ever civilly get along like man and wife should." Alonso admits his own massive ego that he had recently come to grips with was only exceeded by hers.

At that cued moment, Princess Valentina had her head held high in letting out a loud, almost hoarse, haughty laugh at some young sailor's net knotting she'd suddenly become interested in learning, just to irk her betrothed across the deck.

Letting out a deep pent-up sigh, Alonso leans over the railing, weighing the consequences of his immediate future awash in the warm waves that were taking him even closer to a sealed fate if he didn't put a stop to it himself.

"Then, who is better to understand your heart than someone who thinks and acts and feels the same as you do? The Lord God gave us the ability to love so we could surpass all the wrongs of our selfish solitary hearts to cleave to one special, destined other. Someone dearer than our own flesh to travel this life alongside, and make its hopes **and** struggles both bearable." Hans speaks of his own spirit's longing as he stares at the beautiful soul Elsa of Arendelle encompassed and shared so much, in loneliness and insecurities amid triumphant strength, with him.

"That is why ' _Love never fails'_ nor ends _,_ if we each find that peace and joy through the example of His Son Jesus' forgiving love and wise counsel to give more to our love than we take from it—to love more than to seek to be loved. Someone who truly loves like that will be proven to do only right for the other, _'hoping for nothing, and the reward shall be great',_ in good times and bad." Hans brings the ultimate Higher Authority's shining advice to the perplexed South American Prince who was having second thoughts.

Alonso pauses to look Hans quizzically in the eye. He had been almost resolute about tossing asunder the sacrament of holy matrimony, which his fellow prince held so high in esteem and worked so hard to achieve with his own beautiful Queen.

"Hmmm. You give a better sermon than that sanctimonious preacher in your shipboard Chapel, Westergaard. Maybe you should give up this sailing gig and go for the cloth." Alonso chuckles with the uncomfortable memory of the Sunday morning chapel service on board the Gler just yesterday.

Both he and Valentina had shifted in their seats as captive audience, listening about tenderness, patience, forbearance of forgiveness that was slow to anger when both were at one another's throats and at their wits' end with the aggravating other.

"Heck, maybe the priesthood would be a better choice than a life sentence of marriage for me, too. My devoutly Roman Catholic dad couldn't say a word against me if I took holy vows, hehehe. At least then he wouldn't have to worry about me making a mess of international relations as a Casanova Prince anymore." Feeling some moral compunction at the mention of his goodly father, Alonso lets out a pressured heaving sigh as Hans' words seem to strike a note home to him.

"What madness this is I'm hearing! If either of you young rascals gives up his trip down the aisle to his promising bed of roses with either of those ravishing visions of beauty, I will personally declare you insane. Or perhaps lacking proper masculinity. Believe me, when I say as a very happily married man of too many years to count, that a woman with enough spice to wage proper confrontation in the battle of the sexes keeps a man's passion hot and on his toes rather than exist day to day in the dull and plodding." Just then, the other Prince hailing from the Southern Isles on board the Gler had emerged from his recuperating sick bay bed below deck to eavesdrop on his younger brother and friend's heartfelt discussion on women.

A subject Prince Didrik of Denmark felt himself an veteran expert on.

"Didrik! I see you are feeling well enough to leave your sickbed. How is the hand?" Hans politely asks his elder sibling with an inward chuckle of his own at the less than pious Prince Alonso's proposition to become a priest. Or himself abandoning the Navy to be a minister, for that matter, which the red-blooded Dane had no intention of entertaining.

"I am hardly a purehearted candidate to fill that most honored career position, sir. Especially after last night." Hans spoke so low that he thought only he was privy to the latter guilt-ridden comment as to his unimpeachable piety, but he was mistaken there too, as Didrik quirks a grin at his little brother.

"Yes, I find I am in well and fine enough shape to give my doting wife on that opposing vessel a fond wave to alleviate her worries and let my lady love know that I am still viable and kicking." The sixth–in-line Prince of the Southern Isles leans over the deck rail beside Alonso.

Didrik wiggles his sore fingers to greet his wife, Princess Antonia – who had aroused herself from her seasick cabin to sit on the Santa Teresa's foredeck the majority of time since her husband's sly departure.

All for the fleeting hope to catch a glimpse or two of her husband's invigorating behavior, every now and then.

"Considering my more inspiring nurses have all abandoned me and left only – ahem – that officious snowperson – to attend to my bedside needs, I have decided to come up and change my scenery as we are nearing the continent. May I say what a welcoming and breathtaking scene it is on board your ship, Vise Admiral Westergaard. 'Tis a shame we must ever disembark this lovely transatlantic cruise." The older roue's hungry eyes scan the closeby vista of females in scanty clothes strolling the deck of the Gler with far more interest than the Sugar Loaf rolling mountain escarpment dotting the lush green scenery of Rio de Janeiro's Guanabara dock just in view in the distance.

"By the sound of it, it appears you have found some time away from your maritime duties to take the opportunity of the manifold enjoyments of being Captain this unfettered crossing, after all, Lillebror." Prince Didrik teases his handsome, hopefully more experienced in matters of women, younger brother with a smug expression on his moustached face.

Didrik hooks the stolen captain's hat from Hans' head and places it on his own, smirking shrewdly insinuating at the way Hans was looking Elsa and she waved back at him across the ship's deck.

"Though it is not as free and easy as you imagine, Storbror, I have prided myself upon keeping these still waters _clean_ and _clear_ , as befitting a proper gentlemen and Kommander of this great Sjoforsvaret Navy." Hans slyly and righteously declares to his amused sibling, who merely shrugs his dapper shoulders and grins benignly.

"Whatever high waves you fancy, Sailor." Didrik responds with a crafty wink.

"Why do I have a feeling you two are meaning more than you're saying in those strange maritime similes? Nevermind. I've got too many of my own female problems to deal with to care." Alonso lets out a huff, his eyes too entranced in that vision of bronze and pink strutting down to the deck below to even cast a glance at the continent they were slowly approaching.

"Speaking of the exceptional feminine creature that is woman, may I make a suggestion, Prince Alonso? I have watched you and your intended together on board the Gler this past week. I assure you that your explosive relationship is much akin to those early days your dear cousin Antonia and I had shared a decade and a half ago when we were first wed." With a cunning look to Hans, Didrik pulls Alonso aside, speaking like a big brother to the younger man as the charmer wraps his good arm around his shoulder.

"Take my word for it, your feisty Paraiso Princess would not react to you with such vivid emotion were there not enough passion behind those entrancing eyes to keep you satisfied for a lifetime. After fifteen plus years of our glorious cat and mouse marriage, my combative love affair with Antoinetta is far more rewarding than now than ever before. And that is because all the real fun is in the challenge of the invigorating fight, followed by undeniable breathless declarations of those three simple little words: _'I love you'._ The pleasurable reconciliation that assuredly takes place in the bedchamber later, does help, as well. Perhaps that is why I thrive on driving my lady mad. Good or bad, I know that I fill her every thought, emotion and dream, as she eventually encapsulated mine." Showing off his own marital expertise, Prince Didrik ends by giving a sweeping bow to his Spanish beauty he had affectionately nicknamed 'Antoinetta' for her finicky airs and graces combined with a temper that kept him in check all these years, with the fires of their love still burning bright.

"You two Danes make a pretty convincing argument about the rewards of wedded bliss." Just as he finishes saying this, Alonso only had take one look across the deck to see his fiery fiancée give him a haughty, challenging look over her shoulder and disappear down the steps to the cabins below.

"You say marriage gets better with age? It had better, since she already treats me like dirt. I guess I'll think about it." Still clinging to youth's undomesticated lure, the vain, good-looking playboy Prince of Córdoba could feel slightly more willing to wait before breaking the kingdom joining deal with his lately intolerable fiancée.

Gazing over at her dangerously enticing pink silhouette, irresponsible Alonso could maybe yet consider rising to the challenge of Valentina of Paraiso, if given the right incentive.

Unfortunately, at this inopportune moment, Valentina snubs her nose up at her unforthcoming future mate, causing Alonso to sniff in disdain.

"But imagining _me_ trapped in a lifetime with her nonstop bossing me around? No, thank you." Self-important Prince Alonso petulantly tosses his errant brown coif back at the distasteful thought.

"If her attitude doesn't improve by the end of this voyage tomorrow, I'm definitely calling it quits."

Hans and Didrik exchange doubtful glances as the cagey young man makes the ultimatum to the sky, as if to yet declare his last gasp of independence before the end of everything fun and exciting – _AKA marriage_ – roped him in.

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile on the outskirts of Paraiso, in the Tijuca rain forest…**_

"No no no no no! This is not good! Why did we have to be so selfless and send good ol' Carpet off with fresh medicine for those native sick folks that Tibetan witch doctor of yours was treating?!"

The Military Division of the Royal Guardpolice, militia of the Brazilian kingdom of Paraiso were hot upon the trail of a certain attractive, noisy rogue who, whether by bad luck or misfortune, found himself once again on the wrong side of the law.

"Eugene! What did you do to make those _guardas_ so angry?!" Rapunzel's aunt on her mother's side, Princess Wilhelmina of Drottningham, hisses at her male companion as she catches up to him.

Flynn Rider had ducked back behind the tall sprawling mangrove tree that was just on the outskirts of the rain forest boundary they just exited.

She grabs a panting Eugene by his loose collar and pulls him back behind the tree just in the nick of time to miss catching the eye of one of the patrolling local guardsmen.

"Absolutely nothing! I swear! Look, Willow. All I did – _after our long and arduous weeklong trek through this godforsaken rain forest_ _full of snakes and bugs and creepy crawlers of every variety known to man –_ was to stop and stretch to rinse out and wring my sweaty drenched shirt and muddy trousers here at this roadside well. That's when the next thing I knew some elderly old nuns crossing the road start screaming bloody murder! All of a sudden, these military types come rushing out of that café bistro over there yelling ' _Criminoso_!' and swinging whips, canes and other unpleasant looking mercurial tools of torture at me." Eugene pants, leaning down to his knees, exhausted from his dash trying to lose the federales chasing him.

The athletic bandit had flipped and leaped magnificently over the lush greenery of Tijuca's dense vegetation that he had just exited to return right back into the darkened canopy for cover. Problem is, Eugene landed right in a tangled mess of the flowery bramble vines Brazil is famed for.

"Damn thorns on these wretched pink leaf things! Ouch!" The unlucky thief tries to brush off the colorful Bougainvillea's long arching thorny branches, but only succeeds in further ensnaring himself.

"What exactly did they accuse you of, Eugene? I was _way_ too absorbed in picking up those _heavy_ packs of botanic and biological samples Master Babaji asked me to bring back to Prussia for Varian to test at the Leipzig University, and getting them into the cart that you _abandoned_ me to push all on my own. So I missed the incident entirely. But I could hear you swearing all the way from in here." Willow complains of her _gallant_ traveling companion who left her literally holding the bags, in a pickle again.

"Well, who's the one who volunteered us to be good Samaritans and give away our plush ride?" Eugene whines in a snarky voice. "Anyway, my Portuguese is a little rusty, but those police guys sounded like they were saying something like ' _X pours sewing de sainte.'_ I swear, I did nothing to any of those sweet little holy ladies going to their sewing circle! Nor do I have anything in common with any Saints they're on their way to extolling."

"Eugene! ' _Exposicao indecente'_!? That plainly means 'indecent exposure'! Which is considered a punishable crime here in this strict ethical sector of the southern continent. To make matters worse, did you have to flash a group of nuns?! Why on earth did you have to strip off your clothes in public?" As if scolding a naughty child, Willow puts her hands on her shapely hips, then points at the extremely tanned and shirtless, stubbly man's incriminating and hairy hirsute, full-grown bare chest.

"And if they catch me – a lone, unattached woman – emerging from the jungle with you, both of us looking bedraggled like this - I'll surely be tossed in jail and whipped with those lashes, even more than you, for being a vulgar _muhler da rua_ (woman of the streets)! And that would definitely be added to your long list of crimes against this land's severe moral code!" Willow says in exasperation, desperately trying to slice away at the vines that her extravagant erstwhile fellow traveler gotten himself tangled in.

"Hey, it's not my fault! You didn't expect me to walk around in a filthy shirt and soaking wet pants after you and your bright ideas of a shortcut got us in that bog! And I blame stingy Pascal entirely for making that arbitrary ape angry about lunch." Eugene makes an excuse as to the unfortunate morning involving bananas and thieving monkeys and an irascible, fellow pickpocket who wasn't about to let the long tailed miscreant get away with the prize Eugene went to great trouble climbing to pick.

"So what if they catch us anyway? We'll just explain who we are, you know, _special_ _envoy_ _royal_ visitors and all – and these local yokels will have to show some respect and let us pass on our way to Paraiso Palace, right?" With that calm, logical disclosure decision, Eugene slumps on the jungle's verdant green in prickly pain.

"Wrong! If we do, we might cause an international incident here for Corona! We're supposed to be the foreign diplomats! Diplomats don't break laws as a rule! And you, my friend, have taken the brass ring for racking up criminal violations here. That's the last thing we want to do, with King Fritz trying to create some trading inroads with this country, despite his past history with the King of Paraiso. What is it with you men not being able to get along with other world leaders?! Argh! Men!" Willow throws up her hand, knocking the big straw hat she had been wearing to look more native to the side as she whispers in quick time.

"I could try to go back to Baron von Reichenbach and Master Babaji, but they've gone in the opposite direction—more south, so we must be miles apart now. Besides, I wouldn't want to get either of them involved in this trouble. Scientists and Himalayan yogis foraging through their prized rain forest are not exactly welcome in these draconian parts either." Princess Wilhelmina explains the impending peril of the already strained relationship between King Friedrich and King Pedro.

 _They haven't been on the best of terms since Arianna and I needed to be bailed out years ago on our last expedition, just previous to her wedding, when that recently widowed, gorgeous Brazilian King started being such a machismo flirt!_

"Yeah! The local guardrilleros are definitely going to lock you up for the next three months in forced hard labor if they catch you looking like that!" Aunt Willow was well-traveled in these parts enough to be more than knowledgeable as to the strict local policing laws where unclothed public displays were taboo.

"What's wrong with this physique, woman?! Despite a little dirt – and regrettable blood spots here and there, anyone just has to take one look to know it's perfect. At least, it was before this godforsaken jungle got a hold of me! _Scheiße! Verdammt_ these thorns have teeth! _Der mist!"_ Eugene was still the vainglorious braggart in the midst of danger and troubles, loudly letting out a tirade of pained expletives in his native German as he gets further entangled in the wisteria vines.

"That harsh sentencing, by the way, gets worse with each minor infraction. I.e., loud shouting, swearing, and use of indecent gestures. All of which you have done in the past five minutes nonstop and quite vociferously." Willow warns as she struggles to carefully cut her nephew-in-law's verdant green vine prison.

"Now you tell me!" In a frazzled state, Eugene's muddy shirt tied around his hips only partially covered his capuchin monkey ripped and torn pants, exposed, sweaty bare chest and general state of indecent undress.

He had emerged hot and disheveled from the Tijuca rain forest, where Willow's head shrink scientist friend and doctoring medicine man from the Himalayas had worked for this past month to all but cure the sleepwalking thief of his idiosyncratic pilfering somnambulism.

 _Out of the frying pan, into the fire…_

But in his haste to escape the guardsman and rush back into the lush jungle, Eugene had gotten himself snagged in the dangling vines there he had painstakingly avoided walking through before.

The vines clinched the criminal offender from further flight, for the unlucky ex-con had the damning bramble wrapped around his ankles to keep him grounded here indefinitely.

The saucy rogue had attempted to straighten his hunched over frame to display his many ripped _\- in both attributes of the word_ \- his indeed impressive, albeit thorn pierced – bared abs and pecs in protest of any local, rigid decency rule.

"There! I have spotted the _indecente_ _criminoso_! Get him, men!" One keen eared and eyed malicious guardsmen also takes note of the incriminating display of the shirtless man who just added cursing loudly and indecently gesturing to his list of crimes.

The young guardrillero raises the alarm to his compatriots as they race the felon who had got himself ensnared in the lush, summertime bougainvillea and liana bramble.

"Damn it! I'm nicked! These prickly vines are worse than Rapunzel's hair! Ouchy! _Was zur Hölle_! Damn! # #%$!$  &%!" Beyond overheated, sweaty, and frustrated, Flynn Rider vents his hard luck, despite Willow's warning.

In letting out every swear word in the book he knew, Eugene's heedless, quick movement struggling only furthers his self-nabbed cage as the lawmen were inevitably rushing towards him.

His gutsy aunt wields her handy penknife and continues to try to cut him loose, ignoring her own pricked fingers in doing so.

"No time to cut me out, Wills! I'm stuck in these dratted vines too bad! You and Pascal get out of here and get back to Carpet before those military moral police catch you, too!" Eugene selflessly decides, giving up to his prickly vine captor that was ripping his rippling pecs to scratched, bloody messes.

 _And my magical, melodic healing gal clear on the other side of the globe…_

"But what can Carpet do once you're in jail!? We need to get you help without causing an international incident for Corona! Like I told you, Master Babaji is not all that popular with the local Catholic administration and the Baron probably wouldn't want to reveal he was messing around with the exotic animal test subjects in their precious rain forest right about now when he's at a parapsychological breakthrough. Friedrich is gonna kill me for not keeping a closer eye on you…" Beneath her sombrero, Princess Wilhelmina could think of no one else to turn to in this strict cultural divide, so far away from home, for help.

The situation sounded pretty grave as she agonizes over how to keep her recently cured of his sleepwalking problem nephew out of this South American country's prison and back home before he was sentenced to years of hard labor.

"Yeah, who you gonna call…? I know! **Sideburns**!" Eugene's furrowed brow and spasmodic struck face silently break into a wry grin in utter confidence, even as the noisy guardsmen enter the ring force limits.

"Who?" The Swedish woman cocks her dark brown ponytailed head at the unfamiliar moniker.

"Prince Hans of the Southern Isles!" Eugene says with exasperation in his voice that Willow did not at first recognize his fitting nickname for his bosom friend of an inseparable cousin who was more like a little brother to him.

"Your Danish friend? But isn't he still on his way here by ship? " Willow recalls the extremely winsome, reliable younger man whom she had met in Corona who had capably helped deliver Rapunzel's twins when the pregnant mother to be was in deathly peril.

"It's almost February 14! Knowing my judicious Lillebror, his ship has not only come in, but it's days ahead of schedule! He'll find a way to either sweet talk or break me out of here, because the kid's almost as slick and sly and cool and cunning under pressure – _not to mention devilishly good-looking_ – as me when it comes to unjust incarceration! He'll find some stylish way to break me out of the clink before these local losers know what hit them! Ha ha!" Eugene, rather than writhe in agonized pain, or regret of his dire, politically sensitive predicament, had his eyes light up with glee at the thought.

The wily thirteenth in-line Prince of the Southern Isles would surely come swooping in with his clever schemes and suave surefire maneuvering to victory which Eugene had witnessed too many times to doubt the outcome.

"I sure hope so. I'd hate to have to go all the way home to Corona to tell your folks that, yes, the sleep experts we came to cure you of your somnambulism and thieving insomniac penchant were successful after a month-long treatment between the two of them. But on the way to the Royal wedding in Paraiso we were to respectfully represent on their behalf, you got yourself beaten with forty lashes and locked up for years, just for going shirtless, swearing and acting lewd in public here in austere Brazil – a kingdom King Friedrich is already not the fondest of." Willow mutters, glancing back to where the Brazilian guards were almost upon them.

"Gee, Willow. Thanks for that overwhelming vote of encouragement." Flippant Eugene smirks up at the explorer woman just a year or two his senior, wincing at his multiple thorn wounds.

"And for heaven's sake, Eugene, please don't tell these local neighborhood inspectors who you really are! They'll think you're representing Prussia and throwing support for the potential uprising in the class warfare I heard from the Baron, that's malingering between the common man and upper crust elites here, with the military caught in the middle of South American politics. It's an extremely complicated situation, so it's best we keep mum, lest we step in an explosive can of worms. The guards have a mandate to subjugate or even execute any foreign dissidents who get involved, so try to keep a low profile, okay? I'll collect Carpet and try to locate Prince Hans as soon as I can!" With a glint in her eye, audacious Willow takes the large straw hat sombrero from her head and pops it onto Eugene's. Then she pulls on a dark cape to hood over her ponytail with a final salute to the stationary man.

Pascal gives a wide-eyed Eugene beneath that huge straw hat a thumbs up – in his best non-opposable thumb lizard digit way – to encourage Rapunzel's husband to hang tight. Then the chameleon jumps on Willow's invigorated shoulder to take off for this grand adventure, just like the ones she and Idun always planned in the far-flung corners of the world when they were kids.

The limber, experienced older woman gathers up the important bags of her luggage from the wheelbarrow cart and dashes into the jungle to disappear into its mists.

"Wait. Did she say ' **execute'**?" Eugene spazzes aloud to no one in particular.

 _GULP_

"Hey! How ya doin', fellas? Fine, hot summer day for us to be out in the jungle exploring, eh?" Eugene flashes his most disarming smile which none of the group of vexed guardsmen appeared to be taken in by, from their sullen, angry faces appearing around him.

"Are you not the _criminoso_ those holy sisters accused of indecency on the side of the road! What is your name, Señor? And what is your connection to the villainous insurgents we recently picked up down the road on their way to disrupt the Royal wedding?" The Captain of the guard – who looked and sounded to Eugene uncannily like Cass' sourpuss dad, Captain Schmidt, back home in Corona – demands.

Tipping the sombrero up from Eugene's slumped head, the lead guardas sneers down at the disruptor with the accusation as the former thief squints his eyes against the bright sunlight.

"Look at this handsome mug! Doesn't look like a serial flasher's, does it? Oh, come on! I've got a new family with pair of babies to go home to be a good father!" He puts up his hands defensively arrogant as they approach, giving cover to Rapunzel's explorer aunt and the frog on her shoulder who were dashing away with a cloak over her head.

When Willow just disappears over the rise on the summertime path, going the opposite direction of the Tijuca rain forest, Eugene gives a sigh of relief.

The entire group of dark skinned lawmen doesn't twitch a muscle at his plaintive words in the foreign language they did not understand. The burliest guardsman soon reaches for his punitive whip at his belt with a sneer down at the condemned man.

 _Okay! Time for some improvisation to the smolder…My disguise acting better be award-winning, if I want to stave off these bloodthirsty locos for a while..._

As the angry guards descend upon the thorn-trapped man to punish him harshly to the full extent of their severe laws right on the spot, Eugene hangs his head.

Then, from beneath the depths of Willow's sombrero that she had flopped on his head just before she booked it, the cunning man applies his suddenly-fluent-in-time-of-need, linguistic merit in a change of both his tune and voice accent to be more self-effacing humble.

" _Esperar! Eu não sei nada sobre essas pessoas ruins que você fala, señor. Sou apenas um humilde e temente a Deus fazendeiro de uvas das vinhas do Sul, trazendo amostras da minha melhor colheita de degustação para o mercado para a cerimônia de casamento real em paraiso. Eu devo ganhar dinheiro para minha esposa doente e nossas meninas gêmeas recém-nascido. Mas aquele cavalo possuído por demônios fugiu com a maioria dos meus barris de vinho depois que um macaco barulhento o assustou. Então eu tenho que andar esfarrapado pela floresta tropical, perdida por dias. Depois de beber o último do meu bom vinho da minha cantina para sustento antes que eu desmaiou morto, eu devo ter tropeçado no escuro e caiu neste remendo espinhoso desagradável. Por favor, mostrem misericórdia a este belo e jovem pai, amável señor. Não queria assustar essas santas irmãs. Imploro o perdão deles mil vezes._ _Eu me atiro à sua misericórdia, bom senhor! Meu nome é José Berrera."_

("Wait! I don't know anything about these bad hombres you talk about, Señor. I'm just a humble, simple, God-fearing grape farmer of the vineyards from the south, bringing samples of my best tasting harvest to the market for the Royal wedding ceremony in Paraiso. I must make money for my sick wife and our newborn twin girls. But that demon-possessed horse ran off with most of my wine barrels after a noisy monkey frightened him. So I must walk myself ragged through the rainforest, lost for days. After drinking the last of my good wine from my canteen for sustenance before I fainted dead, I must've stumbled in the dark and fell into this nasty thorny patch. Please show mercy to this handsome young father, kind Señor. I did not mean to scare those holy sisters at all. I am begging their pardon a thousand times. I throw myself to your mercy, good sir! My name is José Berrera.")

After a long moment of silence following Eugene's elongated speech, that was pronounced fluidly in the foreign Portuguese language as if the con man's life depended on it – because it did – the obese chief guardsmen breaks out in a harsh chuckle.

"For some reason, this strange-talking, good-looking funnyman José Barrera amuses me, gentlemen. We will not sentence him to death, just yet. As for the lashing he deserves… In the meantime, perhaps we can kill two birds with one beautifying stone." The large, dark skinned, heavily accented man smiles sadistically to lean into Eugene's flinching face, setting our handsome thief's teeth on edge with this suspicious motive, a supposed reprieve.

"It just so happens that these 'nasty vines' he has become entangled within, Señor, also sport the lovely Bouganvillea flowers of colorful pinks, magenta and fuchsia, with heart-shaped leaves that our dear Princess Valentina of Paraiso adores. Considering her upcoming wedding in two days time, we here in Barra da Tijuca, on the outskirts of the capital city of our beloved Royal family, will start the celebration in style. You will personally be the purveyor of so many breathtaking arrangements of these beautiful flora to offer to the sisters you have disrespected. They will add the lovely flowers with the heart-shaped foliage to their rosary prayers in the happy wedding's honor on St. Valentine's, in just two days time. It will a be wonderful sight to behold, and show our province's devotion to the kingdom, yes?" The big man with the dark black beard tenderly strokes the petals of the colorful cluster.

The three, pink hued flowers surrounded by the three heart-shaped bracts instantly associated these attractive blooms with the symbol of love that the pretty Crown Princess daughter of King Pedro favored greatly.

"You, José Barrera, will use those talented, fine wine pressing fingers to create a beautiful floral arrangement that we will send to our beloved Princess Valentina for her wedding with the prettiest Bougainvillea flowers found here. That is, after you painstakingly strip each and every Bougainvillea flower vine of the thorns, by your bare hands alone for atonement, Señor Berrara. If – and only if you do a decent job that the holy sisters approve of enough to forgive you of your sins – will I consider leniency of sentencing you to only the three years hard work labor. But do not worry, my handsome friend. I will _personally_ take care of your long sentence here in my jail cell, and show my celebratory benevolence by not summarily executing you for your many crimes, Señor." The sugary worded Captain of the Royal Paraiso Guard says to Eugene with a sadistic smile stretched across his tanned, too-jovial face looking Eugene up and down approvingly.

The jaw dropped man stares in horror from his creepy would-be jailor to the masses of pink and red and purple blossoms and heart-shaped leaves of the Bougainvillea flowers hanging from the highest point of each of the hundreds of trailing vines at the rain forest edge.

And they all were full of the thorns the poor scratched and scraped man was well acquainted with already.

"Just think of it, Señor Barrera. This will be a labor of love that your wife and children will be proud of you for creating, as citizens of this great nation! You can tell them all about how you contributed to the grand wedding of our dear Princessa when you are released from prison in three short years' time, after you and I have become good friends." The gregarious and sadistic Captain places an arm around Eugene's freed shoulders as his unhappy troupe of pricked finger guardsmen finally loosen the dark man disguised as a Brazilian from his thorny vine imprisonment.

" _Só o que sempre sonhei._ (Just what I've always dreamed.)" Plucking the thorny flora as directed, Eugene grimaces with a sigh. He bolsters himself with the thought of Hans coming to his rescue, hopefully pronto, while the thief who needed his talented fingers still had sensation in them.

 _Ouchy! I hate the sight of blood! Especially my own! And this weird geezer's laugh gives me the creeps!_

 _Come on, kid! I'm counting on you to get me out of this rotten, thorny mess..._

* * *

 _ **Back on board the HmNos Gler…**_

Later that evening, an urgent knock at his captain's cabin door startles Prince Hans from a disturbed reverie.

He had kept his mind occupied, writing imperative formal letters to contacts on the South American continent he was scheduled to meet with.

Afterwards, the dashing Vise Admiral attempted this day's entry in his Captain's log, seated at his desk where every now and then he would stare up at the stars through his cabin window to sort through this rollercoaster last day of the Gler's incoming transatlantic voyage.

In between his apprehensions as to the auspicious, highly anticipated Valentine's Day wedding in Paraiso – that was, as yet, still tentatively set in two days time – Hans could not help but wonder of his own future wedding date.

The Prince of the Southern Isles considered for long hours all day how he could face his Queen as a gentleman Prince, after his disturbing dream the night before, with heart in hand trying to convince Elsa to hasten their own long awaited nuptials, lest his morals falter, this time in reality.

And the flustered state of the woman on the other side of his door sends Prince Hans' muddled head utterly reeling.

"Hans! Please come! I just found Valentina collapsed, all feverish and not moving! She won't wake up when I call her name!" Hans was anxious when he throws open the door to find his pale Queen quite frightened and shaking for her friend's welfare in the sunsetting backdrop.

"Elsa! Please calm down. Olaf, go inform the ship's doctor of Princess Valentina's condition. He's starting his rounds in the crew's cabins in the forecastle checking them for landfall deployment in the morning." Again, Hans was Elsa's cool, even voice of commanding reassurance as he gives the sleepless snowman who had trailed Elsa's side his orders.

"I'll come with you at once, min kæreste. I'm sure the Princess will be fine soon." In the hallway, the tall, slender redhead looks deeply in his Ice Queen's chilled eyes as he strides alongside her.

"What would I ever do without you, Hans?" Elsa weakly smiles, beyond grateful to have her decisive young man so swift and attentive to her cares as Hans takes Elsa's trembling hand securely in his warm one.

 _Hopefully, you'll never have to find out._

The guilt-ridden redhead thinks self-consciously, giving Elsa a quirky smile as they quickly traverse the lower berth hall to the Gler's staterooms.

As responsible captain, Hans was only too glad to help his high strung, important Brazilian passenger, and especially felt it his duty to come to his love's beckon on her behalf.

Coincidentally, as the sun was setting, Prince Alonso had been solitary strolling on deck, thinking about the big step he would be taking in two days' time and really searching his soul in wonder if it was all worth it.

As the ship drew closer to the South American port of Guanabara Bay, the young Argentine had been seriously considering the lifelong fate assigned to him there.

The previous morning's cold shoulder and evening dinner's unapologetic, insipid remarks put a nail in the coffin for a teetering resolve Alonso. Even after he went out on a limb after dinner, and put out the first olive branch, asking Valentina to dance, his bride-to-be had awarded him with the excuse of a 'splitting headache' and dismissive 'need to lie down'.

That selfish insensitivity was plainly on display almost this entire month-long trip, so Prince Alonso was finally of the decision to call it all off, advice or no from the Danes.

He had spent this early evening's final shipboard sunset summoning up the courage of vexed anger and resentful reliving through their many arguments.

Prince Alonso decided to confront Princess Valentina with his last minute, yet conclusive withdrawal of their upcoming marriage arrangement.

Before it was too late for either of them to feel free to have fun anymore.

 _ **KNOCK. KNOCK.**_

"Valentina? Open up!"

 _ **KNOCK! KNOCK**_!

"We have to…talk…? HEY! What are you doing in my fiancée's bed, you mercenary jerk!?" Alonso was disgruntled to say the least to find his near bride, stripped down to her meager undergarments and in the arms of another man, apparently in the process of further removing Valentina's negligee, nightdress and silky wrap.

Already worked up in great emotion, the hot-blooded, young Córdoban Prince was not prepared for how this shock would affect his male psyche.

"Stay away from my girl, you treacherous old lothario!"

 _ **PUNCH!**_

In the interim it took for an incensed Alonso to cross the room and wrench Prince Didrik – wearing nothing but his own dapper, loosened nightrobe sleepwear – away from the looming close proximity of the seemingly ravished and limp dark skinned beauty, Elsa and Hans were just arriving as stunned eyewitnesses to the violent scene.

Before Didrik had the chance to explain his unnerving intimate presence, hotheaded Alonso had squarely slugged the surprised Danish man in the jaw so hard and fast and furious in his vehemence that it was nearly dislodged, and a tooth knocked out of socket.

"Oh dear! Prince Didrik kindly offered to come help prepare poor, sickly Princess Valentina for treatment by laying that waterproof canvas sheet down on the bed beneath her when the doctor was not in sickbay! He said he used to assist the ship's doctor on his Navy craft prepare patients with the fever! When we arrived, the lady's temperature was so hot and high, the good Prince was only trying to cool her down by removing some of her outer clothing. The doctor would need to do so as soon as possible to start the bringing down the fever with ice cubes! Queen Elsa must help with her ice! Oh! This is terrible! He's bleeding!" Eliana whines as she rushes between patients in from the other room.

She had been gathering towels and pillows and such for Valentina and now runs under everyone's feet to dab her handkerchief and cradle the Danish Prince's wobbly head.

Didrik's bruised and battered jaw was starting to ooze blood all over the snowwoman's prim little frock. But he licks up the blood at the side of his moustached mouth with a quirky smirk.

"That's what I get for being a beneficent fellow. I assure you, sir, my intentions towards your fiancée were purely of platonic concern. Besides having some experience on board sickbays on ships of my own, my Antonia and my girls all went through this type of emotional fever. Then the good doctor prescribed removing all their thick, water retaining clothing as quickly as possible, to allow the suffocated skin to breathe, before the immediate ice bath could be applied, soon thereafter. I honestly meant no harm to your Crown Princess, Prince Alonso." As Hans helps his split lipped older brother up to his feet, Didrik calmly explains his motives with a smirk at the passion evoked from the Prince of Córdoba, who otherwise feigned passivity and indifference to the Brazilian beauty.

"Emotional fever!? Why is Valentina feverish?" His fists at his side shaking, Alonso sheds his peevish angry lover mode immediately upon hearing and seeing his fiancée's limp and listless form lying strewn on the bed where Prince Didrik was forced to drop her unceremoniously on the waterproof canvas.

"Maybe I can answer that, Alonso." Elsa pipes up here, giving Hans a glance and a smile as she steps forward.

"Valentina's been so excited and anxious and in great anticipation for the upcoming wedding, I'm afraid she had worked herself into a tizzy of high expectation these past few weeks. She's been so sleepless and worried that all must go perfectly, I have seen her health suffer day by day, despite my best warnings. As a friend, I have been trying to urge her to just let her worries go and enjoy this special time with you, Alonso, as I am with loving every moment with my beloved fiancée." Elsa gently strokes the Princess of Paraiso's hot forehead with her cool fingertips, while gazing adoringly over her shoulder at Hans.

"I was once just like Valentina. Maybe not as boisterous, but the same at keeping my emotions bottled up inside. Until the people who love me most showed me that keeping everything locked up tight inside myself was wrong. If 'Love can melt a frozen heart', it certainly can bestill an uptight, bothered one." Once shy Elsa opens up to her former suitor, recalling her sister Anna's endless belief and sweet confession of devoted unconditional love which brought the Ice Queen out from under the bondage of anxiety and fear.

"All these grandiose preparations and extravagant plans are because Valentina secretly fears disappointing you, Alonso. Like her mother did when she left her father, the King of Paraiso, for his indiscretions with a mistress when Valentina was just a baby, and she later died of a miscarriage. That's why her whole life, Valentina's been so competitive, trying to prove she's 'a little bit more' than worthy of not being tossed aside, nor trampled on, nor discarded." Elsa sagely narrates what she – a good listener – quietly perceived of her new dear friend, as the Prince of Córdoba had flown to Valentina of Paraiso's bedside, and had tenderly gathered up his Princess in his arms.

"I didn't know all that about her past. Why didn't I ever bother to find out!?" For once in his vain life, Prince Alonso regrets his actions. Or rather, negligent _inaction_.

"I didn't mean what I said last night, Val! I wasn't thinking straight when I threatened to leave you. Come on, girl! You have to be all right, because we have an incredible wedding the day after tomorrow to go through with! I know you'll give a little bit more than your all and won't let me down. So, I swear I won't ever stand you up or dare to mess around or leave you in the lurch like that! I'd miss you too much. Hey, wake up! You can order me around and talk my ear off the rest of our lives together! I need someone to tell me off every now and then, right? I'll make 100% sure that you'll never want to leave me. And I won't ever leave you, my funny Valentine." All at once, Prince Alonso realizes from the limp, silent, feverish state of his usually vibrant and noisy fiancée, how much he would miss having her around to chase and chasten him both.

It hits Alonso how he would feel lost without hearing her constant melodic voice, even in bossy, nagging mode, if she never spoke another word to him again.

That was because the once selfish and vainglorious young man truly loved this 'secretly a little bit insecure' young woman. Deep down in his soul, he knew she was his match.

"A…lon…so?" At her fiancé's gently breathed words of understanding, where he fondly discovered that all-encompassing, new pet nickname for her at last, spoken with evident tender sentiment, Valentina was moved enough to awaken as she chokes up to him in a raspy whispered name.

"Don't strain your voice, my pretty Valentine. You don't need to say anything. I'm right here for you, all the way." The dark brown haired young Prince pushes back the long bangs framing his face as he leans down over that of the bronze skinned beauty left flopped on the tousled bed all limp and wet like an old oil rag.

But to Alonso, Valentina never looked more beautiful.

"I love you." For the first time in his life, Prince Alonso admits this to someone other than himself as he pulls a deliriously smiling Valentina's upper torso closer onto his lap. As he softly strokes her cascading loose mass of curls, the self absorbed Crown Prince gently, yet reassuringly lands a passionate kiss on her trembling red lips.

"a-lon-so? i –" In the tiniest, inaudible, gravelly whisper, Valentina's sore throat may have not been able to verbally utter those three simple little words her anxiety-filled heart had been longing to say, but her lips begin to mouth it for the first time ever.

All the while of this romantic interlude between the couple, the ship's doctor was readying the patient for treatment. With Ice Queen Elsa's able assistance that his Captain offered, experienced himself in her cryokinetics, the doctor applies the ice cube 'bath' over Valentina's partially clothed body.

"– LOVE YOU!" A chilled Valentina's barely audible voice now squeals extremely loudly from the sudden sensation of cold ice on her bared skin at a deafened Alonso.

Elsa, under the ship's doctor's direction, had carefully been laying the cold ice therapy to treat the constitutional fever ague with her frosty ice cubes all around her Brazilian friend.

Everyone in the room chuckles at the pink cheeked Princess of Paraiso's slender body responds by involuntarily reaching her arms to grasp firmly around her fiancé's neck.

Valentina forcefully yanks an unsuspecting Alonso down to her ice cube chilled body that was wearing only her tight fuchsia pink shift where Didrik had laid her out on the virtually waterproof cold retaining canvas fabric.

"Can't say I blame you for wanting my company, my chilly Valentine. I know now how eager you are to have me in your bed, so I might as well share in your therapy treatment and keep you company now. That's what good married couples do, right? What you're in for, I'm all the way, too. Brr! That's cold!" Bravely lying on the frozen mattress next to Valentina, teasing Alonso leans in to smooth back some of her drenched bangs and the mass of curls that were part of Valentina's unkempt hairdo.

"Let me warm you up." Flirtatious Alonso smoothes back the wetness on her shivering, smiling cheek before planting another gentle, yet reassuring kiss to Valentina's trembling purplish blue lips as he lays back and whispers sweet nothings in her decreasingly fever reduced ear.

Reverting back to his no longer panicking, saucy smug self, Prince Alonso responds to his certainly now reaffirmed bride-to-be playfully on his side of the frosty mattress.

If this positive spirit had anything to do with health's quick recovery, Elsa and Hans' matchmaking efforts these past weeks for the combative pair was not in vain.

"So romantic." Elsa sighs blissfully she steps back from icing Valentina and Alonso's shared subzero spot on the bed and goes to lean into her own gallant fiancé's warm chest.

"Yes, min alskare. Your good example and sweet understanding has paved their way." Hans indulges in this intimate moment of breathing into Elsa's fragrant hair, before catching himself.

"As we will be making landfall in the next few hours, my Queen, I'm obliged to return to the bridge. I must devote myself to studying the maps of the Guanabara Porto if we are to safely sail the Gler into their dock. Excuse me, please, my love." The Southern Isles' youngest Prince stoically withdraws, feeling a little skittish after his consequential nightmare to fully enjoy his Queen's provocative advances.

Hans gives his betrothed a gentlemanly bow and backs out from the room.

To which his big brother, Didrik, just laughs away his bloody split lip that Eliana was attending. A loose tooth now added to his broken boned left palm's pain, the older man realizes that he had been subject to all this nuisance as result of these two pairs of persnickety young lovers' ocean voyage path towards wedded true love.

 _Halfway into the light, my friends._

* * *

Memorial Day Weekend greetings, Frozen Again friends!

Did you enjoy this oh-so- _memorable_ Helsa Memorial Day episode?

Poor Hans had a nightmare! And what a nightmare!

Our noble Danish prince is still a red-blooded young man with unleashed fantasies of his lovely lady right at his fingertips, after all…

It may have started out pretty peachy for our hero Hans, but his honorable conscience pricked him with a nightmare of how his love affair with his beautiful Queen may end if he crosses that premarital line. Hopefully, that premonition of frozen doom won't let him go astray again!

And as for Eugene…that guy can't cut a break! Brazilian laws were sure strict back in those days and Flynn Rider sure don't seem to be simpatico! Will his cousin/kid brother get there in time to bail the unlucky rogue out of another prison incarceration?

And, with Helsa's advice and Didrik's 'help', Alonso and Valentina seem at last ready to walk the aisle! Good thing too! It's the next chapter's main show! You're all invited to one amazing Wedding Valentine's Day in Paraiso! :)

Thanks for reading! I'd love to hear your reviews of this emotional installment, that started with a forbidden fantasy bedroom scene for our imaginative Dane!

Have a blessed Memorial Day, everyone! As we enjoy the BBQ and family summertime fun, remember the men and women who served to protect our freedoms abroad so we can celebrate freely back home!

Have a great Memorial Day weekend!

God bless you all,

HarukaKou

P.S. To the soldiers of the past and all who serve so selflessly for us in the present, here's 'Three Simple Little Words' from your fans here at Frozen Again:

"WE LOVE YOU!" ^_^


	54. Chapter 53 - Daddy's Girls

_We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters._

 **"Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"**

 **Act IX**

 **Chapter 53**

 **"** **Daddy's Girls"**

The end of the Gler's long and romantic journey for these two affianced couples signified the beginning of the new and exciting one about to open in sunny Rio de Janeiro.

As the Norwegian craft headed into the Guanabara Porto on schedule, just past noontime into the scenic Bay, Elsa found herself instantly enraptured by the green and vibrant summer beauty thereof.

"Didn't I tell you the weather in Paraiso would be divine?!" It was everything and more than Princess Valentina described in a hoarse, yet recuperating, whisper. She knew that her friend who hailed from the frosty winter clime would be awed by the breathtaking vista of this renowned _"bosom of the sea_ ".

The beautiful view of the dozens of verdant green islands in the backdrop each displayed swaying palm trees that dotted the Duque de Cazias on its eastern shore. Flanked by the Sugarloaf Mountain range of Pao de Azucar, to the tranquil blue blue waters of the shimmering Baia de Guanabara, the Kingdom of Paraiso was beautiful.

The Ice Queen who ruled the Winter North could only imagine such summertime beach splendor in this bright, vivid and richly flamboyant southern section of the equator.

As for her friendly snowman who had come along for this once-in-a-lifetime ride, Olaf stood on the deck with his slushy jaw dropped in awe as the ship entered into the sun drenched quay in the oceanic Guanabara Bay location.

"Wow! Just take a look at all the real people sunbathing on those island beaches, Elsa! I can't wait to hit the burning sands with Eliana! Come on, Just Hans! Bring this baby into dock quick quick, so we can all go skinny dipping!" In his naïveté in overhearing the stark swimming term from roguish big brother Didrik and crass Prince Alonso's conversations just this morning, Olaf impatiently hops onto the foremast of the HmNos Gler.

The eager snowman looked more like a fitting decorative head mast to the vessel hailing from the Scandinavian kingdom in the North seas than a being that belonged on a beach.

"Midshipman, please man your post." Kommander Westergaard had previously noticed his bedazzled Queen's sudden distress at seeing her snowy friend precariously perched atop the ship's foremast where he could easily plunge into the warm waters in the steamship's churning wake.

"Aye aye, Captain! I mean Vise Admiral!" Olaf sings pleasantly with a salute up at Hans to scurry back across the foredeck. The snowman had mastered shimmying down and hauling himself up to the crow's nest lookout like a pro after a few practical instructions from the Gler's fastidious chief officer.

 _Thank you._ Elsa mouths with a grateful smile to her betrothed who could always smooth over her frustrations and fears, including Olaf's dangerous lumps and bumps.

"Your Majesty." Hans stiffly bows in a cool, detached response to Elsa's obvious adoration, causing her vibrant smile to slightly falter.

"However, your snowman does have the right idea about the wild goings-on in sunny Paraiso. At least, since last I was there. I can attest that the swimming is highly recommended on these fragrant beaches. Not to mention the… ahem… skinny dipping attractions which I have attended on many family visits in the past, of course." With a culpable grin and churlish smile, Prince Didrik's words titillate the Queen of Arendelle to giggle.

"Ahem." But her currently somewhat standoffish boyfriend, who obviously woke up on the wrong side of his empty bed, frowns at his crude brethren.

"With your excellent physiques, I highly recommend you both participate in the scenic frivolities while you're here, your Majesty, Lillebror." The caddish older man ignores Hans' disdain and lowers his roving eye upon Elsa's sylphlike frame. Her own gaze made a pretty conjunction with his younger brother Hans' slender, yet sinewy muscular build in all the right, pleasing to the eye places that well would fit in on the Brazilian beach scene.

"I, for one, would not need much convincing to have some Brazilian beach time after these past few months I've been visiting the frozen tundra. _Brrr_! My blood still goes cold when I remember that spooky Snow Queen's kingdom on a remote iceberg at the godforsaken top of the world." Prince Alonso declares in his sulky way after the Córdoban man had gently escorted his fever recovering fiancée to the top deck as Valentina wished to watch this lead ship coming to her hometown seaport.

 _And my Valentine's wish is my command._

"So, you prefer my beaches to the snow fields, Alonsy?" Princess Valentina softly whispers with a pleased smile tracing her dry lips. She leans into her fiancé for bodily support in the nook of Alonso's stabilizing arm that had patiently led her up stairs to the top deck.

"You'll find out just how much I do in one more day, my pretty Valentine." The Argentine seductively murmurs in his betrothed's ear joined by a tender nibble that sends the weak of body Princess of Paraiso's heart affirmatively racing.

"You know what is worse than a quarrelsome couple, Lillebror?" Prince Didrik, in low tones, poses the question with a raised quirky brow at the reconciled pair of South American lovers.

"An ooey-gooey, lovey-dovey pair who can't keep their hands off one another in public. Please tell me as soon as it is permissible to leave this sappy love boat of yours." The debonair Danish dandy delivers the trite response, followed by a wince for the pain his flippant hand leaning against the deck railing caused.

"But knowing my clever, clever Lillebror, I'm sure you have already planned some exquisite _vacance_ time with your own hands-on sweetie of a Queen, as we make landfall in that hot climate of romantic Brazil. I myself am looking forward to seeing Mademoiselle wearing some fetching beachwear attire, sipping a mango-papaya drink on the gorgeous São Gonçalo beach." Hans' older brother breathes in the redhead's increasingly growing red ear as Hans grimaces at the irreverent man's descriptively improper insinuations about his pure Queen.

"Take us into the quay, Lieutenant Jan, giving ample clearance for the Santa Teresa to share dockside when they arrive some nautical knots to our stern." The competent Kommander of the Gler, Vise Admiral Westergaard calmly states to his coxswain junior officer at the helm inside the wheelhouse, his keen eyes fully attuned to scanning the entire green of summery Paraiso's coast.

Just as Elsa's were attuned to scanning her stunning hero, standing so tall and regal. Prince Hans in his stately navy blue Sjoforsvaret uniform, looked the part of Captain to a T. The responsible and in charge Kommander of his ship, was smoothly taking her in to the breathtaking exotic port of call that was so vibrant and blooming, with Summer sunshine written all over it.

"Is this not the start of another thrilling adventure for just the two of us, my handsome Prince?" The excited blonde beauty shines as she slinks over to where Hans had reemerged from giving his helmsman final instruction in the craft's wheelhouse to perch one long leg at the stem's rail of the HmNos Gler while leaning against it.

"I consider it my great privilege to serve Prince Alonso as his first groomsmen at his wedding to the Princess of this land, whom you, my Queen, will walk the aisle before, as her prestigious Maid of Honor. I will do all which is proper and right on this journey to serve you, Queen Elsa, and will continue to do so until the propitious date of our own wedding arrives, whenever that may be." The Danish Prince holds his head high and places his arms behind his back at gentleman's length, despite his enticing lady's advances to sidle up to enjoy the view with a more intimate embrace, much like Alonso and Valentina were sharing as the ship slowly entered the Guanabara quay at attractive Paraiso.

 _Whenever that may be?_ Elsa lets her fiancé's somewhat terse statement sink in.

 _Her_ mind was already at peace that she and he would wed when they returned to Arendelle in the Spring. Why wasn't his?

Did she ever have the opportunity to inform her impatient suitor of that delicious conclusion?

"Ermm..." Her pale brow creased, Elsa strains her memory to recall when she had shared that noteworthy tidbit of knowledge with her significant other.

Between chaperones, shipboard accidents, worries if the marriage of their argumentative South American friends they had traveled halfway across the globe to attend would even take place, the introverted young monarch was unsure.

In the quiet solicitude of her thoughts, Queen Elsa could not be 100% sure if her gallant Prince Hans knew the exact, whimsical day she had planned for their wedding in the not so distant future.

 _Oh, my poor darling! Have I been so blind and cruel to you again? Perhaps a cold as ice being like me can never learn to be a warm and human girl who deserves such a fairytale love…_

A remorseful tentative Elsa moves away, sensing that no over friendly embrace was available from the stoic and solemn Vise Admiral who was rightly busy attending to his ship's harbor docking.

Prince Hans was rigidly standing at the edge of a ship, a fine, upright officer and example of fortitude and responsibility before his crew. He cut a fine figure for the Brazilian delegation awaiting the arrival of the royal wedding party of their beloved Princess Valentina and her most important Norwegian guests.

 _Please Lord, give me the courage here in Paraiso to be open and free to speak all that is in my heart to my love and relieve his anxieties this Valentine's Day. Just as his straightforward strength and honor and love, which knows no bounds, has always quelled mine._

Under the warming sunlight that Anna prescribed, Elsa bows her lovely head in prayer of supplication to the Lord who could move hearts which never believed themselves capable of sharing a deep love such as this.

Her Majesty of Norway's Steamship Gler smoothly glides into the breathtaking port of Rio de Janeiro's Baia de Guanabara's oceanic bay under Vise Admiral Hans Westergaard's competent command to escort his Queen Elsa of Arendelle to a royal wedding on the most romantic day of the year.

* * *

These final two days before Princess Valentina was to tie the marital knot with her country's neighboring Argentinean Prince to consolidate their two countries as close allies and more were extremely full.

Starting with Queen Elsa of Norway to be introduced to Valentina's father, King Pedro, as well as so many visiting ambassadors and dignitaries already gathered for the wedding the day after tomorrow upon entering the Palace until her head was spinning.

"Oh, my Primavera Bougainvillea! You have come home to me at last!" Dom Pedro of Paraiso embraces his daughter over-the-top animatedly with her flowery pink nickname.

"I must admit I have been a nervous wreck since my beloved child left on her voyage around the world. I thank Providence, Vise Admiral, that you have arrived several days ahead of time to quiet my nerves. And that's saying nothing of the wedding festivities and preparations the Princess must have time to place her special mark upon. For I was beginning to believe, without the benevolent kindness of his Majesty King Agdar's speedy escort vessel, and her Majesty Queen Elsa, who graces us with her very attractive presence, that our young bride and groom would not be in attendance for their own wedding ceremony." Tall, dark and of ample proportions, Dom Pedro of Paraiso was a large and imposing man in every sense of the word.

"Queen Elsa, I have already heard so much about you from many of my kingdom's visitors! But your true beauty and undeniable presence exceeds all reports, _linda dama_ (lovely lady)." Don Pedro approaches a demure Elsa at the foot of the Paço Imperial Royal Palace court steps.

Abruptly after a flourished bow, the King forcefully takes hold of her surprised slender body in his wide girth embrace, intensely kissing both of Elsa's instantly frigid cheeks as if she were an old, intimate acquaintance.

"Why… Thank you, Your Majesty. I…too, am more than pleased to meet you, King Pedro." It took all Elsa's restrained wherewithal to contain her unease at this stranger's tactile approach as she shoots a glance over King Pedro's broad shoulders to Hans.

But in this touchy-feely instance, her Knight in shining armor could do little more than smile back at Elsa encouragingly in understanding.

Pitying his fiancée, Hans nobly takes a step forward to inject his presence in the growingly too-personal-for-comfort conversation.

From his tall, imposing over six foot five height, to his wide 150 cm girth, to his ostentatious medal adorned, silver and gold trimmed royal militaristic garb, right up to his vast array of precious gemstones encrusted upon his excessively large crown which sat upon his vainglorious dyed dark curls of hair, King Pedro of Paraiso was every bit Princess Valentina's father.

Maybe even just a little bit more flamboyant and flirtatious, if one could imagine that.

"So this is the Kommander of that impressive Norwegian escort ship which your good King father so wisely assigned to bring my precious child, the crown jewel apple of my eye, my Primavera Princess Valentina, home." After a paternal kiss to her forehead, King Pedro cossets his pretty as a flower daughter to take a seat on her throne across from his where his entire court could admire his offspring's loveliness.

"I have heard sundry tales of your valiant heroism and competence, and of your ableness for such a great responsibility, but I hardly expected to find you to be so young." King Pedro rubs at his beard critically as he looks Prince Hans up and down, marveling at how the young Norwegian Naval officer could not be yet thirty years of age and still placed in such an imperative role of honor and distinction by the King of Arendelle.

"It was my privileged duty to serve my sovereign and represent the splendid Navy of her nation at this joyous occasion, your Majesty, and especially to have the honor of the safe delivery of your gracious Princess of Paraiso back home to her great nation." Prince Hans chivalrously bows to the King of Paraiso, then consequently to Queen Elsa and Princess Valentina, showing them all much more than due respect in his graceful sweeping gallantry.

"Yes. But even the legendary Sjoforsvaret is now secondary in comparison to my personal fleet armada of ships, _all_ of which are newly constructed with the most modern technology, not merely refitted with the latest steamship capabilities." It was obvious to see where Valentina inherited her competitive nature from, as Dom Pedro glances out through the extended windows of his ornate Imperial Palace overlooking the ocean view of the ships.

The King of Brazil gives an ancillary, dismissive look to the ship as he talks down the Gler to its affronted Captain.

But instead of showing a challenging smirk the young male felt inside, Hans simply smiles charmingly.

"In my maritime travels around the world, I have heard astounding report of the incomparable Brazilian fleet's new editions and updating that will surely be a credit to your Navy, your Majesty. You have my admiration for your fine armada that I have had the privilege to glimpse several exemplar ships thereof, earlier upon arrival." Though affronted and wishing to defend his own newly acquired naval affiliation as not being second to any other, as usual, the disarming thirteenth Prince of the Southern Isles knew how to put on the schmooze to this puffed up and haughty, South American monarch.

"Yes, yes. Ha ha! I know my Navy's prowess is renowned as one of the most impressive in the world. But yours is also very admirable, Queen Elsa, and your young Vise Admiral is an honorable tribute to it." His vanities petted, King Pedro turns back to address the beautiful blonde whom every dignitary in the room seemed interested in having the ear of.

"I agree wholeheartedly, Sir. Thank you." Elsa pauses in her conversation with a slew of local dignitaries Valentina had been making introductions with her queenly visitor in the Paço Imperial Palace.

"How are your dear father and mother, Queen Elsa? Are King Agdar and his Queen adjusting back to Royal life after that terrible four-year incarceration by vicious pirates? I was before unaware that vagrant type of vile wickedness could be allowed to exist in your northern kingdom of such pristine beauty. If your father would take my advice, he would clamp down on those who do business with marauders and employ more severe punishment to eradicate any unwanted vermin infestation problems." The strict ruler of Brazil kept crime under control of his nation with an iron hand that left Elsa almost speechless, had Hans not overheard and give a little cough, to spur Elsa on to speak up.

"Thank you for asking about my parents' welfare, Your Majesty. They are doing just fine, returned to their rightful places on Arendelle's throne, thanks in no small part to the valiant rescue and effort of many brave souls. First and foremost to my mind, that includes our brave protector, Vise Admiral Westergaard, whom I and my country owe an incontrovertible debt." Elsa tactfully squirms away from the demanding all-sticky-hands-on-deck Paraiso King as she easily brings Hans back into the conversation.

"Hmm." Dom Pedro frowns as the Gler's Kommander deftly maneuvers his Queen away from the older ladies' man with an introduction of another.

"Please allow me to present the representative of Denmark's delegation to this auspicious occasion. This is my elder brother, Prince Didrik of the Southern Isles, your Majesty." Hans signals for his similarly tall, dark and handsome older brother to run some much needed interference and give Elsa some breathing room with this overbearing Brazilian King who would not let her go and mingle with the others gathering in the Paraiso courtroom.

But Hans had absolutely no idea it would lead to such a confrontation between the two older men.

"Oh, there is no need for introductions here." The King of Paraiso pauses in his flirtations with Elsa and belittling of Hans, to instead set his dark bearded insulting sights elsewhere.

He did not address the handlebar mustache Danish Prince by his title, and for good reason.

"Didrik, it has been a long time."

"Pedro." Similarly responding without the full title of respect to the Emperor Dom Pedro, Didrik gives a sweeping bow nonetheless. But it was accompanied by a sly grin at the heavyset ruler, who strokes his beard and takes several steps back to sit on his throne.

"You must forgive me for not extending you a handshake, my _old_ _friend_. But, alas, my appendage has met with an unfortunate accident aboard ship during the crossing." Playing the court for sympathy, Prince Didrik points to his bandaged hand with a pitiable simper up at the King on his throne.

"Ah, too bad it wasn't another body part of yours." Under his breath, King Pedro tosses the whimsical, below the belt remark back at Didrik, in full recollection of the Scandinavian Svengali's role in luring his wife – and later, stole his devoted mistress, the Viscountess Domitilia away, both to humiliate and abandon a cheating Pedro all those years ago in their shared, sordid past.

"Touché, Dom Pedro." With a cocked head, Didrik relents the title and smirks across the tense Throne Room at the similarly tall and dark, middle-aged man who intimidated most others with all his pomp and regalia.

But the sixth Prince of Denmark was never intimidated by anyone. He had a swanker all his own that precluded all threats from other men. Particularly concerning his prior liaisons with beautiful – _and, by the way, willing women_ – who Didrik saw were individuals in their own rights and not items of possessions to be labeled as 'stolen property'.

Devoutly religious Queen Consort Dona Leopoldina, was perhaps persuaded by unlikely source Prince Didrik to leave her unfaithful King and his live-in mistress. But no one would believe that the relationship was purely platonic, not for any romantic entanglement with the dashing Danish Royal.

And the when the 24-year-old Prince first visited the South American continent in his chase to woo his own Spanish Princess, Antonia—who would eventually agree to be his bride 15 explosive years ago—Didrik could not stand by and allow his dear friend, Leopoldina, to be so badly treated.

It took years for Didrik to explain to his own jealous Antoinetta that quiet, long-suffering Leopoldina just happened to strictly be Didrik's closest friend from their Catholic school days together spent in Austria.

But the reconciled relationship between Didrik and Antonia was such now that she could believe she had a firm enough hold of his heart not to dredge up old jealousies.

Valentina and Alonso exchange an anxious glance with one another. The loving daughter saw that her father's neck was going all red and angry, his blood pressure rising certainly at this verbal altercation with the ever problematic, ever entertaining Prince of the Southern Isles.

"Oh, _Papai_ (Daddy)! Thank you, thank you, for already starting the wedding preparations right away just as I wished! It was right after cousin Maria wired you of our blessed event from Portugal, wasn't it?! You always spoil me! Everything in the Palace looks amazing, Papai! Doesn't it, Alonsy?" Trying to disguise her hoarse voice as she exuberantly changes the subject, Valentina was most insistent that she could walk into the Paraiso Throne Room under her own steam with her head held high.

"Yeah. Amazing." A grimacing Alonso was not as enthusiastic for the 'Liberator Soldier King' and his overbearing interference. The young Prince of Argentina had tried to remain close at her heels, concerned for his still recovering fiancé. But Valentina rushed straight into her father's demanding embrace, leaving her husband-to-be behind in the dust.

"Aw, my poor, poor _Primavera_ Valentina. You do not sound at all well. I warned you that your foolish heart's undertaking on that cold shipboard crossing to and fro between continents in search of a certain truant groom was detrimental to your blooming health, my flower." The verbose King of Paraiso places a hand on Princess Valentina's thankfully no longer feverish head as his glare at Prince Didrik transfers to Prince Alonso instead.

"Where is Manuel? I explicitly told your faithful manservant to continually stay at your side and to avoid such recklessness with your fragile wellbeing, my girl. Is this Argentinian _o_ _Garotinho_ (little boy) not yet a conscientious _homem crescido_ (grown man) enough to know how to keep my high strung blossom in good health and spirits? Is this boy the one I am to transfer your ultimate care to?" The already irked, haughty Brazilian King lobs another insulting, accusing volley directly at his future son-in-law that causes Valentina to cringe behind Elsa and Hans, who were in empathetic sympathy with her snubbed fiancé.

For once in her life indecisive, the Princess of Paraiso benefits from seeing in Elsa's crystal clear eyes not only full of sympathy, but an independent, self determination. That quality had grown inside of the once unsure, timid and submissive Queen of Arendelle along her journey alongside the assertive Brazilian princess as well.

Elsa had time aboard ship to think long and hard about how a liberated woman – and self-governing daughter – would know when to cross the fine line between where loving obedience should end and sincere freedom begin, for her to be ready to take hold of her own dream now.

Yes, Valentina wanted to please because she adored her _Papai_ (Daddy), who would always lavish his only child with expensive gifts and pampering which spoiled her nearly rotten with whatever she wanted growing up motherless.

It was King Pedro's well-intentioned, constant petting and complimentary spoiling that taught Valentina to strive to be the best Princess of all. It made her be competitive to everyone she met, better than all the rest, especially since her mother left her in single-parent care at an early age.

But headstrong Valentina went to seek out the young man she was secretly still madly in love with, even if his cold feet nearly left her at the altar. There was little King Pedro could do to stop her when she suddenly went chasing after her Prince Alonso in his tour of Europe to find a bride.

Even if it was against her proud father's better judgment, the girl in love would not listen this time to her doting Papai.

The Princess of Paraiso had not only regained her bridegroom, she also had learned a little bit more about compassion and humbleness during the continent crossing voyage from her new friend Elsa.

With the quiet example of Queen Elsa as her stable guide, the high strung, strong-willed woman had realized the extent of her true love for Alonso, more than enough to buck her obstinate father's guarded wishes, like Elsa did and would continue to, with hers.

"O Garotinho!? Excuse me?!" With a scoff of disbelief at the insult, Prince Alonso, in the backdrop of the Throne Room, was more than a little bit vexed by his second meeting with the pompous Brazilian King who had the audacity to challenge his manhood.

 _Why the heck do_ _I_ _have to put up with this?!_

The two red-faced men on either side of Valentina seemed about ready to verbally tear into one another as much as look at each other.

"Papai. I know you care about me excessively. But please don't speak to my Alonso in that disrespectful way. He has been so caring and supportive on the crossing, watching over me impeccably. I know he will make me so very happy. I love him. Alonso is my perfect dream Prince, Papai. Alonsy, please try to get along with Papai. I'm all he's had all these years. You'll both just have to share me, all right?" Instead of getting snobbish or angry as she usually would before and throw a hissy fit when not getting her way as a spoiled child, Valentina takes the calm, rational, womanly approach of understanding she had learned from her cool-headed Norwegian friend.

With a purposeful step, her eyes look beseechingly between the pair of men, who both purse their lips and cross their arms, neither able to deny her sincere, pleading look for long, before both nod to her and one another.

"Now, please don't either of you worry. My throat is just a teensy little bit sore after talking practically nonstop all this vacation – as you know I have had the tendency to do when I am beyond excited since I was a tiny child, Papai. So, I need just a tiny little bit of undisturbed rest to regain my land legs and wrap my mind totally around the ceremony after the long trip – where my dream Prince took exceptional care of me – before I dive right into the final preparations for our perfect wedding. I know you two will do everything to make the ceremony unforgettable, because I know you both love me so." Spoken with her usual vivacious verve and flamboyance flashing in her eyes, although her voice was soft, Princess Valentina dances around the room as she speaks. She kisses first her father's bearded chin into a smile, then urging Alonso's clean-shaven face into a smirk as their lips meet momentarily before she twirls in a waved farewell to both.

With Elsa and Eliana gathered at her fingertips to dance along, Valentina floats on her pink high heels up the flowery pink and gold engraved staircase her father had the Palace decorators complete to his one and only beloved daughter's specifications.

Valentina leads her friends through the halls of her home where her favorite bougainvillea flowery pink designs trimmed the hallway that led finally to the Brazilian Princess's floral, pink hued bedroom suite.

"Perfect Dream Prince who makes her happy, huh? I like that. What a woman! So beautiful, so good, so full of life." Prince Alonso admires his bride-to-be with a low whistle under his pleased breath. He was determined to try, now more than ever, for Valentina's sake to break the ice, as it were, with his sourpuss father-in-law, who didn't even want to give him audience last time Alonso was here in Brazil.

"Hmph. Well, you had better keep it that way… _Sonho Garotinho_ ( _Dreamboy)_." For his part, Dom Pedro amends his insulting slur designation to a more familiar tease for the ever youthful looking Prince of Córdoba with the threatening remark in a slightly altered frown.

"I intend to… _Pai_." Arrogant, smirking Alonso takes his relationship with Valentina's overbearing 'Dad' to the next level, much to King Pedro's chagrin, as Prince Hans looks on.

"Come on, Hans. While the girls are primping for hours, I'll show you around Paraiso. There's really no place better. Except maybe Cordoba." Still vain in his own right, Alonso offers a tour to his more respectful, quiet friend stoically standing witness in the room.

"It's strange how you remind me of someone at that age…Just before all the mistakes…" The King's angry face transforms into a sad sigh as he speaks to Didrik, while both watch the brash and handsome young Argentinean prance about the Throne Room like he already owned the place.

"Hmph, old people. We're only young once, eh, Hans?" With a careless, dispassionate shrug, Alonso turns from Dom Pedro's lost look of regret and understanding between the two older men. Alonso gives a patiently listening Hans a shrugged look that plainly said: _what have I gotten myself into?_

"We'll catch you later, Pai! I'll take Prince Hans here on a tour of your famous city to see how it compares to Cordoba!" Alonso irreverently calls back to the Emperor King of this great nation, as deferential Hans gives a respectful bow before backing out of the Throne Room.

Gazing between the daring brown of his future son-in-law prince and the calming green eyes of the Scandinavian naval officer standing before his throne, the oft ill tempered, older, self-proclaimed 'Emperor' King holds his sharp tongue from saying he wished their roles were reversed.

"And don't you and Hans' crazy Dane brother kill each other while we're gone, okay?! That would really put a damper on my Valentine's perfect wedding jamboree day after tomorrow!" And with that final parting shot, the two young men book it through Paço Palace's rear exit to the beachfront.

"Have a good time." He simply utters, wishing days of his misbegotten youth were able to be lived over again.

Over the lonely years, Pedro had realized the error of the wicked ways of his youth when he was not much older than these two handsome lads.

Errors that had caused his beautiful wife to leave him – _King, or no_ – all those years ago in shame and sorrow, driven by betrayed melancholy that soon had cost his unhappy Queen Leopoldina of Paraiso, the mother of his precious Valentina, her life.

The King of Paraiso had made up for his youth's innumerable mistakes, misdeeds and mistresses by trying to be an excessively indulgent, good father to the one child the woman he truly loved left behind.

So, if his Valentina believed this little Argentinean _empurrão_ (jerk) could make his pride and joy of a little girl happy, Dom Pedro, as a good father, would not stand in her way.

* * *

"When she's calm and munificent like that, your girl has her Mama's gentle eyes, does she not, Pedro?" Prince Didrik breaks the uncomfortable silence left in the emptying out Paço Imperial Palace Throne Room.

After Princess Valentina had led Queen Elsa upstairs, and the King proclaimed he would retire to his office chambers, so many of the other guests had wandered off into the palace luncheon hall.

Except Prince Didrik, who followed uninvited to the King's office and sat on the King's office couch like he owned the place.

"You have raised a fine daughter who knows her own heart, Dom Pedro. Leo would be very proud of the little girl you brought up to be an excellent lady." Didrik boldly says, speaking in the pet nickname for the royal Austrian beauty he had known in his youth.

The righteous young Catholic Princess who had been swept off her feet by the Brazilian King possessed a wisdom beyond her years _'to be charitable and uncomplaining of what God had given and strived earnestly to be good'._ Leopoldina's credo left a great impression upon him that Didrik wanted for a long time to share with her still regretful husband.

"You know, Prince Didrik. I think she would be. Even after all the wrongs I had done to her, my Leopoldina was that close to being a saint. But _infelizmente_ (unfortunately) I'd never realized it until it was too late. So all I could do to repent is raise her daughter as best I could in her honor. Maybe I have spoiled my pretty Primavera a little over the years, but I never withheld from her a father's love." The father in Dom Pedro confesses of the one and only other person who might understand his lamentation, because these two faulted men struggled through it together.

Dom Pedro knew that Prince Didrik, too, was no angel when it came to wronging the ladies in his illustrious past either, if report of his further reputation was any judge on the matter. So now, after the years had mellowed him, the King of Paraiso could feel a camaraderie of sorts with this Danish Prince.

"As we both have a forgiving, benevolent God as our witness, Pedro, it is never too late to learn how to treat a lady. Even for thoughtless, ne'er-do-well rascals such as we are. After all, in our midlife years, we both have fine daughters and the responsibility to be upright examples of moral virtue for their future husbands to follow, do we not?" The Southern Isles Prince nods, thinking of his own quintet of lovely young daughters who took after his still ravishing mother hen of a Spanish wife who would soon arrive for the wedding.

* * *

Outside the palace, the young men relocate from the cool palace interior into the 85°F nearing noontime heat. Hans had appeased himself that Elsa was secure upstairs in the well-guarded palace the Naval officer had diligently been surveying the safe perimeter of.

"Hey! Let's skip the boring Palace luncheon and hit that Paço beachfront café we passed on the way in instead! It's all I've heard from Valentina on the trip of the café's 'delectable seafood' on the menu. Not to mention my Valentine insisting I sample their famed 'Caiprinha' cocktails made with the country's fresh served lime juice and fermented sugarcane." Alonso licks his lips at the sweet drink Valentina enticed him with at the ship's docking.

"We definitely deserve some loosening up after that _pleasant_ greeting from Val's stiff Papai. Let's feel free to have some last ditch bachelor fun!" Alonso sings in his most mischievous voice, poking Hans in his good posture chest.

"Looks like you'll be popular. Those senoritas probably never seen a redhead Indo (reheaded European) like you before." Alonso chuckles as the group of voluptuous young ladies already on the beachfront give he and his tall Danish friend with the strikingly titian locks their most approving, come-hither glances.

Shy with being complimented Hans could not help but share in Alonso's contagious laugh in the bright and blinding Brazilian Summer sunlight they stepped out into.

But the giddy Córdoban prince's playful tease is cut short when a big pair of arms wrap around from behind him, accosting the thin framed young man in his tracks.

In the blinding glare of the overhead sun, Prince Hans evasively leaps back on his guard, his sword hand ready to draw in defense of his seized companion in this land and peoples foreign to him.

"Has the happy couple and their wedding party arrived two days ahead of schedule!?" A gregarious voice cries out as Alonso is nearly smothered by his attacker just beyond the palace's rear loggia doorway.

"My son has returned to our continent! Praise be the Lord he is looking so well and finally ready to settle down and start a family of his own! I am so proud of you, Alonso! Where is your lovely bride?!" Quite opposite the reception from at first reticent cool and threateningly haunted Dom Pedro, was the warm and inviting King of Córdoba.

King Juan Ramon of Argentina, full of pleased excitement, comes bounding up from the side garden of Paço Imperial he was strolling through in the early hours before luncheon.

Juan Ramon had come for the country uniting wedding ceremony between his son Alonso and the beautiful Princess of Paraiso, Valentina.

King Juan Ramon proudly embraces Alonso in a big bear hug, just as the affectionate King did when his son was a little boy and in much need of a little fatherly love.

"Geez, Dad. I'm a grown man now who shakes hands with other men! Not get sneak hug glomped from behind!" Embarrassed like many young men would be of his father's public embrace greeting, Prince Alonso tries to squirm out from his sticky parent.

Alonso was uncomfortable at the way his kindly Dad was acting in front of Prince Hans, as well as some of the other tittering chuckling distinguished guests and dignitaries who were eating their sandwich luncheons outside in the garden, eager to see what all the commotion of the ship's arrival at the Porto was about.

Particularly not in front of Prince consort Gabriel Nuñez, Prince Alonso's favorite old punching bag rival.

"Hey, Alonso. My eldest boy doesn't mind a good roughhouse hug from his dad. But Raul's only seven years old, so he doesn't get embarrassed of his favorite guy." Comes the eventual tease from the tall, dark and tanned skin sticky-uppy black haired Captain of the Avaloran guard, a.k.a. Prince Consort husband of eight years and six children to Queen Elena of Avalor.

"Ha ha ha. Very funny, Nuñez. I didn't figure your big brood would all be in attendance at my wedding to Valentina. Better keep those whiny brats quiet while we're reciting our vows at the church, old man, or Valentina won't be happy." Alonso complains to the man with an unsavory squalling baby that arrives in Queen Elena's very full arms, not too far behind her husband.

"Speaking of whining… Maybe my newest baby boy, Esteban, is more in your league, Alonso." Gabrielle Nuñez was no stranger to handing out jokes as he escorts his wife who was yet in breast-feeding stage, and the youngest addition to his large and still growing family, to a nearby chair in the Palace garden.

"We're fine, Gabe. Aren't we, little Esty? Where's your big tall uncle of that namesake and his new bride? If I have to wait much longer to meet Esteban's long-lost love, Johanne, I'm just going to pop! Wait. Didn't Esteban come back with you guys on the ship?" The beautiful and baby bountiful Queen of Avalor makes a sweeping entrance from the bowery of Valentina's beautiful garden steps.

Queen Elena was carrying her tiniest child in her striking crimson red, empire waist dress in one secure arm while toting a satchel full of clothes change, clean diapers, baby toys and milk bottles in her parent survival kit slung on the other arm quite capably.

Well, Elena should be a parenting pro by baby number six.

By now, in the twelfth year of her queenly reign over Peru, Queen Elena was a veteran of handling rough situations with adroit finesse. The dark-haired beauty had learned to wear her crown with responsible distinction since training to be Queen' since she was 17 years old.

Elena had been thrown into a mystical world of magic and marvels versus multiple forces of evil that threatened her beloved kingdom of Avalor. And always at the headstrong teen's side, from the very beginning, was Elena's brave and sure soldier, Gabriel Nuñez.

He uncomplaining and faithfully stood for his friends and fought their toughest battles—and Gabriel Nuñez had the back of Elena more than any other guardsman.

Their close and trusted friendship soon turned to a tender affection and eventually into a secure, trusting, resounding love.

So now, safe kingdom at peace, a happy marriage, four children and one set of twins later, Elena and her Prince Consort Gabriel could not feel more a part of one another's family partnership than they did now.

"Dad's dirty diaper time already?" Gait murmurs with a simper as he brushes Elena's wildly askew ponytail from her lovely big almond brown eyes, after having been caught in some of the dangling weeping willow tree boughs.

"Bingo." Elena pauses to sigh and smiles gratefully with a loving pop to her strong, caring husband's Roman nose.

Gabe switches from chief guardsman to a baby changing expert by now. He scoops up their just starting to fuss, newest baby boy from his already winded, pretty Mama's lap and smoothly lays out his squirming child on the bench to relieve little Esteban of his dirty deed.

"Queen Elena of Avalor, I presume? I am Prince Hans of the Southern Isles, Vise Admiral of the Norwegian Sjoforsvaret. I have heard so much about you, I'm truly honored to be in your presence." With a regal bow to the lady, Prince Hans chooses his moment after being diplomatic to the crowd full of ambassadors and dignitaries. They were all just emerging from their Palace luncheon to mingle and greet the new guests from the ship swarming around the garden that brought wedding party in two days early.

"Likewise, Prince Hans of the Southern Isles, Vise Admiral of the Norwegian Sjoforsvaret." Elena accepts Hans' elegantly extended hand to lift her from her bench seat with a coy smile up at the handsome young officer's long and formal introduction.

"Ooh, you're strong. And handsome." Hans' eyes dart down in embarrassment as he blushes modestly at the Queen of Avalor's praise spoken under her breath, giving the gregarious Elena even more a pretty picture of the pale, freckled and gorgeous Scandinavian young Royal man.

"So, enough about me! You're betrothed to Queen Elsa of Arendelle, right? She came with you across the ocean to our neck of the Amazon! I'm beyond excited to finally meet her! I've heard she's amazing." The dark-haired, Peruvian monarch who was eternally young at heart glances around the room enthusiastically in search of her much rumored platinum blonde ruling counterpart from Norway who, too, wielded powers of magic for good.

Though, Queen Elsa's incredible ice gifts – unlike Elena's taught, learned and well-trained abilities– came from within the Norwegian woman's being.

"She is exactly that, and more, Queen Elena. And I don't merely mean the ice cryokinetics the Lord has gifted her with to protect her country. Queen Elsa is the most regal, most angelic most –" Opening up to this friendly young Queen just a few years his senior, Prince Hans starts to extol his Elsa's attributes to this friendly audience when his brother Didrik interrupts Hans and Elena's cozy corner tete a tete in the garden.

"– Most breathtakingly beautiful fiancée a young man could ever wish for. Knowing the ladies as I do, as Queen Elena will no doubt agree, yes, Hans, I am, your big brother with noted exceptional taste in women, and I am absolutely in concurrence." Didrik smiles beguilingly to Elena, though Hans was mortified as to his elder brother's impolite manners. "Do excuse me for interrupting your conversation with this stunning beauty of an Hispanic Queen, Hans. But I'm afraid I must tear my much in demand Lillebror away. _Desculpa (_ pardon me _)_ , Bonita, Queen Elena, but I must have my brother's ear." The dark-haired, tall Prince of Denmark suavely finishes Hans' sentence and maneuvers his shocked younger brother through the growing crowd of diplomats at the Paco Imperial garden outdoor garden portico.

"Didrik?! That was nothing short of rude! What is the meaning of –?!" Hans asks in a harried whisper, dumbfounded by his elder sibling's lack of good social behavior.

That is, until Didrik, who had left the luncheon social to step outside for a much-needed cigarette smoke first, yanks his Lillebror Hans out towards the rear Palace loggia pillars.

"Look there." Prince Didrik points to the filmy figure of a woman dressed in scandalously leg hugging, muddy pants and a shredded dark hood pulled around her head.

She was beckoning to the men gaping at her from the Paço Imperial Palace side stone portico.

"Why would you believe that woman wishes to see _me_? I know no one in this country." Hans says, his eyebrows furrowed deeply as he squints into the dark thicket where the female figure remained partially obscured so that no one in the Palace party would see her.

"Maybe because I was passed this strange epitaph, via some small lizard-like creature, from our mysterious woman in black, who disappears each time one of those militaristic Palace guardsmen of our ' _friendly'_ host, Dom Pedro, marches past." Didrik hands Hans a quickly scrunched up page that was written in nothing less than full Greek.

"Alas, my Greek, dear boy, I must admit was never very good, as the dozens of tutors old Rügen employed could attest. But your name was glaring, even to an ignoramus like me." Prince Didrik points over his younger brother's shoulder to the unfolded, foreign linguistic note where the words ' _Prince Hans'_ was clearly delineated amid the Greek language characters.

"' _Please, come, Prince Hans! Follow_ _me! Hurry!_ _And keep it a secret from everyone! José Bererra needs you to break him out of jail tonight!'"_ Astute, multilingual Prince Hans easily translates the text in the bright light of the warm noon time Summer sun of February in Brazil.

"Who is this José Bererra fellow?" An amused Didrik poses the unknown moniker to his companion, who too cocks his head in reply. "Perhaps an old shipmate or crewmen in your illustrious world travels, Vice Admiral?" Didrik muses with a touch of envy at his well-positioned brethren. He twirls his handlebar mustache at a thoughtful Hans, who smoothly produces a pen in his hand to scribble a note of his own.

"No… Though I know not the name, there is an urgency about the situation that calls my attention to respond… I think I have a feeling whom this involves, after all. Someone we're both acquainted with, who's manifestly missing from the guest list." Cautious Hans takes several steps to the edge of the columned open side portico overlooking the garden surrounding the Paço Imperial Palace, before his eyes catch a glimpse of something entirely familiar that convinces them to take action immediately.

"Watch over my Queen in my absence, Storbror. I will return to her shortly." Hans turns to Didrik, seriously searching his eyes for steadfast stability before the younger Westergaard shakes the older's hand. Then, without further word, Hans launches his long legged leap over the side railing of the stone terrace to race across the lush greenery of the palace rear that led into the forest behind.

"Hey, Hans! Ready to kick back that round of legendary Caipirinha cocktails now that that whole Paraiso lunch extravaganza buffet fiasco is finally done with!? I know I sure could use a stiff drink after hobnobbing with all those – Huh? Where's that guy going now?" Just then, Prince Alonso decides to take a stroll in the fresh air to clear his head when he spies Hans' wiry form make a stealthy beeline towards a beckoning shadow by the trees.

Caught between answering the questions of the exacting Brazilian Archbishop that his hyper, happy royal Dad had dragged him to meet and the long list of guests all wishing him well, Alonso's head was left pounding.

There were so many marital rituals and ceremonial demands on these last days before his wedding that Alonso, who just wanted to spend a day with his lover in the sun, felt about ready to scream.

"Hey! Wait up for me, you crazy Dane!" Feeling this may be his last stab at bachelorhood liberation, the freedom-loving Prince of Córdoba had watched Prince Hans about to mount that all too familiar colorful magic flying Carpet which Alonso had come across in Arendelle.

Upon it, Prince Hans was seated beside a tantalizing, black hooded female figure of mystery, of that, an intrigued Alonso had no doubt.

 _Why does this lucky dog Prince Hans get all the excitement happen to him?_

The envious Argentinean prince takes to his long legs to run and leap on board Carpet at the last possible moment, as the magic rug was just about to take off where its now trio of travelers would be unseen against the tree-lined shadows.

"Crazy is the right word for young rascals these days. And it appears to be catching." Didrik snorts, glancing down into his own bandaged palm to find, when Hans had shook it farewell, he had left with Didrik a certain well folded, read and reread piece of paper.

It was love letter, filled with a solemn apology and deep confession of some torrid details of the guilty young lover's fantasy involving his fiancée in the most intimate of terms that made even veteran ladies' man Prince Didrik color.

And it was addressed to ' _Min hviddue'_.

"I'm impressed. But you are a bonafide glutton for punishment, Lillebror. How do you get yourself into these messes?" Didrik takes the damning missive, he instantly recognized was meant for Queen Elsa by the romantically fond nickname. He quickly crumbles it with his one viable hand and tucks it into a tiny inside pocket in the folds of his svelte jacket.

"Good thing you have your older brother here to intercede before you do yourself a mischief." The more experienced with women Prince Didrik says under his chuckles at the nonsensical nature of a man whose his heart was so young and so much in love to drive him to these ends of madness and back again.

"There is a thing as too much honesty, particularly when it comes to the delicate female sex."

The recently turned 40-year-old Prince watches the flying magic Carpet and its two twentysomething lovestruck young heroes take off against the sunset tree line cover, supposedly unnoticed, on one more grand adventure.

* * *

But one other curious pair of true blue eyes which were so in tune with the Northern sky they had been gazing upon, they notice a shift in scenery through her bedroom window.

Gripping her heart, Elsa was sure she saw the fleeting silhouette of her redheaded man, and another she paid little attention to, on the back of the magic flying Carpet she hardly expected to see here in South America. But more, it was the unmistakable form of a shapely female with her hair let down in flowing brown curls sharing the romantically intimate ride beside him that made the Ice Queen's blood run cold.

 _I wonder where you're going without telling me, Hans…_

 _And just who is that woman with you?_

The colorful Persian rug soars away from the Palace to who knew what sort of furtive rendezvous to who knew where.

Despite her best efforts to remain calm and detached, Elsa could not restrain that little bit of possessive jealousy from sneaking into the recesses of her mind.

Involuntarily, as she watches Carpet and his illicit passengers zoom out of sight, the perturbed Ice Queen's frozen fingers on the panes flash freeze Valentina's third floor window glass until it goes all white with a sub-zero condensation this side of the equator has never before seen.

* * *

 _ **Across the vast Atlantic Ocean, back home in the North Seas of Arendelle…**_

Kristoff Bjorgman had been up early with the Dawn, unable to sleep for much longer than a few sparse hours these last couple of days.

The Ice Harvester had been practically up all night trying to calm his five-month pregnant wife in her second trimester.

Anna was still relatively comfortable by day, but it kept the first time mom-to-be sleep deprived by night.

The incredibly tall, incredibly muscular blond mountain man had left his little wife, sleeping soundly at last in a bedraggled, sweat drenched, upside down hair mass upon their woodsman cottage's master bed, to go for an outdoor walk and clear his own fuzzy mind.

It had been about eight months since Kristoff had wed his ginger cutie, but it seemed a lifetime transpired in between now and then. If the sane young man would even have dared to explain, no one would ever believe all the crazy stuff that had happened to the newlywed couple since that happy day back in July.

Anna's thought lost at sea parents had been returned to them after a monumental battle with pirates and sea monsters, with ancient magic and legends all mixed in.

Not to mention Kristoff's own amazing discovery of his unknown past, with the mystical Snow Queen as his long-lost mother and his father revealed as his mysterious old mentor from his ice harvesting camp days, named Ragi.

The combination of which resulted in Kristoff inheriting some 'Wind Whisperer' extrasensory powers of his own, that gave the down-to-earth lad the ability to listen and communicate with all of nature it seemed.

All the while, Anna's big sister Elsa, being tempted and tested by every Nibelung and Devil Troll along her icy path, by chance or destiny, encountered a certain young man. And she not only forgave the former criminal/reformed archenemy of her nation, but the munificent Queen of Arendelle fell madly in love with him as her new hero, despite her Papa's distrust of the Dane.

So much in love and longing to marry her Prince Hans, that Queen Elsa chased him down to the kingdom of his birth, where murder plots and sedition along with jealous brother vindictiveness and competitive rivalry reigned supreme.

But all the events that led to this day as Kristoff stood by Anna and her complex family's side, prepared the once loner of an Ice Harvester for this greatest new challenge, making Kristoff more a mature man than he ever was.

Sure, Kristoff was, despite his orphaned young life, followed by an unorthodox Troll upbringing, never a wild child or rebellious boy in his youth during his independent adolescence.

He always, since the earliest age, took seriously his responsibility of taking care of himself and watching out for Sven as well. That conscientious dependability molded the young man to be the good citizen with a heart of gold he was today.

As he mused the recent past in the dusky polar night dark morning, the young father-to-be was utilizing his nervous energy to put to good use at least, gathering wood for the cottage's fireplace to keep his Anna warm in these frozen months in Arendelle.

Kristoff woke up every morning lately in these truly peaceful days of simply trying to keep his lover secure and warm in their new life in the home together.

In these sleepless hours, Kristoff had time to ponder his gratitude to his Creator for placing him in Oaken's Trading Post on that fateful night three years ago when he and Anna had first met and hit it off.

"That's when I found my Feistypants…"

"Who? Who?"

"Well… She wasn't exactly looking for a guy like me, being currently engaged to a more, in her words, 'dreamy' Prince at the time. Hmph. And no way was I – an independent loner, man of business – _interested_ in her! _Attracted_ , maybe, to her cute, quirky gutsiness. But I was not interested picking up a girl! I just wanted to sell my ice! At first, anyway. Hey! Why am I confessing my love life to an owl and a tree? I must be really zoned out from lack of sleep." As the well-grounded blond mountain man recalled his first and lasting love encounter, he didn't realize that he had been speaking aloud to the sweet birch tree that he had been humanely chopping down, bough by careful bough for its valuable bark.

But the man of nature Wind Whisperer truly believed deep down, though it was hard to admit sometimes, that he knew every rock and tree and creature had a spirit and a name.

The tall, stately birch was at the crescendo of its natural life of some 300+ years and had whispered in the snows for the Snow Prince how it wished in an almost paternal way, to be useful to the end to the Royal family on whose land the Birch was so integrally a part of.

And the tree's ancient spirit particularly wanted to give comfort to that special little girl who gave the tree its happiest hours. Princess Anna recognized the trees as her friends and grew up swaying in nearby branches, singing and playing with such a love of life in all forms that all of nature loved her right back.

Old 'Betula the Birch' was only glad to offer its last season of sweet smelling wintergreen oil, still flowing through its veins to the sweet voiced young ginger Princess, who had so named him. Anna had climbed his happy limbs many times before when he was nearing the end of his days, making Betula feel young and vital again.

So all the old birch wished was to help her now that she was the one ailing.

His aromatic essential birch oil had a pain relieving and cooling effect on humans who suffered from sore muscles and joints, and would be a world of good to the little mother-to-be.

The fresh minty scented birch oil that Kristoff had already gleaned from the dying old birch had worked wonders on Anna's aching arms and legs and painful buttocks, too. The man of Nature prescribed the essential oil and hands-on massaged it to his Baby having his baby to ease her tension away at all hours of the day or night.

"What are you doing out here in the dark at this time of morning, young man? And who on earth are you talking to there? The trees?" It just happened that another man with restless paternal instincts too was unnerved on the sleepless night.

The tall, rigid monarch of Norway had suffered from much anxiety over his darling children, one near and in pain, the other so far away in unknown encounters beyond his help that it kept King Agdar of Arendelle up at nights.

"I, erm, uh…well! I was…ummm… Ergh… Just refining some more fresh birch oil for Anna's aches and pains out of the bark of this good old tree, Dad… I mean, your Majesty… I mean…So how're you doing this morning…Sir?" Kristoff literally and figuratively stumbles over both words and the double tin drip container that he was just about to carefully extract from the brush straw fire.

Kristoff had industriously stacked the insulated flames around the bark stuffed 'oil refining' tin to burn for several hours under Sven's careful watch. That had been left slow roasting while the industrious young man was seeing to the rest of his one-man outdoor chores, like firewood collection and clearing out the lean-to barn's reindeer stalls with fresh hay, never mind clearing a plot behind the house for planting the root vegetable garden Anna wanted in the Spring.

"Oh, man! This is bad. Okay! I got this under control! Owwie! Hot!" Unnerved by this spectator, Kristoff was half-asleep and had forgotten to put on his thick fireproof glove while moving the hot tin container half buried in the dirt to steam the valuable essential oil liquid.

But Kristoff had misjudged the heat from the bursting flame and clumsily knocked over several of the still red-hot burning embers of the fire.

Kristoff had merely been trying to remove the ingenious, safe roasting, 'Tree Oil Refining Tin' contraption that he bought from Oaken a little while back, but ended up getting burned instead.

"No, son. _**I**_ have this under control." The Ice King corrects the younger man grammatically like a teacher or parent would. King Agdar merely had to flick his wrist to flash frost the molecules in the air around the instantly sizzling brush flame engulfing Kristoff's apparently flammable hat that Anna had knit for his birthday present.

"Thanks. Maybe Anna won't notice the hole?" Kristoff says hopefully before he cringes when he pokes his large finger through the even larger, crisp blackened, gaping hole in his newly gifted knit brown hat. Kristoff crookedly smiles with a look of guilt up at his powerful father-in-law who wasn't even wearing a thin cloak over his usual naval jacket.

The insomniac King had apparently decided to take a stroll through the mid-February morning -5°C predawn temperature when he saw the smoke emanating from Oaken's 'Tree Oil Refining Tin' near the cottage through his window.

"That's right. The cold doesn't bother you anyway." The Ice Harvester smiles at the improbable ruler of the nation. Kristoff had grown up outdoors in Norway's bitterly cold environment and could take temperatures well below freezing for hours on end himself.

But that didn't mean the well-built, burly young man wasn't shivering beneath his thick fur tunic and cloak of double worsted wool, with three layers of insulated underclothes, double thick fleece pants and reindeer skin boots.

All while he could bet his slender father-in-law probably didn't even have on his thermals beneath that regal, yet thin, royal suit.

" _No fair!_ _Kristoff's the one who's got the Snow Queen's blood in his veins!"_ To ignore his charred painful hand, Kristoff chortles in Sven's silly, wobbly reindeer voice projection that King Agdar did not find funny at all, as he frowns upon the pair like Kristoff and Sven were low-class weirdos.

He was obviously in no mood for humorous antics of reindeer games.

"Again, I query: what is it you are going to all of this trouble for out here in this early morning frozen darkness alone? Why aren't you attending to Anna? I left her in your explicit care in that little cottage on the outskirts of the castle grounds, where you promised that you would keep her safe and comfortable. I did not expect to find you running around in the forest with your reindeer, playing with fire, no less, in all hours of the early morning. I am surprised that you left my vulnerable, five months pregnant daughter alone in that poorly insulated, secluded woodsman's cottage at the edge of the property, when her mother and I have already stated that we would gladly care for Anna in Arendelle Castle because we know you are busy working. Now, hold still boy, while I see to that burn to prevent a blister." King Agdar had come to look upon this plebian mountain man of Anna's like a child of his own, as he fatherly berates Kristoff for staying out past 'curfew' and toying with matches in the cold weather, all while tenderly attending the boy's 'booboo.'

"I **AM** attending to Anna, Sir. **This** is the pain relieving muscle rub that I've been treating Anna's sore muscles with. It's all natural and seems to be the only thing that works for her. But we ran out last night. So, since I couldn't sleep, I came out early to distill some more to ease her leg and hip pain. But it looks like not me or my hat is flame retardant." Kristoff explains his motives as he tries to make light of the situation. He inhales sharply at the pain from the accidental burn to his right palm, and smiles churlishly at the King.

"Neither my hat, _nor_ _ **I**_ _."_ Agdar again corrects his son-in-law's improper grammar, like a real father patiently would.

"Right. Neither my hat, nor I, are flame retardant." Kristoff obediently mimics, gaining the King's approval and a carefully listening Sven's wide tongue lick across the intelligently spoken face.

Agdar shakes his head at the inanity of it all. "If you're finished collecting…birch oil…here, then let us hurry back to Anna." Agdar states, always in his role as a caring father first.

"Don't worry, Anna is still sleeping soundly or Svala what have signaled me. I left her peeking through the cracked open window to keep watch over my gal while I was elsewhere." The Wind Whisperer taps his forehead, signifying his preternatural gift of second sight through his mental bond with his wife.

"Well, that is commendable you are keeping notice of Anna at all times, young man. And I beg your pardon for my short temper and quick words, accusing you of abandoning your duty to my girl. I know that is flagrantly inaccurate. But my nerves, you know." With a self-deprecating simper, King Agdar uncharacteristically apologizes to anyone – _no less his low class son-in-law_ – offering Kristoff a genuine smile to go with the ice pack compress applied to the boy's large scorched palm that prevented a blister and eased the burn pain simultaneously.

"I have watched over you these weeks and have seen how you go out of your way to diligently care for my daughter, Kristoff. Though I don't say it often, I could not be more satisfied knowing how you put my Gingersnap's welfare first and foremost above your own. I am well pleased Anna chose you." In a conciliatory mood now that he was found in the wrong before, Agdar recognized the genuine loving concern his son-in-law provided his younger daughter.

"Yeah, well. I do my best to keep up with her." Secretly beyond ecstatic to have Anna's father's approval at last, Kristoff nods gratefully to Sven for stomping out the remnants of the Tree Oil Refining Tin fire as he had been applying a smudge of the newly distilled healing Birch oil for its anti-inflammatory properties to his own hand.

{"Thanks, pal."} Kristoff mentally thanks Sven as he and his father-in-law walk side-by-side back to the cottage that Kristoff had purchased from Elsa to make a home for he and Anna that was still close to her family.

"Ha ha. Yes, my wife and I always found Anna to be a handful growing up." The wistfully smiling older man seemed as if he had a desire to talk to someone in this cool crisp February morn.

Agdar had spent many long sleepless hours reminiscing of his life and that of the dear family that the Lord blessed a fool such as he, to watch over and provide as paternal guard.

"She always was – and still is, our sparkling firefly of a child that we loved so much, I'm afraid we let her run wild. But I did watch out she did not hurt herself too badly in her relish for playing when Anna was young." The King fondly recalls the many scrapes that baby Princess Anna had gotten herself into, running around alone in Arendelle Castle like a little hooligan.

"Now that you mention it… Dad. I've been wondering if I could I ask you some… ummm… personal…gulp… man-to-man advice about being a dad?" His heart was caught in his throat one second after Kristoff uttered the inquiry.

His burning questions about becoming a new father had the blond, just turned 24-year-old wishing he never opened his mouth to the uncommonly receptive King of Arendelle this morning.

But as a lost child orphan raised by kindly, but inappropriate Rock Trolls, Kristoff had little to no example, in human terms at least, on this all-important subject of fatherhood.

"Go ahead, son. I'll do my best to answer your question. I am touched you can trust me to give advice on the subject, because I regret I have not always been the most competent of fathers. But my love for my children has always their best interest at heart." Agdar nods his head as he considers the idea. He was leading Sven by the reins back to the cottage while carrying Kristoff's axe over his right shoulder and shovel over the other like an old farmhand more than a prim and proper King.

Aware of Anna's royal father's flexibility he admired, the young Ice Harvester was carefully separating the birch oil from the compressed water extruded in that ingenious distillation tin container of trader Oaken's inventive design as they walked.

"Yeah, right. Well, umm…" Kristoff nervously swallows as he stops to point out to the King where to hang up the shovel and axe gear into the mountain man's homemade, outdoor shed.

Sven joins Svala in peeking through Anna's partly open side bedroom window to check on their slumbering, favorite gal, who was loudly snoring and drooling on the topsy-turvy bedding, with her hair a wild curled fright. Otherwise than that, Anna was adorable.

"Come on in and have some coffee, Sir. I made it fresh a few hours ago before I set out, so I'll just warm it up for us now on the stove quick." Kristoff quickly displays his skills as homemaker, deftly relighting the cute little stove in the cute little kitchen in his and Anna's cute little cottage.

Kristoff sets the coffee pot – with a hand mitt glove for safety this time – on the stovetop. Then he takes a pair of cups in the cabinet crowded with porcelain knick knacks and salt shakers of all kinds of woodland animals and snowmen his wife had collected as King Agdar sits at the homey little table for the first time.

"Do you think guy like me – a working orphan in a mountain camp, raised by a family of uncouth hermit Trolls, where my Troll dad Cliff taught me to use my head –mostly meant to smash into trees to get down their fruits for seeds and such— could make a good Dad? I don't know if I've got what it takes. Should I be the steady, tough at times, rock solid grunting type? Or more the understanding, compassionate and funny pal kind of guy? Or maybe a little of both? Does it depend on if it turns out to be a boy or girl? I just want to be the kind of perfect father that'll be good enough for Anna's baby to look up to someday. And not just because I'm gonna be taller than him. Or her. Either way is fine. Probably." Frazzling his already mussy hairdo, Kristoff confesses his natural anxieties to Anna's father over the cup of java and leftover donuts the overtired young man served at the table in the dark kitchen.

"Heheheh. Do not think yourself alone here, young man. It has always been a worry for each of us mortal men through the ages. Especially for young first fathers, who wish to be worthy of that honored position of 'Papa'. It is a serious undertaking to be the head of the family, responsible for raising children to be molded into fine young men and women who live in humble reverence to our one Lord God who brought them about the first place." After raising his eyes to Heaven, King Agdar gives a long glance to his restful, snoring child in the open door bedroom.

"I have discovered in my own attempts to be that ' _perfect dad'_ , as you say, that there is no set, flawless blueprint, whether the child is male or female. But because you are striving and asking the right questions now, as you continue to love your wife and be a good man we have all come to know you to be, I'm sure your child –girl or boy – will be proud to call you 'Papa', Kristoff. After all, there is no greater distinction a man can strive for in this life." Agdar benevolently smiles as he puts on his wisdom cap to tackle this age-old question of the young man moving into the next stage of his lifetime.

"There is one other thing…" Kristoff says taking a long sip of his coffee. "After they have the baby – do women lose their…ergh… _Appetite_?" The strapping young mountain man's choice of tentative words utterly dumbfounds his father-in-law, causing Agdar to start choking on his donut. The King was ready to tackle any inquiry concerning the raising of babies or the trials of fatherhood in general. But this very personal inquiry into married men and women's further intimate relations after childbirth? A wide-eyed Agdar was about to downgrade his increasingly high opinion of this dirt covered mountain boy if he was referring to the King's little girl in such a coarse fashion.

"I just wanted to know if I'm going to be up every night from now on cooking for Anna her favorite treats by candlelight, after I do the barnyard cleanup then the household chores, just to get back in time to make her late morning breakfast in bed. Mind you, I'm not complaining. Don't get me wrong I really don't mind doing all the cooking and cleaning – with Sven's help as a godsend in washing the dishes – but I was thinking maybe we could hire a farmhand to rake out the stalls and take care of planting that garden Anna wants this Spring. At least for the meantime, until she gets back on her feet. I don't know how much longer I can keep up this pace handling everything around here, and still get my work done at my Ice Harvesting Shop in town. I want to have time to help take care of the new baby, too." Overworked, stressed out Kristoff Bjorgman rattles off his hectic schedule.

He stifles a mighty yawn in Anna's father's face before the harried husband sits back on the couch to get a good view of the loudly snoring young woman through their never closed bedroom door as his busy hands finish bottling the freshly wintermint scented Birch oil for her rub later.

"Oh, is that all you meant, Boy? Ha ha ha!" The ginger haired King lets out a hearty laugh before covering his mouth guiltily at being noisy when the young mother to be in the next room was trying to sleep.

"Don't worry, Anna could sleep through a tornado." The tired man gazes up at his father-in-law who had been pacing around the sitting room of their messy little cottage.

"Indeed, being with child increases the young mother's need for nutrition." After another chuckle at his own fertile imagination, the older man answers the younger's original question honestly as he could. "But as you knew full well when you married my daughter, Anna has a bottomless stomach when it comes to chocolate and sweets." Agdar gazes fondly through the open door at his baby girl, trying to imagine how the bright and shining Gingersnap would fare as a new mother.

"And nuts. You have no idea how many nuts I've cracked and shelled in the past month." A drowsy Kristoff opens up his exhausted eyelids enough to smirk at nature's perfect protein that his Baby adored to snack upon.

"Oh, yes, how could I forget the nuts?" King Agdar chuckled, looking around the newlywed cottage for the first time with observant eyes that saw not only the nutshells on every table, but traces of his vibrant girl's effervescent eclectic signature in every corner of the idyllic little living area.

Snowmen and sunflowers with birthday candles decorated the multiple plants and tree cuttings in terra-cotta pots in the windowsills that screamed Anna's name. Handcarved wooden Crosses with inscribed Bible verses hung over Christmas decorations too cherished to put away. Letters to and from her beloved sister were scattered across upon Anna's little nook quaint writing desk in the corner of the cottage living room.

All in all, the wood cutter's cottage was a messy, lived in, perfect place chock-full of flowers and light and happiness. Artwork by Elsa, the artistic queen's self-portrait and other drawings and paintings, proudly hung upon the wall with family and pictures filled with love and memories along Princess Anna's lively way.

"Now that you're done refining that Birch oil, why don't you just lie back and take a well deserved rest, son. You have had a full morning already. I promise to look into getting you some much needed help for the outside work and in planting season, so you may slow down a little bit to give Anna and the child more of your full attention. And when Gerda returns from her vacation, she and your Mother-in-law have already volunteered to assist Anna with the baby." The sympathetic father-in-law offers his support to the overwhelmed first father.

"As I am here this fine morning, please allow me to watch over our little slumbering Angels who God has placed in our care together. So, just close your eyes and rest a while, son. I will take care of everything." With the paternal order, Agdar compassionately places a hand of permission to rest upon Kristoff's already slumped shoulders, ready to collapse against the couch.

"Thanks, Dad." More comfortable with the familial moniker than he thought he'd ever be, Kristoff curls up on the living room couch. The big man was not at all feeling crowded by the excessive fluffy magenta pillows and yellow flowery quilts made by the church ladies as a home warming present to the younger Princess of Arendelle and her new hubby.

King Agdar uses his silent cryokinetics to magically tidy up the table, while mystic frost animated icy scrub sponges and bottle washers tinklingly clean finish the dishes Sven's tongue had left half done last night. ( _ewgh, disgusting, boy_ ).

Then the satisfied father quietly moves in to the bedroom where his precious baby girl was peacefully sleeping.

On a mountain of soft pillows and warm blankets, the pampered Princess' sweet face looked as young and innocent as Agdar remembered from looking in on his little girl to see she was asleep when she was a wee thing.

And now that she was older, to her worried Papa, his Gingersnap baby still looked too small to be holding the promise of such a big wonderful future hidden close to her heart.

In the woodsman's cottage where Anna has made her home as a woman, King Agdar sits in the little chair that was more fit for a dwarf than a man.

It left Agdar wondering how his devoted son-in-law usually occupied the uncomfortable chair somehow despite his wider girth.

 _Import in a larger, more ergonomic, cushioned chair for bedroom. Check._

The King thinks to himself in the quiet still of the polar night morning, where he was content to settle back and watch his baby girl sleep.

A short time later, Anna stirs, as if sensing a new presence at her bedside when a cool wind blows through the slightly opened fresh air window her father goes to shut.

The King sees there the colorful tinkling windchimes Anna had cherished and maintained all these years since her Daddy gave them to her and Elsa as children.

Anna had insisted Kristoff install the chimes in the garden window facing where she had planted a little weeping cherry Willow tree when Kristoff bought this cottage to be their wedded home. The Cherry tree was to be the decorative centerpiece of Anna's garden with cascades of pink flowers along the pendulum branches yet to first blossom and grow this Spring.

Anna wanted this weeping willow outside her window, not just because it was pretty, but also because it reminded the little girl in her of happy carefree days playing with Elsa. Together as a family, as Elsa and Mama looked on and laughed, her wonderful Papa would pick up baby Anna to reach high and climb the big Willow's lovely pendulum branches. situated in the back of the Castle.

How Anna loved swinging from them with her sister, never fearing she nor Elsa would fall because their first hero was always there to catch them even when they slipped.

Tears filled his eyes just as sweet memories of childhood days of yore filled the King's heart, of little girls' bright laughter and warm hugs in the sunshine filled the unending days spent with 'Daddy's girls.'

The sound of the tinkling porcelain wind chimes in the shape of seven little dwarfs that her talented Papa brought home to them from one naval visit to Holland where the fields were snow white and legends of fairytale little men of Dutch folklore inspired his shipboard sculpting.

Though a few of the funny dwarfs many porcelain statuettes were greyed with age, their noses chipped, and their hats weatherworn, each stood as a testament to a father's patient and abiding love for his baby girls.

The King of Arendelle may have been erroneous in his choice to keep Anna ignorant of her sister's growing ice powers, but he did it with only the reason of fatherly protection and great love to safeguard both of his most precious treasures from hurting one another unintentionally, as children were wont to do.

For the Ice King now knew how it also broke his beloved Elsa's heart to have caused her baby sister such danger and harm and could have cost her life all these years ago.

As head of his wondrous family, the young father himself had pledged before the Almighty to keep those, blessedly placed in his care, safe and Agdar took that ultimate responsibility very seriously.

The King of Norway's melodic baritone softly begins to sing a soulful hymn, just as he had to his tree climbing Daddy's girl all those years ago when growing up, Anna still wanted to climb up and up and up the tree limbs fearlessly with her first hero at her side.

His troubles melted then in that warm sunlight, if only momentarily, and Anna's Papa would laugh along with her in those beautiful days as he propped his baby girl up, to climb higher and higher.

Towards the bright sun in the blue sky that optimistic Princess Anna always believed would be limitless. Even in the dark days of her lonely youth with her big sister/ best friend Elsa being so close and yet so far away, Anna reached for the sky.

She always believed her sister was swinging and climbing in those trees beside her still in spirit, with their beloved Papa watching over close by, to lovingly raise them up with his song.

"' _Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee._

 _E'en though it be a cross that raiseth me;_

 _Still all my song shall be nearer, my God, to Thee,_

 _Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee._

 _Though like the wanderer, the sun gone down,_

 _Darkness be over me, my rest a stone;_

 _Yet in my dreams I'd be nearer, my God, to Thee,_

 _Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee_

 _There let the way appear steps unto Heav'n;_

 _All that Thou sendest me in mercy giv'n;_

 _Angels to beckon me nearer, my God, to Thee,_

 _Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee._

 _Then with my waking thoughts bright with Thy praise,_

 _Out of my stony griefs Bethel I'll raise;_

 _So by my woes to be nearer, my God, to Thee,_

 _Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee._

 _Through trees on joyful wing, cleaving the sky,_

 _Sun, moon, and stars forgot, upwards I fly,_

 _Still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee,_

 _Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee._

 _There in my Father's home, safe and at rest,_

 _There in my Saviour's love, perfectly blest;_

 _Age after age to be, nearer my God to Thee,_

 _Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee."_

Anna smiles in her sleep, just as she did when she was tiny girl, believing, with endless faith, that all would work out in the end. In her dreams then, that now had come to fruition in reality, she and Elsa would be bosom friends again.

And all the world there, full of flowers and trees, snowfields and sleighbells, would be happy and safe. Because she knew her good, loving Papa was always near, and always would be there for she and Elsa both, because they were 'Daddy's girls.'

King Agdar was surprised to open his eyes closed in prayer and feel his darling little girl's tiny paw slip into his cool one with her affectionate warmth, even if she was feeling queasy.

"I love you, Papa." Anna sleepily whispers to her Father whose integrity and conviction, and caring love, gave her the courage to face this new challenge ahead of her.

* * *

' _The righteous who walks in His integrity— blessed are his children who come after him.' –_ Proverbs 20:7

* * *

"Nearer, my God, to Thee" - Sarah Flower Adams & Lowell Mason 1841

* * *

 _Papai_ – Daddy in Portuguese

 _Pai_ – Father in Portuguese

 _O Garotinho_ – 'Little boy' in Portuguese

 _Sonho Garotinho_ – 'Dreamboy' in Portuguese

 _Min hviddue – '_ my dove' in Danish

* * *

Greetings, Frozen friends!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

I wish you and your special guy a super great Father's Day!

Like Anna and her Papa Agdar, I hope you're enjoying the memories of how he protected and watched over you growing up! (Even when they're tough fellas to know sometimes, you know your Dads cared for you with love, wanting to keep you safe and what's best for his children!)

The Lord blessed me with my Buddy, who has stood by us through thick and thin, watched out for and protected from rainstorms and endured driving lessons, and still had time to be our playmate and Lone Ranger/ British mysteries / old movies watching TV friend.

So, to our #1 first protector and leader and hero most of all, who has taught this Daddy's girl so much about how to build and plant and make and create and dream, I could never say : 'Thank you!' enough, Daddy!

We love being your Daddy's Girls!

Give your hardworking Dad an extra big hug this weekend to say how much you appreciated his work and sacrifice to love and raise you up into who you are today!

God bless!

HarukaKou

P.S. Wasn't Kristoff cute asking his prickly Father-in-law about the responsibility and joys of fatherhood? I agree with King Agdar that Kristly will make a great Daddy! ^_^


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